MXL 990/991 Package

[davesol]

I recently purchased the MXL 990/991 package.

I find that anything I record with the 990 has a low hum in the background. I try the LCF on my Tapco Mix.120 and it still doesnt remove it.

Is there a reason the hum doesn't appear on the 991? I am wondering if large capsule microphones are more suseptable to poor power issues then small cap mics.

Any help is appreciated. Maybe I just have to RMA the package and go get something else...

 

[antichef]

I take it you're using the same cable, etc. to test the two?

I bought the package a while back, and neither one of them hummed (until I screwed them all up with my soldering iron). Sounds like maybe you could go for the RMA. I have no experience with their customer service, but I've never heard anything bad about it.

I should say, though, that if you fancy yourself an aspiring mic modder, these two are nice to learn on -- at least I think so. They don't sound too great to begin with, in my opinion (especially the 990), and you can make them sound better by swapping out some components. There's lots of info on the web about them. Worst case (my case ), if you screw them up, it's not a tremendous loss, and the skill acquisition is probably worth it. You may even be able to find and fix the hum yourself . Of course, doing this will absolutely void any warranty you might have, and soldering irons aren't appealing for everyone, admittedly.

 

[davesol]

Thanks! I will look into modding the mics. I have re-wired guitars and built various electronics kits, so it may not be too much of a stretch for me to mod these puppies.

I will work on fixing the hum first.

Thanks for the input!

 

[guitar junkie]

check your cables and make sure all channels are clean....

I would take your mixer and plug it into an outlet alone away from other gear you might have, put on headphones and start listening... You may have a bad channel or a loose wire or grounding problems. I am sure somewhere there are some tips on how to deal with self noise.

I have both mics and neither of mine make a whole lot of noise, though all mics will make some on noisy preamps.

 

[davesol]

I dont think its the mixer or cables, as they are fine with other mics...just not the 990...I am thinking it may have gotten damaged in transit...what a bummer.

 

[hairylarry]

humming mics

Davesol,

It's almost certainly a grounding problem with the 990. If you just bought it new I would RMA it. They will probably exchange just the 990 rather than take a return on the whole package.

I left a message on another thread about trouble shooting grounding problems using a piece of wire. I have successfully fixed many grounding problems in new and used mics often without soldering and voiding the warranty. Still since it's new it should probably go back.

They've already got you doing their quality control for them. You shouldn't have to be their repair service too.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry