MXL 990/MXL 991 Recording Microphone Package
From MXL
The MXL 990/MXL 991 Recording Mic Package is a 2-microphone kit with the latest in MXL's range of studio condenser microphones. The 990 has silky, sweet high end and a tight solid bass, perfect for recording vocals. The 991 is a superior instrument microphone designed for recording acoustic guitar and drum overheads. Both have gold-sputtered diaphragms (20mm) creating a professional sound perfectly suited for digital and analog recording. The MXL 990/MXL 991 Recording Mic Package includes a high-impact carrying case and mic stand adapters.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1341 in Musical Instruments
- Brand: MXL
- Model: MXL 990/991
Great deal for the price!
I produce music for a living and normally write only at my studio. Recently I became interested in having a basic laptop rig for home and I picked up this mic package based on some reviews. When I got them home I had found that they were an excellent value. They're really quite good sounding with lots of detail in the high end. Again, this is considering price- if they were $1,000 for the pair it would be an incredible ripoff. Of course I should state the obvious: These will not sound like a high-end Neumann, Lawson, or Telefunken mic costing many, many, times the price of these mics. That said, they're only $99! I bought two packs and have found they work very nicely in stereo pairs. There seems to be a large influx of inexpensive condensor mics coming in from overseas (particularly Asia) which IMHO are miles better than similarly-priced competition from Europe. However, if you want a Neumann U87, you have to buy one. While the high end on these are nice for the price it does have a bit of a synthetic sound to it at times, and lacks the smoothness of some of the much higher end mics. That said, the pair of these cover much sonic ground; you can use them for most instruments. Drums would be inadvisable unless you were using two matched larger ones as overheads.
This is the type of package I would strongly recommend to the hobbyist because of the price to performance ratio. I -wish- that something like this had existed when I was in high school, just getting into recording. It would make a great gift for the budding enthusiast.
A Good Start
I have had no experience with mics except that I am a avid listener of music and I could recognize if something sounded aweful. I am very happy to report for a $100 this package is a great start in home recording. I'm doing a podcast and some light guitar recording and it works like a charm.
OK, but you may outgrow them quickly
1st The bigger one has the same size capsule as the smaller one. It has a better bass response due to mounting. Neither of these is a Large Diaphram Condenser, but they can get you some higher frequency response in your recordings. The 990, with its larger frame lends itself to many mods and there are even a few companies that will get it sounding quite good compared to $800 SDCs. If you have a PC/or DigitalWorkstation set up this could get you started getting things recorded fairly quickly but in the long run you are better off with with an Audix i5 or Shure SM57 and then one of the LDC's from AKG Perception , Oktava Mk219 or Mk319 or an inexpensive MXL, Marshal, or Rode. If you are looking for recording drums you might get usable results with these using the recorderman technique and a kick drum mic. They are usable but a LDC or even SM58 would be better on vocals. On acoustic instruments they might shine better than most <$100 dynamics. I picked them up when I needed OH's in a pinch last year. Take what I say as personal opinion. They may be great for you but they aren't the smoothest or the cleanest but they are better than nothing if that is the situation. Save and buy better if you can.
