MXL 990 Condenser Mic

I purchased this mic sometime back and it was packaged exactly as shown. It included the mic, shock mount, mic stand adaptor, and came in a plastic storage/carrying case. At under $70 I thought this would be a good purchase for my first condenser mic to add to my home recording studio.

The first time I used this mic I was not so happy with my purchase. I had been accustomed to using a Shure SM-58 dynamic mic for all my recordings. So what I did was place it back in its case and put it on the shelf. Although I liked the shock mount that came with it and the fact that it also came with a case I did not like the results I was getting with it as a recording device. I never got rid of this mic though.

After a couple years and many recordings later I decided to pull it off the shelf and give it another try. I had become very familiar with the results I got from my Shure SM-58 and my recording hardware so I wanted to see if I could use this mic better with the knowledge I had gained from my recording experiences.

I connected the mic and tried it out on some recordings and I was easily able to fix the mistakes that I had made the first time I tried using this mic. I was able to get it to sound "right" this time! I was then glad that I had purchased this mic and began to use it instead of my Shure SM-58 that I had used for so long. Since this time I began to appreciate this mic more and more and I no longer regretted purchasing this mic.

The recordings on this mic added a new clarity that I was unable to get from my Shure SM-58 and I began to use this exclusively for my vocal recordings. I found that the sound of this mic was a lot more clear than my Shure and it made the higher frequencies really stand out (something that I was missing before).

Now that I have more experience with mics and recording I would probably use this mic more for recording acoustics (like a guitar)as opposed to vocals. However, if I want to add a very "airy" sound to my recordings I will use this mic again. A great application would be to record background harmonizing vocals.

I am glad that I purchased this mic and sat on it until I felt I was ready to try it again. Once I had more knowledge of my equipment and more recording experience I appreciated the quality that this mic added to my recordings. Since bringing this mic out again I have purchased a second MXL 990 so that I can play around more with stereo recordings and different mic placements.

This mic is made by Marshall electronics who are also famous for their legendary Mogami cables. They made this mic VERY affordable at a price that ANYONE can afford. I think that this mic is DEFINITELY worth its price and can add a new character to your recordings that you may not have. Even if you have a more expensive condenser mic I think that at this price it is silly not to add one to your mic arsenal.


I have included Pros and Cons in this section since this site will not allow me to do so below since I have "too many words".

Pros:
-Bright, airy sound that brings out the higher frequencies in recordings.
-EXTREMELY AFFORDABLE!
- Comes with a shock mount, mic stand adaptor, and storage/carrying case.
-Made by a reputable company.
-Becoming a more and more popular mic that is being used.
-Compact with a vintage look to it.

Cons:
-Cannot be used unless you have 48V phantom power supply to power the mic.
-As with any mic, the user should be able to control input sensitivity because it is a condenser mic which makes it more sensitive.
-Since its sound is bright and airy, what is recorded should be tailored to that. It will not provide as much detail in lower frequencies.