Whoopysnorp
New member
I am still using the MXL603s that were my first condenser mic purchase way back in 2001 or so. They have served well but now that I am upgrading the other parts of my recording chain, I want to get something a little nicer. I was considering picking up a pair of the Oktava MC-012s and having them modded by Michael Joly, but it seems that used pairs (not even matched) are fetching surprisingly high prices on eBay, and I'd like to consider some other options.
As I work for a music gear retailer, I'm able to get at-cost pricing on items we carry, so I'd like to get something from my work if possible. Of what we carry, I am considering the Shure KSM141, the KSM137, the SM81, the Sennheiser e914, and the Audio-Technica AT4033. Unfortunately, we don't carry matched pairs of any of these, so that may be a concern...are these mics made to a high enough standard that I could expect similar performance from any two mics? I have heard positive things about all of these mics, with the exception of the e914, about which I really haven't heard anything. I am not so sure I would have any use for the omni pattern on the KSM141--I record in a rehearsal space that is noisy and not acoustically-treated. If the KSM137's performance is roughly equivalent to the performance of the KSM141 in cardioid mode, I would choose the KSM137.
I will be recording either to an RME Fireface 800 or a Tascam ATR-60 1/2" machine. My choices for pres to use with these at the moment are the pres on my old Tascam M320 board, my Presonus Eureka, and the pres on the Fireface. I will be adding other flavors of outboard pre at some point as well. Basically, my goal is to have a complete recording chain that may not be top-quality but will at least be of high enough quality that I won't need to upgrade for some time.
As I work for a music gear retailer, I'm able to get at-cost pricing on items we carry, so I'd like to get something from my work if possible. Of what we carry, I am considering the Shure KSM141, the KSM137, the SM81, the Sennheiser e914, and the Audio-Technica AT4033. Unfortunately, we don't carry matched pairs of any of these, so that may be a concern...are these mics made to a high enough standard that I could expect similar performance from any two mics? I have heard positive things about all of these mics, with the exception of the e914, about which I really haven't heard anything. I am not so sure I would have any use for the omni pattern on the KSM141--I record in a rehearsal space that is noisy and not acoustically-treated. If the KSM137's performance is roughly equivalent to the performance of the KSM141 in cardioid mode, I would choose the KSM137.
I will be recording either to an RME Fireface 800 or a Tascam ATR-60 1/2" machine. My choices for pres to use with these at the moment are the pres on my old Tascam M320 board, my Presonus Eureka, and the pres on the Fireface. I will be adding other flavors of outboard pre at some point as well. Basically, my goal is to have a complete recording chain that may not be top-quality but will at least be of high enough quality that I won't need to upgrade for some time.
The Oktava's are actually not bad little mics. I have had bad luck with their clips, and with them sounding different from each other (I have purchased more than 2 dozen) but none of them sounded "bad". Having it modified will probably help that issue as well as buying from a good source. Red Microphones also has a pretty affordable aftermarket LD capsule for the Oktava mk012 that sounds pretty nice. I like having the options on my Oktava's. 
