@Dracomies OC18 has the great tone also. I agree it's got an economic edge. OC818 is more flexible and gives you a second physical output. It doesn't sound better than the 18, but since you can manipulate the recorded outputs in post to change the polar pattern (!), it extra special.
Nice to meet you, I'm a Japanese voice actor. Your video made me decide to buy this microphone! I will continue to purchase microphones based on your opinions! I'm really thankful to you! I would like to express my gratitude from Japan.
Thank you very much for the kind words. I truly hope the mic lives up to your expectations and you get some fantastic recordings with it, and record some amazing characters with it. Happy recording.
Absolutely agree. The OC818 was such a great introduction for a company. "Hey we're new, yeah old AKG employees, but we are not messing around, this thing is FANTASTIC!"
I bought the OC18 in large part due to your mic-of-the-year level of enthusiasm. I like it so much for my storytelling and audiobooks that I lost all interest in further microphone purchases or reviews. Returning now, just out of curiosity, I made the right choice: 18 and 818 sound better to me than the 16, but I don't need any of the 818's bells & whistles. Thank you HUGELY for pointing me towards the OC18. (Paired with an Audient iD4 MkII, in case anyone is interested.)
Theres always another mic to buy i guess. I use a Rode NT2A that i had used before and liked then i made the piurchase after your review. I still think its ideal for my rather lack luster voice. but not a day goes buy without me envying your U87. Thank you for all your great reviews Bandrew.
IMO most people should put all of their mic budget on only one or two good mics. Actually with as good as everything is nowadays, I think people should spend all of their budget on treating one extra large room to actually sound good (hire pros to treat the room), and 1 or 2 microphones. Cheap AD/DAs sound great. Cheap headphones/monitors sound good enough. Free software is good enough. And you can use that room to mix in, after you track everything. PS NEVER BUY GEAR ON CREDIT.
I actually came to like the Lewitt LCT440 more than this, even though it was shown just for a couple seconds. The OC16 has this almost aggressive high boost at around 5kHz i believe, that is almost straining for my ears after a long listen. All the other Mics didn't have that but where sounding a bit dull in comparison. The Lewitt strikes a nice balance between the two, having a really smooth Highend and still no muddyness or to less lowend extension in my opinion. These differences are obviously minute and were talking at 0.5dB differences here.
2 things I learned from this. The OC16 sounds really nice but I think the NT1 will give you a comparable sound for less The OC818 sounds better than the u87
I respect your opinion but I didn't say that. I think NT1 is a good mic for its price but less versatile than oc16 because it sounds dull and still "sibilant" in so many sources, for a broadcast/vocal mic I think you can be right. Between oc818 and u87Ai I'd say both are great mics for different applications. Also it's a matter of taste at the end of the day
Any general statement is not valid. A test that involves just the timbre from one human speaking voice is way too restricted to allow a final opinion. Of course a shitty mic will also sound shitty from the get-go in such minmal test
@pbaudinat The OC16 will not null with the OC18 or the OC818 even when all are set to cardioid. There are circuitry differences between the OC16 and the other two that alter the frequency response to a considerable degree, in my opinion favoring the OC18 & OC818. The OC16 is considerably more mid forward, lower sensitivity across the spectrum, and the top end reacts in a remarkably different way compared when compared with the others. The difference in the polar rejection and proximity response play a major factor in how differently the OC16 delivers frequency information. (I'm not saying its a bad microphone, not at all. Just stating that there are indeed differences despite similarity of key components.)
It's a good one, not my favorite, but a very competent mic that anyone could get a great sounding recording out of. I just wasn't as in love with as I was with the OC818 (and I shouldn't be given the price difference).
The SE 4400A sound the best to me. It sounds very similar to the OC818, and $500 cheaper. The OC16 probably the best bang for buck, however I would have to eq it. Boost the low end a bit, and cut a little of the brittleness up top, and it would sound like the OC818 or C414. Just my two cents.
As I was listening, the word that kept coming to my mind to describe the OC16 was "inoffensive". I thought it sounded consistently "ok". The step up in sound quality starting with the 4400 was certainly noticeable though. I'd definitely rather pay the extra $100 for the 4400.
I have a pair of OC16s and like them, but gotta say it is not my fav on your voice. Your essess not only strike like a dart, but sound, I dunno, funny. I can't put my finger on the funny-ness. But it is a nice mic. I do like it on guitars.
Good review, but I'm not sure this is a good move by AA. If they want to establish AA as an elite brand it might not be a good idea to have a budget model made in China. The Chinese make a lot of good mics (SE electronics comes to mind) but they struck me as aiming for a more prestigious market position.
Hey, I feel a bit bad about the Millhouse comment. Sorry if I offended you. You are way cooler than Millhouse! You do the "doobli-doo" Flanders thing, but "Microphone Flanders" didn't have the same ring to it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy your new name
Man, that Austrian Audio OC818 sounds great. Not that it’s voiced interresting, more like a blank canvas and all tools and colors available to you. I prefer it to the Neumann, Hello Neumann, which DOES sound good. The OC16 I don’t really care much for..
I want to see a condenser broadcast/podcast end address mic from Austrian Audio. Ideally, with the same capsule as their OC18. I don't mind it being the same price as the OC18 as long as they have off axis rejection like the Lauten LS-208.
Greetings earthling, I have a question for you... I have watched quite a few of your mic reviews for mics between 100-400$.. and you didn't really recommend any of them (awesome that you are honest), but I'm wondering which one would you recommend the most in this price range? Did any really impress you?
Interested to see if your shock mount is ridiculously tight also. First time i put it in I thought i couldn't get it out without breaking the mic or the shockmount.
I … am not the biggest fan for this one on your voice. I found myself liking almost every other mic more on you. Bringing out a sort of nasal tone that wasn’t present on others. Every review I’ve seen of this leaves me feeling meh about it, which makes me sad given how much I love the 818 sound. Loved it on both guitars tho.
The Lewitts are bloody awful mics! The sE sounded surprisingly neutral and transparent, quite liked it! I own the OC818, and I do believe it outperformed the 16 in your tests. Triple the cost? I only paid double, and for me, to have the additional patterns, two discrete capsules, and remote control of the patterns, was very much worth it. Sounds spectacular!
I mean, sure. But the question isn't really "do the compete", I think that it is "which one fits your use case and needs and which one do you prefer the sound of more?"
@@Podcastage I have only ever been impressed with the Spirit in reviews. I immediately heard the difference between the C16 and it's big brother, to the extent that it put me off spending anything on a mic that can be so easily distinguished by it's lack of polish. Also SteamPunk :p
818 costs what it does because of exactly those features. They’re doing their best for the consumer, surprisingly affordable for their quality. Wanting a flying car doesn’t make it possible.
Austrian Audio sure is making some great sounding mics. But I agree, this price point is very very competitive. But there will be many people who love the sound of this mic and get years of use out of it.
It's not good on kick. Doesn't handle gusts very well. It can handle high SPL, but nothing with a lot of air movement. If you put it outside the kick a ways away or not near any kind of port, you might be ok.
I haven't compared graphs of the AT4040, but OC16 to OC18, the mids on the 16 don't have the little cut focused around 600hz, the 18 also has a 2dB cut around 8khz, and then 2dB less of a bump around 12-14khz. But that's all nitpicking, I'd suggest to listen to them to determine which one you like the sound of better.
I know it's not what you want to hear but it really comes down to which one you like the sound of better. They are both very good sounding, I personally prefer the 4400a to this, but if you like the sound of the OC16 over the 4400 then go for the OC16.
I don't think it would be the largest difference, but I haven't done a direct A/B comparison. You'd have to determine what it is that you are not liking about the AT4040 and then see if thee OC16 resolves those issues. I advocate upgrading to solve a problem as opposed to upgrading just to upgrade.
Sir , Bro.. Which Will be a good mic for singing voice Akg c214 or Oc 16 ... Tell me😊 I want to buy... N Thnku for the Review 😍 of this mic... Is this mic will be best for me 😊... Love From india ❤
It's really going to come down to your preference. I can tell you what I prefer, but that's no use to you. You're the one who is going to be recording, so you need to be the one who enjoys the sound.
He is using wrong way up and if u use it in a treated room big difference. My first impression of it is same but after using it for awhile it’s growing on me. The future of the oc18 is just software which u can download anyway. At 9:00 thats the only way it should pointed. Also he put his mouth very close to it it’s very open and u will hear the breathing.
Whether the top of the mic is pointed towards the ceiling or the floor should have 0 impact on the sound of the microphone. If you're adjusting the angle of the microphone as well, then that can have an impact on the sound but if you flip a mic over 180-degrees and keep the other positions the same there should be no difference.
Which explorer are you referring to? Also thank you for sharing your experience with the mic, it helps people make more informed decisions when they're researching, I appreciate it very much.
The NT1 4th gen and 5th gen sound different to me. But you asked about 1st and 5th gen. I don't have the 1st gen NT1 that was released in the 90's and was produced in very limited quantities IIRC. I am guessing those two mics are drastically different.
I'm really underwhelmed by the sound of this microphone. To me, it's a big come down for Austrian Audio. I think most if not all of the review microphones sound better than the OC16 including the AKG, the Rode, and the Lewitt. And the Rode and the Lewitt are significantly cheaper than the OC16. And to clarify, the OC16 sounds unclear, artificial, cheap, and unpleasant to my ears.
@@MikeBroderick33 I think the purpose might vary the result. You may don't like on voice but I use mic to record me playing clarinet, so who knows, the results may vary.
Bandrew, could you provide me with your physical address? I now keep all the promotional stickers I receive, with the goal of sending them to you so you can grow your precious collection. I'll do it for free, because I'm that kind of guy. 🤗
