AKG C1000S MKII
Described by many audio engineers, home recordists, musicians and more as the Swiss Army Knife of Microphones, the AKG C1000S has proven to be one of the most popular microphones on the planet!
We like them. They are rugged and well made. Downward pressure on pricing has seen manufacturing move from Austria to Poland and for the past few years to China. The result is a microphone with the same stellar performance as the original at less than half the price!
Feedback from customers and our own experience shows the C1000S to be an ideal solution for mic’ing snare drums or hi-hats. They also make great overhead mics. Additionally, their versatility makes with perfect for use with choir and piano.
The C1000S features a small diameter back-plate electret design with a total dynamic range of 118 dB. It normally has a cardioid pattern, but when the PPC1000 hypercardioid polar pattern converter is installed over the diaphragm assembly the pattern becomes hypercardioid, for extra reach. The extended frequency response has slight peaks at 5 kHz and 9 kHz, which will add presence for most applications. The response has further been tailored to have a gentle bass rolloff commencing at 150 Hz.
For close-in use, this will be compensated for by normal proximity effect bass rise. The PB1000 presence booster may be installed, while in the cardioid mode, providing an additional 5 dB brilliance peak between 5 to 9 kHz making the C1000S appealing for use as a stage and studio drum overhead microphone, on string instruments or wherever indicated. A battery on/off switch, slightly recessed, makes the microphone useful for a variety of hand-held and on-stage applications.
AKG C1000S MUSIC AND ON-STAGE APPLICATIONS
PERCUSSION PICKUP
The extended frequency response of the C1000S does great justice to cymbals, brushes on snare drums, and all kinds of metal-against-metal transients. The small diameter diaphragm exhibits very little narrowing of the pickup pattern at high frequencies, so the microphone responds well to a number of instruments, which may be placed anywhere in its frontal pickup zone.
With its moderate output level of 6 mV/Pa it can easily be padded at the console input when used with the highest level drums.
HORNS/WOODWINDS
In multitrack recording, natural timbres are usually preferred by mixers and producers, reserving for post-production any specific EQ of the basic tracks. Therefore, a microphone that is basically flat and uncolored is preferred. Because of the extended high frequency response of the C1000S, we recommend placing the microphone slightly off the axis of the bell of brass instruments.
For woodwinds, the microphone position should be well off the axis of the bell, looking down on the instrument. (There is very little acoustic spill from the bell of woodwind instruments except at the lowest frequencies).
ACOUSTIC GUITAR
The unamplified sound of an acoustic guitar is very subtle and often quite soft. Place the C1000S in the region of the tone hole, on the body of the instrument, at a distance of about 18 to 20 inches. Proximity effect will round out the bottom end nicely, balancing the extended high end of the microphone. If the C1000S is employed for mic’ing an acoustic guitar during a live performance, we recommend that the PPC1000 be considered if feedback or stage leakage is an issue.
ORCHESTRAL STRINGS PICKUP
Massed strings are often a problem in the 2500 to 3000 Hz range and can sound rather “screechy” if not properly picked up. Avoid at all costs placing any microphone perpendicular to the top plates of the instruments. When mic’ing a violin section, place the C1000S overhead and slightly to the back of the section; this should put it well off the axes of the violin top plates. Use the C1000S’s in multiples, panning them for a rich stereo presentation.
VOCAL PERFORMANCE
Some solo vocalists may find the accuracy of the C1000S a little confronting. AKG make a great range of live performance solo vocal microphones as well as industry standard large diaphragm recording microphones to suit those situations. However, a vocal group, small or large, will benefit from the flat response of the C1000S, with its clean uncoloured sibilants and superb reproduction.
SPEECH APPLICATIONS
In those applications where the microphone can afford to be seen, a C1000S, with its hypercardioid converter and positioned at about 45 degrees off-axis at a distance of about two feet from the speaker, will produce about as natural speech quality as you could wish for. This makes the C1000S the perfect microphone for Houses of Worship and Lectern duties.
AKG C100S SPECIFICATIONS
o Frequency Range: 50 Hz to 20 kHz
o Pickup Patterns: cardioid; hypercardioid (with the PPC1000S polar pattern adapter)
o Sensitivity: 6 mV/Pa
o Impedance: 200 ohms
o Equivalent Noise Level: 19 dB(A)
o Maximum SPL for 0.5%
o THD: 137 dB
o Power Requirement: 9 to 52 Vdc/9V
o Battery Size: 9V
o Approximate Battery Life: 220 Hours (dependent on battery type)
o Length: 8.7″
o Net/Shipping Weight: 9.7 oz (1.8 lbs)
o Warranty: Two Years
