What's so great about the Oktava mic?

Noel Evans said:
Not a version of Oktava. Completely different and brandless.

Better than an Oktava? Yes. Why? Built in mic adjustments allow you to use low cut filter. The mic isnt as insanely sensitive as the Oktava (I have one by the way - bello nero). I bought a pair of the Chiniz from Oleg, they are more rugged, and yeah a bit heavier, but for me, far more versatile. I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH OLEG OR THESE MICS.

I use expensive lavs, expensive shotguns. The Oktava is a great performer for a cheap hyper its true, but IMO, the chiniz are better and about same price. For the record I am using Sanken Cs3e 's for exterior dialogue - I only say this because I want to illustrate in comparison, without spending the same high $ amount these mics are giving me what I need.

Is it worth me doing a demo of the Oktava vs Chiniz? I will if theres enough interest.
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Thanks so much for the helpful info Noel!

A comparison would be great!
 
mcgeedigital said:
Unless we all work for the Sound Room, then you are WAY off base.

The Oktava is a good mic FOR THE MONEY.
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Yes, the Oktava is a GREAT mic for the money, but it sounds like crap if you have Schoeps or pretty much any other mic except the ME66 wich is a little worse...

If you are tight on money it will get you buy so you can get started.
 
Well be sure that you have decent shock mount for the Oktava 012. It is really really sensitive to the mounting option. I just tried it with my Sennheiser shockmount/zeppelin and it was like a 100x times worse in handling noise than the new Rode NTG 3 in comparison specially for the Z axis (back and forth longitude) noise. I sure will make a demo with Rycote's new Invision to demonstrate the difference between usual and ingenious mounts for handling noisy mics.

T
 
Morning, Ive got some things on this morning being a Saturday - but will get something together with pictures later. The sad part is you will have to listen to my voice, which is hardly of broadcast standard :P
 
tyreeford said:
Alan, May we expect you'll be at the AES convention in SF next weekend?

I don't know where everyone is and what they can buy, but after seeing the above responses, the one that's missing from the familiar circle is "I can't afford cheap gear."

If you're a casual user, it really doesn't matter what you use. If you're a pro, you need gear that sounds good. We have users of all levels on this forum. Some don't need a Schoeps. Heck, some don't need a mixer. That's OK...for them. If the guys who make their living doing sound for movies in Hollywood could do it with cheap gear, they would. Thing is, people CAN hear the difference. If you can't then, A. Don't worry about it or B. Hire someone who can.

Regards,

Ty Ford
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Hey Ty,

I'll be in AES, probably all three days.

Yes I can hear a dramatic difference, even if I'm comparing two of similar microphones from the same company I can still hear a difference. No I'm not a casual user, yet not in the same level of experience as you are. I respect that. Whenever I reply, I try to be unbiased and look at both sides.
 
tyreeford said:
or the Audix scx-1 HC or Audio technica 4053a.

Regards,

Ty Ford

PS: Hi Matt
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I doubt this was for me... but I haven't been on the audio forum much lately, so "hi" anyway! :)

There's no doubt that the Oktava got traction early on. Back when they were first introduced a few golden ears heard something special in them... that's around the time that Scott Dorsey (Recording Magazine) did some mods... and detailed the process... to turn a "good mic for the money" into a "good mic".

Fortunately there were audio enthusiasts all over the country... not just here... or "salesmen" here... but ALL over the whole country... who were also inspired by the early versions of the Oktava... and also did these mods. There was some guy (was that Scott also?) that you could pay to mod your Oktava to the Scott Dorsey specs.

Without digressing into the entire history of the mic... OK I'm already doing that... but without turning this into a mile-long post... let's skip ahead 8-10 years... the T.H.E. and some other "eastern block" microphones... such as Gefell... helped to create a pretty comfortable dialog for us... and then we were able to get the ear of the Oktava guys... and now, if you open up your new Oktava... you can compare it to the old Scott Dorsey version... and see that Oktava listened... and implemented all the various mods. That's also why they aren't so cheap anymore... because they have evolved into becoming a pretty sophisticated little mic. TO THIS DAY there are still people who don't realize that the Oktava comes standard... almost identical to the "Dorsey hop-up".

So is it a great mic? Hmm... I don't know... but is it a great mic for the money? YES. Does it sound DRASTICALLY better then an me-66 in MOST cases? YES.

Since I first started bragging up the value of this mic there have been some other nice, value mics come along... so maybe the Oktava is no longer the ONLY "bang for the buck" game in town... but I still think it's right there... I don't know of any other mic that's beating the Oktava out, in that price range. If somebody feels that there's a mic in the same range performing better then why not put your mic where your mouth is? Show us. :beer:

The reason I don't hang out much in the audio forum anymore is because it's like mowing a lawn... I'm not getting paid for this... and I don't get a dime if anybody buys an Oktava... and I honestly don't CARE what mic you use.

I think that for the money, and for most of the projects that are being done on DVXuser... that the Oktava is good enough that even if you were given a Schoeps to use on your short... that you'd probably hardly notice the difference. Yeah, I'd hear the difference... but honestly I've heard some bad audio through a Schoeps... so while better tools used equally well (or badly) may get better results... a mediocre tool in caring hands can still get acceptable results... and in my opinion the Oktava is significantly above "mediocre" even though it's NOT in Schoeps territory.

I've got some geeky recordings of myself talking under various mics boomed... including cmc6-mk41 (Schoeps) and Oktava... and AKG... and I can easily hear the difference in the Oktava and Schoeps... the Oktava has a mid-bass bloom... that adds a slight mudd to the lower registers of a deep man's voice... and can also affect other sounds in that range... and the Oktava also has way less air on top... plus a SMALL difference in upper-mid detail... but overall... I'd wager that 90% of the people on this board would say "damn that's close"... even though I wouldn't say that.

I think of the readers of this forum as a diverse crowd... and I try to give advice as such... but there's no way I can tell "the forum" something that I think is helpful without making some fully equipped audiophiles roll their eyes... and simultaneously talking over the head of some guy that still thinks $500 for a FULL audio package is a lot of money.

Generally speaking... I'm aiming at the "silent majority"... pun intended. :)

For those people... the Oktava is pretty darn good. :beer:
 
MattinSTL said:
... but I haven't been on the audio forum much lately, so "hi" anyway! :)

...

Generally speaking... I'm aiming at the "silent majority"... pun intended. :)

For those people... the Oktava is pretty darn good. :beer:
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A ++++++++++++
 :beer:


Great Post Matt.


Any info on Oleg's Chiniz Mics?
 
I wish I knew more about the mics Oleg was talking about... despite a few opinions to the contrary, I'm not pushing Oktava mics... I just think that they've filled a serious need, and I admired how both Paul aka Sound Room... and Oktava, were so receptive to some suggestions that I thought would help US... and that's how they earned so many customers from around here... including ME.

That's all it was ever about.

If Oleg comes up with something great... I'm not going to deny it. I'd love to see/hear a comparo.
 
Mattin,

Great post!

I was involved with a pg rated romantic comedy being shot on two Red Ones this summer that had several Schopes, sound devices 788's and I had my Oktava (new version, GREAT MIC FOR $200)). The diference was startiling to everyone. Now if you watch movies on a tv that your audio is from some 2 inch speakers then NO you will not hear much of a difference...

So,

What's so great about the Oktava?

For me, it was the price...
 
"and in my opinion the Oktava is significantly above "mediocre" even though it's NOT in Schoeps territory."

And there you have it! If you can't hear the difference, it doesn't matter. If you can and know what to do with it, it does.

No Matt, another Matt. :)

Regards,

Ty Ford
 
How much do you get paid for gigs Ty? My average day for sound... showing up with NO gear... is about $400.

I would guess a guy of your experience gets AT LEAST that + gear.

Most of these guys are talking about making a fest entry... or some other indi-film project... so I figure I should cut it down to the real bottom line... which is $$$... every way you slice it.

EDIT: "Real Sound Guy Pay"

Half day no gear freelance. $200
Full day no gear freelance. $350-375

Do you have GREAT GEAR? As in 442/302, 4 Lectro sets, Schoeps, etc. ?

Add $150-200

PRO GIGS... national tv, low (not "micro"... LOW) budget movies, etc.

$32.50 per hour up to 8.
$48.75 per hour after 8.
$.52 per mile for travel to, AND FROM home, or where ever your gear is.
Some gigs... portal to portal on hourly wage as well.

To the readers at large: Are you working for free, or gas money + pizza, or... are you getting anything near what's listed above? (This question NOT directed at you Ty, but the rest of the readers)... No? Then you may not need the Schoeps.
 
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VERY close Matt.

This is what my rates are (based on experience):
Half day no gear freelance, $180-$200
Full day no gear freelance, $$300-$350

3 or 4-channel mixer
2 or 4 channel TC or non-TC recorder
2-4 Lectro
Schoeps, Sennheisers, AKG, Audio-Technica microphones
Non-TC or TC Slate
IFB for directors/producers
Wireless camera hops
Add about $300-$500

Food's included, usually provided by catering.
Gas is expendable, invoiced at end of day or project.

If I was carrying an Oktava around on set, lots of people might not recognize the microphone and will just low ball my rates. I explain, and they agree to my rates. It's just depended on the market and who you're working with. If you are hired to do production sound for someone who is shooting their first big film with a good size cast/crew and budget, most often they will tell you that they have no background in film production and will agree to whatever you are charging. Some producers will just fight until they get $300 for full 12-hour day production with mixer, recorder, wired talents, wireless hops, and TC slate. By then, one should know when to avoid.
 
I'm only trying to make a point to explain the buzz about the Oktava. In my view that mic represents the transition from darkness to light... for a lot of people.

What happens after that is your own business.

(but I'm glad to hear that you're getting a decent rate around that gear package)
 
Oh Yeah! The Oktava is one believer at the price that anyone is paying for. You can even do more things with a stereo pair. If I hadn't gotten the AT4053 first I would have picked this one, but I couldn't pass up a very good deal of having the 4053 at the same price of a new Oktava. One point I missed is that the capsule on the Oktava has a much wider diameter than the preamp, it can be a little troublesome.

I'm hoping that more of us sound folks are getting paid well and helping each other out to cover gigs.
 
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