Mic Comparisons: Bonnell Modded MXL 603s v. AKG 170 Unmodded v. MXL R40 Joly Mod

G

Guitar Hack

New member
I have done a comparison of these three mics. The Bonnell Mic is at the beginning. I just got the pair today. I compared them to the AKG Perception 170 pair and then I am throwing in the Joly Ribbon Mic which he modifed the MXL R40. The only production done on these mics is I normalized them so they would be near the same loudness especially since the Joly R40 has only one mic and ribbon mics often could use some amplification.

I know everyone is different and the comparisons between the condenser pencil mics and the Ribbon mic are not really fair as you are comparing apples and oranges in some respects.

My personal preference was as follows:

1. Bonnell Mic as it more balanced and present

2. Joly R40 it was very good but I preferred the condenser mic on the guitar. The Joly R40 is a killer vocal mic at least on my voice.

3. The AKG Perception 170 was a poor third in my opinion. The high end was a bit harsh and it was less present than the other two.

Now you take a listen and let us know what you think. This is all preference so there are no wrong answers.

View attachment Mic Test.mp3

This is not a fair comparison between the work of Joly and Bonnell. I am getting a LDC mic done by Mr. Joly so may include that at a later time.
 
Recieved Joly modded MXL V63M

I received my Joly Modified MXL V63M which is an amazing mic. I did some recording with it and wanted to give you an opportunity to hear how good it is. I re-recorded a song I wrote called "Truth is a Lady" and the results are nothing short of amazing compared to what it did sound like. The background. I recorded this on Audacity several years ago and it was a bit tinny and not so great.

My set up:
Joly Modified MXL V63m on the guitar at the bridge;
Bonnell Modified MXL 603S on the guitar at the 12th fret;
Joly Modified MXL V63M on the vocal.
Computer Interface Tascam US-144MKII
DAW: Mixcraft 6
I used pitch correction on all tracks except the chorus. I used some compression on the vocal with Mixcraft 6, factory setting. This was mixed down to an MP3 file 192 kbs.
No other production settings have been used.

If you want to see what these mics can do then take a listen:

View attachment Truth is a Lady.mp3

No Heckling please! :-)
 

Attachments

  • Truth is a Lady.mp3
    4.7 MB · Views: 15
Last edited:
Sounds smooth man. Glad you're enjoying it.

You didn't ask, but the percussion is really distracting. Hate to sound critical, but it's very hard to follow.
 
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