Oktava MK-219

I've been recording music for about three years now. I record very freqently both for my own band and for others. My current setup comprises a Fostex R8(8 tracks on 1/4") with a Fostex 812 mixer and various reverb, compressors etc. I monitor through studiospares SN10s driven by an alesis RA150 and also through celstion F30s driven by an Audio Instutute valve amplifier.

I cannot recommend this microphone enough. It just records everything extremely well. On vocals it gives a wonderful smooth and accurate sound. It occasionally needs a bit of sibilance rolling off. It has very low noise so can be used at a distance for recording group vocals, handclaps etc. On guitar amps, it very closely reproduces the sound of the amp. Just place it up against the grille, a little off centre and switch in the pad. On acoustic guitar, it gives a very warm and clear sound when placed about a foot away and facing the 12th fret. I use MK-219s on drums both as overheads and on the bass drum. It may sound a little odd to mike up a bass drum with a condenser but I've found that it gives a really punchy and deep sound. Better than any bass drum mic I've heard. I just place it a couple of inches away from the hole and switch in the pad.

This microphone really is fantastic and I can't fault it at all. It sounds great on everything and it's built like a tank. If you're looking for a mic under ??500, this is the one to get.

I've been producing and recording bands for about 5 years now, I have a pretty extensive discography. I primarily look for bands that are a little unusual or doing something that I find interesting. I record with Nuendo, but just picked up a nice ampex recorder that I'm going to start working with. Monitoring thru KRK V8's. I am running my Joly-modded 219 thru a Summit 2ba pre with an RNC on the insert.

Just wanted to add something to these reviews: I have a 219 with the premium mod from Oktavamod and a 219 which is stock. There is an immediate and obvious difference with the mod. It just sounds more open and accurate. If your having problems with a modded Oktava, you should try a different position- before you start blaming the mic! I use this mic on everything. In the studio, paying customers don't always want to play around with different mics and preamps to find a sound. I keep this one setup on standby all the time. When someone wants to drop in a shaker, harmonies or just about anything extra- I just grab it and go. Moreover, I recently started using it on electric guitars. I place it a little bit off the grill- maybe 12"-16" to keep off excess spl. I started doing this while recording a garage band- I suddenly realized that a standard sm57 was "smearing" the guitar sound. Try the 219 a little off the amp and compress it. It sounds like the amp sounds and thats what I want to capture.

Oktavamod MK-219PE.

Been making music since the -80's. Recorded 4 albums as a singer. Right now recording home to Zoom mrs-1608 hard disc recorder via Mindprint En-Voice. Monitoring through Beyerdynamic DT511 earphones and Behringer Truth active monitors.

This is a Fet Condenser large diagraphm mic from Russia and USA. I am using it mainly for vocals and acoustic guitar. It stays on a a stand and gets to be used almost daily. It has become my go-to -mic. I own some ribbons,Rode NTK, Oktava MK-319, Samson C03, MDeals-MK319, ADK A-51 and a bunch of dynamics.
I had done a light modification to my Oktava MK-319 (according to Michael Jolys ideas)and was pleased with the result. Decided to go all the way and bought second hand 219 and had it modified by Oktavamod.
This mic is almost as smooth as ribbons but has stronger output. It is not hyped in the upper range but takes high-frequency EQ as well as the ribbons do if you want sparkle. The audible smoothess is primarily in the low-mids, which makes the sound "fat-silky".
The mic is very sensitive to handling and electric disturbances. Sometimes the amp nearby causes it to hum or srr... You can distort this mic by screeming into it. SPL is around 125 dB.
If you want a mic that makes you sound a bit softer and bigger, I think this is it. It has a vintage twist wihout being lo-fi. I like to think that this mic reveals my true voice, because this is what I WANT to sound like. Basically, I have stopped using any other mic in my closet.

I've been in various indie and garage bands. I've used this mic in a number of situations, but mostly into a small behringer mixer straight to computer.

A large diaphragm condenser, it was billed to me as the "Neumann killer". An article in Mix magazine said Steve Albini has an army of these, so I figured I'd try it. I bought an unmodified one off ebay. Big mistake. On acoustic guitar, or upright piano it sounds passably decent. For everything else, it's disgustingly harsh. Sibilant and brittle, yet lacking clarity in the upper mids. I tried this on a few setups, different preamps, nothing seemed to work well. My $30 (when new!) SM-58 clone is boxier sounding, but kinder to oh, almost anything. I get the sense from these reviews that mine may have been a lemon, but if you're only going to buy 3-5 mics, don't pick up one of these. At this price point you get exactly what you pay for, and no more. Do yourself a favor and save up enough money for a R0de, Behringer B-1, or, if you must, 4-5 of these to get a good one.

- recorded music for five years
- recorded many instruments in my home studio
- DAW, Pro Tools and Cubase on a Mac with a digital i/o
- I have a pair of studio monitors as my primary listening equipment

I have limited mic experience, largely because I got this right when I started recording audio for the first time and it's worked so well I haven't bought anything else yet. I got this thing for $100 and for that value I have been very impressed with my recordings. If it were vocals alone, probably a slightly lower grade, because I have to do a lot of postproduction--normalizing and reverb and EQ and the like--to give my voice the oomph that I want. But it's a very good mic to start with because it does a range of sounds very well. It works just fine on vocals and covers my guitar amp and my bass amp well also. It even does ambient noise. I've stuck it out my window to catch trains going by and rainstorms and it's better at this than you'd think. It's also durable: the mic stand has tipped and dumped it on the ground at least a half dozen times over the years and it still kicks. And I never did buy a shockmount for it.

Meanwhile, I'm not even sure if I have the authentic Russian type or the Chinese knockoff. I think I might even have the Chinese one, 'cos mine came in a plastic case and I think they're supposed to come in wooden ones. Never mind all that. It still sounds good.

Playing guitar and bass for almost 12 years, sound engineer for 3, live and studio work.
Other mics I have are AKG (D112, D3700, D3800, D3900, C1000, C547, C680...), Shure (Beta 91, Beta 57) and Oktava (MK-012, ML-53, MK-220).

For me it is one of the best fixed-pattern LDC mics there are, especially for vocals. I have yet to find a voice that does not sound good with this mic. It's also good for acoustic instruments and Drum OH.

I would not recommend it for electric guitar, that sounds too thin, for me, but I love it for vox!

I've been a professional musician/producer/engineer for over 40 years and have numerous studio credits under my belt, including several gold records. Generally, I'm not a gear-whore and believe hit records are made with songs and not gear. I am semi-retired and have a home studio with a mic collection that includes several vintage Neumanns and RCA ribbon mics. This mic originally listed for $600 years ago. The price steadily dropped and bottomed out at $99 (Guitar Center). Being the ugliest mic ever made, I wasn't interested in having one. Saw an E-Bay one for $160. I contacted the seller and informed him that I could get it new at GC for $99. He sold it to me for $60.

I took the mic apart just to see the inside, and there really isn't much to see. It appears to be rugged in construction, but the circuitry is very minimal. The mic sounds a little brittle compared to my usual choice of a tube 67. I used it on vocals for about 10 minutes and then put it away. If I do a rock and roll remote, I'll use it - only because if it gets trashed or broken, I won't feel bad having paid only $60.

An Oktava MK-219 with mods is a special microphone. The right modifications can open up the sound, improve transient response, extend bass response, increase midrange clarity and detail, flaten overal frquency response and reduce body resonance and boxiness.

When this mic was introduced in the US through Harris Distributing in 1994 it carried a retail list price of $650 and sold for nearly that amount on the street. Even at that price it was considered a great value.

Paul White, writing in the British magazine "Sound on Sound" said "You can buy the Oktava MK-219 for about the same as the VAT on an established, name-brand studio mic that may not actually sound any better." In other words, the MK-219 compared very favorably pedigreed mics costing 6-7 times as much!

As good as the MK-219 is, is suffers from some design and parts quality choices intended to keep the price down. With careful electro-mechanical mods and parts quality upgrades the Oktava MK-219 blossoms into a righteous recording tool.

Here are the mods a careful experimenter should perform to get the most out of their MK-219:

Cut away the outer "fins" on the head basket to reduce internal reflections that smear detail and color frequency response, install absorbers to dampen body vibrations, remove HF resonance discs that impart an unnatural boost to the high end and make transient detail less sharp, install an absorber/diffuser at the base of the capsule to reduce sound reflections from the base of the capsule mounting area back into the capsule diaphragm, shorten important capsule signal wires to reduce stray capacitance that rob high frequency detail, upgrade critical signal path components to extend bass response and gain additional detail and (optionally) remove one layer of grille screening to reduce HF reflections and improve detail. This last mod increases susceptibility to hum pickup and may not be advisable for all applications.

With all of these modification, the Oktava MK-219 is a terrific microphone value with a great Russian heritage sound. It stands apart from the "down market" European mics and all the cheap and brittle look-alike Asian mics flooding the project studio market.

The Modified Oktava MK-219 - Big, bold, classic Russian sound.

Playing over 30 years - Recording at home for 7 years.
I record acoustic guitar into a Korg digital using a Audio Buddy.
I use several headphones for listening.

Records acoustic guitar pretty good. Some vocals but not really electric guitar amps for this one. It has the control to roll off some bass and I us ethat and place the mic about 2ft away from the guitar. Gets a nice airy sound.

Been making music for 10 years, have been recording demos for all the bands that i've been in for the last 5. I mostly use a Roland vs-880ex to record and then mix/master on my computer with cubase and sound forge. My primary listening equipement is my Kenwood surround system and my Sony MDR-V900 headphones.

These are a good first condenser if you can't get a Studio Projects B1. I definetly liked it better than an equally priced MXL I bought. Having since upgraded to better condensers (Groove Tubes, AKG, etc.) I have not used the pair i bought. I heard the mk319 is pretty much the same mic but in a more musical sounding casing. these mics are a little dull for me. lots of high end roll off. but if i ever need a condenser to put in a place where i'm afraid the others would get damaged then this would be it!