MXL 990

I've been making recordings for 15 years or so. I use old school technology - a Tascam 8 Track and a Tascam mixer. My band has done full length Cd's with this equipment (www.thehuntclub.net). I record on this alanog equipment and then mixdown to a CD recorder. This works for us and this equipment is dirt cheap on Ebay these days.

This is a condensor mike and I use this for vocals and acoustic guitar. I run thru a cheap tube preamp or sometimes thru a Joe Meek preamp to warm it up. This mike picks up everything. Make sure you use a wind screen when doing vocals. I really like the vocal results - I can't compare to expensive microphones, but we've done a ton of recording and the final products sound really good. This is my favorite vocal mike to use. My others are the Shure Beta 58 which is excellent fo live applications, but I prefer this large condensor for studio.

Been in bands, DJ'd, home recording enthusiast since 1984. 21 years. Play keyboard, guitar, bass, percussion. Been in a few 8 and 16 track studios. Right now I have a very simple Mac G4, Garageband, M-Audio Firewire Solo, Sure SM-57, MXL 990, M-Audio Oxy8 USB keyboard. I have lousy AKG K-55 headphones...like they say, you get what you pay for.

Basic condenser mike, no switching of any kind, cardoid pattern. Needs phantom power.

This is my new workhorse mike. I record using Garageband in a Chicago apartment. Eclectic mix of music styles from folkiecountryhiphopfunkmetal to popbubblegumgaragefuzz to ambientskyisfallingnoise. Varieties of placement.

No did not consider any other mikes in it's price range. I chose it because it's very cheap, cheaper than my Shure SM-57, yet much higher quality of sound. I've read glowing reviews on it all over the net. A few caveats, no features, but a great, tremendous value.

I've used it for miking my Fender Blues Junior amp with a Strat, miking my Epiphone acoustic, miking bongoes, vocals, ambient urban street noise, banging on radiators (my neighbors HATE me), random wierdness.

It only falls short in lack of features. AND can be a bit harsh and sylibant on highs.

Then again, IT'S $59 DOLLARS!

Yes, if you're a hobbist, part-time musician, home recordist, whatever, this is worth it.

Benn playing Electric and acoustic Guitar for about 8 years or so, started keyboards and Digital recording 3 years ago.
I have a basic setup in my home, recording to a dedicated DAW trough a Behringer board->ST Audio DSP24 VALUE+

My instruments are a '93 Gibson 'The Paul', Blade Texas Std, Ibanez PF10 Acoustic. Roland JX-305 Synth.

Well, you've already read the specs I guess, so I'll go ahead:
I was mainly looking for a cheap condenser to record my Acoustic guitar, as I had tried different acoustic pickup systems (Shadow+other soundhole PU's) without getting any pleasing results.
I also tried my SM57/58 to get the job done, but wasn't impressed.
Since I had read some favourable test reviews and got some positive answers in differnet forums, I just bought it. Since this is my first condenser I can certainly not give a quality review, but after the first 'Wow' factor I'm now very pleased with the overall sound of this mic. Placed appr.10-15cm from the guitar, directed to the junction of the fretboard/body (excuse my poor english), the output is punchy, clear and not aggrssive. I usually still put some extra EQ on the recorded sound, as I can mimic different characters/moods.
Also used it on vocals on occasion, getting a decent job done as well, but less impressed than with my ac. guitar (prolly voice dependant).
Overall I'd recommend this mic as a 'budget buy' to anyone starting into condensers. If it got broken/lost/stolen, I'd buy it again in a second.

I record all sorts of stuff. I don't have the best studio, but my recordings sound good and people like them.

I like this mic on my vocals. That's about it. I've used it on other people voices and it hasn't worked once. On my voice, it sounds great.

It has a weird frequency response which reminds me more of a dynamic than a condenser - I consider that a compliment.

I use it all of the time for backing vox. It works great in that situation, I don't know why. I'd buy it again in a second for that use alone.

It sounds like poop on everything else I've tried it on. Well, not quite like poop, but not that great. Actually, I used it on maracas once and liked it. I forgot about that. So, let's say that it might be an okay percussion mic. Not drums though. Never, ever drums.

Specs are documented elsewhere - this is a Chinese-made large diaphram condenser with cardioid pattern. My band was at the vocal stage of a demo project and I thought we might try one of the new value-priced mics. I bought it used on Ebay for virtually nothing, but was curious because of reviews here and elsewhere.

I've used it predominantly on vocals (with amazing results) and also on guitar cabs and was very happy. I was really surprised that there was very little or no EQing required no matter what I put in on.

Sound was warm and pleasant, repeatable for punch-ins and an huge surprise to me. I intend to buy another just for back-up.

I did not give this a 10 because it looks like it was built pretty cheaply. I'd say a 9.5, though - you can't go wrong at this price!

professional musician 25 years ...I buy alot of gear ..most of the times high end mic's and pre's but every now and then I look for exceptions to the rule..this is one of them ..very rich sounding mic
tends to have a high roll off which is good for limiting syblance sounds better than many mics 10 times its price marshal got it right with this one ..very natural sounding ..became one of my favorites

sounds top notch...I use a dbx386 tube pre and a tc electronics and it sounds like a neuman or a akg 414 ...exc value

I've been a working musician (guitar, bass, vocals) for about 15 years now. I've had a small demo studio for about 8 years. I have a Mackie board and Tascam 38 1/2" 8-track. Mostly band demos and solo project stuff. I've played on about 25 "big studio" projects through the years and always try to take notes and learn from the engineers in the "real" studios.

I have had a number of mics through the years, Rodes, AKGs, Shures, etc. Usually I use a Rode NTK or Shure KSM27 on my vocals. The Rode is nice for finger style acoustic guitar as well.

I monitor through both a set of Yorksville (cheapy) monitors and a nicer set of Mackie monitors.

The specs are elsewhere.

I'm using this mic for acoustic guitar mostly. I just put it about 8 inches from the sound hole of my Martin D-12. It actually sounds as good as my Rode on this guitar. But it's a great guitar and I am recording to analog, so everything tends to sound big and fat. So I tried my Martin 000XAE (the "plastic" one). I have it primarily for live shows where I run it direct. The Fishman pre is awesome on it, but unplugged, it's really not the nice.

But with the 990, it's actually quite usable. I the mic to one channel and ran it straight to another. By panning them a little differently, I got a huge sound. Warmth doesn't seem to be an issue, even for the XAE unplugged.

I have a session this weekend with a small local act, and I'm tempted to try the 990 on their female vocalist.

If you have a little 4-track or similar and are using dynamic mics, this would be a great first step in to condensor-land. You'll need 48V Phantom, but a little ART Tube MP would do fine.

I obviously bought it for the same reason everybody else did, the crazy low price. But I think I actually have a usable mic to add to my collection.

I've benn playing electric guitar for about 30 years. When I record Electric Guitar, I use a Fostex Digital Recorder and hook up to a Behringer 212 Amp.The Behringer and the fostex are connected via the "Effects Send" and "Audio In" on the back of the Behringer Amp. This provides an un-interrupted, clear signal path. "Audio Out" is not used for this application. The Fostex effects (Reverb, Distortion etc.) are by-passed (They aren't any good) and the Behringer effects are used instead, or an in-line device (Pod, Wah etc.) may also be used. In the past, I seldom recorded Acoustic Guitar and when I did, I used a Shure 57 Dynamic Mic.

MXL 990 Cardiod Condenser Microphone. 48v Phantom power required and I use the ART PRO Tube. flat freq. response of 30hz to 20khz. If you are looking at Mics. to consider purchasing. Look at the expensive ones and you will find freq. responses almost identical to this. Usually 20hz to 20khz.

I know there is no "Free Lunch," but this is the closest thing that you will find. It is a lot more than just a good deal. The most amazing mic. I have ever used. It is crystal clear and dead on accurate with an acoustic guitar. I now record a lot of acoustic guitar tracks with my Gibson J200. Do not hesitate. You must have one of these Mics. You will smile when you hear the results.

Been playing about 26 years the last 7 really serious. Play bass and guitar. The bass is a Fender Jazz the guitar is a Squier Strat with mods including Tex-Spc PUs and some fret work. I have a few different amps and a PA system. I got the MXL 990's for $59 apiece throught Musicians Friend. On sale - got the ART Phantom to go along with it. I got these mics for guitar cabs. The amp I use most to gig with is a Tech 21 TM10, run the XLR out straight to the board and it sounds great, but this mic makes it sound even better. There is just something about micing an amp that makes it sound so sweet and these Marshalls really do the trick.

This mic gets a solid 9 for value and performance. Don't really know if it is great for vocals. Really wouldn't want to put it out front. I use SM58's for vocals and they really take a beating. This mic is great where it is at. If one of the SM58's takes a dump I would put the 990 out there but I like it safe and secure sitting on the floor in front of my little amp. It also works wonders sitting in front of the Ampeg BA115. Wasn't all that pleased with the XLR out on that thing, but the mic sure makes all the difference.

Playing guitar for about 9 years.
Recording for 4 or 5 (with varying levels of gear and production).

I record right now with a Tascam US-428 USB interface / controller, although I'm looking up upgrade to something like the Aardvark Q10 when I can make some money. Record to Cubase (Cubase SX right now) with various plugins.

Listen on phones and computer speakers (After I get my aardvark I can get some real monitors =P.... but the speakers I use now actually aren't all that bad, some Altec Lansings that come with dell comps, thx certified and they sound pretty good, do me a decent job for now)

The MXL990 is a large diaphram condenser. Bought it off Musicians Friend for about 70 I think because it was so cheap.

First condenser I've bought, so of course it blows all my other mics away. Only thing that comes close is my sm57 (which is my only real "good" mic, in addition to some cheaper level dynamics).

I like this mic. It's only around 70 bucks, so of course it's not an incredibly great mic. Couldn't stand up to more expensive mics, but for 70 bucks it does an awesome job. I've used it on vocals, drum overheads, electric and acoustic guitar, bass cabs, and it sounds great.

If you're just looking to make a step up into the cheap level of "real mic" recording, this mic would be a good purchase.
Also if you're already using expensive mics, but would like something lesser but decent for not a lot of cash, I'd also reccomend it.

I think I'd actually like to buy a second so I can have a pair. This mic has rather bright sound, has some nice high end that I really like for drum overheads and acoustic guitar. Gives my friend's crappy hi-hat a nice silky sound that I like a lot.

If I get another, it will remain my drum overheads for quite some time I think. It does a good enough job as an overhead that I wouldn't even consider upgrading overheads until after I upgrade to a nice vocal mic, a nicer kick drum mic (using a CAD from MF for $50 at the moment), and stuff like more mics for toms, monitors, preamps, etc.
Bottom line is, unless I can get a nice pair in the 200+ range, I'll use these MXL's most likely.

All in all, it's not a world class mic, but it is definitely a decent mic, and in the price range of <100 dollars, it's a very good buy.
I would definitely reccomend it to anyone upgrading from a $20 mic sound, or anyone who could use another decent condenser for a small price.

I've played guitar and Bass for 13 yearsm recording seriously for 2. I use SONAR and my monitors are Alesis Monitor One MkII

I have two of these i bought one damaged for $25.00 and after using it later bought one new for $60.00 to have a pair.

For a cheap small diaphragm condensor these are really not too bad. I've used them on vocals a couple times especially when the high end boost helped the vocals cut through a thick mix.

Generally I use them as a room mic. For practices I'll throw them up in an X-Y to capture some of the ideas that we have and they do an excellent job there. One some EQ (especially low-end) is added witha bit of compression they make a damn good demo.

There is an accentuated high end that I mentioned that gets brittle to my ears. Sibilance is definitely and issue when used on vocals.

I like these because they are cheap and get reasonable results but would not put it as a "go to" mic especially for vocals as the hyped highs don't always work especially in quit sparse music.

In the price range it is excellent compared to some of the other < $100 condensors I've used and heard.

I've been making music for seven years now, but only now began digital recording. I have basic equipment including an HP laptop (pentium 4 2.2, 512MB RAM, 40GB hard drive). I have purchased cakewalk home studio and record with an M-audio mobile-pre USB audio interface. I have used this mic for everything and it is phenomenal. Granted I do not have experience with other condensor mic's, it sounds so much better than the live mics I was using (sure onstage workhorses). If you want to hear it in my music go to www.globaldust.com/merryway. Everything you hear on all of the recordings was done with this mic.

This is a condensor microphone, not sure of the specs but you can get them at www.mxl.com
I chose it becuase it is cheeeeap and my sound before was crappy.
If you are looking for good sound for low price and are perhaps a beginner at recording, spend the money. It comes with a cradle and a case and it is beautiful.

I have been recording and making music for 14 years.
In past 4 years I managed the setup and tuned entire sound for several concerts for audiences of 500+ audience.
Currently I record through 24bit 96K Digital multitrack and Burr-Brown based mic preamps.
I listen through all JBL professional monitors 15" woofers 4" titanium midrange etc.

MXL990 is a condenser mic with no pattern or pad switched, just a very basic mic. I purchased it with the idea of upgrading the electronics to Burr-brown ultra low noise OpAmps and using it where I would not dare to use the "Good" condensers. I purchased it from Guitar Center, once I got to my studio, first thing I did was to see If I would be able to upgrade it. I Opened it up and was very impressed with iternal bild quality. The coupling capacitors are cheep and the PCB is very thin but other than that a very high build quality. I decided to take a listen to it before I gutt it. This mic does not need upgrading. Its low noise, very sensitive, very flat frequency response up to 16khz. The very high-end sounds slightly rolled off unlike what the frequency chart shows, however, this is normal in a 6 micron capsule design as these roll-off at about 16K. It obliterates any dynamic mic, even the very expensive ones. to me it sounds very close to AKG 414, its not quite as nice as a $2500.00 mics but still very nice. I think that with high quality mic pre (not MACKIE junk)you will get your money's worth 10 times over.

What is wrong with mackie pre's, you ask?
Yes they are very quiet and very flat, but their "slew rate" sucks that is why they sound dull and lifeless.

I have been a musician for olmost all my life, Either with pots and pans or a piano and guitar. I have been recording for, well I dont know, Over 450 hours in studio at that. I use analog cd... digital computer, analog mixer, I use gibson, kramer, ovation, alverez, and all sorts of guitars, what ever I get my hands on...

Its a very versital mic, Its very touchy, you have to back away if not using a pop screen. The fact that its using phantom really gives it that punch, unlike a standard mic.
I use the mic for vocals and acoustic and some electric amping.
I chose this mic because I'm a cheap cheap man, and it looked cool, but I was amazed that it was a great and sensitive microphone,
The mic is great, I am not impressed with the shock mounts, very crappy, the nicer one is not tight, it dosnt hold the mic good if the stand moves or is bumped, The plastic mount is basic and works fine.
This mic is great for small band recorders, or big band with a budget.

I've been playing bass for 13 years and guitar for 8 and have been writing songs for 10 years.

I've been learning the art of recording about a 1 year boy not only is there so much to learn but an expensive hobby as well.

I have a Digi001,M-Audio SP-5B monitors, Avalon M5, Sytek MPX-4A, Berhinger T1953, and M-Audio DMP3.

It's a Condenser. No polar patterns, just a champagne color vintage shape mic. It comes with a plastic carrying case, and 2 shockmounts.

I use this mic for vocals, acoustic guitar, miking bass and guitar amps. I have to say this is an outstanding mic for only $60 bucks! I couldn't believe the rich sound i got out of this mic and has a bit of a nice dark sound to it with good bass and and sweet high end. Not harsh at all, but very smooth!

I chose this mic because it was only for 60.00 at Musicians Friend and was skeptical but, for only 60.00 how bad could it be and also I have the V69 ME and that pretty much sold me to get the MXL 990 and other of their mics. This mic is a little workhorse! It does every things wonderfully for a budget mic. I love the way it sounds and it's an amazing bargain!!

I have the Studio Projects B1 and to me the MXL 990 wins over tone and versatility over it.

The best condenser mic for under 100.00!!