Oktava MC-012-01

The Oktava MC-012-01 is a small diaphragm condenser microphone that is made for use in the recording studio.  It has the ability to use different pick up patterns as it has different caps for different patterns including ones for cardioid, hypercardioid, and omnidirectional.  Each one also comes with its own mic clip.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using the Oktava MC-012-01s for about a year or a year and a half and I've found these mics to be pretty great, especially considering the price.  These are some of the best bang for your buck on the market as they offer a high quality small diaphragm condenser microphone for an incredibly low price.  Like most small diaphragm condensers, these sound best on acoustic instruments like acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, and acoustic piano.  They also work great as drum overheads and will even work as room microphones.  Having the options for different pick up patterns is a huge plus as it just adds to the versatility of these mics.  After hearing the Oktava MC-012-01s I couldn't believe how cheap these actually are.  I used them in a pretty large recording studio so I was expecting them to be at least double or triple the price but was astounded to find that they are very cheap and quite accessible to home studio owners because of this fact.  Oktava has a great line of microphones, some of which are better than others, but the MC-012-01s are probably their best for the price when it comes to small diaphragm condenser mics.  If you are a home studio owner (or even a professional) definitely check out the Oktava MC-012-01 if you aren't looking to spend too much on a small diaphragm mic.

These small diaphragm condenser mics are great for studio use. I've never heard of them being used live and they're pretty delicate so I wouldn't recommend it. They are condensers so they need the power supply to operate. They also are very tiny, and can be broken easily so extreme care is necessary. They are expensive to fix so don't break them unless you want to spend lots of dough.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using these mics for about 8 months. I love the high, crisp sound you can get with them. I primarily use them as overhead mics. I tend to use them as my go-to for drum overheads, because they pick up the full sound of cymbals incredibly well. For this reason I also enjoy using them on hi-hats. I have used them in tandem with AKG C12's on a piano to good effect as well.
I have assisted on a session where the engineer used them on an amplified Fender Rhodes piano. That sound was amazing. I would definitely try to do that again if a player wanted it to be amped as opposed to DI. I tried using them as room mics but wasn't as impressed with them in that capacity. Overall though, I've been really happy with them.
That being said, these are pretty expensive mics. I've seen them go upwards of $1,200 for a pair. Make sure you can get a pair of used ones in good quality unless you have a lot of cash to throw around (lucky you!). I don't own this mic but I plan on getting a pair of them as soon as I can afford it, in the meantime I'll continue to use them at the studio. I would certainly recommend them to anyone who records drums and/or cymbals.