This is a good question, the preamp that I am using is in my MX602A mixer by Behringer and I am using a MXL990 and I have not really had the results that I am looking for (nothing less than professional.) I still have a lot of questions to ask about my system before I can really talk but anyway:
I have found that the best acoustic sound I can get with my 990 is at about 2 feet away.

Read this thred all the way through:
(Dead Link Removed)

You will probably be quite enlightened.

Hope that helps.

I'm quite convinced having listened to the droves of pro-tools recordings on the radio and stuff posted on many websites, that a decent recording can't be had without the introduction of tape. Granted, it introduces alot of floor noise, but everything I hear everywhere else including here sounds very sterile in comparison.

Tape just seems to make for better mixes.

With this in mind, I feel you may never get the warm feeling I think you are looking for. Especially with consumer grade equipment.

Beatballs wrote: With this in mind, I feel you may never get the warm feeling I think you are looking for. Especially with consumer grade equipment.

Man, you're kind of a downer. :cry:

I think it is a little early to throw in the towel. I'm not sure the poster mentioned anything about trying to get a warm feeling anyway. The thing that will destroy any performance captured with any microphone is this: going in through a SB Audigy's mic input. After that, maybe work on getting something besides that dynamic mic to record acoustic gtr. After that, maybe some decent monitors to hear what the heck is going on more accurately. After that, yadda yadda yadda.

Reggie..... If I get a decent condenser mic and preamp can I run that into mic 2 input on SB Audigy 2 card and get half way decent results? Is there some other problem with that input on sound card?

NO!!! STOP!!! :P

Feed nothing into the mic input. There should be a LINE input on there somewhere. Check the diagram. Might possibly be a stereo jack, so you may need to run to radioshark for an adapter.

Reggie wrote: NO!!! STOP!!! :P

Feed nothing into the mic input. There should be a LINE input on there somewhere. Check the diagram. Might possibly be a stereo jack, so you may need to run to radioshark for an adapter.

On an Audigy 2 the "Mic 2" input is also a Line Level input (1/4"). You can use it as a dynamic mic input but it's also a line level input and you can connect a pre or mixer to it.

The "Aux In 2"section is L/R RCA input and is the "best" input to use with a mic pre or mixer. If you have a pre or mixer I'd recommend using Aux In 2.

And crazyguitarest is definitely right about the MXL 990 being at it's best (with acoustic guitar) from about 2 feet away. That's about where you get the best balanced response from that diaphram. The lows don't choke (distort) and the high's aren't too brittle. That distance also allows the room to breath in that mic and pickup some decent transients in a balanced way that's not so directional. It's a great little room mic but also very nice for acoustic instruments when slightly modded and correctly placed.

Coyote...... all the mic pre's I've seen (at least the lower end models) do not have RCA outputs. They all have XLR ins and outs also 1/4 inch jack outs. I'm lookin in particular at the MIDIMAN Audio Buddy Dual Microphone Preamp. Will this work OK into the "Mic in 2" or line in on the back of the sound card with the 990 mic? Thanks

Reggie wrote: ......, so you may need to run to radioshark for an adapter.

zbillz wrote: Coyote...... all the mic pre's I've seen (at least the lower end models) do not have RCA outputs. They all have XLR ins and outs also 1/4 inch jack outs. I'm lookin in particular at the MIDIMAN Audio Buddy Dual Microphone Preamp. Will this work OK into the "Mic in 2" or line in on the back of the sound card with the 990 mic? Thanks

It's just a matter of having the right interconnect cables. Redco.com has great cabling from shop-made to Mogami and you can even get XLR to RCA cables on the cheap there:

http://www.redco.com/

I've alwasy gotten great prices and great service from these guys, but shop around too. They're not the only source.

Do you have the Audigy 2 Platinum with the front interface and rear interface? Or just the Live Drive with the rear 1/8" connections?

Either way you should find any type of interconnect cable you need at Redco.