MXL 2003: The right mic to buy below $200 ?

[betaphase]

Need a sub $200 microphone to record mainly voice, and some acoustic guitar (possibly some electric as well). Looking at the Marshall MXL 2003 which I've seen all over the place for about $150 with shock mount. (Would have bought the V93M but those are all gone) Read lot's of posts and reviews on it, and heard it at thelisteningsessions.com. It seems to be a great deal and pretty solid mic.

Does anyone have any comments on this, or suggestions on other mics worth looking at?

 

[acorec]

Need a sub $200 microphone to record mainly voice, and some acoustic guitar (possibly some electric as well). Looking at the Marshall MXL 2003 which I've seen all over the place for about $150 with shock mount. (Would have bought the V93M but those are all gone) Read lot's of posts and reviews on it, and heard it at thelisteningsessions.com. It seems to be a great deal and pretty solid mic.

Does anyone have any comments on this, or suggestions on other mics worth looking at?

Although I have no Studio Projects mics, I think it would be a good idea to search and read about them. They seem to get rave reviews and might be the best bargain. The only cheap mics I have experience with is the Oktava MK-319 and tha ML-52.
The ML-52 is a ribbon mic and sounds really good with voice and guitars. However, it needs a very good pre-amp with alot of clean gain to shine. The 319 is good on some vocals and elec guitars. The 319 is rather dark sounding and works great with bright sources.

Good Luck in your search.

 

[jeffree]

Beta, use the *search* function. You'll find loads of discussion on budget mics. I just picked up a couple of Studio Project B1s (for acoustic guitars) after reading tons of reviews here and in various mags on low-cost mics. You'll find much agreement and disagreement on what's *the best* for different uses. The Sp B1s just seemed to be pretty strong contenders despite their ridiculously low price. The MXL also received some good nods, but there's a lot to think about when choosing.

Good luck,
J.

 

[betaphase]

ok then ...

can anyone please comment on a comparison between the B1 and the MXL 2003?

 

[ds21]

Don't know if you saw my post a couple day ago, but I just pick up the "Studio Projects C1" at "Full Compass" on monday for $179.06 . At the time they only had 9 left in stock.

http://www.fullcompass.com/

 

[chessrock]

In that particular price range, I'd opt for the B1, but that's based mostly on personal preference, mind you.


I owned the v93 / 2003 for a while, and although I liked it on certain things and for certain purposes, it's not as useful or utilitarian as I would like. For starters, that frequency response curve they publish is way off. My guess is there must be at least a good 4-5 dbs worth of treble boost somewhere in that thing.

It is what it is, though ; a bright mic. On the plus side, it's not exactly bright as in brittle or harsh, like some of it's other budget Chinese and/or Shanghai cousins and siblings. And nothing like the original Rode NT1 or AKG C3000. So I did find it useful in some instances; particularly on dull-sounding instruments and/or voices; like old, crappy guitars or voices who mumbled or didn't annunciate well.

But what really cuts down on it's usefulness is the way it layers. You really can't expect to get a worthwhile recording after layering more than one track using it. Not unless you want your recording to scream "home studio," that is. It has this way of accumulating this yucky high-end stuff, and after repeated listens, you kinda' say to yourself, ears sore and fatigued, "Where the heck is that coming from?"

B1's a different story. It's got a lot of uses, and it does it's job respectfully and without a lot of color or fanfare.

 

[tdukex]

In that price range I'd be looking at the B-3 multipattern for $159. Lot of versatility for not a lot of money. And it's supposed to sound pretty darn good too.

 

[malcolm123]

In that price range I'd be looking at the B-3 multipattern for $159. Lot of versatility for not a lot of money. And it's supposed to sound pretty darn good too.

Yeah, I agree ,,, if thats the price range.

or you could save some bucks and just get a MXL V67g.

I prefer it over my B1 for that price range.


Malcolm

 

[jeffree]

For what it's worth, a recent review in EQ (or was it Electronic Musician?) prefered the sound of the SP B1 to its slightly more expensive multi-patterned B3. The reviewer seemed surprised that the B3 did not offer the "same, plus more" as the B1, instead being a slightly different animal altogether.

J.

 

[Leeking]

Don't know if you saw my post a couple day ago, but I just pick up the "Studio Projects C1" at "Full Compass" on monday for $179.06 . At the time they only had 9 left in stock.

http://www.fullcompass.com/

Ditto on the C1. I've been recording some vocals with the mic on males and females for the past 2 weeks and they all just sounds sweet!

(yeah! that's the C1 in my avatar...)

 

[Innovations]

Too bad if they have finally run out on the 93M, at MF. That was a deal while it lasted.

Now, as to the mic itself (I have a pair of V93Ms) I find them detailed and have a broad frequency rescpnse, picking up a lot of the bass in my voice, but overall in their coloration on the 'bright' side. The street price of the 2003 puts it less than the C1 and more than the B1. That may also be an accurate assessment of its value, but I might be tempted to get the B1 or V67G for a few bucks less.

 

[ozraves]

I really like the Audio-Technica AT3035 in this price range as a vocal mic. It's also good on guitar amps.

The Studio Projects B1 is a good mic for amps and acoustic instruments.

I think the B3 is OK but not as good as the B1 in my opinion. The C1 is good vocal mic for a lot of male vocals.

I think a better mic than any of the above for general use is the Audio-Technica AT4040. It's usually $299 but I've seen it a couple times for $249 so you might try Full Compass and see if they'd sell it to you for that price.

YMMV.

Steve
www.mojopie.com

 

[betaphase]

Leaning toward the B1, but what about the C1?

Hi everyone, thanks a lot for all the replies. Looks like the consensus is that the 2003 is the brighter mic but the B1 might be a better all-round mic, nonetheless. When I listened to them at the listening sessions I got the impression that the frequency response was better on the 2003, but I guess that's just because it's brighter. It's more expensive, but it does seem like a better mic. Maybe some of you guys are right though, maybe it's too bright. Would you say that, that is a fair assessment of the situation? If so, then I'm really leaning toward the B1. Can get it for about $100 even with the shock mount.

One thing though, I was listening to the C1 on that same site, and it really impressed me. It seems to blow these 2 out of the water, with much fuller lows and mids, and seems to be able to be about as bright as the MXL 2003. It is a little more expensive at $200, though it comes with case and shockmount. Any comments on that?

 

[malcolm123]

V67g

 

[betaphase]

the v67 is good too

from what I've heard it seems like the v67 is pretty similar to the B1 as far as qualitiy is concerned. I think it becomes just a matter of preference as they don't actually sound exactly the same. in this case I lean toward the B1 cuz it's cheaper.

 

[malcolm123]

Re: the v67 is good too

from what I've heard it seems like the v67 is pretty similar to the B1 as far as qualitiy is concerned. I think it becomes just a matter of preference as they don't actually sound exactly the same. in this case I lean toward the B1 cuz it's cheaper.

Ok,

I have both myself. I leaned towards the V67g based on your original post. Acoustic Guitar?

They both are good for the money

Malcolm

 

[ozraves]

Seriously, does anyone have a song with a lead vocal tracked through a B1 that they'd post? Or, a song with acoustic guitar through a C1 that they'd post?