MXL 990

I've been doing music for 7 years now & have recorded several bands. I mainly use Pro Tools (m-powered 7.4)

Well...this is a $50 condenser mic. That is exactly what you get. A cheap-ass condenser. It hasn't fallen apart or anything, but everything I record through this mic sounds like it's being partially muffled. Recording guitars with this mic would be a mistake. I did a vocal track which sounded okay with it, nothing spectacular.

To anyone who says "I bet you couldn't tell the difference between this and a high dollar condenser" If you can't tell the difference between this and a high dollar condenser, you should only be recording for your own enjoyment. I think anyone would be able to tell the difference between a track done with this mic and a high-dollar one.

Basically, this is a $50 mic. You do get what you pay for. Good for recording beginners on a budget

Im Only 16 and been making music for bout a year and been recording for a year.

I use fl8 producer, Goldwave, and sometimes Virtual Dj, or Numark

I Go By Dj Trill and is known for doing work with CDH Click

For a 100 bucks i believe its a good starter mic it does the job it has its ups and downs but overall it does real good. After mixing and adding reverb it really does sound great if you dont believe me listen to some of my songs at www.myspace.com/djtrill864

Musician for over 30 years, trumpet primary instrument, songwriter, arranger, recording to DAW.

Is it the world's finest mic? Perhaps not, but I don't you'll find better one anywhere near its price. I got two on some special sale a couple of years ago, I believe it was 2 for $59 - including case, shock mount and standard mount.

I've recorded acoustic guitar, male and female vocals and trumpet with it. IMO works fine on them all, the fact that it works well on trumpet and can handle the SPL's is largely what sold me on it. You have to adjust everything to the situation of course, but for all the naysayers, I wonder if anyone would be willing to put a lot of money on a blind bet that they could distinguish this from some high dollar mic. I believe the results depend largely on the care one takes in setting it up and subsequent treatment of the tracks.

Someone stated you couldn't record female vocals with it. Here's an example where you hear both female vocal and plunger trumpet.

http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/3/11/1809238/lorriemix.mp3

I have been a musician for 22 years and have been recording for about 12 serious years with actual equipment. Recording into a Boss BR-1600 now.

4 overall rating. I bought this mic 4 or 5 years ago because it was cheap and I didn't know anything about recording vocals. It is horrible with my vocals. It distorts really bad no matter what I do. Has a very thin sound. But for overhead drums it is very crisp and clear, and sounds great, so that's what I use it for mainly. I wouldn't reccomend it for vocals.

I have been playing music for around 22 years. I have more experience on the performance side of recording but I also have worked engineering and producing several projects. I am currently using Cubase and occasionally a BR-1180. I use Edirol MA 10D's for monitoring and pre-master mixing.

The MXL 990 condenser is a fair mic for the price. I use it the most on vocal tracks. It is ok on acoustic guitar, has the tendency to be a bit muddy. The 990 also does a fair job on mandolin as well. I would suggest experimenting with various placements on acoustic instruments as this can drastically change the sound. Whatever you do, don't attempt to record upright bass with this mic. It cannot handle it, distorts bad on lower notes, but then again the 990 is not really meant for that task. Overall I would say that the 990 shines the brightest in a live application. It does a good job when used with a bluegrass band. You can set it up high to capture the vocals and set one low to get the instruments and you have an instant good mix.

Musician for 35 years.

Recording for about 5 years.

Recording to desktop PC and notebook, currently through Cakewalk Sonar SPS-25 USB box (which is really an Eridol UA-25).

For mixing, Audio-Technica ATHM40 headphones.

I bought a pair of these for occasional live recording. I just put them on a dual mike stand, angled at about 120 degrees. The issue of which mikes are "best" for this application is moot to me: Whatever they are, I didn't want to pay that much. So here's the deal: Pick any mike in this price range (or 2 or 3 or 4 times this price range) and search for reviews, and I guarantee you'll find as many negative reviews as you care to read. So, you have two choices: Crank your budget WAY up or take a stab at doing the best you can for the money. I decided on option 2, and after reading many reviews (and adding many grains of salt), I decided on the MXL 990s. I'm very happy with the results, considering that most of the places I use them have pretty crummy acoustics to start with. In fact, I have been told by several people that they were the best live recordings they had heard. So, FOR THE MONEY, these are great -- 'nuff said.

Been casually recording for a number of years, now getting the gear for myself and getting more serious. Just ditched the ol' 4-track for a nice firewire digital interface.

990 Condenser Mic used for acoustic guitar mainly, some vocals. Got this due to the price. Wish I had waited and saved a little more cash for something more durable. The mic stand had a little slip and the mic fell and hit the ground from about 2 feet up. Now it crackles like crazy and you can't open it up to try to fix it. It worked nice when it was babied, but no durability. Maybe I'm just used to my sm-57s and 58s... Either way, this mic sounds ok for what it is: a cheap entry level condenser mic.

making music for 8 years.

recording for 2 years. no schooling. just what works, works.

recording to digital multitrack on labtop. (qtr inch to usb)
with preamps and weird things that work for me.

i don't think listening equipment matters, but i usually preview on some pretty decent speakers, then plug my laptop into my car stereo for final changes, then rendering.

mxl 990.

do not order this mic through mail. be a jerk and make that guitar center employee hook this mic up for you. listen to it. spend an hour at guitar center. if it sucks, make him try a different of the same model. they have a little recording booth specifically for this. these mics are unoticebly damaged early in their lives. i have two of this mic and they both give me different sounds when used the same way. if you read what the company sends along with it, it can even be damaged by slight wind. so don't blow into it and break like i did on my first one. i guess i'll say it's a good mic. i like it's price to quality ratio. it's actually unbelievable when you buy the 1 out 4 that hasn't been screwed up in shipping.

Musician for 20 years, recording in home/project studio for 10 years. Record to Adat hard disk w/ Alesis monitors.

This is a condenser mic so if it is your first one you will probably be like, "wow this thing is awesome". After you get over the honeymoon and try more expensive condensers you will find that the 990 is just a cheap sounding condenser. It distorts very easily and has a huge proximity effect. I spent 3 times the amount on my CAD M177 and it sounds and preforms 10 times better than the 990. My 990 will go on Ebay for some other sucker.

* How long have you been making music?
1 month (just starting to get in this stuff)

* What kind of recording experience do you have?
home recording of vocal
* What are you recording to? (DAW, analog tape, cassette, ADAT, digital multitrack, etc.)
digital computer recording
* What is your primary listening equipment?
Senn HD-280

1) this is a condenser, some listed the thing as a large diaphranm condenser, it is not, it's at best a mid size (20mm), large are 25mm+ or ~ 1 in, like the CAD M177 that's 1.1 in.

2) I use this mic on a regular mic stand, with pop filter, i place it upside down because it looks cool, other than that, placing it right side up or upside down shouldn't matter much. It's going through M-audio buddy then into sound card.

3) the positive point is that it's got the clarity of a condenser, compare to the dynamic like SM58 or Senn E835 it's deffinity winning on the clarity and pickup, HOWEVER, this thing has got a huge huge bump on the high frequency, and it's brittle, can not EQ it out because it mud up the sound really bad, i don't know how to deal with it yet, this is probably good for stuff with lower frequency than vocal, female vocal is out of the question, it'll sound so harsh it's not even funny. But if you look at it, ALOT of people have this mic (30+ reviews), u see them alot on ebay too, it's a good starting mic to learn the rope, after a month or 2 it's best to buy a better mic.

Playing for 30 + years
New to low/moderate priced home studio recording, appx 3 year.
Have recorded using 4 track tape decks in the past.
Using a DAW, with Sonar 5 PE.
I listen through Berenger Monitors, M-Audio monitors, and a variety of other sources , including home surround systems, high end car system.

MXL 990 Condenser, labeled as a Large Diaphram ,but actually a 3/4 in small/med diaphram condenser.
Using to record Ovation acoustic at or near 12 fret slightly pointed towards sound hole (most often that is)
Considered and bought other mics also.
Works good on acoustic with good placement, as it is somewhat colored in the highs. This mic is for those who have an ear for it, if you like the sound it produces, you like the mic, I like the sound recorded with this mic on my acoustic in my space.
I recommend to all who record acoustic guitar, for the price it can add another weapon to you arsenal.....

I've been recording for about 5 years now and ive been playing for 7 (still in high school) yet i know recording. im recording with the 001 still.
this mic is prety basic, you'll have to tweak it during your recordings with each session and practically use what you have to balance this product out, but for what you pay its great, the problem with that statement is you arent paying much. For what its worth its the cheapest you can buy without buying complete trash. where i currently intern the set up is way easier but for what its worth he drove to the musicians friend distrubution center to get his deal. But if your starting out you'll learn a lot, and find out what your doing as you tweak around distrubution because it'll kick you hard unless you have an avalon mic pre or something.

-Styson Hunter

large diaphram condencer bought with 991 pencil condencer. I used it for vocals. Im concidering AKG C4000B. I choose it because i needed something cheap at the time. Obviously the reason why i bought it was because of the price, but the biggest problem is distortion. I would recommend it if you cant be flexible with you budget.

My experience is limited but I have an ear for good sound. I'm running it through a m-audio box with phantom power into garage band. More experienced friends and family members have been quite impressed when i tell them how I recorded my recordings and with what.

This is a Condenser Mic with a Cardioid pattern. Which means face the label towards what your trying to record. I thought this mic was omni directional when i bought it so that screwed up a few recordings. This mic is loud it has to be dialed down when recording or it distorts. That doesn't mean it's a bad mic in fact even though i sold mine to upgrade to a cad mic with selectable patterns I would not talk bad about this mic. For the price it is in fact quite amazing. If you are a first timer or you just need a condenser go ahead and buy one. The case it came with is quite handy just chuck it in your car and go it's durable. My new 200 dollar mics didn't come with a case. The straps on the shock mount straps keep coming off but oh well. The finish on the mic is quite nice and looked new even after a good amount of use. It does have that mid range push other reviewers have talked about which does help vocals. It doesn't like spikes especially in the higher frequencies. But if you take that into consideration when recording you can still get a good sound.

I???ve been playing and writing music for some 21 years now.

I???m currently using a Roland VS DAW. My front end consists of some nice instruments, some nice amps, and a number of budget pres, budget microphones, and other consumer grade outboard gear.

My monitors are Roland DS90As.

Okay, by now you are already aware of what this product is, which is a large diaphragm, cardioid pattern condenser microphone.

I???ve used or attempted to use this mic on various sources???everything from background vocals to guitar cabinets to ambient applications. I own 3 of these mics. I purchased the first one back in 2002 when Musicians Friend had a big sell on them, and then I bought the other two when the local Guitar Center opened up here in my area last year. They came in a package with 991s. I wanted two 991s for overheads, and the package was going for $45 each; thus, it was no-brainer. I plan on selling at least two of my 990s sometime in the not too distant future.

That aside, let???s get down to business. Let???s face it: with this mic you???re pretty much scraping the bottom of the barrel. However, that???s not to say that this mic is unusable because it isn???t. It???s okay for what it is, but it epitomizes the very definition of mediocrity in Chinese manufactured condensers.

This mic is very hyped, very bright, and very colored. If someone were to ask me for a recommendation my advice would be this: if you???re dead set on only spending $50-$65 on a LDC then go for it. Also, if you want your recordings to scream ???amateur home studio grade??? then this mic will provide you that characteristic low-fi sound. I could also see owning this mic if you???re in a situation like mine, where you already own a number of Chinese and Russian manufactured LDCs and just like to mix it up a bit. However, I???d seriously recommend to anyone new to the home recording scene that is in the market for a budget condenser to just save up an additional $35 and buy a Studio Projects B1. . Why? . . because it does every thing the 990 can do, but it does it much better.

Honestly, for its price the mic is okay, but that???s not saying much.

i've been playing guitar for over 5 years and recording for 3. i run a behringer eurorack mixer into a usb audio interface to a laptop with SONAR 4 producer edition. i got this mic because i'm the stereotypical poor college student and was on a strict budget.

large diaphragm condensor mic. looks great. comes with a nice case and shockmount.

i use the mic for vocals and as an ambience mic for guitar and drums. i have been very pleased with the results in each application.

the mic is crystal clear and is very low noise. it reproduces very faithfully but it seems like it colors the sound VERY slightly in the mids. however for some vocalists this has proved to be very beneficial.

i'd recommend this mic to anyone. regardless of skill level or budget. just be sure to fiddle around with the eq before you come on here and bash it. NO mic will sound great without some tweaking. take the time to do it right and this mic will never let you down.

professional guiatarist for 6 years. Been writing and recording songs since I can remember. Recording to Computer--Logic Pro. Using Yamaha i88x for a preamp and A/D. Predominatntly recording my own pop projects--guitar, vocal, misc percussion. Software drums. Listening on Event SP 8's. Don't own a whole lot of mics. Have recorded with several great mics.

This MXL 990, I see why it's getting high reviews. No, it's not because it's a Neumann. It's because you will not beat it for the price. It costs as much as a toy, yet it is surprisingly usable. If you have a project studio, you must have this mic. It is a great little utility player. Pretty pronounced proximity effect. I sing tenor and usually in the low end at that...I get right up on this mic for that "woo your girlfrend" thing, and I love the results--strong low end and some sizzle. If anything, get this mic for that reason alone. C'mon! it's cheap as hell!!!!

I have been playing guitar for 20 odd years and singing for longer i also play drums.i have lots of amps marshall, peavey, fender tube amp
useing this mic for band rehersals and live set up its really good..picks up all instruments quite well..sounds very good on playback through a stereo... we just set it up in the middle of the band and play live...

this is a decent condencer mic for the price...good starting point for bands with a budget or songwriter with a 4 track..i think this is very good mic for guitars...vocals even picks up the drums well.i have several mics i like to switch around each time i record for different sound each time ...this couple with a shure sm58 sounds really good.....

I've been a gigging musician for 20+ years; started recording about 9 years ago on tape...then digitally (computer) for about the past 7 years.

I mostly record acoustic instruments and vocals...lots of vocals. Even though I got the MXL 990 for free with another gear purchase, I gave it away 6 months after I got it. I'm kinda' baffled by a lot of the reviews, actually. The 990 I had was way overhyped in the top end, and it had a huge bump somewhere in the low mids. The combined effect is probably SUPPOSED to be something like "warm yet bright!", but it translates to my ears as "muddy, yet brittle."

I'm not a gear snob, by the way. My favorite mic for vocals is actually a cheap MXL V67g...in fact, if they still make that mic, it's by far the best condenser under $100 in my opinion.

I'll say this, the case and the shockmount and the LOOK of the mic are all great - That's what I'm giving 3 points for in my rating.

I Have been making music for since the 1980s ...home studio ...cassette and sony mini disk ..to cd

this is a good home studio mic i use it with my tascams..great for acoustic guitar and vocals...a good utilitarian condencer mic..for the price you cant really beat it....if you need a condencer mic and dont want to break the bank this one is good...

I have been recording for the past 15 years. I currently compose music for television shows, however, in my free time I record in my home studio. I use nuendo 2 and cubase 3.1 with a Motu and Tascam interface. I primarily use Mackie monitors.

I am very pleased with the MXL 990. This mic is an incredible deal at only $50. I use it on vocals and accoustic guitars. I haven't really used it on much else and I honestly don't expect that it would sound very good in other applications. It would probably be a bit to bright for other uses. I also sometimes use a RODE and CAD condensor but so far this is my favorite on vocals (well actually the Blueberry is my absolute favorite on vocals but for 950 dollars less the MXL is a great deal) it is a tad bright but that can be fixed with eq or de-esser. Overall a great sound.

i have made music since i was 11 punk rock tunes on a 6 string guitar with 4 strings about 17 years, i have recorded in small and large studios ...adat and multitrack....this review is for this mic in my home studio....i have other condenser mics made in japan..this is made in china...very good@

its a condenser mic needs phantom power i use a peavey mixer or presonus ....this mic sounds very authentic with my martin hd 28 ...it also sounds really good with my les paul and piano..with vocals you need to tweek a bit...pretty good mic for $ i use my audio technica for vocals and a shure sm57 for everything vocals and guitar....if i only had 3 mics it would be mxl for insteruments audio technica for vocals and a shure sm 57 for everything above...its a good all around mic for the price i am looking into a mxl v67g for vocals ..i bought this mic because of price i think its a good condenser mic all around..

Been "at it" for a long time now. Using DAW/PC for home brew music.

Not sure why people insist on calling it a "large Diaphragm" condensor. It's medium at best.

Got this as a gift from my wife (bless her heart), in a two-fer pack with an MXL991. The MXL991, a pencil type condensor, actuall has a better sound.

I use this for vocals, with a pop-shield about 6-8" away. Gives a nice proximity effect, and captures all the various frequencies. Haven't tried it yet on other people's voices, but it works fine for mine.

Definitely a great mic to have in your arsenal. Cheap, cheerful, and quite sensitive. I push it through a Behringer MIC100 pre-amp, and then into a Behringer mixer. Crisp, clean, and quite cool.

I've been doing home recording in one way shape or form for about eight years now. Started out with a Tascam Portastudio, then moved to a Roland VS880EX, then computer-based recording with Cubase SX3 and Cakewalk. I've been playing mostly guitar for over 20 years and have done some demo production work for myself and others. I've got a pretty good knowledge of this stuff even though my budget isn't very large. I primarily monitor either through good headphones or through my computer speakers with subwoofer, but I have Alesis monitors on order as well. I run the mics through a Mackie 1202 VLZ, which has excellent pre-amps and routing. If you're building a basic home studio on limited budget, pick-up one of these boards. It's like having an audio Swiss Army knife that can be used for almost anything. You can pick these up for a song now. My A/D converter / computer interface has built-in phantom power, but the sound is leagues better through the Mackie. Preamps are important!

This is a medium diaphragm cardioid condensor mic without pad, switchable patterns, etc. Feature-wise, it's rather basic. It came with a pretty nice shock mount as well as a mic stand adapter. All of this came in a cheap but functional plastic "hardcase". The mic (and mounts) are nicely finished and fairly sturdy. Frankly, I was suprised at the build quality of the mic given that it costs about as much as your average dynamic mic. I bought two of these at once and one of the metal grills was dented. Straightened it out easily though.
I'm using this mic mostly for vocals and acoustic guitar, and soon on drum kits as overheads. I think the sound of this mic for vocals. I keep about 1-1/2 - 2 feet from the mic. It has nice details in the highs, a fairly flat mid-range and good bass. Sensitivity is excellent. I've managed to get decent acoustic guitar sounds with this as well, though I suspect I will have to pick-up a pencil condensor to do this better. I'll still have to experiment with placement on for this application. I've not liked this for mic-ing my guitar amp though. It captures good detail in this application, but my Shure SM57 gets more weight in its sound, which is what I'm going for.
The quality and versatility of this mic for the miniscule price is ridiculous. For the price of an average dynamic mic, you can work with a true condensor mic which has sensitivity and range which a dynamic mic just can't match. This mic is an incredible bargain, and anyone with a tight budget who records in a home studio (or elsewhere for that matter) should pick up at least one of these mics. The only negative I've had is that I was overloading the amp initially because I was mic-ing too close (having been used to working only with dynamic mics) but that was easy to get over once I improved my technique. Overall, an excellent mic for the money and once which has served me well. Highly recommended.

I recently started some home recordings with this setup: Apple Imac G5, Presonus Firebox, Behringer 8 channel mixer, and well of course the Marshall 990. I use this mic for everything, but mainly vox, percussion. This is my only mic currently. I do realize my recording chain is weak and that no mic would sound too well in this set-up.

Its cardiod Condensor with no -10 pad. I like this mic vox the best. For the most part I have a really hard time getting a decent sound out of it. It is often to trebly on percussion (tambourines, shakers) and too boxy on vocals. I spend a good amount of time adjusting the eq. I wouldn't buy this mic again, I would probably go for one the KEL HM-1 or HM-4's. I you are somewhat serious on recording, do yourself a favor and save up for something better. But I do realize you get what you pay for... I was just to hasty in my journey to recording

i have only been recording for 6 years or so. i run a small studio in oakland, ca.

i use a daw and i have a lot of behringer gear. my main board is a behrniger mx9000. i run it all through adobe auditoin 1.5.

this mic is actually a good mic. i used it on vocals for a while (until i upgraded to a mxl v69). what i found out this mic is really godd for is as an amp mic. i like to blend it with a good old shure 57. the two mics properly blended make for one sweet sound.

it was ok on vocals but the high end lacked. that was why i upgraded. it sounded very muddy, but still better than any other mic in the under 200 price range.