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Have you heard about the Oktava MK012? It's the Russian small condenser microphone that gets a lot of word-of-mouth publicity for being a good value in instrument condensers. The MK012 is also branded the MC012. The official Oktava website refers to the mic as the MK012. It refers to the single cardioid capsule model reviewed here as the MK012a. These mics, when matched properly, are a good addition to any project studio.
The mics usually ship in a small plastic case that resembles an old cigarette case. The bottom is lined with fitted foam, but the top is not. This design isn't the most protective I've seen, but for the price is just about expected. Soon though, I discovered it was just about the only real drawback to the entire package.
The MK012s are rated at 130dB max SPL in the 250-8000Hz range @ less than 0.5% THD. Standard 48v phantom power is required. The mics weigh in at 70 grams, are roughly 0.75 inch in diameter and 4.25 inches in length without the -10db pad (the pad is about 0.75 inches long and screws on between the mic body and the capsule). The included clips are a sprung metal retaining clip that does an adequate job of holding the mic in place. It looks crude but cool, and gives the mic a different vibe in my opinion. In essence, they look Russian to me.
In use, the Oktava MK012s are extremely handy for everything you need in a small diameter condensor mic in the studio.
On acoustic guitar, they have a very nice overall sound. Fingerpicked playing comes across with good attack and ring. The woody sound of the guitar comes across very well too. The mics didn't mind me slapping the guitar around a bit. Transients make it through these mics quite nicely on acoustic guitar. The low-end response can crap out when close mic'ing so careful positioning is necessary. Once I found the sweet spot it was downright beautiful. All the smack and pluck is very nicely reproduced. You've got to hear these mics on acoustic guitar.
On drum overheads, they proved to be equally useful. Cymbals are full sounding but not overly bright, and the attack of the drums comes across very well. I love the way the ring comes across from my Arbiter snare with the MK012s. Toms have a well-rounded sound as well, with useable low end. Hi-hat came across very nicely as well, with good cut. I will be using these mics more as drum overheads, the sound is quite pleasing. X/Y pattern gave good imaging and an accurate sense of space.
On vocals, the MK012 can surprise you. In a blind listening test or two, this mic has surprised some of the golden ear crowd on how well it can translate the human voice. However, forget about it for vocals unless you've got a quality popfilter such as a Stedman PS101. The MK012, when unprotected, cannot handle a "P" for anything and will totally crap out on you. So, don't even consider using it for studio vocal mic'ing unless you put Stedman PS101 or other quality popfilter in front of the mic.
The mics required a fair amount of gain compared to some other small condensers I've had around the studio. I like a mic that requires more gain for overhead application. Quite often, I find that a loud drummer (aka me) can overload mics at minimal gain settings. The mics never required cranking the preamps. They just needed more gain.
The -10db pads proved to add nothing noticeable to the sound to my ears. They seemed to be very clean. But, between loud drums, close mic'd acoustic guitar and vocal tests they were never necessary.
The biggest problem facing anyone wanting to own these is the reported quality control problems with Oktava mics. So, when you buy, you'll need to check them out for quality and make sure you buy from a retailer with fair return policy.
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