Specificaly the V69 and 2001 and 990?
Comments
The 2001 is a great mic. The Pro-Pac that includes a 2001 and a
The 2001 is a great mic. The Pro-Pac that includes a 2001 and a 603s is a steal. The 603s is another fantastic mic. I use a pair live for drums and I have a pair in my studio for overheads as well. I love them.
A friend of mine who owns a studio here in town and has a pair of just about every expensive microphone you can imagine raves about the V69. He loaned me one but I didn't have time to try it out before I had to give it back. He claims that it sounds better than the 2001 with the Royer tube mod.
I'm currently waiting for a V67g to get here. I've read good things about it.
I own a 990 but I only use it live. I have not used it in the studio. The buddy I mentioned talked to MXL about it and they told him that it is only available through Musician's Friend and was manufactured specifically for them. They also told him that it's not a very good mic. The 2001 and V67g are better.
I was really pleasantly surprised by the v69. I was doing a sma
I was really pleasantly surprised by the v69. I was doing a small choir of unprofessional singers. It wasn't my studio so I don't own any of these mics. Everyone had their own mic. I had up some great ones: Telefunken USA ELAM 251, Neumann Bottle with M9 cap, U-99, RCA77dx, Blue Mouse and others like Baby Bottle, Royer 121, etc.. I put up the MXLv69. It really held it's own. Now these were not great singers but I got a great recording. I actually think this mic would be a very good utlitiy mic. I want one.
I gotta give props to the V69M as well. It certainly performs m
I gotta give props to the V69M as well. It certainly performs much better than the price suggests.
I've had two "seasoned" engineers show interest in this mic once bringing it along to sessions recently. They dropped their suspicions quickly while tracking some vocals.
Another worthy mention, FWIW, is the Studio Projects C3. In "Omni" or "Figure-8", it is rather stunning on some acoustic guitar (Taylor 614, 710's for starters) through my Sebatron or Great River NV.
I personally have some issues with any Chinese products. While n
I personally have some issues with any Chinese products. While not wanting to start another discussion on this, I will say that many of these issues are not relevant in regards to Studio Projects.
PMI uses a very well known and reputable firm (797) as a OEM in China who provide some of the best working conditions in the country with very good QC. This is not the case with many other OEMs out of China and is the reason many products like MXL are lacking in consistancy and durability. Studio Projects mics do an admirable job at a very low price point and I see it as a no brainer.
You can go back among the RO archives and see my metamorphisis on this issue over the past 2 years. I was a staunch detractor of the Studio Projects mics until I learned of the manufacturing conditions and had the opprotunity to hear much of the companies line. We all can't be right all of the time.
Like I said before, is it a Neumann? No it's not. Is it as good as a Neumann or an AKG? In some situations, yes. They have a color that reminds me more of AKG mics more than Neumanns. Not as smooth and brighter than most Neumanns.. I suspect this has to do with the tensioning of the diaphragms. How do Studio Projects compare to other mics like the Rode and Audio Technica line? In both terms of sound and build quality, very well and I think the Studio Projects mics blow the doors off the Octava line ...
I have become very attached to both the large diaphragm C3 and the C4 matched pair small diaphragm mics, so much so that I will be purchasing the review loaners that Alan Hyatt sent out.
I'm much more interested in the quality of manufacture, than of
I'm much more interested in the quality of manufacture, than of the political stance of the oppressors. If that is a parmount reason, then we should all boycott Intel, H-P, Compaq, and all the rest that have raped/oppressed the American computer industry. Car industry. Medical industry. Garment industry. The list is endless.
Kurt seems to think the SP manufacture is consistent, and that is good enough recommendation for me, as a newbie.
bgavin, Like I said, I really don't even want to go there ...
bgavin,
Like I said, I really don't even want to go there ... I was commenting in passing that even though it is an issue for me I like the SP line for the most part. The SP mics I have here have a good build quality and have been performing very well for some time now. I think they are a definite cut above most the crap that is coming out of China..
I think they are both pretty well built..However The I don't car
I think they are both pretty well built..However The I don't care for the sound of the C3 myself..small sounding to me..hummm kinda pinched in the mids..Anyways one mans opinion and taste, someone else may love it!.The AT 4050 is a nice balanced mic..kind a workhorse type 'O mic to me..not exciteing but flexable and very usable on a variety of sources..Of course this is all IMHO!
I've been very happy with the v69 for my voice. I've had it for
I've been very happy with the v69 for my voice. I've had it for 9 months now with no reliability issues. Its been very consitent. The SP C3 and B1's have been equally reliable. Neither hits my voice as well as the v69, but then, the C3 has been the better choice with several other vox. None of these mics are "go to" mics, but when they hit, they sound very good.
As for reliability, over all, I can only tell you my experience. If I got lucky, well, damn...I'll take that. My mxl has been good to me.
I love my MXL 990's. For 60 bucks a pop with shockmount, it's th
I love my MXL 990's. For 60 bucks a pop with shockmount, it's they're hard to criticize. All the usual gripes with these mics apply - I bought 5 and they all sound different (some very different). Build quality is really spotty, but if you do what I did you may be able to get a relatively close pair. So far I've used them on toms (what I primarily bought them for), kick, distorted guitar and vocals with good effect. If you get some, pay attention to how the element is mounted behind the screen, as i had one that was literally 20 degrees off axis. :)
Well, I have used several MXLs and they are not terrible by any
Well, I have used several MXLs and they are not terrible by any means. Who would have thought we'd have this level of mic 10 years ago at this price? No one. (Political/economic comments come to mind, which I will not go into.)
The LD models tend to exhibit a distinct boost around 6k I've heard from those who've tested them, which corresponds to my experience and ear. This is generally not considered a flattering place for a boost. In some applications the ones I've used sound shockingly bright. Other applications they are fine. I have not noticed the variations from same model unit to unit that others have, so there is some consistency at least some times with some models (my experience is mostly with V67s). I replaced the electronics with another design on a couple and they improved significantly.
Likewise with the SD 603s. However, I couldn't get a pair to work with some of my phantom sources. Just total static noise. Another phantom source and they were fine. Another engineer told me he had the same problem and had to deflux the board, and now loves the mic to bits. I think the capsule is decent and with better electronics would be worth real consideration. As is stock, it's still not bad. But consider defluxing and trying it with different phantom sources. Again, for the price it is quite amazing and certainly will get you through a session or two in a pinch and you may even like it.
cheers,
t :)
Call me nuts. I just ordered two MXL v69s Mogami editions. I go
Call me nuts. I just ordered two MXL v69s Mogami editions. I got a special deal I couldn't quite refuse. As I said earlier I think they're quite good mics. I was very pleasantly surprised. They won't be my front first or second line mics, but a couple of good utilities, yeah.
What do I think? Like all cheap china made mics, I think that mo
What do I think? Like all cheap china made mics, I think that most if not all them suck and I try to avoid using them. You and others may think and feel differently. You pretty much get what you pay for when it comes to mics. The mic is not the place to skimp as it is more responseable for capturing how something is going to sound than anything else in the chain or any amount of processing afterwards.