Just got my $70 Oktava...Right one?

Slimothy

Slimothy

Veteran
I just received my OKTAVA MK012 condensor mic from Guitar Center and was wondering if it was the right mic. First of all, the mic is VERY small, measuring about 4-41/2 inches. Also, on the front it says OKTAVA, then under that it says MC 012. Is that right? Shouldn't it say MK012? Anybody know anything about this. If it is the wrong one, then I'll be sending it back.
 
It's the right one... now you see why I suggest the small K-Tek mount for it. The mount HAS to be small.

The Mc012 and Mk012 are the same mic... but one is probably newer and incorporates more of the mods that Scott Dorsey pioneered.

My Oktavas say MK-012-01 on them... and then they say A.S.M. in big letters at the XLR end.

If the mic sounds good I wouldn't sweat it... I'm sure it's fine.
 
Check out this link regarding Chinese Oktava knock-offs sometimes for sale at GC: http://oktava.tula.net/fake/ . Mind you, some reports say they're not bad. But let us know what GC is actually selling these days... In any case, this link will let you know for sure if you've got the right mic!

Also, MC-012 and MK-012 are mainly designations used for export/domestic use intention; they don't generally indicate and technical difference.

Remember, if you want guaranteed great quality Oktavas, get them from the Sound Room (http://sound-room.com)!
 
How did you get it for $70?

I tried the guitar center website and couldn't find it, and also tried musican's friend and couldn't find it...
 
Well, there are some comparison tests I remember somewhere that showed they were pretty close, although longevity may be an issue with the Chinese ones (as build quality can be an issue with GC's Russian Oktavas).

I'm pretty sure "New Revised Series" means made in China.

For some reason, there are currently 3 or 4 examples of fights in the microphone industry between manufacturers and distributors, where "distributors" are moving production (often to China) and the "original manufacturers" are claiming that they have the real goods. The Oktava case is much clearer than the others (e.g., BLUE vs. JZ), in that Oktava in Russia has been around, making their mics, for far longer than their U.K. distributor has existed. But that UK distributor is claiming the Oktava name, and manufacturing mics in China.

It's pretty well-accepted among audio folks that GC gets (used to get?) Oktava (Russian)'s bottom-of-the-barrel mics - some factory rejects, etc., and that build quality and sound of these varied pretty drastically. On that note, it's possible that the Chinese mics are more consistent - that is, the average Chinese version at GC may be better than the average Russian one at GC.

But always keep in mind that Oktava's reputation as a great little mic is based on the Sound Room's mics, which are specially selected, tested, and matched. Of course, they're a lot pricier, too... I've found some pretty decent Russian Oktavas at GC (for $50 at the time!), though it took careful inspection and listening (difficult at GC), during which about 50% of their stock was unusable (and seemed to have been marked as such on the inside of the capsules at the factory!). But for matched pairs I use for critical recording, I've used those from the Sound Room, from recordingservices (oktavausa.com), or factory matched pairs from various European dealers.

Mainly, though, you've just got to listen, and see if you like it, and how to most effectively use it.
 
ullanta said:
Check out this link regarding Chinese Oktava knock-offs sometimes for sale at GC: http://oktava.tula.net/fake/ . Mind you, some reports say they're not bad. But let us know what GC is actually selling these days... In any case, this link will let you know for sure if you've got the right mic!

Also, MC-012 and MK-012 are mainly designations used for export/domestic use intention; they don't generally indicate and technical difference.

Remember, if you want guaranteed great quality Oktavas, get them from the Sound Room (http://sound-room.com)!
Click to expand...

Oddly enough my Oktava pair have no serial numbers.
They have the "A.S.M." on the bottom near the XLR.
They came with the metal mic holder in the snap box w/ -10db pad.
They did not have a manual or individual response curve.
They say "Oktava" and not "OkraBa".
They have the small white screws.
The bonding area looks exactly like the original and not the fake.
The contact pin looks like the original.

So they mostly look like the original and in all BUILD respects they match the original... but there's still a couple curve balls thrown in.

So here's my opinion Slimothy... how bad do you really want the hyper cap? Per my previous advice, I really think the hyper is all you need... the cardioid is primarily for music, not dialog. If you think you will EVER order the hyper cap from sound-room then I'd consider returning that mic and just get a complete, guaranteed, Russian Oktava from sound-room complete with -10db pad and hyper cap.

Ullanta... thanks for posting that. The next time somebody asks me about getting an Oktava from GC I will immediately tell 'em not to.

Slimothy... just to clarify... a $70 mic is DIRT, DIRT cheap... so if you keep it and it sounds okay then fine... but you'll never know just what you have and I'd be willing to bet that if I put THAT mic in a direct comparison with a Schoeps that it probably wouldn't fair nearly as well.

When I read this I was more then a little relieved to see that in physical construction, my mics matched all the original characteristics.

With the "DV" code at checkout the hand-picked, tested, guaranteed Oktava with the hyper and -10db pad (and case) is going to be $165... that is STILL dirt, dirt cheap.

If you check history... all the eastern block mics were spawned of the same factories and shared some lineage... Neumann, Schoeps, and even Oktava are distant cousins to each other. For me the piece of mind in buying into the bloodline is worth the little extra... and if you don't put any stock in that... if nothing else you get the hyper, which is the cap that puts the Oktava to the best use in comparison to the big boys.

Considering I've bought and sold more mics then you can imagine... even very recently I took a hundred dollar loss on a brand new Lectro 100 system just so I could check it out... I would consider this a minor inconvenience and get the real thing.

If you don't like that idea... then just use it and be happy. $70 for a mic really is nothing.
 
I'm going to call GC right now. I plugged in the mic to an xlr that I'm nearly 90% sure works. And the mic didn't work. The guy told me earlier that they can't refund it due to health violations, but this is bullshit. I was assured I was getting a genuine OKTAVA mic, and that website says the chinese and russian versions have NOTHING to do w/ eachother. I'll keep you posted as to what happens. Tim.
 
They'll refund the mic. I bought mics from them before and they'll take 'em back... just be cool when you talk to somebody and it won't be problem. If you "challenge" some counter-boy with an attitude right off the bat then you're begging for trouble... just explain that the mic is dead and they'll take it back.
 
Yea, that's what I did. They first tried to hit me w/ the old: "it's a health concern that we can't take it back". So I just talked to a manager who said I could return it. I ordered the mic from Sound Room and told him you deserve alot of credit for turning alot of people on to them. He was pretty grateful, and he gave me the discount. Thanks again, and as far as Oktavas go, we know not to go to GC.
 
The thing is... if your goal is to have a really decent hyper for all the situations where you want one... then this is the cheapest, proven choice anyway. $165 is STILL dirt cheap... and if somebody bought the GC Oktava and added the hyper... they'd probably never use the cardioid cap again and they'd end up spending really close to the same amount for an inferior mic.

In my experience you'll eventually want to choose between hyper (interiors), a shotgun (exteriors), a lav (wireless or high ambient noise or individual seperation), or handheld "stick" mic (interviews or high ambient noise when a lav isn't a good choice).

Those four mics cover you pretty well 100%... after you have those you start craving improvements in one or more areas... but you're well on your way to having everything you NEED (versus want)... and if nothing else, you got most interiors covered.
 
If I used the Oktava for interiors and the ME66 for exteriors would there be noticeable inconsistency. Take note: The boom operator is inexperienced. I will have the Oktava w/ the BBG, Ktek KSSM shockmount and Rycote Windjammer. So should I just use the Oktava for outdoors also?

BTW: Do I need a specific boom pole to fit the KSSM shockmount, or will any do? I plan to rent the boompole from EVS.
 
Any standard 3/8" boom mount will work... which means any pole. Do some experimenting with the Oktava versus the me66... you'll find that the me66 reaches a lot farther, but the Oktava sounds better. I've used the Oktava outdoors, but it depends on the situation... on most shoots I try 2 mics before I commit to one anyway.
 
After I bought my Oktava from soundroom, I found out my local GC had some MC012s. I called them up and the guy admitted over the phone that they were the Chinese knock-offs. Just FYI.
 
wow, im glad i found this thread, i was going to cave-in and buy one from GC, as buying with cash is much easier for me, but im definitely getting it from soundroom now
 
Very great stuff. About GC I was looking there too. Even tho Sound Room is more, its heh STILL CHEAP for quality you'll get at that price. I guess my seperate post was premature I trust soundroom now.

Question, and sort of obvious, should get the hyper card capsule and the shotgun/card capsule? (for outdoor/indoor shooting) just read a few peeps using MK just for indoor. But with shotgun should be prime for outdoor too, one would think...

And, more important question, [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]the AT8410A shockmount will fit the MK correct? Or should, if it does MC... rather spend 50 bucks as opposed to 120 =)
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