AKG C 1000 S

The C1000s is a versatile XLR, condenser mic which can be used for in-studio recording or live performances. It has a frequency response of 50Hz to 20kHz.

The polar pattern by default is cardioid, but it can be switched to hyper-cardioid by slipping on a polar adapter. It requires phantom power. A unique feature that it has is that it can be powered using a 9 Volt battery, which is what attracted me to it initially. This makes it very convenient when you're on the move or you don't want to spend extra money on an audio interface or mixer. I often carry it around when I'm travelling and don't want to carry an audio interface with me.

The mic comes in a very nice, padded carrying case. It also comes with a polar adapter for hanging the polar pattern, a stand adapter for mounting the mic on a mic stand and a wind screen which you can slip on to avoid plosives or if you're using it in a windy environment. It's quite solid and sturdy. I've dropped it from a height of about 4 - 5 feet a couple of times and it's still intact.
It's targeted towards the lower end of the market; home studios and the like. I bought mine for about $80 at a sale.

OVERALL OPINION

For studio use the overall performance of the mic is just decent. It's nothing special but it will produce acceptable results. It normally requires a bit of work and experimentation to get the best sound out of it. The bass and low-frequency response is rather on the poor side which is one of my biggest gripes with it. However, it captures the mid and high-end quite well so if I do use it in a mix it's for recording backing vocals and elements that remain in the background; elements that don't need bass. The signal of the mic is also quite low. I have to crank up the gain on my audio interface to get a signal that's loud enough to rival some of my other mics.

Other than in the studio I use this mic with my video camera as a boom mic for capturing sound. In that area it performs quite well. It doesn't capture sounds that are too far away so the background noise is minimal. It stays focused on the sound source that is being captured. The wind screen is very handy in this scenario especially when recording outdoors.

The only live environment I've used it in is at a few small, family and friends-type gatherings for speeches and the like. This is where it performs very well, providing sound that's clear. With this in mind it should perform quite well for podcasts and speech oriented work that doesn't need very high quality audio.

Following are pros and cons of the mic:

Pros:
- Can be powered by a 9 Volt battery. Convenient when phantom power is not available via a mixer or audio interface. Also makes it handy for use on when mobile or away from your main studio setup.
- Can be used for both studio recording and live performances
- Produces good results in live environments, podcasts/voice-overs and as a boom mic for capturing sound when shooting video.

Cons:
- The biggest con is sound quality for studio use. While it often produces decent results it doesn't capture bass well.


Given the chance to buy it again I probably wouldn't because I rarely use it in the studio, which is where I spend most of my time. It's a mic I use mostly to get out some quick ideas when I'm away from my main equipment or occasionally as a boom mic for video projects. I rarely use it in actual song mixes. It was my very first condenser mic at a time when I had no other recording equipment, so I was particularly captivated by the fact that it can be powered by a battery, which made it a cheaper option for me than buying another mic and a mixer/audio interface to power it.

Over the years I've found better mics within the same price range so the AKG C1000s wouldn't be my first choice if I had the chance to go back and purchase my first mic. It will however produced acceptable results in many cases. It's a versatile mic. I can describe this mic as a jack of all trades but a master of none.

12 years playing guitar, 8 years teaching, 6 years of live sound engineering, 6 years professional recording.

I picked up two of these units for $350 CAD [actual retail price of these here in Canada: $275 each]. I picked them up cause I was fed up of owning a great acoustic guitar and not being able to capture the awesome tone.

The natural sound of this condensor mic is it's best feature. Not hyped, not weak, not bassy... what you hear is what you get. The price tag is worth it. A bonus are the presence boost adapter and the hypercardiod adapter. The mic comes in a beautiful silver [aluminum?] case, and includes a mic clip, a windscreen, and the above mentioned adapters.

Another notable feature is the ability to run off of a 9 volt battery or phantom power.

Not alot of gain, I have to really get my mic pres running hot to get a good signal. Which is good, unless you a] want a really clean signal or b] have a cheap/crappy pre. Also the adapters for the presence boost and hypercardiod pattern change are dangerous-feeling to apply and remove, due to the capsule being so small and fragile.

The construction of the unit is awesome. A large metal cylinder, heavy-guage wire mesh covering the capsule, perfect printing on the mic itself, it is a beautiful unit. The only thing I don't like is how bad it feels using the included attachments.

No other small diahpragm mic in this price range is a better choice for drum overheads, acoustic guitars, and other acoustic instruments where the clarity of a condenser is required.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Microphone very versatile vocals, various instruments resumed.
Back-electret technology.

Soft sound (some might say soft) but accurate (AKG sound) (some would say cold). Thus goes well on almost all sources, but does not excel in one particular.

Technically it has low side rejection and rear, even with the conversion hypercardio capsule, making it 'very sensitive' to its environment. Newer models also have the option adapter brilliance as an alternative to the adapter hypercardio.

Very interesting lead vocals or chorus or choir, for its softness and natural (not a rock sound but its a smooth, well that rresort mix).
Very interesting battery OH or perceived, and on many instruments (really go anywhere).

OVERALL OPINION

Excellent value for money.
Avoid sources of low-level live because of its low rejection.

Long been a benchmark in the world of condenser microphones. The micro can do absolutely everything and will serve well as for singing, instrument, acoustic guitar or microphone as background (overhead)

OVERALL OPINION

Micro can be used on virtually any sound source, the answer is broadly neutral.

Many models tested (Senn, neumann, shure ...)> A pair of microphones should all equipped home studios so this mic is handy, it has a switch which allows for live or studio use.

Excellent value for money!!

Few models used in France, I ordered mine from the United States for lack of these models in France a good price.