Mxl 990

[Kamboa]

Yooo my name is mitchell and i going to buy the MXL 990!


But.... there are 2 types the MXL 990 + Mixer and the MXL 990 USB


I dont know what is best i am thinking the MXL 990 + Mixer but i dont know what mixer i should buy and why would i need a mixer xD

Btw is the MXL 990 good for rapping?

Help me out here please

 

[antichef]

Welcome, Mitchell! The best thing you could do would be to read the sticky threads (long as they are) in this forum, if you haven't already. It takes some time to get through, but it's "quality time" -- if you're like me, after reading those, you'll have the answers to a bunch of questions and a bunch of new questions that wouldn't even have occurred to you before. I almost stopped reading a few times, just because the threads are so long, and there are so many "right on" and "me too" kind of posts (like the ones I tend to make ), but eventually made it through (hint: pay attention to the posts by "Harvey Gerst").

(P.S. I'm not a big fan of the 990. I don't know the first thing about rap/hip hop, but I don't imagine it would be a good choice. In general, also, if you think you'll be doing a lot of recording, you probably want to avoid USB mics, since they tend to limit you to recording one track at a time, and prevent you from introducing nice components into your signal chain. To get good answers, folks will need some more info, like what the rest of your set up is, what your vocal style is, etc.)

 

[Marcadiablo]

To tell you the truth, I bought the 990 about a year ago and haven't used it for anything. I always find a better mic for the task.

 

[davesol]

For what it's worth, I get an awful low frequency hum. It's almost like a bad pcb or loose ground, I checked the connections on the jack but they look fine...

You get what you pay for I guess. I think I will try the mods they have out for it with a new capsule, incase it's just gotten banged around in transit.

 

[antichef]

For what it's worth, I get an awful low frequency hum. It's almost like a bad pcb or loose ground, I checked the connections on the jack but they look fine...

If the headbasket isn't making an electrical connection to the body of the mic, it can result in a lot of hum (unless you're in an EM free zone, which is rare)

 

[davesol]

Hmm, I will look into that....It does have a rubber gasket between the basket and body...

 

[hairylarry]

usb vs mixer vs omni studio

Mitchell,

My answer is neither. It has already been mentioned that the USB mic limits you to recording one track at a time. So I recommend a regular mic that works with standard cables.

There is nothing wrong with using a mixer when recording. It's just that the cheap mixers don't have very good preamps and won't make your mic sound as good as it can. I use the M-Audio DMP-2 preamp which has now been replaced by the DMP-3.

This is still not a complete solution because somehow you have to get the preamp output into your computer and most computer soundcards which are built into a chip on the motherboard are not very good. So you need an interface.

M-Audio made an interface and preamp combination called the Omni Studio. This has good preamps and a good interface. Best of all it can be found used for around $100. They have both PCI and USB versions. I don't know which is better. Maybe someone else can help with that.

So do what the guy recommended and take a few days to read through the sticky threads. Then buy a regular studio mic not a USB. Look the MXL 990 is probably ok. Or after reading the threads you might choose another one. Try to get a used Omni Studio at a price you can afford. Just be sure it's in working condition or you can return it. Then you are not only set up to record your vocals but you have the ability to do more as you learn more about recording.

As far as a mic being good for rapping any vocal mic is good for rapping. Also any broadcast mic is good for rapping. Be sure you use a windscreen especially if you are using a condenser mic like the 990.

For the fellow having hum problems with his 990 take a piece of wire and ground the headbasket to the body of the mic. You probably want to find an unpainted surface to ground to like the threads where it screws together. If that makes the hum go away you have found your problem and you can look for a better permanent way to make sure you stay grounded.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry