Austrian Audio’s versatile OC818 microphone has been certified by the Music Engineering and Technology Alliance (METAlliance). Austrian Audio, a METAlliance ProPartner, is respected as one of the new progressive manufacturers of high quality studio microphones.
Handcrafted in Vienna, the Austrian Audio OC818 is a revolutionary multi-pattern dual-output large-diaphragm condenser microphone with optional wireless control. Onboard, the OC818 offers a choice of four selectable polar patterns, 10dB and 20dB pads, and three switchable high-pass filter options.
METAlliance co-found Elliot Scheiner commented, “I would consider this new microphone to be fashioned after a mic that we might have encountered years ago. It’s a mic that you put up on either an instrument or voice, and you find out that what you’re listening to requires nothing in the line. No equalization and probably no compression or limiting. I was totally blown away how the mic sounds. This has to be one of the more beautiful sounding microphones to be created.”
With Austrian Audio’s open-source PolarDesigner plug-in (Mac and Windows), the engineer can craft custom polar patterns for up to five different frequency bands. In addition, the PolarPilot mobile app (iOS, Android) gives users real-time wireless remote control over polar patterns, high-pass filter options, and pad settings via the optional OCR8 Bluetooth dongle.
METAlliance co-founder Chuck Ainlay remarked, “Considering the lineage of Austrian Audio, expectations were very high when auditioning the OC818 and I wasn’t let down. It’s quality of build and sonics should make it an instant classic, while innovations such as the Bluetooth dongle to control the polar pattern remotely and the polar designer plug-in set this microphone in a class of it’s own..”
George Massenburg added, “I’ve been using the OC818, and as usual, I’m using it on almost everything, and at every opportunity in every possible configuration. It’s terrific on lead vocals, strings & woodwinds, jazz drum overheads. It’s also very helpful to have a remotely controllable pattern adjustment. I’ve come to realize that I don’t always need to automatically set up for cardioid, because often I don’t need the rejection, and straight-ahead omni sounds a lot better.”
Austrian Audio CEO Martin Seidl said, “We are honored to have our OC818 recognized and certified by this prestigious alliance. It is our company’s aim to manufacture products that offer the highest levels of quality in the recording chain, which is very much in line with the METAlliance’s ethos. It’s very encouraging to have this recognition from such respected recording engineers.”
The METAlliance Pro Partnership is a group of companies that share the founders’ belief that a call for quality is important. It is limited, by invitation, to those companies that provide products and services deemed worthy of consideration by professionals.
About the METAlliance
Established in 2005, the METAlliance (Music Engineering and Technology Alliance) was founded by globally recognized, award-winning audio engineers and producers. METAlliance members Chuck Ainlay, Niko Bolas, Frank Filipetti, George Massenburg, Elliot Scheiner, and Al Schmitt strive to unite producers, engineers, educators and manufacturers to further the best practices and
technology developed in modern recording.
METAlliance: strategic union of music producers and engineers dedicated to the highest standards of audio and delivery of music, securing the art through recording technology in all its evolving modern forms.
