MXL 990/991 Mic Package

[Freudian Slip]

I have one as well, and I think I've noticed what you're all saying. What exactly do you mean by "boxy" though? I'm sorry if I seem ignorant, I just don't know if I know exactly what you mean.

Likewise, I'd rather have a mic I don't have to EQ-fight, but it's all I have at the moment, so I deal.

No problem. It's a some what broad term. You cant say that a boxy sound comes only from 400 to 500hz
To me boxy generaly means the low mids are elivated above the high mids and highs, It doesn't mean that a mic captures to much low mids per say. Maybe it doesn't capture the Highs very well. On this mic I found it more productive to boost some highs than cut mids. I don't know why, but boosting some 4k to 15k was alot more effective than cutting from 250hz to 1500hz.

One reason having a mic that you have to dial in more hi end is that you bring all kinds of hiss and noise up in level at the same time if you really have to eq the heck out of it. The 990 is not so bad that it will cause you serious problems that way, but I found it difficult to work with.

Might be better on bright voices, horns, cybals ets.

Still wondering about? sing into a 12x12x12 box or put a big pickle jar in front of your face and talk. (no waite that's jarry).......

I'm sure you can get all kinds of oppinions on this one.

F.S.

 

[travelin travis]

to me, the 990 sounds kinda dull....wheres the brilliance? It just does'nt have a lively sound.......no matter how close or far away, or how you angle it, it pretty much sounds the same.....one dimensional. when mixed with other tracks, for me anyway, the vocal does'nt ever fit in the mix right.....it always sounds out of place. I tried some reccommended eq tips that did help a little, but I just can't get this mic to work for my voice. I tend to sing at low volume, with alot of air in my voice and I think it's really a combination of my voice and the mic....they just don't work together. anyone else have this problem with the 990?

 

[fierywater]

Yeah, I've pretty much had exactly the same problem. Though I've attributed it to my newbishness as much as the mic itself. I'll try comparing it with a few other mics when I get the chance, but it's the only one I have at the moment.

 

[Freudian Slip]

Yeah, I've pretty much had exactly the same problem. Though I've attributed it to my newbishness as much as the mic itself. I'll try comparing it with a few other mics when I get the chance, but it's the only one I have at the moment.

I've got a At-3035 and I like it alot $200.00 with shock mount. there are others in the $100.00 range. I would look at $200.00 for a good step up though.

Later

F.S.

 

[junplugged]

I wanted the AT-3035, I heard a really nice recording on it once.

I went for the 990/1 combo pack, but I didn't realize that the 990 looks like a LDC but it's the same element as the SDC 991/603s in a big can. So I didn't do the research, but the thing is, I couldn't get a 991/603s for any less anyway, so I look at it as getting a couple of additional mics thrown in, b/c I did want a 603s. So I have 2.

I this their way of getting rid of the 990's? I don't know, but I'll probably test them out on something again, eventually. In the meantime, I have the mics I want.

 

[tapestry]

The 990 is serviceable for vocals but I use both for micing an acoustic guitar. Pretty good for this purpose.

 

[shevsound]

I used a pair of 990s on a Jazz trio's drumkit as overheads running through a Soundcraft M12 desk straight to minidisc. Last week I got a call from the Trio leader wanting to book another recording. He said "you got the best drum sound we've ever had". Can't moan about them really cosidering they cost £75 each.

 

[junplugged]

I used a pair of 990s on a Jazz trio's drumkit as overheads running through a Soundcraft M12 desk straight to minidisc. Last week I got a call from the Trio leader wanting to book another recording. He said "you got the best drum sound we've ever had". Can't moan about them really cosidering they cost £75 each.

and what kind of space do you have for recording? did you try other mics too? what if you put up a couple of other mics at the same time to compare, if you have the inputs and spare tracks.... did you use the Soundcraft preamps? were they x/y'd or spaced apart? ...just wondering.

 

[guttapercha]

Don't do it

Your 57 beats the 990 hands down on both vocals and guitar. The 990 is harsh in the high end.

 

[shevsound]

and what kind of space do you have for recording? did you try other mics too? what if you put up a couple of other mics at the same time to compare, if you have the inputs and spare tracks.... did you use the Soundcraft preamps? were they x/y'd or spaced apart? ...just wondering.

Well the original recording was "live" in a horrible "cafe/foyer" area of a local theatre, hard surfaces everywhere. Yep it was the Soundcraft pre's and the mics were just spaced left and right (practically thrown up as the drummer was late turning up to the gig.) I was monitoring on some tiny Harmon Kardon PC speakers and recorded the mix straight to Minidisc - adding a little Reverb in Soundforge afterwards - so obviously there was some loss of quality recording straight to Minidisc and some more when A-D to the PC. I know this was a terrible setup - but I did as good a job as I could with the gear that I could afford. That was two years ago.

Funnliy enough today I'm just going through the mixes of the same trio (with a different drummer this time) that I recorded on location in the Pianist's lounge yesterday (carpeted, sofas and curtains closed. Musicians werent more that 3 metres from each other. I decided to use the MXL 990s again as the drum overheads and no lie - they sounded absolutly gorgeous - pure silk. None of this "harshness" that people comment on. I recorded to a Mackie SDR 24/96 in 24bit 44.1, through a Mackie 24-8 with the EQ bypassed. Im mixing and mastering the tracks in Pro Tools LE using JoeMeek EQ and Focusrite plugins.

So can't complain about the 990s really, they work great for me and the money I've saved can hopefully go to trying out a variety of mics for vocals like some tube mics from SE electronics, Groove Tubes and Rode.

 

[BRIEFCASEMANX]

They are not horrible. My friend has them and he's recorded drums with it, and as a room mic to record our band when we make a new song during practice.

 

[chessrock]

Funnliy enough today I'm just going through the mixes of the same trio (with a different drummer this time) that I recorded on location in the Pianist's lounge yesterday (carpeted, sofas and curtains closed. Musicians werent more that 3 metres from each other. I decided to use the MXL 990s again as the drum overheads and no lie - they sounded absolutly gorgeous - pure silk. None of this "harshness" that people comment on.

That's because they're not actually harsh. They're just "boosted" ... or "accentuated" in the high end.

There's a difference between a harsh mic and a bright one. The more recording experience you get under your belt, and the more accurate your monitoring ... the better you'll get at distinguishing the difference.

 

[luminosityband]

i love my 990 and 991.

awesome for voice and acoustic guitar, awesome.
they really do sound like mics that cost 10 times as much.

-alex

 

[eideland]

I know I'm kinda rehashing an old thread but I just a set of these two mics and was planing on using the 991 for Hi-hats and 990 possibly for a drum overhead mic. If not, I'll be using the 990 for group vocals, although I have MXL's V69 Mogami Edition that I'm currently using for Vocals.

Wanted to hear thoughts on the 990 for drum OH. Thoughts? Tried it?

 

[Freudian Slip]

I know I'm kinda rehashing an old thread but I just a set of these two mics and was planing on using the 991 for Hi-hats and 990 possibly for a drum overhead mic. If not, I'll be using the 990 for group vocals, although I have MXL's V69 Mogami Edition that I'm currently using for Vocals.

Wanted to hear thoughts on the 990 for drum OH. Thoughts? Tried it?

990 does a much better job as an overhead than on vocals. At least the one I got when they first came out did. Actually I had 2 and they where about the same sounding.

F.S.

 

[pezking]

At around £80 ($150) for the 990 in the UK I think it's a joke.

For $50 (what I paid last time I was in the states) I think it's a steal.

For anyone in the UK it's worth importing any mxl mics as they're ridiculously cheaper even after the import duty and shipping. For example I almost bought a V69 for $299 (£150). The same mic here is £329 (as I just saw in Turnkey).

My experience with it is that it was good for the money I paid. I use it on vocals mainly - sometimes on electric guitar, although I prefer a 57 for that. Not used it as an overhead yet, but might do.

I'm gonna sell mine when I get a new vocal mic. Looking to get a V77

 

[amra]

I have a 991 - it sounds good on acoustic guitar. That is pretty much all I use it for.

 

[junplugged]

update - i've seen a deal where you get a 990, a 991, and an audio buddy for $99

 

[eideland]

I tried the 991 as a Hi-Hat mic and the 990 as an OH mic. Didn't care for the 991 on hi-hats but love it for OH instead. Excellent OH mic.

Looking for some good suggestions for a good Hi-Hat mic, other than a sm57. Any idea's?

 

[junplugged]

using on the ride at the moment