Have you ever wanted to control the character of a high-quality mic from your phone? “Wait, you can do that?”
Yes. The Austrian Audio OC818 can do this and so much more.
Boasting not only three core polar pattern settings on the mic’s face, the OC818 also has a special dual output mode where you can send the front and back capsules to different channels, and there’s also a dongle! But more on that in a min…
In our latest video, Joe Carrell breaks down the bells and whistles of this mic, in real-time, highlighting many of its unique features. Check it out here.
For those of you who like to start with the specifics, here’s a summary of some key nuances of this mic:
Three core polar patterns with an abundance of options
Many of us are familiar with having multiple polar pattern modes to switch between. The AKG C414 –which this mic was initially based on – has an impressive 9 polar pattern switching ability.
However, what makes a mic like the 0C818 different is the way in which you can build out tonal characteristics on the fly.
Consider the following features:
Dual output (cardiod polar pattern)
Let’s say you like stereo mic-ing your acoustic guitars but don’t have two mics with complimentary phase-cancelling polar patterns. Not ideal and all to common.
Well, with the OC818 one mic becomes two. All you need to do is position the mic once and you’re done – “Hello, simplified stereo mic-ing. Goodbye, Phase.”
Bluetooth dongle mode
The USB dongle feature allows you to manipulate the polar characteristics and roll-offs from your phone, if you prefer to avoid making frequent tweaks via the mechanical switches – a very modern approach.
And did we mention that it comes with its own plugin for extra control and customization?
“Polar Designer” plugin – optimized specifically for the OC818
With this FREE plugin you can change the polar pattern, per frequency, on a 1-5 band EQ. Imagine being able to manipulate the pickup pattern of a signal AFTER you’ve already captured a sound source! This mic provides a level of control that is nearly unheard of.
Don’t like a particular artifact from some part of the room? No problem, you can now manipulate that post-tracking.
There’s also a proximity effect slider, allowing you to easily dial up, or down, that sometimes elusive proximity character that can be hard to nail down with a parametric EQ alone.
Whatever way you slice it this microphone gives you flexibility in ways that you may have never experienced before.
Watch here to see the OC818 in action!
Purchase the Austrian Audio 0C818 from our friends at Sweetwater here!