please help with my oktava mk-319

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mushroomheadrg7

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hello all, I recently purchased an oktava mk-319 and i noticed it makes ALOT of hiss and self-noise is there something im doing wrong? do i need a pre amp? it does work on my pa systems, but i have to turn the volume nearly all the way up and like i said, i hear a lot of hiss.I did activate the 48 volt phantom power and the mic still gave me the same problem. ive heard this microphone is good with vocals but i really cant see recording anything with that much of a noise to sound ratio.please if anyone has worked with an oktava mk-319 or other condenser mics with this problem help me out I have never really used a condenser mic and i planned a studio session with a friend visiting my from out of state next week! your help would be greatly appreciated
 
The 319 is a pretty smooth vocal mic. It's especially nice for Jazz vocals.
I have several vocal mics, and the 319 is one of them.
This mic was intended for studio use, not a basic PA setup, though.
So, yes, you definitely want to run it through a decent pre-amp.
If you have a nice mixing console, such as a Mackie 8-Bus, then you can get away with using the board's pre-amps. But, a dedicated unit, preferably a tube based unit, will give you the best results.
 
thanks for the help so would an art studio mp do good? ive read reveiws saying that it sounds a little dark and muddy
 
Mixed reviews...

Yeah... It gets mixed reviews.
But, I have one, and I love it.
Mind you, I don't use it for everything.
But, I do use it a lot.
You can adjust the tube saturation level on it.
And that's a plus.
 
i am running the mic through my carvin pa1200 which is supposed to be a very good mixer. i plugged a cable from the return jack output to the digi studio and it seems to have cut down on noise a little bit. the noise is the real problem im having so is it normal for condensers to have low noise levels or should they sound very quiet like a dynamic mic like a sm-57? if i doend up returning this mic what mic in the 100$ range would you suggest? im currently considering a nady scm900
 
Like I said, it was made for the studio.
You can't compare a condenser to dynamic.
Because of there intended usage, condensers are more sensitive. Condensers are used for critical recording, where you need to pick up every nuance. Dynamics are used in stage setting, where they may get banged around and dropped. Or, they're used on percussive instruments. Condensers are at the top of the microphone food chain (Now, I'm ncluding ribbons and other mics in that class. So, please, no one reply with the question, "What about..." this type and that type.).
Anyway....
You're gonna be hard pressed to find a good condenser in the $100 range. It's not unheard of to spend in excess of $5,000 on a high-end condenser. You can save up an extra $100, then grab a Rode NT1. They're pretty nice, especially for $200. But the one you have is pretty nice, too.
Honestly, it doesn't make sense to take your 319 back if you're just gonna buy another inexpensive mic.
It's most likely your setup, not the mic, that's introducing all that noise. If that's the case, buying another mic won't make any difference.
You should just buy a little DI box, such as the Tube MP. That should only set you back about $70. Plug the mic into the DI, then plug the DI into the mic input on your soundcard. That should solve your noise problems.
Now, I hope you know that all the noise you hear in your headphones doesn't necessarily translate to your recording medium.
Also, you confused me a little when you said you had a Digi product. Most, if not all, digi interfaces have built-in mic pres with phantom power. So, you wouldn't need to buy anything else just to power and run a single microphone.
 
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