Sennheiser MKE600 or Oktava mk 012 for Indoor?

H

Heezzi

Active member
Hello! I've been upgrading my sound set up and I have been looking at the Oktava mk 012 that everyone has recommended for indoor. I currently have a MKE 600. Does anyone own a MKE 600 who also owns a Oktava MK 012? How do they compare for indoor environments?

If it is any help I also own a Rode Blimp 2 that I tend to throw on my mic.

I've been looking through threads but I haven't found anyone who have used both.

Thanks in advance.
 
I have both. But I'm not a sound production pro, so take my opinion for what it's worth. I have not done a head-to-head comparison of the two mics in a production environment, I've only done tests with both of them in a fixed position 12 inches from my mouth speaking lines. Understand, that such a test is not reflective of how the mics would behave in a production - because in a production, you are moving the mics around so you have handling noises, the distances may vary so reach and rejection and reflections all come into play whereas in my test none of that was true, I just had the two mics fixed in position near me.

That said, I just don't like the mk 012 much. I bought it because shotguns are not ideal for indoor, and the hype was that the Octava was an affordable decent quality mic for indoor. After testing it, I much prefer other mics for interiors dialogue, like the Rode NT5. But, anyhow, for comparison, I prefer the sound of the MKE600 compared to the Octava. Mind you, again, my testing was not in a production setting, plus, that's my opinion... in the opinion of others the Octava is a good interior mic. Personally, I don't like it, and regret buying it. YMMV.
 
All (Okava) 012 mics are not created equal, especially the ones from a few years ago. IMO not a good choice for the inexperienced, despite the affordable price. They are are susceptible to air turbulence and handling... unforgiving. They also have a rather low output (10mV), so a quiet preamp is needed for dialog. Do they sound good? That's subjective. A good one has the tonal characteristics of a KM84. There's also the 'Dorsey type' modification options from Bill Stitler and Mike Joly, which tightens up the LF response.
The 600 is a interference tube shotgun.. which may be compromised in a small reflective environment.
 
If they are worth getting, I would get a BBG with an Invision 7 mount.

I would run it into a Sound Devices MixPre.


Anyone else has used an MKE 600 and a MK 012?
 
A 012 with a MixPre would be good. The 012 is not a good outdoor mic (even with a BBG), it just doesn't have the 'reach' of an interference tube mic. If your buying an 012 new, the 'Sound Room' hand picks & tests Oktava 012s.. it adds to the cost, but guaranties the mic won't be a vodka day turkey or one of the Chinese 'counterfeits'.
If you can find a used 4073a, that would be a good mic for S/FX, due to it's 70+mV output level. See this post. A lot of folks here seem to like the AT 475R. For outdoor S/FX recording you'll likely need a good zeppelin type windscreen, so factor that into your budget
 
Rick R said:
A 012 with a MixPre would be good. The 012 is not a good outdoor mic (even with a BBG), it just doesn't have the 'reach' of an interference tube mic. If your buying an 012 new, the 'Sound Room' hand picks & tests Oktava 012s.. it adds to the cost, but guaranties the mic won't be a vodka day turkey or one of the Chinese 'counterfeits'.
If you can find a used 4073a, that would be a good mic for S/FX, due to it's 70+mV output level. See this post. A lot of folks here seem to like the AT 475R. For outdoor S/FX recording you'll likely need a good zeppelin type windscreen, so factor that into your budget
Click to expand...

I'm asking about indoor. And I already own a Rode Blimp 2.
 
In that case a cheap foam filter is adequate for most indoor boom work.
 
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Can't speak to the 600 but I have a bunch of Oktava's.

The good is that they sound a lot like the Schoeps industry favorite.
The bad, which is shared by the schoeps, is that they are VERY sensitive to the slightest breeze. They are also very susceptible to handling noise.

So if you are pretty experienced and a smooth boom operator, or are going to be using one, then they are a good price for the quality. I would only buy them from The Sound Room.

If your newish, or are going to have to use an inexperienced boom op then I would not recommend the Oktava's because you are going to have a lot of cleanup in post.

The 012 has a number of capsules so for booming you would want to make sure you were getting it with the Hyper capsule.
 
I wanted to ask an additional question but did not want to make a new thread. I am doing a car interior scene and I want to use boundary mics. Which mics will mix well with the Octava or the MKE600?
 
Heezzi said:
I wanted to ask an additional question but did not want to make a new thread. I am doing a car interior scene and I want to use boundary mics. Which mics will mix well with the Octava or the MKE600?
Click to expand...

I would do my own testing to find the best match.

I would also say, don't rule out well placed Lavs.

And if the car is not moving, you might still be able to use your hypercardioid depending on the shot.
 
I've used a pair Oktavas in an vehicle interior (see below pic) scene re-shoot and (sun visor mounted) Trams on the original scene shoot a few weeks earlier (same talent and vehicle). As I recall, they sounded similar... but.. YMMV. That said, many pros use the Sanken Cub. PS- even the same mic will not sound the same in a different environment.

The Oktavas were mounted on Nite Ize flexible rods for shock and positioning.
Vehicle Oktavas.jpg
 
I am overthinking the car audio. The car I am using has a sunroof so I will just drop an Oktava boom mic in the middle from overhead.
 
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