MXL 990 Condenser Microphone Review / Test
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- čas přidán 3. 02. 2019
- Today I review the MXL 990 condenser mic! This microphone as well as it’s associate, the MXL 770, is talked about a lot as a great budget option for a good sounding condenser microphone. I talk about the specifics of this mic and I take it through some standard test! Listen to the audio and see if this mic is right for you!
NOTE: The midnight black version is now $70 on Amazon, I assume it will jump back up in price, so now is a good time to get it, if you want that color!
If you decide to buy this microphone, I would truly appreciate if you use my affiliate link (below). I do not have microphone sponsorships, I purchase all of them myself, so using my affiliate link will help me continue to grow my channel and it wont cost you anything extra! Thank you!
(Affiliate Link Below)
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THERE SHE IS.....the MXL 990...great review as always bro...finally someone who understands what viewers need to hear...breaking down the dB and dB A......reviews that make sense
You have been wanting a review for this one! Haha I remember you talking about it a little while back! Glad you like it! Thanks!
@@AudioHotline that and the you-know-which-other Mic...I'm also looking out for that one....
Someone gave me this mic and I haven't used it yet!! didn't know it was this good till this review! Thank you!
Keep up the good work!
Hands down THE best audio gear reviewer !
Entertaining Informative and Honest.
SUBBED
Thanks for the thorough review!
Glad to see your channel growing man you definitely deserve it fam
I just got one a while back and just shelved it , it was bought at a sale, but I ran across this review and started using it. Thanks for the info bro!!💯🤘
I have a very deep voice and using this mic helps balance out my tone. it's total overkill for Skype calls but people always comment how clear I sound 😂
First time check out the channel and thanks for reviewing the mic. I'm definitely going to purchase this mic.
hey man thanks for a a honest review i am seeing this on sale for $49
2:18 Great explanation about the difference between dB and dB-A. Very clear indeed!
Thanks man!
Loved the explanation. Look at you. 300+ subscribers. Congratulations!
Thank you! I am glad you liked it! I know, I am stoked about it! 😃
So which is more important... dB or dBa for listeners?
Thanks for the review! Saludos desde México ✌🏻
Great review...and yea mic does sound great. The small thin 991 condenser is all sold alongside it is great on acoustic guitars. My pair cost £50 with case...un beatable. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Very thorough review. I appreciate all the aspects that were covered. However, I have to disagree with your plosive test. I've been narrating audiobooks for two years now, and plosives are a big deal. If someone is listening to your performance (be it youtube broadcast, podcast, or audiobook) through headphones or in their car, those plosives are very noticeable; with or without the pop filter. What I recommend is that you turn your face away from the mic instead of facing it straight on. A rule of thumb I use is maintaining a 6-8 inch distance away from my mic, and having it 4-5 inches higher than where my mouth is pointing. That way my mic picks up all of the sounds without the popping of the P's, B's, T's, and D's.
I’ve been wondering for a while how this microphone compares to MXL’s 550. I already have seen it compared to the 770, but the thing is, the 990 and 550 are both available as a microphone duo with a secondary instrument microphone, and I wanna determine which I should go with. You should review the 550 and compare the two!
I bought this set (990 + 991) to replace my Blue Yeti. I hate the Yeti, it gets all kinds of interference and noise when I move my hands. It just sucks. This has been so much better, and since I am female I'm not worried about the bass drop off, it's not a problem for me. Plus as an XLR it gives me more room to grow with my productions. But when I sold the Yeti, I kept the shockmount to use with the MXL. It works great.
Plan buying a condenser mic for my song cover/ukelele (an untreated room). Watched your reviews of Samson C01, MXL 770 and MXL 990. Still can't decide which one is much better. What do you reccommend for me? Thanks in advance
Beautiful mic, hoping to get this one once I save enough money for it.
Legend effort cuz, im new mic specz & really enjoyed ya video. watching from new zealand love music creating.
Great Review but can you please tell me how good the Shockmount is, that is in the Package
im comfused getting this 990 over at2035 and rode nt1a, which should i choose?
Dear Sir,
May I use my MXL 990 micorphone for recording a Dholak (an Indian beating instrument)?
I have already an MXL 990. Should I necessarily buy an XML 991 for recording the instrument?
Please suggest me.
Damn watching the video I thought you had like 300k subs ! Great review I’m gonna buy this thang
Hey thank you! I appreciate it. It is a nice mic for a good price!
he definitely deservies it, his quality is great but he could work on his audio quality ... lol im just kidding ;) great stuff for sure!
With a few mods and a new capsule this mic can sound so much better. The downside of modding one of these though is that there are so many really good mics for the $300-400 that you spend on the mods you have to wonder if it’s worth it? I still like the mic though. I have had one in my mic locker for over 15 years. 😉
which is better between mxl 770 and mxl 990 ???
Just bought this mic just said a couple of things into it and played it back and it sounds exactly like me very natural sounding I can't really tell the difference between my voice and what it records
Ask my brother if the recording sounded just like how it does when Im talking and it's pretty much spot on
I opened it up looked at the board and man it is crispy inside extremely clean looking hardware inside this mic
Looks very well made
Honestly sounds better than my AKG p420 and that's like a $200 to $250 Mic
It's amazing how much quality you can get for your money nowadays on Mics you don't need $1,000 mic 2 get some really good recordings
I'm very impressed
I have this mic and I get tons of white noise…I have to wonder how you are so clear when you don’t appear to be in an acoustically treated room. Wish I could get mine to sound like this…can’t figure out what’s wrong.
I've had the set of this and the 991 for years and think it's great for the price, especially the pair. However one major probably that's always bugged me is that the screw mount doesn't fit any mic stand. the threads are about a millimeter too wide and it just plops on; can't securely screw down. So it kind of just sits there but is in no way secure. At this point I can't remember if it was always like that or if the threads just got stripped really easily early on. Anyone else had that issue?
I have actually had other MXL mount threads strip on me VERY easily. I believe it was the 550 mount. I have also had some other difficulties with getting MXL mounts on a mic stand that works well with everything other than MXL mounts, so it seems like it is a real problem.
How does this mic compare to the blue ember?
I have a deep voice, on my current microphone I have to bump highs all the time, otherwise some of my words sound like a bass line through my speakers or headphones. Having built in highs sounds really good to me.
Thanks man! What's the diaphragm size? I have a medium and small and was wanting to get this if it's a large. Thank you.
It is 0.78" (20mm)… it’s not a true 1 inch large diaphragm. I really like the 512 Skylight and it has a 34mm capsule. You can find those used for a little over $100 online. The app / site “Reverb” is incredible for used audio gear!
spoon yo mic man u got sum gd lines bro keep it up!!!
Lots of plosives. Is that inherent with the MXL 990?
Hey brother which interface use for this Vedio ?
Want kind of boom arm do you have???
is it legit for flute recording ?
Is this mic nice for rap vocals
Do u think it’s good for making music?
Hey bro how are you?Im about to buy the mxl 770,which microphone you recommend me the mxl 770 or the mxl 990??
The 770 and 990 are the same microphone, capsule, transformer, etc. The 900 series are exclusive to Guitar Center so the color is the only real difference between the two mics.
@@marike1100 thanks bro
😂😂😂😂😂😂 funny help full thanks man💪🏾
Awesome
you look crazy bro for real - great review but crazy boy
Can you record with this on the iPhone? With an irig?
Yes, it just requires phantom power which the iRig pre can provide
Hi! My MXL 990 make background noise so strong, why? Someone knows??
You could have a lot of room noise (a fan on or AC) or you could be turning your preamp up to loud also. It is rare that I have to turn a condenser past 60% unless I am using it at a distance. You should be going for -12db gain when recording, you can use the VU meter in your DAW to see where you are hitting. What gain do you have your preamp set to on your interface?
@@AudioHotline Oh! I turn off all the appliances in my house. I use the preamp signal in 50%
Is this good for autotune??
Plz plz plz suggest me,which microphone is best under 280$
Definitely depends on what you will be using it for! Since you were watching a condenser mic video, I will say I do love the RØDE NT1, one of my favorite mics, especially for $269.
@@AudioHotline thank you for suggestions..i need a good mic for vocal recording.. which mic is best for vocal
For vocals at that price, I would stick with the RØDE NT1 for sure. It is relatively flat, but still sounds way good out of the box. The RØDE NT1a is also good, I don’t like it as much as the NT1, but some people like how boosted it is in the high frequencies.
@@AudioHotline thanks for suggestions
which kinda anti pop is that?
what is the name of that
Stedman ps101
A pickled what??
Why you,....off with your head! Yeah, that one too! LOL
Ok i knew i wasnt geekin😂
do you need to use it in a treated room
ofc
S/N ratio of 80 dBA and self noise of 20 dBA? Somebody should teach MXL how that works. It'll be 74 dBA like the V67G. S/N + self noise always equals 94 if you're using the A-weighted scale.
I don’t get that either. Also, the polar pattern is drawn like a super cardioid.
Which do you prefer...990 or v67?
The Back Row Fantasy Show hmmm that is a tough one because they are soooo similar. Their freq responses are even pretty similar, the 990 has a little more of a spike in the highs that is more dramatic, but the V67G has it boosted just over a larger frequency area... I mean they both are pressure gradient condenser microphones with a 6 micron gold sputtered diaphragm, and all their specs are nearly identical aside from the signal to noise ratio being 74db on the V67G and 80db on the 990... all I am really getting at is that they are very similar and therefore you can get a similar result with both... I like the build of the 990 better, especially the grill. When it comes to sound I am a little split on it. I do love the fact that you can get an 87 mod for the V67G... but you can get a 47 mod for the 990 haha... AHHHH!... all mods aside, I think I would give a slight edge to the 990! What do you like better?
Yeah, they really are so similar that I completely understand why someone would pick either. If I were to get a mod in one, I would pick the V67G to get the 87 mod though. I am yet to try out a v63m, you’ll have to let me know what you think!
Wich is best? 990 or 770?
The sound (frequency response) are different on both of them. Side by side they sound somewhat different. The 770 has a more drastically boosted high end with a slight dip before it boosts, and the 990 is a little bit more gradual over a wider area. That’s really the biggest difference. I am going to be doing a comparison involving those two mics very soon!
IMO it comes down to which sound you like more.
That's a pathetic pop filter . Looks nice though.Thanks for doing such a thorough the review . I just bought an MXL 990 online - looking forward to working with it .
yes, it let's too much air to go trough. it needs a double layer thin material. A cat was destroying mine and I used a sock to replace it. :D
You must not know a lot about pop filters, this kind of pop filters are designed to redirect air out, not to block it. It's best for plosives, but it won't usually deal sith sibilances. It is not just a decoration, it has actual functionality.
The pair of MXL 990 +991 (pair) mics actually sound no different to my two Rode NT1 original + NT1 a usb and also SE 2200a MXL sounded as good generally. All mics I change in post, depending on what’s being recorded.
cool
frustrating, ive bought a mxl 990 mic, also the behringer umc22 interface. my computer is still not picking up my mic. all the videos are not showing me how to set up the mic to my computer. like is there a special software for the mic its self? these videos are all so vague and not helping with the technical side of the set up.
A mic review isn’t a setup video. This most certainly isn’t a review for the UMC22... I am not even using that to record this video. The microphones itself has no communication with your computer, it is all the interface. So it makes no sense to mention interface set up in a mic review... regardless of you taking your frustrations out in my comment section of a video that has nothing to do with your problem... I’ll still help you.
Bottom line, you need a DAW (digital audio workstation, basically: software to capture audio)
I don’t know what computer or OS you are using, but you can get audacity for free on windows, or you can use GarageBand on Mac.
You will need to go into your sound settings in your DAW and select the UMC22 as your input and output. It will be labeled as USB Audio Codec
On windows or Mac, for general use, like listening back to videos through the interface or having your mic default in programs:
Go to your sound settings in your OS and select “USB Audio Codec” as you input and output.
Here are some videos you can reference to use for setup:
czcams.com/video/j4-B_DUMOwY/video.html
If it is plugged in and isn’t showing up in your computer still, maybe try this:
czcams.com/video/xRmnDkS3Wzo/video.html
If my summary or these videos don’t help you, you will want to search for “Behringer UMC22 setup” or possibly “Behringer UMC22 connection issues”
@@AudioHotline I really appreciate your response. apologies on taking my frustrating out on your video. ive owned this mic for a year now and nothings been able to help. I know the mic works cause ive used it at a studio when i first got it but setting it up at home has been a challenge. I have the Asus Zenbook. i also got the interface behringer umc22. installed the interface. but programs like Trackton 7 and streamyard are not picking up the mic. i will look at your suggestions. technology can be extremely frustrating when i follow the step by step guide from other videos but still not solution,. also google and youtube keep suggesting reviews when I specifically asked for set up lol.
Maybe this video is the right direction then. Streaming software can be a little harder to get set up correctly compared to just a traditional DAW.
czcams.com/video/Vpd1k78frkY/video.html
Roll off 200Hz for voice
I have a 990 specifically for singing, I don’t have any complaints- especially since I got this mic for a killer deal.
I will say that it has a “thinner” sound because of the boosted high end, my solution is rolling off the high end in my DAW and bumping my desired frequencies.
so nobody’s gonna talk about what he fans himself with 🤣
👍
* TLM 103 ! * TLM 103 ! * TLM 103 !*
Best P test ever XD
pee nice (say nice as niss)
ahdio
Awesome!
Please check the recording results by using this amazing mic condenser :
czcams.com/video/XGQ7avucLIA/video.html
Stay healthy good people 😊
From Indonesia..
Glad to see your channel growing man you definitely deserve it fam