Will the Oktava MK012's make good piano mics?

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88fingers

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If I mic them in stereo, do they make pretty good piano mics?
 
:) Yes, hopefully both mics do sound the same..........
Won't be quite as rich sounding as if you would use 2 LDC's.......
 
large diaphrams are better for pianos? I was under the impression that small were better. And they're not matched, but they're pretty close. I couldn't afford them matched, but I tested them all out and got the 2 that were the closest.
 
The MXL 603s do pretty good on piano if you like it bright. So im guessing the oktavas will do pretty good also, although not as bright.

Danny
 
I'm actually more of a fan of less-bright piano (I'm a gloomy kinda guy, I guess...)

Thanks for the info guys!
 
Sometimes it's the piano that's bright, e.g. Yamaha. My Petrof is warmer and richer, but I haven't mustered the time and energy to record it yet, but I expect the MC012 and 603s will do a good job.
 
Will the Oktava MK012's make good piano mics?
88fingers said:
If I mic them in stereo, do they make pretty good piano mics?
Click to expand...
If you do right.... yes.
 
I'm not sure how many of the answers were given from practical knowledge, and how many were guessing based on theory. But i make a good part of my living mic'ing pianos, and I can say, for my taste, that the MC012's are adequate if that's all you have, but would not even be in my top 20 choices given some alternatives.

My studio piano is an 1897 Steinway B - hardly what one would call bright. I have tried Oktavas and the results can be summed up in one word: thin.

I usually capture the richness of the piano with my Earthworks QTC's - they are small diaphragm omnis. The advantage of omnis is you can do closer mic'ing without worrying about proximity effect. But if I wanted REALLY huge, i would consider a pair of large diaphragm tube mics like the M149.

Obviously we are talking higher end here, but I would have to think that you could find something better than the MC012's for piano even in a lower budget. Maybe a pair of 4033's, or T1's or something. I just came back from a gear show where Earthworks was exhibiting some new releases that are more wallet-friendly. There is a new "budget" omni called the SRO that may be worth checking out.

Then again, you may like thin.
 
Since littledog mentioned the AT4033s on piano i thought i would support it. Id use it over the MXL603 or Oktavas anyday. I have used these many times on piano with great results, especially for live usage.

Danny
 
littledog said:
I'm not sure how many of the answers were given from practical knowledge, and how many were guessing based on theory. But i make a good part of my living mic'ing pianos, and I can say, for my taste, that the MC012's are adequate if that's all you have, but would not even be in my top 20 choices given some alternatives.

My studio piano is an 1897 Steinway B - hardly what one would call bright. I have tried Oktavas and the results can be summed up in one word: thin.

I usually capture the richness of the piano with my Earthworks QTC's - they are small diaphragm omnis. The advantage of omnis is you can do closer mic'ing without worrying about proximity effect. But if I wanted REALLY huge, i would consider a pair of large diaphragm tube mics like the M149.

Obviously we are talking higher end here, but I would have to think that you could find something better than the MC012's for piano even in a lower budget. Maybe a pair of 4033's, or T1's or something. I just came back from a gear show where Earthworks was exhibiting some new releases that are more wallet-friendly. There is a new "budget" omni called the SRO that may be worth checking out.

Then again, you may like thin.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that helpful response. I'm currently pricing a pair of M149's. Big is the piano sound I like.
 
Someone at another forum mentioned that the Oktava MC012's were $99 per pair again at GC.

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