MXL 990 and beyond

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Phuturistic

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The only condenser microphone I've ever purchased is an MXL 990 to record vocals. All my instrumentation is done through MIDI synths and sampling, so I've never really had the need for a large assortment of quality microphones. I recently recorded some vox for a hip hop song using the MXL, and while I know this mic is only 60 bucks, I was really quite suprised how well I was able to get the vocals to sound. But this was after I spent some time layering the vocals across a few tracks and spending a few hours crafting the EQ on them with a UAD-1 EX1 plug in (the EQ/comp portion of the CS-1 channel strip). I also felt my performance was pretty solid, as I did over 23 takes of the same verse and layered only the very best ones.

I know this sounds like some kind of rant, but I guess my point is that I felt that if I could get solid results with a MXL 990, using good technique and a good EQ/comp, then I wondered how much better I could get it to sound with a mid-priced (maybe 400 to 600 bucks) mic. To be able to get results like I did with such a cheap mic gives me much optimism for what I could do with something much nicer. Anyway, just food for thought. Thanks for reading.
 
For vocals, you won't have to step very far to upgrade from a 990. If you're making good tracks with it, you'll surely do well with a better mic.
 
i just picked up a pair used for $70. i thought what the hell i could try them for overheads. I ended up using them as overheads as well as guitar cab mics. they compliment a 57 style dynamic pretty well on a rocking cab.
 
If the 990 is doing it for you, then there's probably something about it's frequency response that flatters your voice, or something about it fits in with the rest of your gear or works well in the context of your mixes, etc.

There's no guarantee that a more expensive mic is going to sound better with what you're doing, and in the context of how you're doing it. There's a bigger picture to it all, and sometimes, depending on the situation, even the most oddball or unlikeliest of mics can sound like magic.

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surfmaster said:
i just picked up a pair used for $70. i thought what the hell i could try them for overheads. I ended up using them as overheads as well as guitar cab mics. they compliment a 57 style dynamic pretty well on a rocking cab.
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I like the sound of a 990 on a clean or dirty/clean guitar cab.
 
The only thing I would've liked to see is my vocals cutting through the mix a little more. I felt like I had to make up for this on the MXL by boosting several db's around 6.5 khz (I cut out everything below 188 hz and dipped some around 400, and made a few other adjustments that brought the vocal up front a little better). That brought a lot more presence to my voice, but I would've preferred more presence at the tracking stage. It seemed like the 990 blended in too much with the mix before I eq'd it.
 
Phuturistic said:
The only thing I would've liked to see is my vocals cutting through the mix a little more. I felt like I had to make up for this on the MXL by boosting several db's around 6.5 khz (I cut out everything below 188 hz and dipped some around 400, and made a few other adjustments that brought the vocal up front a little better). That brought a lot more presence to my voice, but I would've preferred more presence at the tracking stage. It seemed like the 990 blended in too much with the mix before I eq'd it.
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I had the same experience with vocals not sounding forward enough when using the 990, like the mids were scooped.
 
Phuturistic said:
I felt like I had to make up for this on the MXL by boosting several db's around 6.5 khz (I cut out everything below 188 hz and dipped some around 400, and made a few other adjustments that brought the vocal up front a little better). That brought a lot more presence to my voice, but I would've preferred more presence at the tracking stage.
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If you find yourself boosting in the 6khz range, and you want something more forward-sounding in the mids, then my first thought would be to have a look at a Shure condenser. Namely the ksm27 or ksm44. Aside from being excellent mics, you'll notice that they have a more aggressive sound to them, with a natural bump in the 6khz region that helps with clarity and anunciation.

Might be something for you to look at.

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I have a MXL 2003 (I know it´s not a great mic) and comparing my last vocal recordings with it and old ones I did with a JTS (copy of Shure beta 58)with (the same) male singer, I can say the recordings with the dinamic, altough not wonderfull when listened alone, sits better on the mix.
I´m tired of cheap condenser´s annoying high frequencies.
 
CIRO said:
I´m tired of cheap condenser´s annoying high frequencies.
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Aren't we all. :D

It sure sounded sweet as hell the first time around though didn't it? I've been using dynamic mics for vocals.
 
Cool, thanks for the responses guys. Chessrock, I'll take a look at those Shure mics, as I feel that a little more presence in the area that I was struggling with might give me the just the right frequency response I'm looking for, before any post-tracking adjustments are made. I'm confident in my recording chain as far as the pre-amp, A/D conversion, and anything happening beyond the mic, so I'll know if a new mic is truly beneficial to my expectations once I try it and use it a few times.
 
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