Members newlyformedmind Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 I heard a lot of great things about this microphone and where I live, there are no places I can go and test out high end gear. So a lot of times I buy used, and hope for the best. Well I bought this mic used and sent it out to get it modded. I recorded my voice through it, and a female's voice and both sounded like {censored}. This was ran through the API A2D and into my Digi 003. The room was well treated with acoustic foam and sounded pretty dead singing in the booth. I have been hearing a lot about the Sure SM7. I'm considering selling the Oktava and just buying the Sure. We even A/B it with an SM57 and it clearly sounded like {censored} compared to the 57. If it's not the room, pre's, or the singer- what is it? Does the mic just suck? And I'm sure most are thinking right now that it must be the vocalist, but I assure you the female who sang through it, and myself are good vocalists. I do own a Rode NTK which I do like the sound on my vocals. And I haven't even recorded my Rode through my new API A2D. Any insight here guys from people who have used the Oktava 319? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members I was The Funk Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 Interesting.... If you have ana issue, you might address it with Michael Joly. he warranty's his work. If you got it from someone else, good luck. did you get the remium electronics mod? Mine sounds amazing. I also have an NTK which I barely use anymore. To each their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hugh manatee Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 I would also suggest bringing this up to michael, He's very good with customer satisfaction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bighud Posted July 7, 2008 Members Share Posted July 7, 2008 Mine doesn't suck...its pretty amazing. Its not quite as great on vocals as my Gefell UM70, but then thats comparing apples to much more expensive oranges. Test it on a few other sources and see if you still think it sucks, then I would contact Michael Joly(if he did the work) and get his take on it. FWIW, I like the 319 best on acoustic gtr, kick drum, and background vocals. It works well on lead vocals, but is not quite as smooth, and a little more grainy(if that is really a description) on some sources, than the Gefell. It contends or even trumps all the audio-technica, adk, and rode mics I have used. It is in a similar quality ball park as the 414, IMO. I would probably like it more if it was omni. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 First of all, no swearing in thread titles on HC please. Call or email Michael. If there's a problem with the mike / mod, I'm sure he'll take good care of you. Also, no single mic is right for every singer. It hasn't happened all that often, but at one time or the other, I've had U47's, U67's, C12's, 251's and M49's (the "big five" vocal microphones) all lose out to other mikes when auditioning them on various singers. It doesn't mean those are bad microphones, it only means they were not the right microphones for those singers in those musical situations... Just some food for thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danbronson Posted July 9, 2008 Members Share Posted July 9, 2008 It sounds like you were expecting a bright, high-midrange-forward mic. The Mk-319 is the opposite of this. It's pretty dark. The OktavaMod mics are very high quality. They sound clear and detailed. They take EQ well (so you might want to try that to brighten things up). I'll be honest and say that I love the way mine sounds, but I have a hard time finding uses for it. My Blue Bluebird is far more versatile as far as frequency response goes, but not as smooth/rich sounding. My 319 would be perfect for electric guitars if it could only handle the SPL. Lately it gets used as my "taming harsh things" mic. I love it as a drum overhead where I want the cymbals to sound laid back. Lately I used it to add some low end depth to an acoustic guitar track, the other mics being Beyerdynamic MC930s. The two mixed together very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Joly Posted July 12, 2008 Members Share Posted July 12, 2008 Just saw this thread. I try to provide spotless customer service. As my reputation in this regard is very important to me because it gives current and future clients a secure feeling about working with OktavaMod, I thought it would be a good idea to provide a few details about this transaction not mentioned by the original poster. Based on my email records, I can tell folks reading this thread that the original poster 1.) bought a used MK-319 on eBay, took delivery of the mic, heard it and judged it to perform well enough as a stock mic to send to me for modification. 2.) This mic was modified, burned-in for three days, final tested where it met my standards and was sent back to him via USPS Priority Mail on April 21. In other words, he had the modified mic in his possession for almost 11 weeks before posting publicly in this forum and on GearSlutz (where he signed up for the purpose of doing so - his post here was copied and pasted there as his first). 3.) During this 11 week period he never contacted me to discuss his dissatisfaction with his mic. 4.) I've since contacted the original poster privately and asked him to send the mic to me (I'll reimburse him for shipping) so I can evaluate it. Meryl and I follow up individually with clients about four weeks after we return a mic that has been modified. I will admit that we've been so busy through the Spring and early Summer that we had gotten behind on follow up emails and had not contacted the original poster ourselves during the time he has had his modified mic back. I'm looking forward to re-visiting this mic to make sure it is providing the high quality audio many hundreds of folks have noticed and commented on. Hopefully, after I've ensured the mic meets these standards it will meet the expectations of the original poster as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members witesol Posted July 12, 2008 Members Share Posted July 12, 2008 the OP hasn't revisited, my hunch is the Mic probably sounds fine. We know nothing of the circumstances, other gear, use, etc..The OP either:doesn't have much experiencehas experience with crappy mics and this one sounds "dull"has some other agenda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JM350 Posted July 12, 2008 Members Share Posted July 12, 2008 the OP hasn't revisited, my hunch is the Mic probably sounds fine. We know nothing of the circumstances, other gear, use, etc.. The OP said that he used the mic was run through the API A2D and into a Digi 003. He also compared it to an SM57 and as well he owns a Rode NTK. If you search some of the OP's other posts on Harmony it is clear that he is somewhat inexperienced. I would guess that either the OP has his head up his ass or there is something really wrong with the mic like maybe it was damaged in transport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 NFM seems like an OK forumite from the previous posts I've read, but I do have to say I appreciate seeing Michael's view of events too. I appreciate how he remained calm and polite while stating the details pertaining to the transactions - even admitting he hadn't done their normal customer satisfaction callback / check. I appreciate that kind of attitude and honesty - not to mention customer service - and while I have not done business with him (I keep meaning to send in my MC012's), he has always come across as honest and knowledgeable in the conversations I've had with him. I'd recommend you contact Michael if you are still dissatisfied with the microphone newlyformedmind - it sounds like he really is interested in keeping his customers happy. :phil: And one more thing... While I appreciate the value of posts reporting bad customer service, shoddy products or other gear related problems, I also value honesty and fairness. I've always felt that if I had a problem and mentioned it online, and that problem was later fairly and equitably resolved, fairness demanded that I revisit all of my threads where I made such comments and update them with the details about how it was resolved. IOW, if you have a problem with a company, I don't mind hearing about it - it's actually appreciated - but it's also more valuable and informative - and fair - if you tell us how it all works out. Just some more food for thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members newlyformedmind Posted July 18, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 18, 2008 The OP said that he used the mic was run through the API A2D and into a Digi 003. He also compared it to an SM57 and as well he owns a Rode NTK. If you search some of the OP's other posts on Harmony it is clear that he is somewhat inexperienced. I would guess that either the OP has his head up his ass or there is something really wrong with the mic like maybe it was damaged in transport. A. Michael tested my modded mic and there is nothing wrong as far as damage to the mic that would affect the mics sound. That's A OK with me that you view me as inexperienced, you have never heard a thing I've recorded. I believe Phil said no swearing, so saying I have my head up my ass because I think the mic doesn't sound that good on vocals- isn't exactly the right thing to say. Just wait til my EP is mixed and mastered. I tracked all this myself, and I am damn proud of how it sounds- and everything is dry! The Oktava modded mic doesn't sound as good as I thought it was going to sound. But that doesn't take anything away from Michael, his customer service has been first rate. I just remember reading on here that the Oktava 319 made a huge vocal sound, and I heard lots of good things about the mic once it was modded. I just imagine the mic would be better off used as a room mic or overheads. However I don't track drums in my home studio. I don't have the ins or outs to do so. So yes, I personally was a bit dissapointed in the sound of the mic for lead vocals- which was the original reason why I bought the mic. Like I said, nothing against Michael and his work and customer service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 I believe Phil said no swearing, so saying I have my head up my ass because I think the mic doesn't sound that good on vocals- isn't exactly the right thing to say. Slight correction - I said "no swearing in thread titles" on HC, which is a site-wide policy for Harmony Central. As far as this forum is concerned, I prefer that the level of swearing be kept reasonable / minimal, but I don't go in and delete things every time someone drops a cuss word. Thanks for the update on your situation. Sounds like the 319 (modded or stock) isn't the "right" mic for what you want. It doesn't make it a "bad" mic, just not what you're after. I have no problem with that - again, no single mic will be perfect on every source, every singer... that's why there's so many of them available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members witesol Posted July 19, 2008 Members Share Posted July 19, 2008 ..and we're looking forward to hearing the EP NFM. Hopefully you'll find the holy grail for your voice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members newlyformedmind Posted July 21, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 21, 2008 ..and we're looking forward to hearing the EP NFM. Hopefully you'll find the holy grail for your voice. Lol. Wouldn't that be fabulous. I might sell some gear and try to get myself a really nice mic to go with my API A2D. I look forward to all your opinions once my EP is finished Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.