Oktava MK-219

Oktava MK219 is a dirty mic'ing shame

I've been wanting to write a short review of the Oktava MK-219 ever since I bought one many years ago. It sort of blows as a piece of gear.

Let me explain what I mean by blows. It's got some sort of wire mesh screen around the capsule that reminds me of the screen on my windows at home. The body resonates at times depending on the frequencies in the room.

The sound generally seems a bit boxy. Some people say this mic sucks. I can see their point of view. First, you got to find a good one. And, apparently, more than a few people have bought bad ones given the number of posts throughout the internet on how bad these mics seem to be.

However, a good one can be a role player in a studio. First, don't ever pay more than $100 for one -- even a good one. The bad ones aren't worth anything.

I've got a good one. I've been using it a couple years. At its best the Oktava MK-219 is a boxy mic with a dirty sound. In essence, it gives you an eccentric bit of image to play with at mix down.

On a lot of sources the Oktava MK-219 never seems to put across a sound you'd want to use. You feel like you're chasing a sound with it and you're liking where things seem to be heading but the mic never quite gets there. However, I've found its dirtiness and its boxiness seem to bring out some interesting sonics in handclaps and with hand percussion. So, it's become my handclap and hand percussion first choice mic. Otherwise, I'd give it away.

Oh yeah, for those of you wanting the technical info, then let's just say it's a large diaphragm condenser mic that requires 48 volts of phantom power to operate. If you want to know more, then you're taking the Oktava MK-219 way too seriously.

The Bottom Line: The Oktava MK-219 is a dirty, boxy mic of limited use. Street prices vary. Try it out before you buy.

--Steven Langer