MXL 3000

Performing professionally over 30 years. Recording professionally since mid 80's as session player and vocalist. Engineering for the past 15 years live and studio. Recording at home to Protools thru Art Pro MPA w/various tube substitutes, tube compressor into Nuendo AD/DA. Playbacks used are KRK ST8s and vintage Pyramid nearfield monitors. My primary phones are Beyer DT250s and crosscheck with Sennheiser PX100s. Half a dozen alternate phones as I spend a fair amount of time in headphones.

LDC cardioid 30-20k, 200 ohm impedence. Standard specs but a surprizingly flat frequency response up to about 4k where it does a smooth rise to 9 or 10k. Bought this on a blow out from Musicians' Friend, so cheap I had to check it out. I had looked over the specs and frequency graph on the MXL site and figured if it's even vaguely like what it showed it'd be useful on something. Turns out the is very smooth, even, full and has much better detail than mics in that price category that I've owned and passed along or sold. Not over crisp as I was afraid the graph looked (+6db by 9-10k). Nice compliment to my collection. I have a decent bunch in the cabinet CAD E300 (rediculously great transients and "in the room" presence, Studio Projects C-1 modded with 1/8" porous foam applied directly to diaphagm face rim to knock down the over abundance of top on the factory issue, AKG 535 nice small D condenser for BG vox, Nady TCM 1150 with 1955 NOS GE 6072 tube replacement and an AT 4047SV IMHO the best U47 FET copy made. This MXL 3000 is really a versatile (spelled neutral) sonic signature, nothing is sticking out frequency-wise or distracting to the ear and easy to control and steer with compression and tube accentuation, again, really good detail. Doesn't come with a shock mount or pad or roll-off... so what, any studio gear has those controls at the input stage where it's better quality and easier to access. Anyway, nice piece to have on hand even if it cost list price $4oo which you'll never have to pay. Worth having even as yer only/starter mic.