Regarding the MXL mics, these days, I'm tending towards a "you get what you pay for" attitude towards mics. I've found some gems among the mid-priced Chinese LDCs (e.g. some of CAD's offerings), but the Chinese SDCs under a hundred bucks are pretty universally crap, IMHO.
Frankly, having tried a lot of cheap mics over the years, the only SDCs under a hundred dollars that I would buy again are the Naiant mics. That said, the Naiant mics wouldn't be my first choice for overheads since they are all omni (except for the now-discontinued MSH-1K, but those were seriously unsuitable for overheads because their frequency response was tailored for use as a kick/tom mic).
My advice? If you want to keep the cost as low as possible while still getting mics that actually sound good, see if you can find a couple of used Oktava MK-012 mics. If you aren't extremely rushed, you can generally get them for about a hundred bucks each:
http://www.musicgoround.com/gear/inventorydetails.asp?id=550126
http://cgi.ebay.com/OKTAVA-MK-012-0...ryZ41466QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Be sure to make sure they're real Russian MK-012s and not the Chinese knock-offs that Guitar Center was selling for a little while. Both of the above links appear to be real ones.
Cost-wise, you'll hurt a little in the short term, but in the long run, if you ever get the chance to experience any of the Chinese SDCs (maybe if some friend of yours buys a pair without knowing any better), you'll thank me profusely for saving you from years of wondering why your drum recordings have barely audible toms and no real stereo separation.
) What do you guys think? Maybe that 990mxl pack?
