CAD GXL2200

Been creating and recording music for about 20 years - 15 serious work. Recording demos for myself and local rap groups. Playing guitar in a few local bands.
I've used almose every kind of synth/recorder combo in the world. EPS w/ cassette, ASR w/ cassette 4-track, Triton & K2vx w/ VS-1680... Now I'm using an Alesis Fusion 6HD, Akai MPC 1K and DPS 16 w/ Cool Edit Pro and FL7. Listening through Event monitors and home stereo speakers for "true sound". My mic selection was always the cheap route... SM-58, Samsom CO-1, AKG Perception 200, AT-2020... Now I have a CAD GXL 2200!

This is a condenser mic w/ with a cardioid pattern. So far I've only used this mic on vocals (lead and background). The placement is usually about a foot from the singer.
I was considering a few other mics but I read a few reviews (and because of my low funds) and settled for the GXL 2200. The mic is really crisp when compared to my other mics. It reproduces sound very well. It's kind of serious in the high end and may need to be de-essed but that's fine with me. If you're looking for a good quality, low price mic... try this one. I'll be getting anothr CAD soon. Probably tube.

Toured with many bands throuout the 1960's. Got a haicut and a real job till my kids left home in the mid 80's. stared back into music with cubase and porta 1 in the early 80's.
owned and operated a small independant recording studio since 1998 when I took a redundancy package.
Currently using Protools Le with PC. Recording 16 simultaneous tracks and plyback on 48. I use a YAMAHA 16x8x2 mixer for recording feeding 002 rack and Fostex ADAT.
Monitoring through Bowers and Wilkins 801.

Large diaphragm condenser, used for overhead ambience on drums,in stereo pair each side of the kit.
I was looking at a cheap stereo pair to add abit of room sound. considering Rode NT5 or NT1 also AKG but saw these on the net and took a chance.
There is not a lot of diference in sound from a RODE NT1, the Rode is a little clearer and has more punch but it is three times the price. My criticism is that it claimed to be a professional mic, but was no where near robust enough to take the knocks of pro use. You do get what you pay for so I think most of the savings come from cheap and masty fragile casing and the shock mount is apt to drop the mic if use in a down from the roof mode. This mic is most suited for home studio and hobby use and will do a great job in that environment. The claim of being a pro mic is rubbish.
PS I have owned a pair of CAD CM17 for ten or more years. They are small condensers and are fine on cymbals and hi hats. They cost more when CAD did make pro mics.

40 pluse years

Hobbyist engineer

DAW

Alesis MKII Active monitors, EXEC 8 Speaker System through Crown Amp

CAD GXL2200 condenser

Vocals, brass, strings, cabinets, drum overheads

The mic is an okay general purpose mic, but doesn't excel at
anything in particular.
It seems to break up with lower frequencies. It can have a
fairly warm sound but is a little difficult to mix with.

I believe I paid about $200 for the whole package that included.
1 GLX2200 and 2 GXL1200's plus a pop filter.

I have found a switch in side the housing of the mic that will
cut the bass response down and helps out with low end break up.
It also seems to helps the mix problems. But I think to find a
truly decent low cost mic you need to step up to something
along the lines of a Rode NT1 or even better an AT4040.

Live and Learn.

Non-pro musician of many year, who has done sound reinforcement for numerous small acts, and recording of a few bands.
All my recording is direct to an Akai DPS 16, usually in a somewhat live mode.

Single pattern condensor mic. No pad or rolloff switches, just plug it in and apply phanthom power!
I really needed a cheap but good condensor mic, and this one can't be beat. I got it new with a great cage shock mount and fake leather tote bag for $50!
I immediately plugged it in at home, and got fantastic sound from my daughter playing classical guitar. Very clear, uncolored, and open. After she was done, I left the mic just standing in the living room, and was amazed to be able to track a dog running across the lawn outside. I've never experienced perceived stereo positioning from a single mic before!
I use it with my band for recording as an overhead for the drums, and for vocals, and I'm very happy with the results.
I highly recommend this mic for any people who want great sound but don't have the $$$.

I run a studio in the Albany, New York area, and the great thing about running a studio is when you're not busy with someone's band or chorus, you've got alot of great gear just sitting there... begging to be used! And when you find yourself snatching up a mic and a porta-dat to zip off to record something crazy, like someone's wedding day party... you've got to reflect on how far we've come from the days when cassette tapes were new and the Walkman had not been invented. Thirty years ago, there were no ultra-cheap Chinese microphones for the taking, nothing approaching digital sound anywhere within the grasp of the masses. Times have changed.

I set up a pair of these on some mic stands, plugged into a porta-dat, and carted them around all day after our friends Mary Beth and Dave as they got ready, walked to the church, said their vows, and partied raucously afterward. The sense of stereo realism you get from the playback of these is eerie, spookily so. You hear water being sloshed--you look to see if you got wet! The graph of the frequency response shows it flat, but a good 8 dbs down from 0, until it finally peaks at zero around 12k. Must be the secret of its success. Smooth, non-exaggerated response, but with the heft and inclusiveness of a find condesor. I've bought four so far.

experience:
musician for 12 years.
Home recording for 6-7 years

equipment:
Alesis ADAT XT20
Mackie 1604VLZ Pro
Shure sm57,sm58,beta52
CAD 1200GXL (vocals)
2200GXL (vocals)

This mic is an extraordinary value. It has very rich upper freq responce as well as a very warm body. Great for Vocals and accoustic guitar. I also used them for drum overheads and was very impressed on how they handled the high SPL. And for the price (you can find them on ebay for $50 new), you can not go wrong. A home recording studio could be very well equipped with a pair of these and a pair of shure SM57s (for around $300 total!)

Recording live performances and some demos at home. Purely amatuer.
Digital recording with an Akai DPS16, no additional outboard gear.
Using Sony MDR-V600 headphones, as I haven't gotten monitors yet.

Cardiod condensor, large diaphram. Came with a good quality shock mount, as well. Shock mount alone would cost you ~$25.
This is my first foray into large diaphram condensor mics, and I'm in awe at the quality of the sound I can get from it, in spite of its ultra-low price. Since I'm on a non-existant budget, this mic perfectly suits me. Under consideration were MXL, Samson, and Behringer.
I've used it for recording my daughter on classical guitar with excellent results, with pleasant warmth and clarity. A field recording experiment gave me a sense of sound source placement and depth that I hadn't expected. Vocal recording also came across very well, without nasty sibilance or harshness, even though I'm using the stock preamps of the DPS.
In no way does this stand up to Nuemann, Audio Technica or Rode, which all cost $$$$$$. This is a step up from a Shure SM58 for vocals, and better than an SM57 or AT C-1000 for classical guitar. It's for the poor among us who want to sound better when recording; I wouldn't consider it for live performance.