Mxl Studio Condenser 2003

T

thasoprano

New member
any of you guys have this?

i use it.....

this is my first condenser so to me its good because i never recorded with one...but is there better?

and if so whats wrong with this one?
 
The 2003 is a fair mic! I'd say of all the Marshall products, it in the upper 1/3. It is fairly flat in its frequency response, but as with all inexpensive mics, there are flaws. The first flaw with this is the selection of capacitors used. Primarily the one closest to the capsule. This causes the upper end to be a little brittle and grainy. Although of all the Marshalls, this one suffers among the least of this. There are a few other issues with this mic, but for a starting mic, it's pretty good!

Are there better? ...Uh..Yeah!!

Neumann
Microtech Geffell
Telefunken
AKG
Sony
Brauner

Too many to list.
 
GREAT INFO ! but et me tell u wat i use it for and u tell me if its good for what im doin

i rap, so its only vocals, nothin else

i dont have much dough, so consider the price ranges of mic

think its good for me?
 
On a budget, I think it's a very good starting mic. You should be able to get some decent results from it. It will really depend also on your preamp and the rest of your recording chain. I've heard bad results from the 2003, but I did a few country demos for a singer that came out really good! My wife sounds excellent on that mic.

Make sure you have a good preamp, decent cables and a good sound card.

The nice feature of that mic is the -10db pad. If you are a loud rapper and get up on the mic, it's good to have that pad. It means you won't overload the premap. It'll get you through until you think you need better. For now, I think it's a good pick.

Oh, get a pop filter!
 
The MXL 2003 is a pretty good starting mic, but I would check out the CAD M177. It has more of a flat response and doesn't suffer from a brittle or harsh high end. I have 2 cad m37(the same mic as the M177 just with a smaller capsule) and I have used them alot for rap vocals. I would place the Cad in about the same class as the Shure KSM27 and maybe even the AT4040. And it costs about half the price of both.
 
Be sure to audition as many as you can. A few years ago I mail-ordered an MXL 2003 and and Oktava Mk-319 from the States. (There are no stores here in Japan that let you audition mics, and prices are sometimes steep regardless.) The MXL 2003 I was sent sounds weak and thin compared to the Oktava, which is in no way a high-end microphone. The high end is also pretty harsh. I've gotten more mics since then, and I occasionally break out the MXL 2003 to compare to them to see if it sounds any better to me now. So far, it sounds as bad as ever.

Maybe I got a defective one, but my point is that, if at all possible, you'll want to audition a few so you get the best one for your money. (I'm not saying it's a bad mic, but there're always a few bad apples in every bunch.) Maybe, instead of settling for one make/model, you might want to choose a price range and audition a few mic brands and then let your ears be your guide. Good luck, and happy hunting. :)
 
I own a pair of 2003s (actually the V93M). I use them for voiceover work but what they seem best at is as an ORTF for recording ensembles. They tend to shine at that. For the price I am quite satisfied with them. Having some experience with them I would not consider them a great vocal mic though. I like the say my voice sounds on an SM7 or possibly even a SM58 with a good back end.
 
Well. it's been a while. Flatpicker was one who had the original info. I will just copy what his original advice was.

Flatpicker said:
Mouser is the only place to get polystyrene caps so you may as well get the rest of them there too:
One 1uF CDE Polyester cap
One 1000pF polystyrene
Two .33uF Xicon’s (mine are 250V)

Replace C9 with the 1uF

Replace C10 with the 1000pF

Replace C8 and the unmarked cap across from it with the .33uFs. These are large and you have to remove the board and put them on the bottom. Mount them so they can be folded down beside each other to fit between the boards. I used these because a friend gave them to me to try, but I plan to try some with lower voltage ratings and larger values in hopes of more low end (not that I need more lows, but hey, it's fun to experiment!).

Be sure and record before and after clips, same source, distance, etc…
Click to expand...

On my own I discovered that 100v or even 50v polyester or film caps work pretty well for the .33uF. 250v is pretty excessive when phantom power is only 48v.

.56uF opens up the bass more.
 
Thanks PhilGood

I really, really like the sound of this mic, but the "brittle and grainy" comment definitely rang a bell.. I guess some experimentation is in order.

Thanks for the tips.

And to Flatpicker for the original post.


.
 
Go, my son! Solder well!! Learn and produce great rappings! Thou shalt be happy for the education!
 
I have a 2003 and do some mods sugest by flatpicker.When change C8 cap
(with .56uF), the sound of my mic "open"; now I have more low end,a better proximity effect and a better sound of acoustic guitar and voice (now,on vocal, my mic sounds more like a v67).

(sorry for my poor english, i,m brazilian musician)

Ciro
 
the highs are a little harsh but you really wont notice to much lows are nice, i often find myself using one of my 2003s as a kick drums mic as well as for vocals and and acoustic guitars
 
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