AKG C1000

I've been recording since the Teac 144 days (1982) with a hiatus from about 1987-1997. I'm basically a hobbyist, using a Yamaha MD8 and occasionally a Korg D1600; a track-at-a time bedroom hero. I do, however, know what I like, gear-wise -- mid-level stuff that doesn't have more bells and whistles than I need (or than my little rig is capable of capturing.) I use either Byerdynamic DT770 or Sennheiser HD570 phones for initial monitoring / mic placement.

I bypass the MD8 channel circuitry by using the Aux inputs, putting my mics through either a Mindprint Envoice 2 or a Jemeek 3Q channel strip. Both pres deliver more-than-adequate gain to get the C1000 onto the disk without jacking in a lot of extra noise.

Fetaures are well-known. I like the battery option -- I've used it to run into a cassette machine which doesn't offer phantom power.

I've found that I really like the C1000 best on acoustic guitar. It's a very good match for my Wechter Pathmaker, reproducing this guitar's good note separation and fundamental tones pretty accurately and pleasingly. The highs don't sting, the lows don't extend down far enough to be boomy (unless the placement is off) and the mids stay pretty accurate. Both of the pres mentioned above are essentially solid state, although the Envoice II offers a bit of tube which can be either dialed-in or bypassed. With the C1000, I like the sound of 100% solid state for rhythm (using either pre) with a little Envoice saturation dialed in for leads or to help differentiate secondary rhythm tracks.

I've used the C1000 a few times on octave mandolin with similarly good results.

On an amplified electric, I've tried it with my Strat through a Koch Studiotone set clean. I've found that while the C1000 is acceptable in this application, it comes in second to the Shure KSM32, which captures the details of the Vox-ish jangle just a bit more pleasingly.

I've not put down keeper vocals with this mic. Like a lot of mid-diaphragm condensers, I feel that it's better suited to instrument mic'ing. It'll do vocals in a pinch (if you can find the right distance) but you're generally better off using a mic optimized for vocals if you're looking for "magic."

The C1000 sounds cleaner to me than an MXL603 I tried (pinched, audibly hashy top end on the MXL) and similar to (but less detailed than) the KSM32.

For the price I paid, it's a very solid value. And what else can one buy which is manufactured (solidly) in Poland?

8 years making music, not much experience of recording gear, this was my first of 3 unsatisfacory budget condensers i've owned. Recording to pc and listening back on a pair of KRK RP-6 monitors with a lexicon lambda as my soundcard.

SDC Back electret mic. Cardioid but comes with hypercardioid and presence boost adaptions.

This mic is designed to be serve the purpose of 2 mics: 1 an all round studio workhorse. 2 a stage vocal mic. Not surprisingly this mic is very much like a cross between a condenser and a dynamic mic.

The frequency response is defined by a bass rolloff at 200hz (to counteract the proximity effect when close micing) which can make slightly further sounds a little bottomless, a rather pleasing warmth in the lower mids, and a slightly closed top end despite the presence peak.
Have been using it on vocals but largely just because i had no other mics. Could sound a little lacking in bass when further away, lower mids were sometimes a little too warm and needed to be cut for clarity's sake, not great for that breathy open sound but a decent, pleasing, fairly clear sound overall.
Fantastic in giving a rounded tone to twangy acoustic guitars. A pleasing fullness of tone on distorted guitars which can translate to a slightly muffled sound on softer sounding guitars.

Generally gives a very pleasant and musical tone to most sources but not suited to anything that needs a solid bass or lots of clarity.

Have only used one other SDC, the mxl 603 which had more (too much) bass and a clearer upper mid range which was better at adding clarity to some sources but meant it lacked the same pleasing warm tone of this mic.

Very solid, sturdy, satisfying build quality. Perhaps a bit big and heavy. Battery power is useful for gigging with it or if you have an unreliable phantom power source like many of these usb powered interfaces. Havent had much use for the plastic presence boost and hypercardioid adaptions but imagine the hypercardioid one might be useful in live situations. Anyway they are a little fiddly to attach. Sensitivity at 6mv is noticeably hotter than your average dynamic mic but is pretty poor in terms of a studio condenser though still not a problem if you have a good preamp.

Basically this is a noob's mic. It can do lots of things pretty well but doesnt turn in outstanding performances. If youre new to the whole recording game and just want a solid, reliable, versatile mic with a pleasing overall sound to start you off, this is an excellent choice. If you have a little more experience and are simply looking for more mics to add to your locker i'd say "move along, nothing to see here", a mic properly designed for its specific purpose will give better results than this.

I bought this mic because i'd never bought a mic before and i didnt know any better. All i knew was it was a very popular budget mic so i ordered one. Now I'm looking for mics that perform better at individual tasks but all things considered this was a good mic for me to start off with and i don't regret owning it. I like the sound overall and the sound it gives on acoustic is really gorgeous. Though i hope to upgrade to better mics i'll probably hang on to this one. Reckon i'll probably always find a use for this mic.

Working Musician (Drums, Vocals), Project Studio Engineer (MacBook Pro, Logic, Alesis Firewire 16 Channel Interface, Rode NT1A (LDC), AKG C1000S (Pair)(SDC), Shure Beta 58, Audix VX-5, Audix I5, Shure SM-57.

Small Diaphram Condensor
-I use it for Overheads on my kit to capture cymbals and ambient room vibe (recording). I also use it for recording acoustic and amplified guitars. It is also a good live instrument mic. My overall results have been pretty good, but could be better(but this is probably more due to my inexperience as engineer and not the mic's fault).
-I considered the Shure 81 (more expensive)
-I chose the AKG because of it's value and recommendations from reputable sound engineers (I wanted a pair)


Conclusion: A great "swiss army mic". I agree with a previous review that talked about the impact your engineering chops have on the recording quality. If it were so simple as to put a Neumann in the middle of a room and press record...everyone would be Tom Dowd. Truth is...very few are...and the AKG C1000s is a great tool for us to aspire to capturing moments like Tom did (as an example, "Layla's amazing slide duet with Eric Clapton). Buy a good instrument...but if the result is not what you are looking for...look in the mirror before you blame the mic. They don't lie (unless you are using the worng mic for the application or it is broken)....

I've been making music for close to 10 years, and have been involved in recording for 7 or 8 of them. I've tracked and mixed in professional environments, recording to Pro Tools 5.1 and listening on NS-10s, Tannoys, and Genelecs. Right now I'm working in a home studio environment with Pro Tools LE and YSM1Ps.

The fact that the C-1000 is getting bad reviews on here just shows that you have to treat these open forums with a healthy grain of salt (and suspicion).

Professionals have been using the C-1000 for just about everything and getting amazing results with it for years. Some guy with a pair of headphones and no understanding of mic placement will get a crappy sounding track with this, but the same guy would get a terrible sound with a U-87 if he could get his hands on one. Every microphone will sound like junk if you don't know what you're doing with it. And, knowing what you're doing means more than being able to plug it in and point it at the guitar's soundhole. (I'm not being mean- we were all there at one point.)

So, a tip for those who are wondering about the C-1000: do a lot of reading on proper mic placement (and learn from a good engineer if you can). Then, rent one of these back to back with a cheap pencil mic (like the Apex 180), put them side by side, and record something- even just a person talking. Listen to the tracks back to back on some good reference monitors. Then you'll be ready to develop a good educated opinion about the C-1000. And I can already tell what it will be!

Listen to the pros: this is the studio's workhorse. Yes, the box says you can use it for vocals. That's for live stuff (which is why it comes with a pop filter and can be powered from a 9v battery). You should always use a large-diaphragm mic for vocals in the studio. But in its place, properly used, the C-1000 is a solid piece of gear.

I've been playing for about 20 years (guitar, bass, piano and vocal) and recording at home for about 10 years. Mainly solo singer / songwriter type original material, but this occasionally extends to more complex arrangements including drum machine / bass guitar etc.
Recording to either digital or analogue multitrack and mastering to DCC, DAT or CD.
I use an Audio Tecnica AT4033 large diaphram condenser for vocals and acoustic guitar or a Shure Beta 58 for vocals if recording vocal / acoustic guitar simultaneously.

Cardiod pattern electret condenser mic with additional fittings to convert to hypercardiod or presence lift. Can be run from external phantom or internal 9V (square) battery.

I was looking for a pair of mics for recording acoustic piano in stereo, but also to use for other acoustic instruments such as acoustic guitar. The possibility also there for stereo 'field' recordings i.e. stereo performance straight to DAT.As I am happy with the AT4033 use of the C1000 for vocal wouldn't be priority.

Had a good read about before purchase and checked the specs in comparison to other budget mics. There is a big choice now in that end of the market and one thing that cannot be stressed enough is that there is no such thing as a universal mic, one mic that will do everything. ON paper, the C1000 seemed to offer the most for the range of applications I needed it for. Big advantages were the ability to change between cardiod and hypercardiod polar patterns, battery power (so no need for external phantom) and a very compact size and light weight (compared to large diaphram mics).

I purchased a pair and set up to try to record stereo piano. I initially recorded in mono and A/Bd against the AT4033, but found straight away that due to the size and shock mount, the AT4033 wasn't too practical and was difficult to position and get directional control. Already the C1000 had a huge advantage.

Initially I was very disappointed with the sound from the C1000(to the extent I nearly returned them in exchange for a pair of AT2020s), with recordings seeming to lack warmth, however what quickly became apparent when A/Bing in mono against the 4033 on acoustic guitar is that although there were differences in sound / volume between the two mics it was pretty subtle, what produced the biggest change in sound was the placement of the mics relative to the source and the C1000 could be warmed up by turning off axis or moving to a different area of the instrument to record. Even more important when usig the mics as a stero pair was the position of the mics relative to each other, too close and I was getting phase concellation and the resulting sound was very thin. Moving the pair further apart and pointing at teh top of the soundboard I got a lovely sound out of my old upright piano, with very little pedal noise. I effectively had to tune the mic positions to optimise for my own piano. What was also very noticable is that they were very tolerant to small changes relative to the source, so everything didn't need to be inch perfect and this made getting an optimal position straightforward.

The spec sheets for the C1000 show it to have a flattish response and you get a flattish sound back, un-coloured and maybe a little bland initially. It presents a little too much of a true picture of the sound. If you accept this then you tend to work more with optimising positions and possibly using a little EQ. I've really warmed to these mics now that I've learned to use them properly and can understand why they are considered industry standard.

Vocals are a different matter and the mic choice is more important. I haven't tried them much on my own voice, but initial results seem OK. Lacks a little of the high end detail and air you get on the AT4033 and some of the bottom end warmth. A valve preamp helps a lot. Although I wouldn't use the C1000 in preference to the AT4033 for studio vocal, it would still be capable of a decent recording. Lets face it, you wouldn't use a 4033 for live vocals, but you might consider a C1000.

The lesson I learned was that if you're getting a poor sound, don't rush to blame the mic first. The C1000 are really useful mics and capable of a great recorded sound. They are not large diaphram condensers, so don't compare them to that, but what the C1000 does offer is a mic that sits between a dynamic and a large diaphram condenser. Small, tough and flexible in the way of a dynamic, but giving a much more detailed sound that moves it more towards the large diaphram condenser. A great little all-rounder of a mic, but you may need to brush up on your mic technique to get the best out of them. At the current market prices (just over the cost of an SM58) it's getting on for being a pretty top value purchase.

Use this mic as a overhead for cimbals.

This mic does many jobs if you believe the company of AKG.
I personaly think it works very good as a overhead microphone.
It will give you the best result to use the presents booster.
So i wil give it not a 10 because it isn't a great alround mic.
A 9 for the great use on cimbals

Pro/semi-pro musician for over 20 years.
I've recorded in pro studios, broadcast and do a lot of recording at home as well these days (decent setup - fast PC, good DACs, good nearfields).
I work mostly in the folk field (UK "folk" is our equivalent of US "old time" by the way), playing a range of instruments. Plus some blues/rock and other oddments.

I'm adding these commetns because of the diversity of opinion in other reviews. Just a few thoughts to add to the rest...

There's enough people listed what these are so I won't repeat it all.

I've been using C1000s since the very early 90s (and they cost less than half now than what they cost then), for recording and for live.
The C1000 is like most mics - good for some things, less good for others.

If they have an overall characteristic it's a bit bright, a bit lively, and, maybe as a result, quite detailed. There's quite a presence boost, though if you get close to it the bass proximity lift helps to cancel that a bit. They can overdrive a little if the source is too loud, so brass/saxes are out, and I personally wouldn't mic a loud guitar amp with one either.

The capsule is mounted (behind a decent grille) on a rubber neck, which does a reasonable job of keeping floor-carried noise out of them. To switch from cardoid to hyper-cardoid you take off the grille and fit a cap over the capsule. A bit of care is needed as there's a risk of tearing the rubber (and AKG say this isn't covered by the warranty). They also have a presence boost adaptor which also clips over the capsule. It's not possible to use both the hyper and presence adaptors at the same time. The presence adaptor is a relatively new addition to the mic. Personally, I never missed it on older mics and I don't use it now.

They seem to work much better fed 48v phantom than a 9v battery (though I can't see why that should be).

I'll talk about the things I play into these -

First, recording.

Vocals. Not ideal but can be pretty acceptable depending on the voice. Getting close to it helps.

Guitar and mandola (acoustic). Recording only (I DI live) with 2 mics aimed at 14th fret and body below and behind soundhole. Not bad at all, generally acceptable results, with a gentle brightness that suits slide and fingerpicked steel strings.

Melodeon (or diatonic accordion as the rest of the word has it). Now, these things are absolute ****** to mic. Sound emerges from a large area at both ends, and one end is moving. The tremelo produced by the reeds has masses of harmonics in the 2-4.5K area and the whole thing can be turned into a screaming, mid-laden distorted mess very easily. And the output is pretty loud. Serious upper-mid cuts are usually the order of the day. The C1000 copes with this scenario very well indeed and is a favourite for quite a few people.

Live usage.
The sound is good - beats the SM57 and 58 for most instrument applications, is as good as any condensor you're likely to find on a stage and is a good vocal mic for the right voice (detailed, light and expressive singers seem to like them. Death metal vocalists may disagree). The big problem with the C1000 as a live mic is its sensitivity and pickup pattern - they are very prone to feedback. To put that in perspective - acoustic percussion/guitar/vocals kind of band = no problem, good results.

Make the band electric, add bass/drums/synths and a noisy audience and getting an adequate stage volume on e.g. accordion beomes a nightmare. Everything bleeds into them, and shifting the foldback around doesn't help much (accordion players note - try the AKG C416). The hypercardoid adaptor doesn't help much either. On the other hand they're excellent drum overheads, and great for hand percussion.

No one mic can do all jobs equally well, but as workhorse all-rounders go the C1000 is OK (and sounds better than equivalently priced dynamics), with a leaning towards favouring the less loud and brassy end of things.

P.S. Don't break the AKG supplied mic clip. Replacements are slow to get hold of and ludicrously expensive. And most cheap clips won't fit...

The rating takes cost and easy of use into account. On a toe-to-toe in the studio against a Neuman valve mic the score would be a bit lower :-)

I record most of the time metalbands and punk,
I use Roland vs recorders like the vs 1824 midi linked to a vs 1680, and have also a vs 880.
I do recordings for 8 years now, an i'm busy with school as a produser

Great mic for overhead!

I've been making music for about 15 years, both in the studio and live.

I picked mine up on e-bay. $150 included shipping.

I use this mic on stage for my guitar cab (4x 12 loaded with Weber Ceramic Sig 12S). Placement is about 2" away from the speaker grill (the speaker is about another 3/4" behind the grill), 1/2 way between the dust cover and the surround, 90deg. to magnet. The amp is a 30 watt head that I designed and built.

I've been told by sound guys that this is one hot mic. It sounds great from the black face Fender tones to the Marshall grind.

AKG got it right. This mic sounds GREAT without the hugh price tag.

Great mic, you have to know how and WHEN to use it!!!

The guy that said it was noisy, shows you, that anyone can post a stupid rant here. This is a dead silent mic. I suppose if everything else you have in your chain is junk, you will have noise, period. This is older technology, it works, if your brain does!!

I'm your basic 42 year old guitarist/vocalist/gigmeister/home recordist that started with a TASCAM 4-track and a couple of Shure dynamics in the garage. Yes, I mixed with a boom box. That was probably 12 or so years ago. These days I've moved upstairs(still in the garage though) and I've graduated to a Korg 16-track HDR with some Event monitors, Mackie mixer, assorted garden variety revs, preamps and comps(read ALESIS, ROLAND, PRESONUS) and some half decent AKG, MXL and Audio Technica mikes. Like I said, your basic home recordist. I have done a fair amount of hired gun studio vocal, guitar and bass playing so I know what a real studio sounds and feels like. I won't claim any super knowledge or ability in describing or comparing great or classic microphones other than what basic experience I've had and lots of helpful info I've read in books and magazines. For instance, the book Temples Of Sound is incredible, just to name one thing. I have a deep interest in the classic mikes and you can read all day, but very few of us really get to use, hear, compare and learn about them all. I do know what an AKGC414 does if that's any help.

Just count me in the camp that thinks these AKGC1000s are really great small diaphram condensers. Aside from lots of believeable endorsements from respected references, I've had nothing but great sound from this pair I have. Clean, versatile, crystal clear, nice high end, transparent with decent output is what I would say to describe them. I've grown to trust them as a reference, but hey, they were my first small condensers so that may be naive and biased. I realize they are probably not C451s, but in my actual experience, they sounded nicer(clearer)than an Oktava MC012 I owned for a hot minute. Everyone raves about those for some reason. Maybe the one I had was a dog. Anyway, I've recorded a huge variety of instruments AND yes, even vocals with these and I just like them, they do not disappoint me. They sound like whatever you put them in front of. Yeah maybe they're not what you want in front of a raging distorted guitar amp, but the pedal steel through my clean Twin sounded so much better than the holy SM57. Sure, you might want an LDC or dynamic for something loud or low. But if you're trying to capture clarity, brightness or detail, throw these on there too. Of course, anything acoustic, be they guitars, mandolins, percussion, horns, tweezers, hinges, etc, well, it's like angels are visiting. My favorite is recording my daughter and her friends vocals with them. Be sure to use the windscreen and pop filter, these girls rock!

30 yrs, songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, producer- recorded and mixed my music in many major studios, from Brooklyn to Skywalker - Tascam 2488, NS 10M's

Perception is a funny thing- I'm sure the last reviewer truly believes this mic is terrible, but I truly believe he's wrong. And I have used a decent condensor mic before, in fact I've used all the legendary ones, from the vocal booth AND from the control room, and I know this mic is a gem. Sure I use the really expensive and vintage ones when they're in front of me, but this mic will get you there too.. I use it at home for lead vocals, close-up, and find it to be incredibly detailed and musical. Also close in for acoustic guitars. It has a classic open, pristine sound, with warm mids and sparkling yet controlled highs. I use it with and without the hypercardiod attachment (which does in fact offer excellent isolation, and a usable 1k peak) As a producer, I trust my ears implicitly, and I love this mic. Of all the classics I've used, I chose this one for home, and not just because it's affordable.

30+ years making music. 20 years recording experience. ProTools HD pro studio environments. Dynaudio M2 monitors

I find the positive reviews here very hard to fathom. It's almost like these people have not used a decent condenser mic.

This is not a decent condenser mic... not even a good cheap one. It is a terrible sounding mic... Thin, lacking in detail and with a tendency to clip fairly easily.

I woul recommend people stay clear of this mic. If you want a decent cheap condenser, but a Rode or and AUdio Technica mic.. These sound far superior to their price tags and the C1000 can't get near them... You have to beleive me on this one.

10 years engineer. 12 years performer. Mainly A cappella, Acoustic, and live sound. yamaha O1V and a MOTU 896. Tannoy Reveal Actives.

These mics are great. They are a SMALL DIAPHRAGM condensor mic which means they aren't "Best" suited for up close lead vocal line singing. You choose the right tools for the right applications and this isn't the mic to record a grammy award winning vocal track. However, these do fantastic in this price range to provide an auxillary input for an acoustic guitar, or ambient micing. When I do A Cappella recording feedback is always a huge issue, these mics do a fantastic job as an overhead for a group of 16 guys in a left right fashion combined with senn 421's for up close bass and warmer group sounds. If you want a vocal mic in this range buy a large diaphragm condensor a la Rode NT1A or AT 3030. If you want a great all around good live, great all around condensor mic that can be used for vocalists who have it together when need be, ambient micing, and live applications these things are great.

I have been playing writing and recording music for 15 years.
I have recorded 4 Albums and 5 EP's of my own music and countless other tracks. I have recorded to 24 track 2", Pro Tools, Cool Edit,Tascam 4-track, 1/2 inch 2 track, Sonar, ADAT. I listen to music through my Compaq Athlon laptop to a pioneer amplifier or headphones.

It is a small diaphram condenser with hypercardiod and cardiod polar patterns. I used this mike on vocals and let me tell you, alot of people say these sound horrible for vocals but I find that if you know how to sing they are excellent. Sure they aren't a U87 but they have a nice smooth character and fairly accurate production. I sang through these on 2 tracks on one of my EP's and the vocals came out fantastic. If you can't get your vocals to sound right through these you should either get a better preamp or let someone else do the singing. When I recorded vocals through them I was right up on it, say two inches from the mic or closer. Maybe you are trying to record to far from the source. Get close for the best sound. Most microphones aren't as sensitive as ears (maybe a U87) believe it or not.

15 years drums/percussion, 7 years guitar, some live sound and recording.

I'm reading a lot of bad reviews on this mic and feel that I have to come to its defense. People are trying to use them for the wrong purposes. Yes, it does sound bad for up close recording of vocals and/or guitar! I agree with that, but it does have some practical uses.

First, I particularly like them for overhead drum mics to pick up the cymbals. I have used them to some degree of success in the studio, and they are much cheaper than a Shure SM81...which would be my other choice for this same purpose.

Second, I have used these to do live, room recordings. With this setup, I found the results to be most pleasing. I set the C1000's up in an X/Y stereo micing pattern, phantom powered by two Joe Meek VC6's. I run the output of the compressors to an 1/8" to RCA jack Y-splitter, with the jack plugged into my Sony MiniDisc. This yields a more than acceptable live recording for CD distribution and have had great success doing it for my university's fusion band.

These mics DO have some very useful applications. Know your equipment and what it can and can't do. Pick the right mic for the job the first time, and you won't be disappointed with the results.

I own a small recording studio and have been working as a recording engineer for more than 30 years. I now use digital multitrack, but for many years I used analog tape. I have a fully equipped studio with an accurate monitoring environment.

I also have a day job as a research scientist at a university, studying acoustics and transportation related noise.

I've owned a pair of these mikes for 4-5 years. I'm writing this review because there are some extreme reviews here in each direction, I thought I might throw in my two cents to sort it out.

The AKG C1000s is a small diaphram condenser mike with cardioid or hypercardiod pattern. The mike has two unusual features, namely it can run off an internal standard 9V battery (or phantom power), and it has an on/off switch on the mike.

I own a lot of microphones. Like every microphone, the C1000 is good for some things and not so good for others. I use them for drum overheads when I want a bright, live sound, and I use them for dull sounding acoustics that need a little more presence. I've used them as the top mike on a Leslie cab once in a while. Their ability to run off a 9V battery is a lifesaver in some circumstances, namely when phantom power is unavailable or has some problem. Your 9V battery may go dead on you, but it will never, ever be noisy or have a hum, two things that sometimes happen in complex setups using phantom power.

I see some folks have complained that it sounds bad on vocals. I have tried it on vocals and I agree. Not once have I found this to be the best mike for anyone's vocal track. But how often is a small diaphram condenser used for vocals? C'mon people, you can't make one mike do everything well! Not even an SM57 meets that description.

The C1000 is another crayon in the box, that's all. It's a bright crayon, not suitable for "warming" things up, but very useful for accenting the upper midrange, for isolating a sound near other sounds (with the included hypercardioid adapter), for recording into gear without phantom power. They're built very sturdy, they're highly reliable, they sound like what they sound like. If that sound works, you use it, if not you leave it in the box.

Overall, a good value for the low price.

15+ years' playing experience. Small(ish) home studio setup, various bits of kit hooked up to PC running Cubase SX via Soundcraft Folio SX mixer, various FX

Bought a pair of these a few years back for my home setup, first time I had owned a condenser. Have heard it described as the "swiss army knife" of recording mics, and i suppose this is true as the construction is remarkably sturdy as condensers go. Plus it can be run from a 9v battery, which makes it ideal for use outside the studio or other instances where phantom power might not be available - eg i have often used mine in place of the crappy built-in mic on my camcorder - indoors, i have recorded guitar (acoustic and electric), mandolin, flute and small percussion all with more than satisfactory results, however i have to say that this mic is absolutely APPALLING for recording vocals; I have a naturally thin, nasal type of voice and this mic just made me sound like i was trapped inside an oil drum with a clothes peg on my nose.
These don't seem to have come down much in price recently either, unlike most condensers in this price range; if you're going to spend 100-150 quid on a mic, buy a rode NT1a instead

I have been recording music for about 1 year with a Yamaha AW16G. I run all my mics through Presonus Tube Pre's

Bought as a set, these were my first condencer mics The AKG project pack a C1000 and a C3000B. I had tried a friends Rode NT1 and wanted a set of the newer version the NT1A, but my local Guitar Center was out of them so I got the AKGs'. I used the C1000 for acoustic guitar and recently tried using it for vocals. I do not like the mic for either and would not recondmend the C1000 for acoustic guitar or vocals. I think my Sennheiser e835 Dynamic sounds much better for both applications.

I've been recording since 1984. I've recorded everything from country, rock, folk to metal, classical and jingles. I am recording with a D32XD... great machine! I've owned a few AKG mics, the C1000s to name one. This is a very good mic when used as an overhead for drums but absolutely HORRIBLE for vocals and acoustic guitar. I know AKG boasts that it is a great mic for vocals but trust me... IT'S NOT!! It produces a very harsh boxy sort of ringing sound on vocals and guitars. Extremely cold and downright out nasty sounding! Import mics I've used sound better than even the more expensive AKG's I've owned and used over the years! That's sad considering the price that AKG mics retail for. What's up with that anyway AKG?

Been makin music for 6 years, recorded many demos and rehearsals, recording to a digital roland 8-tracker, listen through v good JBL monitors.

I dont usually post reviews, but seeing the good reviews this MIC has got, I simply felt I had to.

I bought the C1000 for vocals, as AKG claim it is for. This is an AWFUL vocal mic!!! I only realised this after recently trying out other MICs. Just look through any online forums, and people who really know their stuff ALL agree. There is no worse sounding condenser MIC for my vocals that I've tried.

Whats wrong with it? Its adds a harsh metallic ring to the sound of my voice - unacceptably poor. That said it is not bad at other things, like recording acoustic guitars and sounds ok when recording my vox amp. But the fact that AKG claim it to be a vocal MIC, when it is obviously awful at this, is false marketing. I wont be buying anything of theirs again.

I have been playing drums and percussion for 7 years now. I also play guitar and keyboards/synth. I enjoy recording my music and the music of other people. I have been recording for the past year and I'm really interested in it. I have a Tascam 788 Digital Recorder.

The C1000 is a Condenser microphone. Polar patterns consist of cardioid and hypercardioid. Currently I am using the 2 AKG C1000s as drum overhead mics. The sound quality is amazing when miking the drums with only 2 C1000 mics. With them posistioned approx. 2 ft. over the cymbals and about 2 1/2 to 3 feet apart (depending on the size of the drum set) you pick up the cymbals as well as the drums in a good mix. You even get a solid response from the kick drum. With a mic on the snare and a mic on the kick drum, you could achieve a very professional sounding recording.

The only pitfall for me is the on/off switch which is embedded in the mic body, it is difficult to turn the mic on and off. AKG advertises this as a good thing because it can't be accidentally turned on or off but it is difficult when you're actually trying to.

Overall, the AKG C1000 is a great mic a works wonderfully as a drum set overhead.

20 years making music, a fair amount of recording experience using quite a number of mics, recording to Adats. Listening equip is all-tube, hand-built.

It's a pretty impressive (albeit bulky) construction. I use them as drum overheads for the only reason that they can run on batt power, and my bank of 16 preamps don't have phantom power, so the mic gets a 10 in this dept.

As for sound, I've heard this thing can get a bit harsh in the upper frequencies, and I tend to agree - it's not agressively so, like immediately noticeable distortion, but a lack of 'finess' especially in application I use them in (overheads). However, they are well built, battery powered and fairly priced. Not the last word in quality, but good nonetheless.

Recording into Cubase SX and other DAW Apps. Using ART D/IO pre and Mackie HR-824 and TOA me-265.

Get the specs from the other reviews.

We have been using a pair of these mics for recording acoustic guitar and other acoustic instruments in stereo. Music stores often run specials on these mics as a pair for about $300.00. I have a nylon string acoustic (Yamaha G20, I think, I'm a keyboard player) and it sounds very sweet through these mics with just a touch of reverb when played by someone else.

We use an X setup at about 120 degrees for rhythm guitar and a split arrangement for acoustic guitar (one on the neck, one on the body) with subtle placement to reflect the tone we're looking for.

I occasionally use the mic for vocals. On some songs, I find my voice sounds warmer than some of the large diaphram condensers we use if I use the poximity effect to boost the bass. Also, it's less sensitive and less likely to pick up unwanted ambient noise if you're in a less than perfect environment.

BOTTOM LINE: Fair value for the money. Nice solid heavy feel. I
like how they sound but opinions vary. Check them out
if you're in the market.

I've been playing for about 15 years, and started 5 years ago my amatorial recording experience. I'm recording at home using a Mackie VLZPRO mixer, a computer with a Terratec sound card, and a AKG C1000S and a Shure SM57 mic.

The C1000S is a condenser dual pattern (cardiod and hyper) mic. It acceps the standard phantom power from the mixer (or the pre-amp) and also can be powered from an internal 9V battery; I usually use this mic to record acoustic guitar, and very rarely for double bass and voices. Due to its very bright sound (I think it has a bit a sensible responce to high freqs) I usually prefer other mics for vocals (the SM57 works so fine...). I've never used the mic in live situations, but still it looks well builded and strong enough to handle uncareful handing.
Also I use the mic for panoramic takes, as it is quite sensible and not noisy - compared to the SM57!
It is an overall good mic, but still I would check the Behringer B-1 (wich has a similar price) or maybe the Shure PG-81: maybe with patience and practising I will get the best out of this mic, but I find the Shure SM57 much easyer to use - those bight highs are diffucult to handle!

Playing guitar for over 10 years. Playing music for about the same and recording for a little under a year now. Pro Tools LE Digi 002, 2 behringer preamps and Mackie HR624 Monitors.

Condenser, two patterns: cardoid and hyper. I don't dislike the mic, it's just that people are far too enthusiastic on here so I thought I'd balance things out a little. It's a good mic. It's got too much noise in my opinion, the on-off switch is hard to get to, maybe on purpose but it is hard to get to. Great response. If I could do it again I'd save the money and get something more expensive with less noise. Noise is a FACTOR. Once things get limited and compressed, noise is a FACTOR, you might not hear it now, but when you limit and comp it sneaks out of the cracks.

I am a vocalist and have been performing and practicing for last 25 years. For the last 6 years I have delved into recording, mostly at home using a DAW and some outdoor recordings using cassettes.

C1000S is a small diaphram condenser mic with cardoid polar pattern. It accepts 48V phantom power from a mixer or it can be powered by a regular 9V battery. Not many condenser mics offer this. It has a recessed on/of switch which is very helpful to save battery life when not in use and also when it is used on stage. Also with a supplied attachment the polar pattern can be changed to a hypercardoid to lessen the feedback and to make it more directional.

This mic appears to have a tendency to enhance the higher frequency sounds. I have used it with female vocals, especially for young talents and also for recording Tabla and Khol (these are drums from India). I have also used this myself on stage with fantastic results.

I have many other mics including the ubiquitous SM57 and SM58. I prefer C1000S for its low-noise, transperent and high-gain outputs. This is a very versatile and highly usable mic for recording and also for live performances. It is vary rugged and robust and has a very low handling noise due to a very effective built-in shock-mount.

I would certainly recommend this mic to anyone who wishes to deliver clean music to the audience.

I use these things into a Mackie 1604VLZ board(hey, it's not bad and it doesn't have any 'pretender' channels), Yamaha P4500 poweramp for the mains and a QSC USA 850 for monitors and side fills. for mains i've got Yamaha S15V x four, monitors are EV Sx300s and the side fills are an ancient pair of Traynor YSC-10s. ancient, but they sound pretty good even with their original CTS KSN piezos!

mostly for live work but, some recording happens as well. in my case, board directly to an Apple eMac which runs Cubase, Soundtrack or Garageband, whichever is most appropriate.

i use a pair of Sennheiser HD457s to monitor the mix.

i am not the biggest live sound authority in existence, however i try to know what i'm dealing with at least to some degree and enjoy electronics.

While not a true condenser, kind of an electret thing, i think it's a kickass microphone. you have to be careful about how you use it for vocals, as i keep hearing complaints about how "it sucks for vox". don't be gain-happy, that's for sure. it also helps to show the performer how to use the mic properly, as a lot of the time they assume that since the mic vaguely resembles a popsicle, it should be eaten like one. it's quite easy to control the midrange with this mic and is wonderfully suited to acoustic instrument micing. bright, clear sound, no piercing, shrill highs and a wide frequency response. also excellent for overhead drum micing and general "room" micing for recording.

I have been playing guitar for over 19 years, writing music for over 15 years and recording music for over 12 years. I use a Zoom hard disk recorder for final tracking and mixing currently, and do my initial arrangements on an old 4-track recorder as a scratch pad. I do my monitoring either through my home or car stereo, as that is where it will need to sound best.

This is a condenser microphone with cardoid and adaptable hypercardoid polar patters-you can add an attachment to the internal capsule to make it hypercardoid. It also comes with a presence boost adaptor (which I generally leave on).

I chose this microphone because I liked its sound when I tried it at a local Mars store (before they went out of business). I use it primarily for recording acoustic guitar, although I may be interested in trying it for recording guitar cabinets or ambient room/environment noises later on.

The sound is tight and focused, with a good, even reproduction of what you're hearing. I aim it right at the sound hole of my Epiphone Howard Roberts (which I use as an acoustic/electric in conjunction with an AKG C411), or my Epiphone C40CE classical cutaway, with about 6", +/-1" distance between the foam windscreen on the C1000 and my strings. The angle I typically use is 45 to 60 degrees depending on what techniques I use in my playing.

The highs are surprisingly smooth and tight, the mids are rounded and the lows are full from a big-bodied guitar. It does backing vocals justice, although I recommend a wider diaphragm mike like the C3000 for lead vocals. This thing is built like a tank, and I appreciate that you can pop in a 9-volt battery to power it if you

Very new to microphones: But setup for DAW is as follows:

Microphones (AKG C1000) ---> dbx 2215 compressor limiter ---> m-audio delta 44

All recording is recorded/edited/mixed with Cubase and strangers who hear my work always compliment me on the sound. Isn't that what you want in a mic.

The ability to use 2 of these microphone in stereo is awesome and should be mentioned in reviews more often.

The AKG C1000 Condensor mic is great for what AKG says it's good for: Vocals, Strings, and un-amplified things. This includes drums, a crowded room, or even a thunderstorm. Keep the signal beautiful and the C1000 picks it up with quality you wont regret paying for.

I chose this microphone because of the price - Since I use it for song demos only, I dont feel the need to be spending $500 on a microphone to record an album that only my friends will hear - I enjoy playing live.

I would definitely recommend this microphone for those who want flat EQ response and warm clarity. It's really a good microphone.