Can Oktava 012 go outdoor?

H

Hiro Nakamura

Active member
Hi guys,

I bought this Oktava 012 mic long time ago without any shock mount and wind screen apart from the one originally from the wooden box when I bought the mic.

I have done lots of indoor interviews using this mic, I really love the sound that come from it.

SO... I just bought the blimp ,its called baby ball gag, and the fur wind protection along with it and I have my SOFTIE KIT , the pistol grip for mounting.

Does that mean that I can use it outdoor ???
Anyone have tried Oktava 012 outside.

I really wanna use it for outside booming and gunning. not as shortgun but as some documentary's walk and talk, VOXPOP, some ambience ....

Do you think its good idea to bring Oktava 012 with all the accessaries come along with it?


Thanks

Hiro
 
It's worth a shot. Baby ball gags are great. There are plenty of location recordists who don't reach for a shotgun as their first mic when doing exteriors.

The mic should be fine provided it's not too humid and doesn't get wet (kind of like most gear!).

As for the accessories, it depends on how mobile you need to be - I like to show up covered for every possible issue (impossible though).
 
dialing_wand said:
It's worth a shot. Baby ball gags are great. There are plenty of location recordists who don't reach for a shotgun as their first mic when doing exteriors.

The mic should be fine provided it's not too humid and doesn't get wet (kind of like most gear!).

As for the accessories, it depends on how mobile you need to be - I like to show up covered for every possible issue (impossible though).
Click to expand...

PM Sent. Don't want to take over this topic but I had another question regarding being covered for every situation.
 
well you can definitely try it. My experience has been that it's a bit tricky when outside and doesn't pick up much sound very well. Also there's a bit of handling noise that might make it a bit troublesome in a walk and talk kind of deal.

Run some tests first if you can then try to work out any kinks.
 
Hiro Nakamura said:
Does that mean that I can use it outdoor ??? Anyone have tried Oktava 012 outside.
Click to expand...

It is not clear exactly what you are asking?

1) Are you asking whether it is safe to take the 012 outdoors now that you have suitable protection for it?

2) Or are you asking whether you will get similar performance to what you have experienced with the 012 indoors?

If your question is (1), then the answer is that your new accessories should be sufficient to protect it against wind, etc. outdoors. Of course, using it in any sort of wet weather is not recommended.

If your question is (2), then the answer is that it depends on several important factors which you didn't reveal here, and which you likely don't even know until you arrive on location. Only experience with the mic in outdoor situations, and knowledge of the location ambiance, acoustics and shooting style will allow you to develop a feel for predicting performance in advance.

I have used my 012s outdoors many times, although mostly for music ensemble recording (vs. production dialog pickup on a boom). My first preference for outdoor boom use would be a proper shotgun, and not a hypercardioid (assuming that is the 012 capsule you are asking about.)
 
It's only different from other mics, in my experience, in terms of being more susceptible to handling noise than mics of similar designs, so do be ginger with boom handling and use the best shockmount you can afford. Its outdoor effectiveness also entirely depends on what kind of capsule you have on it, and what you're recording with it. I've had one in a baby ball gag mounted to a mountain bike going 15mph on a paved road mounted in a Rycote softie pistol grip attached to a mafer clamp...and it sounded just fine, at least in terms of being outdoors and any other mic that might've been in a similar situation.
 
go outside

go outside

I use mine outside a lot. It's great! Dialogue if you can get close enough and/or there is not much surrounding noise. Also if you want to hear the surroundings it's a good choice. Handling noise won't be a problem if you put in a lo cut in your mixer or recorder and got a decent suspension. I've got two and I love using them as an A-B stereo mic with omni capsules for ambience. Sounds really nice. But be sure you've got a proper shotgun on you in case things get tricky.
 
Thank you very much guys for your valuable inputs.
I think I will give a try first, will give a report after the shoot.

Thanks

Hiro
 
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