The Perfect Mic of Its Style? (With Mind-Blowing Extra Features)

In today's video, Justin Colletti takes a closer look at the OC-818 from Austrian Audio, a dual capsule microphone based on the classic 414 and CK12 designs, with some amazing features.
Not only is this arguably the best sounding version of the 414 style of microphone being made to today, but it also includes some incredibly unique features like the ability to change polar patterns from a smartphone app, and even more amazingly, the ability to change polar patterns AFTER recording.
Thanks to Austrian Audio for sponsoring this special look at the OC-818. Check out their mics and headphones at austrian.audio/
#microphone #condenser #austrian #audio #audioengineer #mic

[@deadscenedotcom]

Outstanding demo!

[@doc31648]

yayy 414..my favorite all time mic..I use a warm audio version and love it!!

[@the_newvoice]

Microphones are the most desirable sphere for me now

[@Sonbranchmusic]

Justin, thanks for your very helpful videos. I recently bought the OC-818 and it's beautiful looking and sounding. Very smooth and clear mids and highs without sounding harsh, and your voice on my Focal pro monitors sounds great. I plan to use the OC-818 mainly on acoustic guitar and female vocals. Besides the additional innovative features, the fact that it's designed and made in Austria by former AKG engineers is a big plus. I think it will become a classic.

[@SonicScoop]

Nice! Agreed, for acoustic guitar and vocals (and a lot else) it's going to be great. Definitely one of those "put it anywhere" mics.

[@officialWWM]

That mic is an instant classic.

[@russellszabadosaka5-pindin849]

This is amazing and is a mic for me to work towards buying. Thanks for the run through.

[@russellszabadosaka5-pindin849]

@Music Calgary I was wondering about that with this mic. I don’t have lots of experience recording live musicians...almost all of this mic’s polar patterns have that 5k bump. Is that something you would attenuate in the mic’s chain on the way in while recording? Thanks in advance for your advice.

[@happythec1am]

This thing looks sweet!

[@justme-eb6lz]

for me, the most important thing to consider in the mic is the overall sound that comes out. if you ignore all the new tech that those mics offers( even tho they can be very usefull) and compare the two of them to a pair of akg c414 xls, imho, soundwise the later wins. the Aa seems to have mudiness in the lower mid erea whers the 414 are way more light in that frequencis, and no matter what source you use, 414 will sound more pleasing for that reason.

[@sonicacoustics9176]

A lot of musicians and podcasters are using this microphones. Great content! :)

[@fiddlefolk]

Very cool. I just purchased the AEA R88 stereo ribbon to do old school one mic recording. This would be a great addition.

[@ingonagel7169]

I use them as stereo main mic in orchestra recording. They are awesome. I use them omni up to 120hz, then a cardioid, as of 4k omni again... an open sound amazing.

[@SonicScoop]

Very cool!

[@stefannordmark3859]

Great review! I would like you to maybe do a review of the Lewitt LCT 640

[@Skimatik_DnB]

This is soooooo interesting 💚💚💚 I’m gonna have to look .... Iv actually got a 414 , one of the newer ones ..... but I tend to record my vocals with an Austin Spirit 👀🙌 thanks for the insight ✌️💚☯️

[@stupendousmusic4190]

I have this mic and it's fantastic ‼️ As you demonstrated, the figure 8 on it is amazing ‼️ Glynn Johns would mic a bass cabinet with a C 414 in figure 8, six feet away. I've tried t with this mic (and others) and it's brilliant❣️ I would have liked to see you demo the f8 pattern in the software demo. Excellent video though!

[@EricSkyeMusic]

I got a pair of 818's a few weeks ago and after a few test recordings I'm selling listing my 414's on Ebay.

[@JohannesLabusch]

I think in fairness, it's important to mention that the shmazubble and the goinkle-doo are both using the output port on the back, so you can only use one of them at a time. You can't "dual mono" record and adjust the polar patterns per smart phone at the same time. Just making sure people aren't disappointed!

[@ThomasLoyd]

I guess I'll have to get this when it comes on sale from one of my different audio equipment sources ever put it on sale. It sounds really good, however, I'm going to stick with all my JZ Microphones. Thanks Justin!

[@SonicScoop]

JZ definitely makes great stuff too!

[@raphaellasne3609]

At this level of quality and groundbreaking innovation, it is quite affordable. Made in EU. A bargain.

[@rb032682]

cool mic

[@tribalcowfish]

The Lewitt LCT 640 TS is very similar and also has the dual mono capabilities with adjusting polar patterns in post. I'd be curious to know how it compares with this mic.

[@SonicScoop]

Good question. It’s one of the only two other mics I know of that do this, and the other one is a modeling mic. So that’s really the only other mic that I know of like this one. I wasn’t aware if it until after I found about that feature here, which was the first I heard of it. It’s one of those things that may seem obvious in the future but is totally groundbreaking and unusual right now I think. If you get a chance to compare them yourself, let us know what you think! -Justin

[@markderv]

if we are comparing seemingly similar mics such as the 818 and the 640, shouldn't we consider the human rights records of the manufacturing countries involved? Lewitt are an Austrian company that manufactures their products in China. Personally, this is becoming more problematic for me as China continues to lead the way into a dystopian future.

[@lucasj7577]

My se4400a could be upgraded to this. Together with this tonal shaping It might be the most diversity i can snag For my budget. Utility is what I’m aiming for here rather than signature sound.

[@SonicScoop]

Yes, this style of mic is a great all around utility mic. Definitely one of those "...if you could only have one mic in the studio for everything" kind of mics. And I think this particular model is possibly even more that way than the either of the similar AKGs available, because it strikes a nice balance between both of their styles of 414. Hope that helps! -Justin

[@chizzulwinduh1941]

is the polar pattern, after recording, using an EQ or is it using volume and EQ to shave and shape to a defined definition of each polar patter? Or something else? Seems very clever. Is the Townsend Sphere L22 is a forerunner to this?

[@SonicScoop]

Great question. I could probably do a whole video on just that question. Long story short is that there are two basic polar patterns from which all other polar pattens are derived. Those two main polar patterns are omni and figure-8. You can then combine omni and figure 8 to make cardiod, or vary their proportions to make super and hyper cardiod. So, if you record two capsules separately, you can combine them in all those fashions after the fact to get the in between positions. I hope that makes sense! That’s my understanding of it anyway, and I imagine that’s what’s going on here. The multiband function would likely come from making different combinations between different crossover points on a set of filters. I’d probably need to write something longer and add images to make it more clear, but maybe we can circle back to that some day in a full length video! The Townsend is interesting, but is a modeling mic which has its own pros and cons. But it is one of the only others in existence I know of to have this kind of feature. -Justin

[@chizzulwinduh1941]

@@SonicScoop Thanks for explaining. It sounds great and would be useful in so many situations. I have the Townsend, I have to say I love it, but it's a bit complicated at first.

[@richarddeutsch8874]

Great mic, but just for the record - There are Nevaton mics, which can do that since ages.

[@markderv]

But like Lewitt, they are made in a dictatorship. Some customers do still consider ethics when buying products.

[@paulquinnvoiceover8354]

I know it's a bit apples to oranges but how would you compare the OC-818 to the JZ 67 in terms of voice over recording? A broad comparison of course but in terms of things not getting ugly on close miking, which do you prefer?

[@SonicScoop]

You can hear both on this channel and decide for yourself! The V67 has a little bit more of a presence lift while the OC-818 is a little more neutral. Either one would be a great choice.

[@paulquinnvoiceover8354]

@@SonicScoop Thanks so much!

[@bonbb3923]

what preamp do you use?

[@SonicScoop]

I just used the stock preamps built into my Focusrite Clarett interface for this. Sounds great! -Justin

[@metalplatedfacejob]

this microphone is one of the smoothest microphones out there....the earth works sv33 is the only mic I can think of that is smoother then this. As far a modern issue is concerned anyway

[@sleepisoptional]

what happens when the company stops writing apps? not sure i’d want a mic which needs to be tied to an app to be useful

[@SonicScoop]

It does not need to be tied to any app to be useful. The apps are a nice extra feature, but the mic works just fine as a normal mic, and is priced to be a great deal and very competitive with the alternatives even then.

[@larrymarso4492]

Open source

[@barrywilliams8289]

That mic is bad for years to come

[@billyhughes9776]

lol

[@barrywilliams8289]

thanks