recordinghacks

This Russian beauty will amaze you. It sounds really, really good. Its frequency response is 60–17kHz and is nearly flat from 170–17kHz (there are some slight 2dB bumps around 3k, 5k, and 11k). I have used it on acoustic guitar, lead vocal and in a variety of positions on drums, pretty much every place I’d normally put a Shure 57 or 58, and it has sounded great every time.

Physically it is a bit bigger than most mics of this sort but fits a standard clip. Finally, it is all black (which looks cool), has a built in pop-filter, comes with spec sheets in both Russian and English (with all the expected translation gaffes), and costs only $129.

The only place (that I know of anyway) to get one of these is from a place called The Sound Room at www.oktava.com. Taylor Johnson, the proprietor, is great to deal with, friendly, honest, and a font of information on many Russian mic brands (he also carries the brands Oktava, RTT, Elation, LOMO, and Nevaton, as well as his own brand THE plus a variety of accessories).

I know that many Russian mics, particularly Oktavas, are getting a bad rep when it comes to their consistency — some sound great and others don’t. Because of this The Sound Room has a higher threshold for quality control — even then, if you don’t like the mic it can be returned for refund. One of the most valuable things about the site is the feedback section. Many folks, most of whom are more learned than myself have checked out the mics offered and written up complete and detailed results of their tests. In addition, if you contact Taylor, either by phone or e-mail, he will answer any question and help steer you towards what you need without any hard-sell pressure tactics. (www.oktava.com)

Read more about the Byetone IM27 dynamic microphone.

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