All user reviews for the AKG C 3000

Condenser microphone for voice and instruments (mixed, but instead got my vote)

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for almost 10 years.
What I like most is the sound rather crystalline (sharp right) and some depth in the bass. I did catch battery in overhead or in a church choir with a couple of C3000 and I can say that has the same sounds really gnial. For voice, either 5 cm or 70 cm, the return is really impcable (the color of the sound changes very empty, but there is always present) Ct sound pressure, it really cash even though pressure.

What I like least is that we quickly put it upside down (towards the rear cap) if not used because there is no evidence of any c t is the dish (I have several friends that it happened in this case it is the great early reflections! (which can be INTERESTED in certain situations)

APRS trying several DIFFERENT MODELS (even more than 3x more expensive the era), I fell in love with this mic because it gave me exactly what I expected. Not just one capsule for my voice, but a microphone capable of reproducing almost all sources. For my part, I find that the ratio quality / price is really INTERESTED trs.

I think I would do the same choice (despite the armada of microphones offers these last years)

Very static sensitive
Linear from 20 to 20,000 Hz
2 directional
Low cut
And I think also a-10dB but I'm not very sure

OVERALL OPINION

Micro very, very clean, looks pretty neutral, but very clear. May seem cold but in fact it only go higher than what we used with our poor dynamic con type SM58.
Not very suitable for the stage (Larsen right away) that I saw used on African percussion music once.

It sounds like that is sensitive and can be any record with voice, acoustic guitar, electric, brass, strings, reverb ...

It has the default quality: some transparency. Unflattering, it seems a bit lacking in character ... which is certainly true. I never tried the Neumann home so I can not compare with the references TLM103 or U87 type.
But it has never been a problem, I find it very good.
However, to use a violin or a cello, I would recommend an ATM 33 is much better for it.

It is a multi-purpose condenser microphone for use with 48V phantom power

Its frequency response is wide (20Hz-20Khz). It is a micro relatively precise and clear, very little noise.

It has small switches to configure its directivity, cut down, and a switch-10dB

OVERALL OPINION

I have acquired to ... 1995.

I used a lot of microphones not terrible before that, and so initially I quite enjoyed.

Its characteristic I like most is that he has a very low background noise. Quiet night in the countryside, pushing earnings to fund and with several layers of amplifications can capture with fidelity sounds very distant (conversations, animals ...).
I also used one day to successfully raise the noise level of a play on Live, players can not speak loud enough or well run their voice. It was complicated because it hangs very quickly the sound, but within reason it worked and the audience could understand the dialogue ...

What I like least in the microphone:
1 - bass / basses are muddy, rough, relatively unpleasant
2 - acute are aggressive and very little musical
3 - the whole tone is very neutral, not at all suitable for a recording arts

The price was average value at the time, always given by the average quality of the microphone.

It's a microphone that I use a long time, and I just want to reuse. For the same price it was a T-bone SCT2000 which despite its flaws very clearly outperforms the AKG C3000.

- What type of microphone? (live, recording, mixed...)
This is mainly a home-studio mic, but i have seen it used live before, on percussion at an African music concert.
It's got an 80 hz high-pass filter, and you can switch between two patterns : cardioid or hyper-cardioid, if i remember correctly. Don't think it has a pad but you might want to check the manufacturer's site to be sure.

- What technology? (electret, condenser...)
It's a condenser, i believe, and so requires Phantom power...
It's a very sensitive mic, in any case a lot more sensitive than any dynamic mic of course, and so if you've got an SM-58 and want to move onto this then you'd better be ready for a big surprise.

It's got foam and a grid to protect the large gold-plated diaphragm but you do need a pop filter with this, and you might want to tilt it a bit to attenuate further any direct wind coming from the vocalist. I sometimes use two pop filters at the same time.

You can modify the mic and remove the inner foam: this supposedly transforms the mic but of course you will then need to use even more precaution when recording.

OVERALL OPINION

I bought this in 2000 or so and never once regretted it.
It's a transparent mic, flat across the whole range you can hear...20hz to 20.000hz.
It's very sensitive and detailed, sometimes can seem a bit harsh so if you have a warm preamp you might want to use it in conjunction with the C3000.

You can use this on acoustic instruments, it works just as well as with vocals. I've recorded a cello, violin, wooden ladder (yes, a wooden ladder!), toy keyboard, guitars, flute, clarinet, etc. It's good. On strings you might want to prefer an Audio-Technica ATM-33 though, that works wonders on violins & cello...but the C3000 is good for pretty much everything.
It's unforgiving and don't expect that flattering high-end from this mic, but if you're looking for a real good all-rounder and you have a sound-proofed room then this is definitely worth considering.