AKG C12
The AKG C12 was one of the first large-diaphragm condenser microphones from the Austrian manufacturer AKG Acoustics from Vienna .
Development and technology
The microphone came on the market after 1953 and was built until 1963. Until 1963 it was also marketed as a branding product for Telefunken under the designation (ELA) M251 or M250 and as SIEMENS SM204 . A major innovation of the C12 / SM204 was the directional characteristic that can be switched via remote control while maintaining the same frequency response and transmission factor, which made it particularly popular with studio technicians. The BBC used it in their studios.
The AKG C12 was equipped with the specially developed 1-inch double membrane capsule CK12 . The ECC 82 double triode tube in the 6072 design from General Electric (12AU7) was used as the preamplifier . Nine different directional characteristics could be set using a remote control. The microphone had - as at this time in high-quality studio microphones usual - via an output transformer .
New edition as AKG C12VR
AKG put the microphone back on in 1994. According to AKG, the new C12VR should be based on the original as closely as possible, with the same electronics, the same acoustics and overall only minor changes. The new microphone is more robust, has a far lower sensitivity to interference, and has a lower background noise. A depth filter can now also be operated remotely, a switchable pre-attenuation, but also a 10 dB increase in nominal sensitivity can be switched directly on the microphone.
The new C12VR was mostly received with skepticism by sound engineers. It has a certain cult status, but with a sales price of just under € 5000, it is considered completely overpriced. JJ Blair said in EQ magazine that the only thing the new C12 had in common with the original would be the 6072 tube. The "brass" -CK12 capsule, which is characteristic of the old microphone, has been replaced by a "nylon" version of the CK12 . AKG had already taken the original CK12 capsule out of its range many years earlier because the industrial production was too complex and expensive. Replicas are u. a. the WunderAudio CM12 .
commitment
The C12 was or is the favorite microphone of Prince , Robert Smith (The Cure), Jamiroquai , Alanis Morissette and Tom Petty .
Technical specifications
- Frequency range: 30… 20000 Hz
- Equivalent sound pressure level: 22 dBA
- Sensitivity: 10 mV / Pa
- Signal to noise ratio: 72 dBA
- Pre-attenuation filter: −10 / −20 dB
- Bass attenuation filter: 100/130 Hz
- Output impedance: 200 ohms
- Recommended load impedance: 1000 ohms
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ BBC Research and Development: HD Harwood, RJ Packer (1954): The AKG electrostatic microphone Type C12. sighted January 21, 2016 [1]
- ↑ Saturn Sound, viewed Jan 21, 2016 [2]
- ↑ Quoted from Recordinghacks, viewed January 21, 2016 [3]
- ↑ Echoschall AKG C12, viewed January 21, 2016 [4]
- ↑ Technical data C12 VR ( Memento of the original from October 3, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
