Oktava Condensers

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Antz_Marchin

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What do you guys think of the 012, 219, and 319?? Which one(s) are better and what would be a fair price for barely used of each?? Thanks. BJ
 
MC-012's with the three capsules. Very good mic for acoustic instruments and drum overheads. Smoother and a little darker than many budget priced small diaphram condensors.
MC-319 is one of my all time favorite vocal mics. Again, a darker, rounder sounding mic than many of the large diaphram mics in this price range.
 
gotta say the 319 is pretty decent

got it on a whim when GC lowered the price to $99.

so far it was worked pretty well.

drums sound pretty good through it (but you really need a shockmount with it). i did a female voice over with it that sounded amazing. not an "all around mic" but a "right mic for the right source" kinda deal.

i did the try a bunch at GC and pick your favorite thing. seemed to work for me. it was pretty hard to do a very scientific analysis in the environment, so i went with the one that was least silibant on my voice. seemed like a fair and useful test....

i think it looks great. those magnetic switches look cool (open it up and check them out, they seem flimsy when you use them, but when you see how they work you know that they are probably very reliable). the body is made of some pretty damn thick tubing, i bet you could run it over with a truck and not worry about it.

i dont know if i would get it as a first or second mic, more like a 7th or 8th...
 
one more thing

the shockmount they have at GC for $20 fell apart in my hands when i was using it during the test.

gary young's universal shockmount fits it quite nicely. his product is sort of professional DIY (looks like he got all the parts at home depo), but they work well and are cheap.
 
Yes, agree with the above. These are mics that still belong in your mic wardrobe even after you've bought much more expensive mics. I wouldn't recomend the 219 though. It's a 319 capsule in the old body, and reportedly has a less open sound.
A couple of notes - be sure to use a shockmount with the 319. It's a really good vocal mic, never strident or hyped, but it's capsule isolation / suspension is not great. A shockmount solves the problem nicely, and you should use one anyway, on any mic.
Definetly get an omni capsule to go with the 012. Having both the cardioid and the omni takes that mic from good deal to fantastic.
Lastly, with a little reading on the subject youll hear stories of quality control problems with these mics. It's not that they break, it's more that they aren't terribly consistant from mic to mic with freq response and sensitivity. Main sellers of these mics are Guitar Center, and a company called The Sound Room. Guitar Center just sells them as they come from the factory. Some will be great, most will be fine, and an occasional runt of the litter comes through. Several people, including myself, have taken the trouble to audition several of them at GC to pick out the best of the litter. Several people have done fine at GC without going through this and done fine. A few people have ended up with a not so great one, and had to exchange it for a good one.
then there's the Sound Room, where they hand select and test all of the mics they sell, and also offer matched pairs. They charge considerably more than GC, but you know what you're getting and can get matching pairs. I ordered my 012 omni capsule from them, which sounds excellent.

So, there you go. I can tell you I'll never sell my Oktava's. :)
RD
 
If these are barely used good mics, you can buy the 012's or the 319 for $100 each new, so less than that would be a fair price. The 219? If you pay me $5 plus shipping, I'll dispose of it in an environmentally safe fashion. Better yet, give it to a homerecorder you really hate.-Richie
 
How does the 012 compare to the MXL 603s? The 012s are on sale at guitar center for $99 w/out shockmount.... slightly more than the MXLs.
 
My only gripe with Oktava's LD's (I have a 219 and a 319) is that they can't handle high spl's very well. They seem to distort when I have them in front of a loud guitar cab. Excellent for vocals though.

And, I don't think the 219 is that bad at all. I've gotten some very nice results with vocals and acoustic guitar. The 319 is noticibly more "open" sounding, but I still use my 219 now and again.
 
Track Rat said:
No difference. It's a Russian thing.
Click to expand...

Thank you. Oh, is the SH-319 shockmount for it any good, or what?
 
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I have the 012's matched pair with the three capsules... very good value, IMO.

I also picked up the LOMO LDC heads which fit on the 012 preamp... and am very pleased with those, as well. Recently, I did a live two-mic recording at a jazz club here in Atlanta and the results were very good, indeed. The room wasn't all that good... but the recording was very acceptable.

When I get around to poorboy-mastering it, I'll put up a few posts.

I got some great pieces with Charles Davis, tenor saxophonist... what a treat!
 
I had a 319-for one day. It made a digital recorder sound like an old cassette with the dolby turned off. Must have been a Friday build.
 
Eric-Jensen said:
I had a 319-for one day. It made a digital recorder sound like an old cassette with the dolby turned off. Must have been a Friday build.
Click to expand...
:D

I've heard about the Q/C nitemares, and people having to return their mics 2 or 3 times. Wasn't my experience though - guess I lucked out.
 
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