ResonantLive Sound Archive

Equipment file · Cardioid dynamic microphone

D12 microphone

AKG · 1953

Evidence status · documented

Identity and core specifications are documented; some historical fields remain unavailable.

The AKG D12 was an early single-element cardioid dynamic microphone, its moving-coil capsule coupled to a bass-resonator chamber. Marketed for PA and broadcast vocals, it was later adopted for close-miking bass drums.

Introduced
1953
Category
Cardioid dynamic microphone
Intended use
Vocals and PA, later bass drum and bass instruments
Production
AKG, 1953–1976; D12E from 1978

Why it mattered

  1. 01

    It helped establish the single-element cardioid dynamic for vocal and instrument use.

  2. 02

    Its bass chamber and high level handling made it the ancestor of the AKG D112.

Engineering record

Transducer
Moving-coil cardioid capsule coupled to a bass-resonator chamber[2]
Response
Rated 40–12,000 Hz, about 1.4 mV/Pa, max 128 dB SPL[2]

Original pricing

No reliable period price located

2026 equivalent

Not calculated without a reliable original price.

Public price evidence was not sufficient to publish a defensible original figure.

Use in the field

No named deployment could be tied to this exact item by a checked source yet. Know of one? Suggest it on the contribute page.

Manuals & original documents

Sources

  1. 1AKG Turns 50Mix · technical paper · 2010-01-20
  2. 2AKG Acoustics D 12RecordingHacks · reference

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