many thanks for the useful video and the music, good taste and elegant, cultivated sound. I've a pair of oktavas, cardioid. This exact spacing and distance has given me the depth and natural sound I was looking for a long time. Recording classical contrabass has not been easy. All the best
You have this incredible tone! I also heard it on your latest recording "Baroque music". I don't know how you do it but it is sublime. Thank you for the good work you do.
Thanks, I later went to your website and found what you used. Sent my Oktavas in for the Joly mod and will get the K47H capsules soon. Very well done video! I refer to it a lot!
I sent my Oktava mics to Joly for a mod earlier today. I thought I would record something in the morning before sending them out for comparison purposes. I can hear a little bit of the low end "bloat" of these microphone and look forward to a more detailed capture of sound after the mod. Regardless I am so pleased with their natural warmth. Very rarely does a microphone sound so good on the classical guitar straight out of the box without expensive tube preamps. For the price, they are lovely.
Interesting. I always love to hear what other people do with Oktavas, both modded an unmodded. It depends on the specific piece, but I generally preferred the cardiod 012s.
Dear Uros, thank you very much for this video! It was very interesting to listen to the different recordings. My favourite is the Cardiod. Anyhow, the other versions sound beautifully too. The greatest thing in that sound examples definitely is your playing itself. It's a pleasure to listen to your guitar playing! It's extraordinary carefully and with great love to details. Thank you!
Hey, that's very humbling, thank you. I guess it all comes to years of experience and always paying attention to the tiniest details. A few years ago when I finally built this little studio I remember not playing as clean, having a recording device to record yourself always helps a lot in the long run, even just a Zoom h1 or something. As a result I also ended up having shorter nails lately (I prefer the sound and there are less noises in the recordings).
My thoughts exactly! Thanks for sharing your opinion. K47H does make a difference, I like it a lot... From my experience the Joly mod cleans up the bottom-end, but the difference is not huge imo. Sorry, I seem to have deleted the files of my original test (modded vs. unmoved Mk-012).
after a close listening I confirm the rank: K47H Mk012 cardioid Mk012 omni I own a stereo set of Mk012 Cardioid and I'm very happy with them but the K47h has something more... a more balanced sound for a more realistic sound. No doubt for your cd recording!
Your video was done some years ago, but thought you might like to know that it helped me in making up my mind to order a matched pair. No need to do the Joly mod anymore as that has been incorporated into the 012 mics. I will try your setup with my acoustic guitar and compare to my setup. The Collings 0001 has no cut away so I place the mics in an X type arrangement about 2 cm apart pointed at the upper bouts. One mic about 4 cm above the fretboard in the centre area between the body edge and sound hole. The second mic in the same position but below the fretboard. Mics were about 25 cm from the guitar at a level with the fretboard. Using good headphones and recording to a Roland Octa Capture and then with an ART Pro tube driven pre-amp.The sweet spot was determined by feeling for the most vibration in the wood (Sitka spruce). So far I am very pleased with the purchase. I did find that cables made quite a difference. Using the best quality mic cable was 10% quieter than the heavy duty brand by Yorkville. The Art Pro however gave such a clean gain signal to the Roland set on bypass that the noise was non existent.
K47H wins for sure! all 3 are very beautiful, i'm planing to get a pair off modded oktavas with cardioic capsule and your video was very helpful, thanks!
Thanks for the great video, and wonderful playing, it helped me decide to get a pair of the Oktavia MK-12's..... which I ordered about 30 minutes ago. This is a big step up from my Sony PCM D50. Looks like I'll end up getting the MJ K47H capsules soon as well. If you don't mind me asking what audio software are you using to edit, and what pre-amp?
As always beautiful playing and recording. Your instrument, room and playing are all so excellent that the mics matter less. I was surprised though that the LDC did quite well and that I preferred the cardiod to the omni as omni is often considered to be more pure. Your recordings are directly CD ready. Actually I think that a further mastering process would add more artifacts as it would become less "real" and present. Regards Per Lindhof
Thanks a lot for putting it all together and great playing too! I got a pair of 0-12 too and have done some recordings at home with lute and theorbo you can view on my channel. Listening to your video, the 0-12 alone in cardioid sounded best; the large diaphragm mic added too much boost to the bass in an unpleasant way, and there was some harshness added in the omni mode too, less clarity, and more colouration. I wonder why that is, and whether the 0-12 are true omni or not? what is your favourite and which sounded closest to the real sound? and why 43 cm in particular? all best, Yair
+AmphionConsort Sorry for the late reply. My favourite is the MJE-K47H, followed by cardioid, not a big fan of omni, I wonder if they're true omni as well, no idea! 43cm was just in this case, I always place microphones from scratch at the beginning of recording. But generally speaking 43cm is a nice distance, if the AB distance is over 50cm you're starting to get a hole in the middle, it still sounds nice and wide but you're getting away from the accurate stereo image.
Hi, I have no experience with any of the two mics you mention, although I doubt the 2035 would do as good of a job as the 4050, which is obviously a great mic. On a low budget a pair Oktava Mk-012 is hard to beat, what about renting one or two great large diaphragm microphones for voice for this project? Have you considered playing on a different guitar for studio purpose only? Sometimes even a cheap guitar with nylon strings does the job. I play a Michele Della Giustina w Savarez Corum strings.
Thanks for this video! It was really helpful. I am really torn between the cardioid and the MJE. They both sound great, and only slightly different. I think the cardioid is slightly warmer. I would love to try both on my next recordings!
Lovely playing, and a great job recording your instrument. This really illustrates the tonal differences between each mic choice. To my ears, the K47h capsule heads have the most prominent midrange and the most robust bass of the three mics. The omni is more rolled off on the bottom, while the cardioid is sitting in between. Just curious, did you pan the mics hard left and right, or is there some overlap? Also, did you use any reverb? Or is that just the natural sound of your room?
This is such a helpful demo and your playing is beautiful. Thanks! I enjoyed the clarity and definition of the K47H capsule. At the same time I loved the warmth in the middle register of the MK012 in the cardioid position; the pull offs were more clear in the cardioid of the MK012. The Omni position lacks definition. My ranking: K47H Mk012 Cardioid Mk012 Omni How much difference does the Jolly mod make? I purchased the stock Oktava MK012 and am considering a mod by Jolly. What do you think?
Hi there! Great playing, and sound as well! Congrats. I'm preparing myself for a duo recording: vocal, and classical guitar. I had a chance to record in studio with my quartet on AudioTechnica 4050 - it was very fine. The Duo project I want to do on my own, and I'm looking for a cheap mic. Have You ever try Audio Technica 2035? I have a double top (sandwich) guitar - it has a lot of mids. Great for live playing, difficult in studio. What kind of guitar do You play? Greatings from Poland!
Great sound! I just bought a studio pair of the Oktava Mk-012's with the Joly mod. What reverb do you add if any at all? Hope to see more videos coming in the future.
Excellent work on all counts, bravo! Even if not on all pieces, in general I prefered the SDC cardioid by far. It puts out acceptable bass (not as true or big as in real life but at least articulate and refined) and perfect trebles. The LDC has the more solid bass, but the trebles sound "strange". I had the same experience when testing LDCs myself. The omni has a richer sound overall, but at the end of the day the clarity and articulation suffer when compared to the cardioid. Omnis are great if you have that truly perfect sounding space, but in less than perfect or at the other extreme, too reverberant/rich, a directional mic works better.
Hello, Your records are wonderful!!I will buy a microphone to record classical guitar but i can't decide because there is not enough samples to decide.I have chance to buy rode nt1a or oktava mk012.But how is their not modded sounds when used single on guitar?Which one should i choose? Your help will be apprecieted Thanks
Hi, definitely go with a pair of Oktava Mk-012, they sound really good even without modding. I didn't find the original Rode NT1a usable on classical guitar.
Do you have experience recording with Neumann KM184's? If so, how are they? Also, are cardioid capsules good for playing live or would a hypercardioid capsule like the Oktava MK-012's be better for feedback control? (In general terms - venue dependent of course!).
many thanks for the useful video and the music, good taste and elegant, cultivated sound. I've a pair of oktavas, cardioid. This exact spacing and distance has given me the depth and natural sound I was looking for a long time. Recording classical contrabass has not been easy. All the best
You have this incredible tone! I also heard it on your latest recording "Baroque music". I don't know how you do it but it is sublime. Thank you for the good work you do.
My favorites are the Oktava MK-012 with omni capsules. Nice test!
Thanks, I later went to your website and found what you used. Sent my Oktavas in for the Joly mod and will get the K47H capsules soon. Very well done video! I refer to it a lot!
I sent my Oktava mics to Joly for a mod earlier today. I thought I would record something in the morning before sending them out for comparison purposes. I can hear a little bit of the low end "bloat" of these microphone and look forward to a more detailed capture of sound after the mod. Regardless I am so pleased with their natural warmth. Very rarely does a microphone sound so good on the classical guitar straight out of the box without expensive tube preamps. For the price, they are lovely.
Interesting. I always love to hear what other people do with Oktavas, both modded an unmodded. It depends on the specific piece, but I generally preferred the cardiod 012s.
Such a good demo! Joly LDC capsules capture a great guitar sound. Thanks for making this video.
Dear Uros, thank you very much for this video! It was very interesting to listen to the different recordings. My favourite is the Cardiod. Anyhow, the other versions sound beautifully too. The greatest thing in that sound examples definitely is your playing itself. It's a pleasure to listen to your guitar playing! It's extraordinary carefully and with great love to details. Thank you!
Thank you so much, I appreciate it!
Hey, that's very humbling, thank you. I guess it all comes to years of experience and always paying attention to the tiniest details. A few years ago when I finally built this little studio I remember not playing as clean, having a recording device to record yourself always helps a lot in the long run, even just a Zoom h1 or something. As a result I also ended up having shorter nails lately (I prefer the sound and there are less noises in the recordings).
My thoughts exactly! Thanks for sharing your opinion. K47H does make a difference, I like it a lot... From my experience the Joly mod cleans up the bottom-end, but the difference is not huge imo. Sorry, I seem to have deleted the files of my original test (modded vs. unmoved Mk-012).
after a close listening I confirm the rank:
K47H
Mk012 cardioid
Mk012 omni
I own a stereo set of Mk012 Cardioid and I'm very happy with them but the K47h has something more... a more balanced sound for a more realistic sound. No doubt for your cd recording!
Your video was done some years ago, but thought you might like to know that it helped me in making up my mind to order a matched pair. No need to do the Joly mod anymore as that has been incorporated into the 012 mics. I will try your setup with my acoustic guitar and compare to my setup. The Collings 0001 has no cut away so I place the mics in an X type arrangement about 2 cm apart pointed at the upper bouts. One mic about 4 cm above the fretboard in the centre area between the body edge and sound hole. The second mic in the same position but below the fretboard. Mics were about 25 cm from the guitar at a level with the fretboard. Using good headphones and recording to a Roland Octa Capture and then with an ART Pro tube driven pre-amp.The sweet spot was determined by feeling for the most vibration in the wood (Sitka spruce). So far I am very pleased with the purchase. I did find that cables made quite a difference. Using the best quality mic cable was 10% quieter than the heavy duty brand by Yorkville. The Art Pro however gave such a clean gain signal to the Roland set on bypass that the noise was non existent.
K47H wins for sure! all 3 are very beautiful, i'm planing to get a pair off modded oktavas with cardioic capsule and your video was very helpful, thanks!
Thanks for the great video, and wonderful playing, it helped me decide to get a pair of the Oktavia MK-12's..... which I ordered about 30 minutes ago. This is a big step up from my Sony PCM D50. Looks like I'll end up getting the MJ K47H capsules soon as well.
If you don't mind me asking what audio software are you using to edit, and what pre-amp?
what an amazing video on so many levels. well done. You are a superb player and the recording quality is breath taking. You know ya mics !
Fantastic tone & great playing. Thanks for sharing. Very helpful.
i think they all sounded great due to the very smooth mid range of that guitar.
Thinking of buying a pair of Oktava Mk012 myself, plus some solid broad membrane mic. Nice video.
As always beautiful playing and recording. Your instrument, room and playing are all so excellent that the mics matter less. I was surprised though that the LDC did quite well and that I preferred the cardiod to the omni as omni is often considered to be more pure.
Your recordings are directly CD ready. Actually I think that a further mastering process would add more artifacts as it would become less "real" and present.
Regards
Per Lindhof
Thanks a lot for putting it all together and great playing too!
I got a pair of 0-12 too and have done some recordings at home with lute and theorbo you can view on my channel. Listening to your video, the 0-12 alone in cardioid sounded best; the large diaphragm mic added too much boost to the bass in an unpleasant way, and there was some harshness added in the omni mode too, less clarity, and more colouration. I wonder why that is, and whether the 0-12 are true omni or not? what is your favourite and which sounded closest to the real sound? and why 43 cm in particular? all best, Yair
+AmphionConsort Sorry for the late reply. My favourite is the MJE-K47H, followed by cardioid, not a big fan of omni, I wonder if they're true omni as well, no idea! 43cm was just in this case, I always place microphones from scratch at the beginning of recording. But generally speaking 43cm is a nice distance, if the AB distance is over 50cm you're starting to get a hole in the middle, it still sounds nice and wide but you're getting away from the accurate stereo image.
I wonder if the omni would sound the best in a church or recital hall where there was actual room reverb
Hi, I have no experience with any of the two mics you mention, although I doubt the 2035 would do as good of a job as the 4050, which is obviously a great mic. On a low budget a pair Oktava Mk-012 is hard to beat, what about renting one or two great large diaphragm microphones for voice for this project? Have you considered playing on a different guitar for studio purpose only? Sometimes even a cheap guitar with nylon strings does the job. I play a Michele Della Giustina w Savarez Corum strings.
Thanks for this video! It was really helpful. I am really torn between the cardioid and the MJE. They both sound great, and only slightly different. I think the cardioid is slightly warmer. I would love to try both on my next recordings!
Thanks for the test. Helps a lot. Beautiful perfrmance.
K47H has more bass. This makes it richer. Very good testing. Thanks for the work.
Could be, yeah... Just learning by trying out many possibilities, sorry! :) Thanks for listening.
Excellent video. This is a great service to all. Saludos de Panama!
Ron
It was Mk 012 or Mk 012-01. Sounds great!
Nice playing!! It is optimal if the distance between the microphones is the same as between one of the microphones and the guitar.
Lovely playing, and a great job recording your instrument. This really illustrates the tonal differences between each mic choice. To my ears, the K47h capsule heads have the most prominent midrange and the most robust bass of the three mics. The omni is more rolled off on the bottom, while the cardioid is sitting in between. Just curious, did you pan the mics hard left and right, or is there some overlap? Also, did you use any reverb? Or is that just the natural sound of your room?
Hey, sorry for the late reply - was away for some time. I use Reaper to edit the material, and Metric Halo ULN-2 as preamp/converters.
This is such a helpful demo and your playing is beautiful. Thanks! I enjoyed the clarity and definition of the K47H capsule. At the same time I loved the warmth in the middle register of the MK012 in the cardioid position; the pull offs were more clear in the cardioid of the MK012. The Omni position lacks definition.
My ranking:
K47H
Mk012 Cardioid
Mk012 Omni
How much difference does the Jolly mod make? I purchased the stock Oktava MK012 and am considering a mod by Jolly. What do you think?
Hey Uros, silly question but are you using one or two mics..? Thanks!
2
Sounds beautiful
Hi there! Great playing, and sound as well! Congrats. I'm preparing myself for a duo recording: vocal, and classical guitar. I had a chance to record in studio with my quartet on AudioTechnica 4050 - it was very fine. The Duo project I want to do on my own, and I'm looking for a cheap mic. Have You ever try Audio Technica 2035? I have a double top (sandwich) guitar - it has a lot of mids. Great for live playing, difficult in studio. What kind of guitar do You play? Greatings from Poland!
Great sound! I just bought a studio pair of the Oktava Mk-012's with the Joly mod. What reverb do you add if any at all? Hope to see more videos coming in the future.
Hey, I'm not sure anymore, though I think it was a hall preset from Bricasti M7 IR library.
Love the music and the sound!
Svaka cast! Odlicno!
Thanks for your Video
I really liked the MJE-K47H , bud can not find it, where I can buy it.. Can you suggest some Store, please?
Thanks!
Beautiful!! But do you think that 18dB of self noise from Oktavas is to much for classical guitar?
Thanks for the video! How about post-processing? I'm guessing you didn't pan hard L/R? EQ/Comp? Etc. Thanks
Excellent work on all counts, bravo!
Even if not on all pieces, in general I prefered the SDC cardioid by far. It puts out acceptable bass (not as true or big as in real life but at least articulate and refined) and perfect trebles.
The LDC has the more solid bass, but the trebles sound "strange". I had the same experience when testing LDCs myself.
The omni has a richer sound overall, but at the end of the day the clarity and articulation suffer when compared to the cardioid. Omnis are great if you have that truly perfect sounding space, but in less than perfect or at the other extreme, too reverberant/rich, a directional mic works better.
Hello,
Your records are wonderful!!I will buy a microphone to record classical guitar but i can't decide because there is not enough samples to decide.I have chance to buy rode nt1a or oktava mk012.But how is their not modded sounds when used single on guitar?Which one should i choose?
Your help will be apprecieted
Thanks
Hi, definitely go with a pair of Oktava Mk-012, they sound really good even without modding. I didn't find the original Rode NT1a usable on classical guitar.
Oktava mk 012 still working perfectly?
Thank you!!! Maestro you are AWESOME!!!!
What kind of mic do you use to record? Neat playing by the way.
Yes. Sorry for the late reply.
They all sound superb to me. What is that guitar you are playing?
ianrkav A cedar top guitar by Michele Della Giustina.
classicalguitar2 Thanks. It has a beautiful tone, and your playing is excellent. You are way up there with the best I think:-)
Very expressive playing!
What convertors/mic pres?
+Nicholas Lynch Metric Halo ULN-2. Thanks!
That's a lovely unit.
+Nicholas Lynch Yes, quite expensive, but worth it IMO.
"ooh, suits you sir"
interesting, did you cover differences between pre amps sometime?
I published some tests after this video, check my channel.
Do you have experience recording with Neumann KM184's? If so, how are they?
Also, are cardioid capsules good for playing live or would a hypercardioid capsule like the Oktava MK-012's be better for feedback control? (In general terms - venue dependent of course!).
I was wondering... How would you do a XY with the MJE-K47H pair?
can you tell me the height of the microphone to the ground and away from them for the guitar?
Thanks for answer another question too what shock mount do you use in your records?
Stock mounts from Oktava and Rode (for the modded NT1A)..
It is not possible to get it modded anymore? Also, the oktava mk-012-01 difference is only that they do not have more capsules?
thanks!
Hi, please help me! How to recording sound guitar like you? how many microphones? Cost savings. Thanks!
I'd say about a meter or 1,20 meters.
where can I find the mje k47h capsules? Thank you
Sounds great, but why measuring in cm's. Ok I'll break out the cm to inches converter, lol
+Jay Alvarez en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_system
+Marek Cupák Thanks :)
Grabbed my calculator, no big deal, thanks for video and your epic playing.
+Jay Alvarez Thanks so much, Jay.
Hi!What is the height of the mics in regard to the floor?
+Pierre Tremblay Hi! I think they were positioned about 120cm high.
Did you use the metric halo?
this quality, for the most part, gives grounding in houses..
Find somebody who will look at you like this guy looks at his fretboard.
マイクも良いけど、ギターが上手い！