I have used most of those mics they are extremely bright so I would say they are better suited for snares, strings, vocals, pretty much take your pick.

Originally posted by Alécio Costa - Brazil:
Hi friends!

Have you tested MXL V69, V67,V77, 2001 and 2003 models?

Which is more suitable for:
a)vocals
b)strings
c)guitars?
d)snare?

Thanks in advance
Nice weekend
:)
:p:

I have the V67 and the V93 (the MarsMusic version of the 2003).

The V67 is widely known and appreciated as a vocal mic with a up front kind of sound. Supposed to have a vintage sound but I don't own any to compare it with so I can't say. No switches or customizable features. Sounds really warm straight into the board.

The V93 is a much more modern sounding mic with more sparkle and a flatter response than the 67 though the charts on the boxes would lead me to think they would sound almost identical. Some dislike it finding the upper end to be harsh. One switch for 10db pad OR bass rolloff -- can not use both simultaneously. In fact some find all the MLX mics to to be on the bright and harsh side. Frankly I like both and they compliment each other well. In the end the V93 may be somewhat more flexible though if you're only concerned with vocals the V67 is definitely the way to go.

AFAIK the V69 is like a V67 with a tube and the V77 the tube version of the 2003. The V69 is considered a pretty good value for the money considering most tube mics are generally a lot more.

If you want to record strings, especially guitars, I recommend looking into the MXL603 which everyone seems to love for acoustic guitar, even those who generally hate all the other MXL mics. Also definitely worth checking out is the Studio Projects C4. It's geared a bit more to the high end and has the added feature of coming with omni capsules. You're in luck! Alan Hyatt and Brent Casey (formerly of MXL) of Studio Project can be found in "PMI Audio Group" on this very site.

cool!

Hi Alecio,

I had a friend who worked at a store that sold the Marshall mic line bring to my studio for comparison these mics.

2001
2003
v67
v77

The 2001 and 2003 were terribly bright to the point of being annoying. the 67 and 77 were nicer. Kind of a smoother sound to the highs with a nice midrange and bottom.

We ended up using the V77 to record his tenor sax on a couple of songs I was tracking and the track came out very nice. I ended up buying a V67 and use it a lot on male vocals. Also used it once as a drum overhead mic with good results.

Hope this helps.

many thanks Steve. I shall gbe buying a V67 or a V69.
:)
Nice weekend

Dare i ask: how does the MXL 990 fit in ?

I assume the MXL 990 is worse than the above in all respects ? (except for price)
Saw one for a nice price, was wondering if this could be a candidate for instrument(gtr-cab) and/or room-micing (will likely hardly see any vocal use).

Thanks,

Peter

What invisiblemute and screws said. Second the MXL 603 on guitar.-Richie

I bought a couple of the 990's - so cheap I couldn't pass them up! They're, um, not special. Not bad, just not special. Without doing a dirrect comparison, I felt they sounded like 421's - so I used them on toms. They sounded fine, and if the drummer (sometimes me) smacked one, no loss.

On a "cheap mic" side note, I have a couple of Nady condensers that are very brite, but hold up better than many $1k and up mics on metalic percussion - like tamborine. And I have an Octava 319 that held it's own against a certain very highly regarded $10k tube 47 on vocals. NO ONE could hear the difference. I A/B'd the same performance through the same path and no one could pick which was which. They thought I was joking with them.

Having said all that, make sure you don't get a lemon, as the build quality on cheap mics is inconsistent to say the least.

yes junior, you are right. Hope to get at least an orange.
Nice weekend to all!

Musicians Friends:

MXL990 w/shock mount.. $69.99
TLM103 EA1 Elastic Suspension(shock Mount).$229.00

If you own a TLM103 and dont want to pay $229.00 for the shock mount, then buy a MXL990 w/shock mount for $69.00 and receive a microphone free!

the MXL shockmount works great on the TLM103, the 990 microphone is a toy!

I bought a couple of the 990's - so cheap I couldn't pass them up! They're, um, not special. Not bad, just not special. Without doing a dirrect comparison, I felt they sounded like 421's - so I used them on toms. They sounded fine, and if the drummer (sometimes me) smacked one, no loss.

Hmm, like a 421 - so I guess they're not that bad. But being condensers it would be nice if they offered something different than the 421
I already have :-) But serious, it sounds like those 990's are not totally awful, I'll try to put an ear to them.

Thanks,

Peter

I haved mixed feelings on the MXL stuff. I had the 2001 recording pac which comes with the 603s. I liked the 603 more then the 2001 i hated the 2001 in fact it sounded like crap. I do have the v69. that sounds great on certain voices but on larger than life voices make sure to eq it nicely prior to tracking and it then sounds amazing

Good luck

wow, so many different ideas.. got lost!lol
Many thanks guys..
just a final resume: V69 might do fine for guitars, trombones, rock vocals?
V67 might be better for vocals and acoustic guitars?
:)

Doh, I already sort of started another thread on this...

So, it sounds like maybe the 990's are a better pick over the 2001 for Tom work? That's great, considering they're even cheaper... Anyone else worked with these?