HI everyone, i'm new in this forum and i'd like to buil my home studio and i need some advice about the MXL990,992 ; AKG perception 100 ; BEHRINGER B1., becouse i'm on a low budget
any answers will be appriciated.
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I just run it thru my 002r's pre's. Sometimes I run it thru a p
I just run it thru my 002r's pre's. Sometimes I run it thru a presonus tubepre but it isn't a whole lot better than the digi pre's. I do have several in mind that I would like to use. Stuff from Univeral, FMR's RNP, Avalon M5, to me the mic sounds decent now, I could imagine running it thru a truly high quality pre would make it that much better. From everything that I've heard MXL is really up and coming and is trying to establish itself as a truly good mic producer. While I like the stuff from neaumann and blue I'm going to start buying MXL's higher quality stuff, heard their tube mics are pretty good.
I purchased the MXL 990/991 set based on price and word of mouth
I purchased the MXL 990/991 set based on price and word of mouth. I know a lot of people seem to like them, but you asked for peoples opinions, so here is mine - I hate them! As far as the ones I own,I don't think I have ever heard worse sounding mic's. Too much high end and way to thin and brittle sounding. I spent $99 bucks for the 2 of them and still feel ripped off. I have learned through experience (both good and bad), that although there are a few exceptions, 90% of the time you get what you pay for. Save up and buy something better, or you will just be wanting something else in a matter of months.
After having to sell off most of my nicer gear last year, I've g
After having to sell off most of my nicer gear last year, I've gone to an economically minimal setup. I have two 990s and two 991s (got them in the $100 box set the first time and then picked up another for $50 at a Guitar Center opening not long ago). These are pretty decent mics for the money, but to a degree you do get what you pay for... I think I would opt for something a little pricier down the line, particularly if vocals are important to you. I've tinkered a bit with the Rode NT1 and I think it's worth the fourfold additional investment. The 990 can be a little harsh in the upper mids for some vocal contexts. I'm finding that I actually prefer the 991 for vocals, sacre bleu. I've thought of trying a filtered blend of the SM57 and the 990, using the midrange from the 57 and everything else from the 990.
Here's a not-quite-yet completed/perfected cover of a Roxy Music tune I've been recording the last few days, which will give you some idea of what these mics can do. The low vocal track is the 991, while the higher vocal is the 990. I also did some quick minimal mic'ing of the kit using the 990 on the kick and the 991 on the snare, no overheads or anything else (although it's probably obvious that I am secretly a huge fan of the Albini drum sound). :)
I think those cheap mics are a crap shoot- sometimes you get a g
I think those cheap mics are a crap shoot- sometimes you get a good one- many times you don't. case in point, I have 2 oktavas 319's- one is dark and sounds good - the other one is thin and brittle- what can you do, I guess I got lucky in the one. I also have a friend who has the small condenser mxl mics and loves'em- mind you, this is a guy who owns quite a few mics, including a couple 451's and a couple u87 from the 60's- I think he got lucky too! Again the case in point is that you can't trust those cheap mics- if you get lucky, lucky you, if not, move on...
maintiger wrote: I think those cheap mics are a crap shoot- some
maintiger wrote: I think those cheap mics are a crap shoot- sometimes you get a good one- many times you don't. case in point, I have 2 oktavas 319's- one is dark and sounds good - the other one is thin and brittle- what can you do, I guess I got lucky in the one. I also have a friend who has the small condenser mxl mics and loves'em- mind you, this is a guy who owns quite a few mics, including a couple 451's and a couple u87 from the 60's- I think he got lucky too! Again the case in point is that you can't trust those cheap mics- if you get lucky, lucky you, if not, move on...
The budget chinese mics are definitely a crap-shoot because of the lack of quality control.
The best place I've found to buy anything Oktava is at The Sound Room. They apparently buy in bulk, measure and test the product, keep the very best and pass the rest on to Guitar Centers and other vendors that offer Oktava gear online (of which there are few left).
The 319's from sound room sound amazing, but you pay top dollar for them. I paid $64 just for an omni capsule for one of my 012's but it's amazingly accurate and silky and worth every penny.
Their 012's are fantastic too. I don't know if I'll ever buy Oktava stuff from anywhere else again.
There was also a warning in one of the mags about garbage clone
There was also a warning in one of the mags about garbage clone Oktava's flooding the US market. :evil:
Always know your dealer kids!
I was thinking about getting an MXL V69 Mogami kit and sprucing up the tube myself.
Anyone else have experience with this mic/mod?
maintiger wrote: oh, and by the way, I haven't heard of anyone l
maintiger wrote: oh, and by the way, I haven't heard of anyone liking the behringer mics- not yet. maybe not too many get lucky with those
I have the Behringer B2 Dual-diaphram and it can be decent it used properly (mostly is really harsh in the highs). I thought would be a great mic since it has features like a 10db pad, lowcut filter, and a three selectable patterns omni, figure 8, and cardioid. just like a U87, right? Wrong!
Oh how I wish I would have known about the StudioProjects C3 before I bought the B2.
roguescout wrote: I was thinking about getting an MXL V69 Moga
roguescout wrote:
I was thinking about getting an MXL V69 Mogami kit and sprucing up the tube myself.
Anyone else have experience with this mic/mod?
I have owned this mic for about a year now. At the time, I was looking for a decent tube vocal mic and was sceptical to all of these cheap mic kits. After reading several rave reviews I decided to give this one a shot.
I will say that for what I paid for this thing (around $250) I was astonished at how superb sounding it is. It has a VERY warm, crisp sound wthout being the slightest bit brittle at all. I find that very little if any eq is needed when recording vox. It is especially great for the female range--just seems to sit right in almost any mix perfectly.
I am satisfied enough without changing the tube that shipped with it. Maybe I just got lucky with this one but it seems like a well built product--considering the cost.
Worth a look/listen. I would be curious to see how it would do in a Kurt Foster review... :)
I got caught up in the hype of the MXL990/993 package, also abou
I got caught up in the hype of the MXL990/993 package, also about $99. The 991 is not too bad for guitar, but I wanted the 990 as a cheap way to get vocals into my new studio set-up... After my first 2 recordings, I decided I will not record another vocal until I splurge for a decent mic... As others said, it is tinny, brittle and thin. I had to change my vocal style and projection to try and get it to sound decent but it still can't cut it.
It's true that the 990 is "spitty" for male vocals and for male
It's true that the 990 is "spitty" for male vocals and for male vox you're probably better off using a 57 or 58.
However, I've gotten better results with male vocals after removing the fist layer of grille on the 990. The highs become a little tighter and they're not as "spitty" as they were before. There's a noticeable difference.
To be more specific, there are 3 layers of grille on the 990. The outside layer is heavy aluminum wire grille, the second layer is thin mesh (or screen) and the third (inside) layer is heavy aluminum wire. Remove the outside layer of thick aluminum wire to expose the middle layer and you'll get better results for at least 3 reasons:
1) The thick outer layer is cheap stuff and I believe it causes vibrations in the cheap aluminum cast housing especially to the resonance of the male voice.
2) The capsule is then exposed to more open air, which is always a good thing.
3) The mic opens up and you hear more transients.
The flip side of the 990 is that they're actually very decent for most female vocals and female VO.
At a distance of 2 feet they're not that bad for acoustic guitar.
They're very useable as a room mic.
I've had success with them on celtic and traditional harp, especially after removing the first layer of grille.
Well it is what it is, a cheap ass mic, but I do have to hand it
Well it is what it is, a cheap ass mic, but I do have to hand it to MXL for being so dirt cheap it does do some things well. I do notice that female vox sound much clearer thru it than male vox, but overall for 60 bucks you can't beat this mic, and it sure beats the shit out of a cheap ass radioshack mic. Doesn't look to bad either.
the 990 isn't bad for a starter mic. I have many better mics th
the 990 isn't bad for a starter mic. I have many better mics than the 990 and I still use the 990 on almost every session. I don't know anything about the other mics.