MXL 993 Condenser Mic

  • Thread starter Thread starter SolvoRock
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SolvoRock

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Im about to start recording at my house, and I wanted to get some pretty cheap mics that I could use for a bunch of different things, such as drum overhead and some other things. I was thinking of getting the MXL 993 Condenser Mic pair

I was just wondering how the quality of these mics were for how cheap they are. I have a very limited budget.
Thanks for your help
Tyler
 
Do a search and you'll find all kinds of discussion on these. They seem to have a pretty good reputation. I my self do not own any so I can't say more than that. I can say that I would not go for the kits with the 990 and 993. I have had the 990 and the build quality was good for the price, but the timbre of the mic was very boxy too me.


F.S.
 
Freudian Slip said:
Do a search and you'll find all kinds of discussion on these. They seem to have a pretty good reputation. I my self do not own any so I can't say more than that. I can say that I would not go for the kits with the 990 and 993. I have had the 990 and the build quality was good for the price, but the timbre of the mic was very boxy too me.


F.S.
Click to expand...

I figured I would get a 990 on its own because I wanted to have 2 of the 993's.
 
SolvoRock said:
I figured I would get a 990 on its own because I wanted to have 2 of the 993's.
Click to expand...

You may want to spend a bit more and get something besides the 990.
There are several options below the $100 mark. And you can do much better than a 990. You might consider steping up to $150 and getting a AT3035 and have something that you could use for years to come.

Just my opinion but I would use the 993 for what ever you want the 990 for (vocals) and save until you could buy a LDC with some good rep behind it.


F.S.
 
Mxl 603

How are the MXL 603's in comparison to the 993's?
 
Hopefully someone else will chime in for you.


F.S.
 
The MXL 993 Condensers should be fine for drum over-heads just make sure you set your
VU meters (or digital LEDs) to about 100%-102% on the input (Meter).You can push
the meters some without getting distortion on these Mics. Probably the best position
for your Condenser Mics (on a boom stand) is directly above your left or right shoulder
or about 1 feet above your head (while sitting at your drums). These mics will pick up
your entire Kit extremely well because they are so sensitive. For some reason if you don't
like the actual sound of your drum set (kit) using a Condenser mic then try positioning several
SM-57's above your shoulders on boom stands and put the Meter at 100%. You should get an
equal balance in terms of your entire drum kit, a natural built in perfect mix between Hi-Hat, Snare,
Tom Toms, Cymbols, Floor Tom(s)
 
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KJ09 said:
...just make sure you set your
VU meters (or digital LEDs) to about 100%-102% on the input (Meter).You can push the meters some without getting distortion on these Mics...
Click to expand...

I don't agree with this advice. With 24 bit digital recording (or even 16 bit recording) levels should be set 20dB below below full scale to allow for instantaneous transients. Look at the peak transient of a clave sometime - probably 24 dB above its RMS value. There is no reason to record at 100% when you've got a medium that has a theoretical 144 dB dynamic range (24 bit) or 96 dB dynamic range (16 bit).

Even 20 to 26 db below full scale youre still so far away from the noise floor you'll never hear it - and your transients won't be clipped as will happen with a setting of 100% or more.
 
MichaelJoly said:
I don't agree with this advice. With 24 bit digital recording (or even 16 bit recording) levels should be set 20dB below below full scale to allow for instantaneous transients. Look at the peak transient of a clave sometime - probably 24 dB above its RMS value. There is no reason to record at 100% when you've got a medium that has a theoretical 144 dB dynamic range (24 bit) or 96 dB dynamic range (16 bit).

Even 20 to 26 db below full scale youre still so far away from the noise floor you'll never hear it - and your transients won't be clipped as will happen with a setting of 100% or more.
Click to expand...

+1 That's pretty much what I've read in every book on the subject... ya gotta leave some room on top.
 
Oh, and the 993 uses the same capsule based on the KM 84 (close, but not exactly implemented) as the MXL 603 which drives a Schoeps-style output circuit. So these are very highly regarded entry level mics that have enormous upside potential with modification in the future.

BTW - K109 is some sort of troll who has done a search for "most popular threads" and has decided to tag his/her bogus information onto them.
 
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