[Ty Ford]

Peter,

The hypercardioid capsule makes a poor man’s cmc641.

As I noted, there are some counterfeits out there.

I reviewed the original before the McKays came out about 20 years ago. Um, lemme check… Ah! Straight from my archives!

The MK 012 Multi-Capsule Studio Condenser
Ty Ford, Baltimore, MD

Several years ago, an article on microphones made in Russia would have been
categorized as esoteric. With the fall of The Wall in Germany and the dissolution
of the Soviet Union, the possibilities have become both literally and figuratively
global. Six months ago, while attending a touring classic guitar and amp show, I
had seen the Sovtek(SP?) tubes and amps. As such, it was not really a surprise to
find Russian mics making their way to this country. What was a surprise was the
rock-bottom list price. The Oktava MK 012 Multi-Capsuled Studio Condenser is a
set consisting of an active transformerless output stage, three screw-on
directional capsules (omni, cardioid and hyper-cardioid), a threaded, inline 10db
pad and a simple pinch clamp mic clip. The whole kit comes in a nice foam-lined
wooden box. Frequency response is 20Hz-20KHz. Sensitivity is 10 mV/Pa. Output
impedance is 300 ohms.

Based on simple observations, comparisons to the AKG 460 or 451 or Neumann
KM 84 or KM 100 are inevitable. The price ($649 for the complete set), among other
things, separates the MK 012 system from the pack.

For the price, the MK 012 system was a major surprise. Using API 512B mic pre
amps with no EQ, the cardioid and hyper-cardioid capsules were almost, but not
quite as transparent as our reference Neumann U87, but with a smaller sweet
spot and not quite the high-frequency response. Used on voice, the MK 012 omni
capsule was virtually indistinguishable from the U87 in omni pattern. The noise-
shaping was also different. If you imagine a spectrum on the left end of which is
the Neumann U87 and on the right end of which is the AKG 414, The cardioid and
hyper-cardioid capsules of the MK 012 sit just to the left of the U87. I know that’s
not on the spectrum, but that’s were they are.

The MK 012 capsules are extremely sensitive. Even using a pop filter and placing
the mics to the side, or above is no guarantee of a popless recording. They are also
susceptible to physical vibrations. The C-ring sling-shot “suspension mount”
needs some work. Although the C-ring itself is sturdy, my paper deliverer uses
sturdier rubber bands than are used to support the rather crude cradle designed
to support the mic body.

Next on the sound check was a comparison between the MK 012 with cardioid
pattern versus a Neumann KMi-84 on snare. This time the preamps were in a
Trident 90 console with no EQ. Both mics were placed two inches in from the rim
and at about a 40 degree angle to the head. The MK 012 sounded throaty, the KMi-
84 a bit boxey. We restrained ourselves from reaching for an SM 57.

In our next comparison we mounted the MK 012 with cardioid capsule and a
Gefell UM70s in the same vertical plane about a foot and a half from an acoustic
guitar with moderately dead strings. The mics were angled from a point between
the nut and the bridge toward the sound hole so that they would “hear” the main
lobe of sound projected from the instrument and not be overwhelmed by the low
frequencies coming from the sound hole.

During rhythm chops with a flat pick, the Gefell was brighter than the MK 012
and the MK 012 had a much bigger bottom. During a round of finger-picking, the
Gefell sounded hotter and closer and very neutral. Again the MK 012 had a
warmer bottom.

Because different mic pre amps (and even cables) can make a noticeable
difference in the frequency response and sound. I finished up the comparisons
using a Mackie 1604, comparing the MK 012 with a Gefell M71 cardioid
condenser. The outputs of the two were within a dB of each other. The MK-012 still
had a much greater low-frequency response. It also had a more noticeable high-
frequency response, upwards of 7KHz I’d guess, making the M71 sound more
mid-rangey.

Pattern-wise, both the cardioid and hyper-cardioid capsules of the MK 012 were
wider than the M71. Because of this, the MK 012 heard more room noise. This and
the extended low frequency response should be workable in a nice quiet studio
with good EQ, but it may cause problems in basement studios with sound leakage
problems and limited EQ.

IN THE END
For the money, the MK 012 is a very good value. And because you can never have
enough RAM, console inputs or microphones, I’d say the MK 012 is certainly
worth a listen.

https://www.tyford.com

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[Ty Ford]

Peter,

Yes, we are brothers from other mothers! I saw V-control and thought it was very cool, but wanted to make sure it was functional for dialog editing before parting with the money.

My iPad3 is a little stupid in some of the apps; touch the screen on the button and nothing happens the first few times. That would take the smile away for me. I have reached out to them for a demo to see how well the editing works, but have not heard back from them.

Regards,

Ty Ford
Cow Audio Forum Leader

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[Ty Ford]

Hello Jeff and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum,

Surround for music is usually pretty simple. Throw some delay and reverb to the rear channels and make it sound like a concert. You can do that in post with a solid stereo mix.

The russian mic is the Oktava MC012 or MK012, but watch out for counterfeits.

Regards,

Ty Ford
Cow Audio Forum Leader

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[Ty Ford]

Tom,

What’s your specific situation?

Regards,

Ty
Cow Audio Forum Leader

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[Ty Ford]

Tom,

Yes, thanks. Again, it’s “protecting” the deaf side of the mic and arguable the sides to some extent.

In certain specific situations, it might reduce some pickup of ambience, but don’t expect too much. You’re up against the laws of physics. 🙂 If it was the be all and end all, everyone would be using one and studios would no longer need to be designed. 🙂

Tell you what; get one and post some sound files for us – before and after.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Ty Ford]

Peter,

I’m looking at a ap to control Pro Tools 10 from my new iPad. There seems to be one, but I don’t know how accurate it is for fine editing.

Regards,

Ty

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[Ty Ford]

Hello Tom,

Putting a sound deadener behind the mic, on the side of the mic that’s already dead, and expecting it to eliminate reflections that occur from all over the room is unrealistic.

And, it’s not just about acoustics, it’s also about whatever sounds are happening (lawnmowers next door, dogs, parrots, toilets flushing from the upstairs apartment, helicopters, trains, emergency vehicles, etc.)

Regards,

Ty Ford
Cow Audio Forum Leader

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[Ty Ford]

Darn, Peter!

If you can’t figure it out, we’re all in trouble!

You’ve been to the preference panel for controllers, right?

Does Korg have a forum?

Regards,

Ty Ford
Cow Audio Forum Leader

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[Ty Ford]

Andrew, et al,

The lip mic is a drastic solution to a drastic acoustical situation.

The reflexion thing does little for me. Take a close look at what it does.

Reduce reflection from a any rear reflective surface to the deaf side of a directional microphone.

Any absorptive mass will do that, including a simple blanket.

Kat, where are you on this now?

Regards,

Ty Ford
Cow Audio Forum Leader

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[Ty Ford]

And, even though I think this publisher is violating my copyright by publishing my story from 1998 in Millimeter under another imprint and without permission or payment, here is that story.

Foley Freedom: Long-distance Foley Telecommuting- No Traffic Jams, No Problems
As you drive through the quiet, impatiens-planted residential neighborhoodof Vienna, Virginia (on the southwest rim of the Washington D.C. beltway),you would never imagine what occurs behind the walls. It is here, insideOssama Khuluki’s facility, that the mighty boots of Xena and Herculesregularly stomp around on his custom-built Foley stage. Khuluki is, ineffect, “Digital Sound & Picture East” doing all the Foley for bothprograms, television, and feature films.

Syrian-born Khuluki originally wanted to find a better environment than LosAngeles in which to raise his family. After scouting Vancouver, Miami, andOrlando for postproduction facilities in need of Foley work and findingnone, Khuluki came to the D.C. area on the suggestion of a friend.

“I visited for 15 days. They had better schools. Disney was trying to opena theme park near the Manassas battlefields. The community rejected Disney,and I thought, ‘That’s the kind of place I want to be.’ I packed, sent myfamily, and started looking in magazines for information about the moviesand postproduction facilities in this area.”Calls to facilities in the Baltimore/Washington area were uneventful. “Westarted with the postproduction facilities to see if we could rent a roomor an existing stage. The closest match was Rodel in downtown Washington.It’s a beautiful place, but we couldn’t figure out how to make their spacework for us.”

Khuluki had been working with John and Nancy Ross at DS & P in Los Angeles.”John said he would supply the equipment if I would build the stage. I’dbeen struggling with this for four years. We had been renting in the D.C.area. I told my wife, ‘We have to go back to L.A.’ My wife and son wentback for 23 days. The streets and schools were still bad. Even beforeopening the moving boxes, I decided to come back to Virginia again. I said,’John, how about if I buy property and build a stage?’ He said, ‘Noproblem.’ We moved again in November of last year, and I began work here inMarch.”

Khuluki points to the Fairfax County Home Occupation License on his wall.”I’m licensed to work here. This is DS & P East. It’s very quiet. Mybusiness creates no local traffic except for Carl Moller and C.W. Jones,the recorders and mixers. Here, I can be flexible with their schedules. Idon’t have problems with deadlines. I work day and night if I have to. Thatway, when the phone rings, I’m ready.”

Traditionally, Foley artists work as a team, but Khuluki worked solo forthe first five years of his career-as he does now. “Having one person callthe shots is better. And the digital technology allows one person to do thewhole thing making layers when necessary.”

Khuluki’s stage consists of a 16x10x78-foot control room and a 20x16x9-footFoley stage suspended and isolated from the main structure. The recordingrig is a Neumann U 87, Sennheiser 416 (with a Neumann KMR 82 in the comingnear future), ART two-channel tube mic preamp, AD-500 Apogee A/D converter,a Peavey PC 1600X MIDI Command Station Mixer, Pro Tools running on a9500/132 Power Mac, and Alesis Monitor 2 monitors. “We get audio andpicture on a CD and a hard disk. We feed it to the computer, do the job.Then we burn a CD and Fed Ex it back. We also always have a backup in casethe CD is lost. I used to wait for the tape machines. With the computers,for the first time in 17 years, the machines are faster than I am. Now itwaits for me.”

The stage walls are lined with shelves that hold the collection of everydaydevices Khuluki uses to bring the finished audio tracks to life. “I knowthe sounds my pieces make. I can hear the individual parts of a completedeffect before I start; a key ring here, a leather coat, something else overthere. I use my audio memory to choose from my collection.”

One does not just take a drive down to the local Foley hardware store fornoisemakers. Collecting the right sound-making devices is a very personalprocess. A Champion Way-To-Go II baby stroller sagging from age and missingone front wheel is the queen of Khuluki’s collection.

“She is in every show I’ve done, that lady. She can be so many things: agurney, a bed, a stroller, a wagon. We were driving in my new Volvo. I sawher in the trash. I stopped, backed the car up, put my jacket and tie on,and got out of the car. My wife said, ‘What’s wrong? Don’t, you’llembarrass me.’ I said, ‘No that’s my living there.'” With some gentleprodding, the stroller performed and became part of Khuluki’s orchestra.

Telecommuting works well for Khuluki. Going from working four double shiftsa week (8am to midnight) and commuting an hour and a half each way toworking at home and being within earshot of his wife and son is a no-brainer.

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