Austrian Audio OC818 Silver

A Viennese Signature: Austrian Audio's Flagship Large Diaphragm Microphone

Designed and manufactured in Austria, the OC818 follows a "large diaphragm" tradition inherited from the references that made studios famous, while bringing a modern approach to workflow. It stands as the brand's premium model, featuring a handmade ceramic CKR12 capsule for remarkable mechanical and sonic stability. This consistency is a major asset when seeking two microphones with coherent sound for stereo takes (overheads, piano, room) or when multiplying placements on the same source.
In cardioid mode, the OC818 can also be paired with the OC18, its more affordable "brother," to maintain appreciable tonal coherence in multi-microphone setups. The result: a microphone designed to last, to be repeatable from session to session, and to become a reliable reference point in a recording chain.

Who Is It For and What Are Its Uses?

The Austrian Audio OC818 is aimed at recording studios, sound engineers on location, broadcast environments, and content creators who want a large diaphragm microphone capable of adapting to very diverse contexts. Lead vocals, choirs, acoustic guitar, piano, drum overheads, brass, amplifier, room ambiance: its versatile polar patterns allow choosing the amount of proximity, air, and side rejection depending on the source and the room.
Its very low self-noise favors fine and detailed recordings (intimate vocals, acoustic instruments, subtle room), while its ability to handle very high SPL levels secures close captures without harshness or unwanted saturation, provided pads and filters are used at the right time. It is also an excellent choice when repeatability matters: recurring sessions, studios, live recordings, or shared studios.

Key Features for a Modern Workflow

Classic polar patterns... and advanced control with "PolarDesigner"

The OC818 offers four switchable polar patterns (omni, cardioid, supercardioid, figure-8) to cover most professional placements. Where it goes further is with the ability to shape the polar response via the "PolarDesigner" plugin (Windows and Mac): the idea is to modulate the polar pattern by frequency bands to balance proximity effect, crosstalk, and ambient pickup while maintaining a clear reproduction.
In practice, this facilitates choices in real conditions: a voice recorded in a lively room, an acoustic guitar where you want more body without capturing too much resonance, a stereo pair where you want to control width and rejection. This approach provides fine and musical control, especially useful when the acoustics are not ideal or when quick adaptation is needed.

Control of lows, shocks, and powerful sources

The microphone integrates three high-pass filter settings (40, 80, and 160 Hz) to clean up vibrations, rumble, or limit the boominess caused by proximity effect. Two pads (-10 dB and -20 dB) allow maintaining a clean capture on very energetic sources by avoiding preamp overload and keeping controlled dynamics. This is a real advantage on stage as well as in the studio when close placement is required.
Regarding integration, its sensitivity of 13 mV/Pa and balanced output ensure a stable signal to any 48 V phantom-powered preamp. In stereo configuration, two OC818s naturally pair for coherent imaging, and all settings (polar pattern, pads, high-pass filters) allow quickly building a "ready-to-mix" take without sacrificing precision.

Technical specifications

Frequency response - start	20 Hz	Capsule	Large Diaphragm
Frequency response - end	20 kHz	Connection	TA4M, XLR
Category	studio microphone	Color	Grey
Directivity	stereo, cardioid, figure-8, super-cardioid, Omni

Type	large diaphragm microphone	Self-noise level	< 10 dB SPL
Frequency response	20 - 20,000 Hz	Signal-to-noise ratio	> 84 dB
Switchable polar patterns	omnidirectional, cardioid, supercardioid, figure-8	Output impedance	2x 275 Ohm (balanced)
High-pass filters	40, 80, and 160 Hz	Input impedance	1 kOhm
Attenuator pads	-10 dB and -20 dB	Power supply	48 V phantom power
Sensitivity	13 mV/Pa	Dimensions	157 x 63 x 35 mm
Max SPL	148 dB / 158 dB (with pad)	Weight	0.36 kg