AKG C414 XLII Microphone Review / Test (Compared to C414XLS, TLM103, U87 Ai, NT1)

Today I review the microphone that PewDiePie uses, the AKG C414XLII. This is a large diaphragm condenser microphone, and it is a work horse. It has 9 polar patterns, 3 high passes, and 3 pads so you can fit it to whatever your use case is.

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00:00 - Intro
00:13 - Price
00:27 - Setup
00:55 - What’s in the Box
01:22 - Build Quality
01:57 - Specifications
02:34 - Polar Pattern Tone Test
03:28 - Polar Pattern Rotation Test
04:42 - Plosive Test
04:55 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test
05:16 - Background Noise Test (Keyboard Test)
05:34 - Untreated Room Test
05:51 - High Pass Filter Switch Demo
06:27 - Foam Windscreen Demo
06:46 - Desk Bump & Boom Arm Bump Rejection Test
07:12 - sE Electronics sE 4400a Comparison
07:37 - Rode NT1 Comparison
07:58 - Austrian Audio OC818 Comparison
08:28 - AKG C414 XLS Comparison
08:56 - Neumann TLM103 Comparison
09:15 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison
09:40 - C414 XLII Through Neve Preamp Demo
10:28 - Music Test
11:48 - Pros & Cons
13:00 - Overall Thoughts
14:41 - Recommendation
15:19 - Outro

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[Podcastage]

Note: This is a review of the mic he was using before he upgraded to a lavalier microphone clipped onto his Razer headset microphone. 😒

[curtisjudd]

Incredible coverage, as always! This thing is a workhorse for good reason.

[yerlordnsaveyer]

This might be the single most informative video i've ever watched. Incredible work.

[MattPicsET]

I have two C414s and I love them to death. Still meticulously crafted in Europe and still individually tested and signed in Vienna. The 9 polar patterns make it a Swiss Army knife in the studio. They are my babies.

[CLEANMUDVIDEOS]

I love my AKG 414xlii. I also own the 87ai but will always go back to my 414 because I love how it sounds on vocals. Because of the top end, some people will choose the xls over it. However I like to top end sweetness that it delivers. Also, I pair it with an Avalon vt737 so I can smooth it out a bit as well. Thanks for the review!

[dariodiaz]

It sounds amazing but one thing I don't get is why it sound garbage when Pewdiepie uses it


I'm joking, great review by the way

[enriquekahn]

My takeaway from this video is that I like that Austrian Audio and I want to hear a lot more of it.

[producedbya-go]

I've been using this mic with pop vocalists for about 3 months now and I really really love this mic!! sounds great on every vocalist so far

[AironExTv]

Great review. Over 20 years ago I recorded a whole slew of instruments and vocals with this mics predecessor. It's a workhorse alright. Pewdipie probably picked this because it matches his voice, but it's actually just one of the most flexible packages out there that is well crafted in every detail. If I needed a mic for all occasions and could only buy one, this is a likely candiate. Great balance of options, raw recording tone and features. For budget-minded folks it's already too expensive, but it's way more useful than just one Neumann large condenser could be for example.

[vlad]

The Austrian Audio sounds noticeably more forward without sacrificing smoothness at the upper frequencies. Terrific review as always, Bandrew. Stay safe!

[aalkusayer]

This is amazing and super thorough..I can only imagine the amount of work that went into making it. Thank you so much!!

[seanyang]

Best video on reviewing AKG C414 I had ever seen!

[savanaviolenta]

I'm so glad that you tried the mic trough the same Neve pre that I have. Now I know how this mic will sound trough it.

[GabrielMamuttee]

the reviews on this channel are SO GOOD

[bniwa]

YouTube compression is unfortunate, but hearing past that, the cardioid pattern test was quite valuable, both in the variable settings, and the rotation of the mic . IT really showed the many tones available on this mic... Thanks for the demo.

[AlexHippert]

Thorough, objective, informative. A well conducted deep dive on an amazing microphone!

[donaldmacgregor]

I am very old. I had not heard of PewDiePie before seeing this video even though a pal of mine (another very old guy) is from Gothenburg. So I looked PewDiePie up. I don't get it. At all...
DEVO? I'm that old. At least.
Be that as it may, the AKG C414 was the first mic I sang into in a real recording studio sometime in the early 80s. I think models with all the letters after the numbers came later. I made $$$ on the recording. Thanks AKG. I also played trumpet and some flute into it at the same session and the percussionist in the band I was in at the time played bongoes and congas into a pair of C414s used as stereo overheads. The keyboard player played a Fender Rhodes 73 and had a C414 mic on his Roland Jazz Chorus amplifier. Work horse? The only other mics used on that session that I can remember were a Sennheiser 441 and a few Shure 57s and honestly, the Sennheiser was only used because the studio guy (only) had 4 C414s and we used them all at once.
Life is simpler now. Still a pro muso, I have some of my hair, a few of my teeth, far less money, a wife who loves me (and has a job!), lowly aspirations and a Rode NT1a microphone that Mister Rode gave me. Life is good and I like the Rode mic a lot but if I was younger and had to get any one microphone to live with forever, it would be the AKG C414.
As an old pro with way too much milage behind him, I want to thank Podcastage for all the hard work. You're a pro mate. Constantly taking the piss out of yourself can get tiresome but your dedication to craft is admirable.
PewDiePie? WTF??

[MikeBroderick]

I've been waiting for this review for a long time. This is a great mic. In terms of your comparisons I thought the TLM 103 sounded best (great clarity) and the Rode NT1 held its own.

[fredrobinson]

Excellent review. Very thorough. You're pretty good at this!! Thanks. Only thing missing maybe is a quick explanation of common scenarios where you'd want to use the various pads and High Pass filters that this mic provides.

[Vegetox]

Btw there is the Akg c414 XLS which is the same than c414 xlii without the high boost. Less agressive, more Flat, less colored.. for voices, Akg recommends the xlii, but if you find it aggressive, the xls is also superb, less tiring. Even if the xlii high boost helps understanding ...