Oktava MK-012 CONFUSION, PLEASE HELP!!!

J

Jamal Jonesy

Active member
I need an indoor mic for that richer, fuller sound for both vocal recording for music, and more importantly, film. I heard alot of good things about the Oktava MK-012, so I decided to check it out. Thing is, I think I found two different version of the hypercardioid capsule version, on regular, and the other a "film version". WTF is this,lol?!


Hypercarioid :
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...76448&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1065wt_1139

Film Edition :
http://cgi.ebay.com/Oktava-MK-012-F...ltDomain_0&hash=item335a480f36#ht_1065wt_1139

I'm a student filmmaker, so money is a huge issue. Why spend more for the "film edition" if it does the same thing. Could anyone who knows anything about these mics tell me the difference between these two. In other words, what is a -10 db pad as opposed to a low cut filter, and what are the advantages,etc.

Thank You
 
Not a difference, just the title. When the MK-012 became very popular with indie film makers, Oktava was prompted to release a version with a matte black finish as opposed to the original silver finish. This is known as the "film" edition or, more commonly, the "Bello Nero". The eBay price diffference? No clue... just some one trying to make a quick buck, I guess. Those listings both appear to be the same mic.

However, I'd be wary of counterfeits on eBay. Go to The Sound Room for a reliable MK-012 purchase.
 
Bought mine from sound room. Love those guys & the mic. Save your money & get all three heads.
 
Jamal Jonesy said:
I need an indoor mic for that richer, fuller sound for both vocal recording for music, and more importantly, film.
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Just FYI, don't necessarily expect a "richer,fuller" sound. The reason you want a hyper for indoors booming is that shotguns tend to be badly behaved in an environment where there is a high proportion of reflected sound hitting the mic, a typical situation in non-sound treated interiors.
 
Thanks everyone! David, could you please explain the difference between what a -10 db pad does and what a low cut filter does?
 
A pad reduces the audio signal. It is used in applications where sound levels are very high and likely to clip (overload) right at the microphone. Since that is almost never the case when you are using it as a boom mic for cine/video production, a -10dB pad is rarely used for that application.

OTOH, a low-cut (high-pass) filter reduces the low-frequency noise right at the mic capsule. It is much more likely in a production environment to encounter low-frequency ambient noise. In severe cases, the LF noise is loud enough that it (the noise) is in danger of overloading the microphone, so low-cut filters are much more practical for production use.

The main difference in the "film edition" is cosmetic, the color. And also the accessories as you have observed.
 
Richard, I'm trying to find any reference online to the high pass filter,as I've been thinking of getting a second MK-012, and I can't find any mention of the high pass filter on either the Oktava site or the Sound Room site. The SR people are the ones who got them to make the black version for film use, so I'm wondering if there's something mentioned elsewhere? Where did you see that it has a low cut filter?


By the way, I was just in Portland recording the benefit Mercy Corp concert by the Brazilian Community. I'm going through my board feed right now to see if I have better audio off it, than my wild sound and Zoom. Do you record out much? (funny, you just reached your 666 post, so I guess I can start to play Devil's Advocate with your questions?)
 
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It appears to be Mr. Jonsey (and Mr. Jones) who implied that a high-pass filter was an option (see postings # 1 & 5).
I was only explaining what a pad vs. high-pass filter do in typical applicaiton.
I didn't find a reference to a high-pass filter, either. Although I thought I had remembered seeing one in the distant past(?)
 
Richard Crowley said:
A pad reduces the audio signal. It is used in applications where sound levels are very high and likely to clip (overload) right at the microphone. Since that is almost never the case when you are using it as a boom mic for cine/video production, a -10dB pad is rarely used for that application.

OTOH, a low-cut (high-pass) filter reduces the low-frequency noise right at the mic capsule. It is much more likely in a production environment to encounter low-frequency ambient noise. In severe cases, the LF noise is loud enough that it (the noise) is in danger of overloading the microphone, so low-cut filters are much more practical for production use.

The main difference in the "film edition" is cosmetic, the color. And also the accessories as you have observed.
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Very well explained Richard. I would add that Low Cut/High Pass, also known as a "roll-off", is great when experiencing "room rumble". Frequently, AC units and traffic are the culprits. The lower the frequency, the farther it can travel.

But one thing I would advise when applying any field mods that affect the sound characteristics (EQ and yes, a roll-off is an EQ usually set at 100Hz): Once you remove it, it is hard to add it back in correctly.
 
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Doc Bernard said:
But one thing I would advise when applying any field mods that affect the sound characteristics (EQ and yes, a roll-off is an EQ usually set at 100Hz): Once you remove it, it is hard to add it back in correctly.
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Actually if you remove it it's impossible to add it back. But since very few people actually talk down that far it's really not an issue for production work. It might be an issue in FX work, though it's pretty rare that even then your recording stuff with a lot of info that low. 80Hz is actually a number I have seen more often than 100Hz so that may also color my opinion. I almost never take the 80Hz cut off, if it were 100Hz maybe I would hear it more often?

From a post perspective a low cut is something I'm often required to put on dialog tracks. I don't really see any reason for production to be recording that far down unless you have an actor with a BIG bass voice. All that low end becomes a mess in the mix so it's usually cleared out for the sounds that actually need it.
 
I should also add that I would also highly recommend The Sound Room. There is/was a weird distributor VS manufacturer battle that ended up with this jerk in England getting to use the name and claim to be the "official" Oktava distributor. He promptly got some Chinese company to produce knockoffs that he sells as "real" Oktava's.

The Sound Room is the only place I know of that you can count on getting an actual Russian mic. And they test them before they send them out.

Also you can get a discount if you mention you are a DVXUser member, used to be 5%.
 
I bought my Octava MK-012 full set from the Sound Room, great mic, great retailer. They used to have a 15% discount through Facebook but I don't see that info on their FB page anymore.
 
Richard Crowley said:
A pad reduces the audio signal. It is used in applications where sound levels are very high and likely to clip (overload) right at the microphone.
Click to expand...

Actually all that the -10dB pad does is save the mic-preamplifier in camera, mixer or recorder from possibly clipping. The pad is both behind the capsule (naturally) and also behind the microphone electronics. If the capsule clips (mechanical overload) nothing can be done, also the mic electronics might clip and the pad does not help there either. Pad comes after these and lowers the level before the camera/mixer/recorder mic-preamplifiers. Some of them are too sensetive and a -10dB pad might save THEM form clipping.

If the capsule or mic electronics have already clipped, too bad...
 
Jamal Jonesy said:
I need an indoor mic for that richer, fuller sound for both vocal recording for music, and more importantly, film.

I know you stated money was an issue, so this may not work as it is a more expensive solution, but you also stated a desire for a richer - fuller sound. I own both the Oktava and the AT-4053b, and the AT is a significant step up from the Oktava. The AT runs around $500 which is still much less than the high end small condensors. The Oktava is a bargain, and I would probably just get the hyper cap and skip the others which would put you around $280. IMHO, the Oktava is a little lacking in the richer - fuller department, so if that is what you are after, the AT may be worth the difference, especially for music.

Grant
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Petrus said:
... The pad is both behind the capsule (naturally) and also behind the microphone electronics.
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I'm not sure that is correct with the Oktava since it screws between the capsule and the body. So I would think it is after the capsule but before the mic electronics.
 
RE: the Oktava and th 4053 - I have both (mine is the 4053a) and used them to shoot a feature a while back. The 4053 has a slightly fuller sound, but I found for crisp, intelligible dialogue the Oktava was my mic of choice. And it saved me once - I was shooting in an empty restaurant (open for business, but 3 pm - who's coming in right?) when a whole kids soccer team walked in in full noisy mode. I got fully usable audio by positioning the mic very close to the subject - it is so directional, it rejected the noise nicely.
 
Noiz2 said:
I'm not sure that is correct with the Oktava since it screws between the capsule and the body. So I would think it is after the capsule but before the mic electronics.
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VERY TRUE. My bad. What was I thinking about... I even have the full stereo set.
 
Ullanta,

I have both caps for the Oktavas and the omni caps are REALLY wide. For a smaller sized group, you could probably do without them. Large group yes.

Grant
 
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