IRPA/Oktava ML18
If you like em Soviet and rare, then this 1966 IRPA (aka the Popov Institute) ML-18 should satisfy your appetite.
If you like em Soviet and rare, then this 1966 IRPA (aka the Popov Institute) ML-18 should satisfy your appetite. I believe that less than twenty of these dual-ribbon motor microphones were ever manufactured. They are a Soviet version of one RCA’s rarest mics ever, the BK10a, also known as the Perry Como microphone, of which only 75 were ever made. The ML18 is made up of two individual directional ribbon motors back-to-back inside of one mic, resulting in increased signal to noise ratio and increased directionality with the intention of being used as a boom mic. We are lucky enough to have a pair of these microphones, and our friend Jon at@ulriggribbonsspent a lot of time getting them into good working order for us.
| Manufacturer | IRPA |
|---|---|
| Model | ML18 |
| Country of Origin | Russia |
| Year | 1960's |
| Microphone Type | Ribbon |
| Polar Pattern | Cardioid |
Listen
You can hear this mic in action by listening to our "proprietary microphone jingle" from the audio player below.
The song was recorded using a pair ML18s for every instrument. If you'd like the original multitrack files, and to hear this recording in the other polar patterns, please reach out.
The pair was used on drums with one positioned about 3 ft above the snare, and one positioned in front of the kick, raised about 6” above the top of it, pointed at the snare. We then used a single one for each amp and vocal. Everything was recorded at modest levels through our Sphere Eclipse console preamps into a Burl A/D without any processing whatsoever.