At the heart of each C12 microphone is the HK12 capsule from Heiserman. Only a few companies in the world produce CK12 capsules that match the original design, and this is one of them! The amplifier circuit uses a German-made Haufe T14 output transformer, created by analogy with the original. The lamp used is selected 6072 GE 5-Star USA, NOS. Our circuit design is based on the original fixed offset circuit, a configuration that feels like a firmer bottom and transparency compared to the auto-displacement used by some manufacturers today.

If ever there was a microphone that was the epitome of classic high-fidelity sound, it would be the Austrian C12. Originally developed by AKG Acoustics in 1953, the C12 is prized for its smooth, airy, even frequency response. The design of the C12 was unique due to the remote polarization technology of the capsule. The ability to change the radiation pattern of the capsule between cardioid, omnidirectional and eight (and six intermediate diagrams between them) on the power supply instead of switches on board the microphone, made the C12 one of the most versatile tube microphones with a large aperture of its time. The original C12 microphones, considered by many to be the best ever made, are still used in recording studios around the world.

Customers review

Producer, composer, sound engineer of DIP Project

Denis Murzin

The eternal question, or even the sedition of any musician who comes to the point of choosing a high-quality microphone, is what to choose so that it was WOW! But it didn't hit my pocket. Or vice versa - I take 1 time for my whole life and I will pay a million for it and I will definitely not fly. You will fly by, because such investments are difficult to recoup, and marketers do not doze and come up with new techniques to replace the brand. And so, buying an expensive device, there is simply no "WOW" effect in frequent cases. We are all inclined to bright advertising and the opinion of society, but the current diversity and choice are dizzying and it is difficult to make a choice.

There are not so many truly great-sounding microphones in the world, often these are classic time-tested models, and the formula is the older the better, it works 99%, and as a rule the classics do not fail. And if it comes to lamp hits, then hello to the 1960s, 1970s, when the design of lamps and lamp circuitry was given maximum attention and effort.
For myself, from my experience with microphones, I have identified 4 basic models, Neumann U47, Neumann U67, Neumann U87 (not AI), and the magic silky AKG C12, which we will focus on in my short article.
Why did I choose the AKG C12 lamp legend? It's simple, to begin with, an incomplete list of artists who recorded on this microphone: Michael Jackson, Arctic Monkeys and The Cure, Pharrell Williams and Justin Timberlake.
Well, besides, I once had the good fortune to work with a vintage AKG C414 EB, it's the younger brother of AKG C12, and I was delighted with the material, and how easily it fits into the soundtrack, mix.

And now there is an opportunity to get in touch with the legend of C 12 from CHAPMAN AUDIO.
The microphone has an almost linear frequency response, with a slight rise in the treble, in conjunction with the preamp CHEPMAN 1073 (1272) gives an amazing vocal sound at the output, a clear, full spectrum, with a slight airiness in the upper range, such a sound is the best suited for modern pop music standards, and I work in this genre. The recorded vocals get along perfectly in the mix already in fact, the rise in the treble does not highlight the sibilants "C", "H", "Sch", does not make them explicit or caustic. Everything sounds harmonious, unless of course your vocalist has a pronounced manner of shooting sibilants))
The character itself is musical, the vocals are perfectly amenable to further processing, do not require strong compression of dynamics, are perfectly readable in the mix, are good friends with reverberation, and I note that reverbs "love" such a signal, and respond with beautiful responses of space in your works.


Why CHEPMAN? It's simple! An individual approach to the assembly of each device, a democratic price, if you are still greedy for marketing is your business, but for more than 20 years in the audio industry of sound, it was enough for me that buying a device in a store for a democratic price, as a rule, you get a semi-finished product, or giving a lot of money, you understand that the budget "the lid." In the case of my choice of CHEPMAN AUDIO, I knew what I was paying for, I heard the tests, and all my wishes and little things about the configuration of the microphone (lamp, capsule, housing) were taken into account 100%!
If you are interested in listening, write to me, I will send "dry" tracks for review.
Thanks to CHEPMAN AUDIO for the high-quality studio equipment!!!

Denis Murzin (DIP Project).
Vk.com/dipproject