Product: Oktava ML-53
Price Paid: 250 (Euro)
Submitted
09/21/2005
at
01:21am
by
stefan launicke
Email: info at tam-recordings<dot>com
Reviewer Background
:
producer/engineer. Other mics currently in use: Audio Technica, Audix, Neumann, Microtech Gefell, CAD and some other special stuff. Recording Digital using mostly a Trident Series 80C Console for preamping, listening primarly through NS-10s.
Overall Rating
:
10
Ribbon mic, that automatically means figur of 8. I will just post a very short opinion here:
The ML-53 is very very special. As stated before, it might be useful for some vocals, less for (most) others. It can make thin vocals get in front of your mix. It brings a lot of bass boost. You need a very good preamp for low level signals. But the ML-53 really shines for another application:
I used it recently for recording a clean Les Paul on a Marshall amp. This itself is not the best combination, but pretty common on rock guitar players. Having the Amp in a great sounding room, this mic really makes you smile. By far the best clean sound I ever got out of the paula/marshall combination. Note: I'm talking about a clean, not a distorted sound.
As I said: very special. A mic for pro's who definetly have way more than 1 microphone and good sounding rooms. If you're one of 'em, go buy it.
Product: Oktava ML-53
Price Paid: 229 (Euro)
Submitted
04/26/2005
at
01:55am
by
Rene
Email: rene<at>miklas dot at
Reviewer Background
:
I have studied Sound-Engineering at SAE-Technology Institute Vienna (Austria) and am continuing on with the Bachelor-course.
Additionally I am a guitar (electric&acoustic&bass) player since 1995.
I have recorded various instruments and voices with all kinds of high-end mics, including AGK C414 and C480, several Sennheiser, Neumann and others.
Overall Rating
:
10
The ML-53 from Oktava is a dynamic ribbon-microphone. It has a fig. 8 polar pattern.
It sounds excellent with acoustic instruments and electric guitars. It is good for some voices, less so for others.
It does not sound aggressive, but really gives a presence that enables you to put the recorded voice/instrument to the front of the mix. Thus it is great for solo-instruments/voice.
The down-side of every fig-8 mic is the rather high susceptability to wind-sounds. That means you absolutely need a wind-filter...
Definitely a great mic for multiple purpouses if you know, how to use it!!
