MXL 990

Musician for 35 years.

Recording for about 5 years.

Recording to desktop PC and notebook, currently through Cakewalk Sonar SPS-25 USB box (which is really an Eridol UA-25).

For mixing, Audio-Technica ATHM40 headphones.

I bought a pair of these for occasional live recording. I just put them on a dual mike stand, angled at about 120 degrees. The issue of which mikes are "best" for this application is moot to me: Whatever they are, I didn't want to pay that much. So here's the deal: Pick any mike in this price range (or 2 or 3 or 4 times this price range) and search for reviews, and I guarantee you'll find as many negative reviews as you care to read. So, you have two choices: Crank your budget WAY up or take a stab at doing the best you can for the money. I decided on option 2, and after reading many reviews (and adding many grains of salt), I decided on the MXL 990s. I'm very happy with the results, considering that most of the places I use them have pretty crummy acoustics to start with. In fact, I have been told by several people that they were the best live recordings they had heard. So, FOR THE MONEY, these are great -- 'nuff said.

Been casually recording for a number of years, now getting the gear for myself and getting more serious. Just ditched the ol' 4-track for a nice firewire digital interface.

990 Condenser Mic used for acoustic guitar mainly, some vocals. Got this due to the price. Wish I had waited and saved a little more cash for something more durable. The mic stand had a little slip and the mic fell and hit the ground from about 2 feet up. Now it crackles like crazy and you can't open it up to try to fix it. It worked nice when it was babied, but no durability. Maybe I'm just used to my sm-57s and 58s... Either way, this mic sounds ok for what it is: a cheap entry level condenser mic.

making music for 8 years.

recording for 2 years. no schooling. just what works, works.

recording to digital multitrack on labtop. (qtr inch to usb)
with preamps and weird things that work for me.

i don't think listening equipment matters, but i usually preview on some pretty decent speakers, then plug my laptop into my car stereo for final changes, then rendering.

mxl 990.

do not order this mic through mail. be a jerk and make that guitar center employee hook this mic up for you. listen to it. spend an hour at guitar center. if it sucks, make him try a different of the same model. they have a little recording booth specifically for this. these mics are unoticebly damaged early in their lives. i have two of this mic and they both give me different sounds when used the same way. if you read what the company sends along with it, it can even be damaged by slight wind. so don't blow into it and break like i did on my first one. i guess i'll say it's a good mic. i like it's price to quality ratio. it's actually unbelievable when you buy the 1 out 4 that hasn't been screwed up in shipping.

Musician for 20 years, recording in home/project studio for 10 years. Record to Adat hard disk w/ Alesis monitors.

This is a condenser mic so if it is your first one you will probably be like, "wow this thing is awesome". After you get over the honeymoon and try more expensive condensers you will find that the 990 is just a cheap sounding condenser. It distorts very easily and has a huge proximity effect. I spent 3 times the amount on my CAD M177 and it sounds and preforms 10 times better than the 990. My 990 will go on Ebay for some other sucker.

* How long have you been making music?
1 month (just starting to get in this stuff)

* What kind of recording experience do you have?
home recording of vocal
* What are you recording to? (DAW, analog tape, cassette, ADAT, digital multitrack, etc.)
digital computer recording
* What is your primary listening equipment?
Senn HD-280

1) this is a condenser, some listed the thing as a large diaphranm condenser, it is not, it's at best a mid size (20mm), large are 25mm+ or ~ 1 in, like the CAD M177 that's 1.1 in.

2) I use this mic on a regular mic stand, with pop filter, i place it upside down because it looks cool, other than that, placing it right side up or upside down shouldn't matter much. It's going through M-audio buddy then into sound card.

3) the positive point is that it's got the clarity of a condenser, compare to the dynamic like SM58 or Senn E835 it's deffinity winning on the clarity and pickup, HOWEVER, this thing has got a huge huge bump on the high frequency, and it's brittle, can not EQ it out because it mud up the sound really bad, i don't know how to deal with it yet, this is probably good for stuff with lower frequency than vocal, female vocal is out of the question, it'll sound so harsh it's not even funny. But if you look at it, ALOT of people have this mic (30+ reviews), u see them alot on ebay too, it's a good starting mic to learn the rope, after a month or 2 it's best to buy a better mic.

Playing for 30 + years
New to low/moderate priced home studio recording, appx 3 year.
Have recorded using 4 track tape decks in the past.
Using a DAW, with Sonar 5 PE.
I listen through Berenger Monitors, M-Audio monitors, and a variety of other sources , including home surround systems, high end car system.

MXL 990 Condenser, labeled as a Large Diaphram ,but actually a 3/4 in small/med diaphram condenser.
Using to record Ovation acoustic at or near 12 fret slightly pointed towards sound hole (most often that is)
Considered and bought other mics also.
Works good on acoustic with good placement, as it is somewhat colored in the highs. This mic is for those who have an ear for it, if you like the sound it produces, you like the mic, I like the sound recorded with this mic on my acoustic in my space.
I recommend to all who record acoustic guitar, for the price it can add another weapon to you arsenal.....

I've been recording for about 5 years now and ive been playing for 7 (still in high school) yet i know recording. im recording with the 001 still.
this mic is prety basic, you'll have to tweak it during your recordings with each session and practically use what you have to balance this product out, but for what you pay its great, the problem with that statement is you arent paying much. For what its worth its the cheapest you can buy without buying complete trash. where i currently intern the set up is way easier but for what its worth he drove to the musicians friend distrubution center to get his deal. But if your starting out you'll learn a lot, and find out what your doing as you tweak around distrubution because it'll kick you hard unless you have an avalon mic pre or something.

-Styson Hunter

large diaphram condencer bought with 991 pencil condencer. I used it for vocals. Im concidering AKG C4000B. I choose it because i needed something cheap at the time. Obviously the reason why i bought it was because of the price, but the biggest problem is distortion. I would recommend it if you cant be flexible with you budget.

My experience is limited but I have an ear for good sound. I'm running it through a m-audio box with phantom power into garage band. More experienced friends and family members have been quite impressed when i tell them how I recorded my recordings and with what.

This is a Condenser Mic with a Cardioid pattern. Which means face the label towards what your trying to record. I thought this mic was omni directional when i bought it so that screwed up a few recordings. This mic is loud it has to be dialed down when recording or it distorts. That doesn't mean it's a bad mic in fact even though i sold mine to upgrade to a cad mic with selectable patterns I would not talk bad about this mic. For the price it is in fact quite amazing. If you are a first timer or you just need a condenser go ahead and buy one. The case it came with is quite handy just chuck it in your car and go it's durable. My new 200 dollar mics didn't come with a case. The straps on the shock mount straps keep coming off but oh well. The finish on the mic is quite nice and looked new even after a good amount of use. It does have that mid range push other reviewers have talked about which does help vocals. It doesn't like spikes especially in the higher frequencies. But if you take that into consideration when recording you can still get a good sound.

I???ve been playing and writing music for some 21 years now.

I???m currently using a Roland VS DAW. My front end consists of some nice instruments, some nice amps, and a number of budget pres, budget microphones, and other consumer grade outboard gear.

My monitors are Roland DS90As.

Okay, by now you are already aware of what this product is, which is a large diaphragm, cardioid pattern condenser microphone.

I???ve used or attempted to use this mic on various sources???everything from background vocals to guitar cabinets to ambient applications. I own 3 of these mics. I purchased the first one back in 2002 when Musicians Friend had a big sell on them, and then I bought the other two when the local Guitar Center opened up here in my area last year. They came in a package with 991s. I wanted two 991s for overheads, and the package was going for $45 each; thus, it was no-brainer. I plan on selling at least two of my 990s sometime in the not too distant future.

That aside, let???s get down to business. Let???s face it: with this mic you???re pretty much scraping the bottom of the barrel. However, that???s not to say that this mic is unusable because it isn???t. It???s okay for what it is, but it epitomizes the very definition of mediocrity in Chinese manufactured condensers.

This mic is very hyped, very bright, and very colored. If someone were to ask me for a recommendation my advice would be this: if you???re dead set on only spending $50-$65 on a LDC then go for it. Also, if you want your recordings to scream ???amateur home studio grade??? then this mic will provide you that characteristic low-fi sound. I could also see owning this mic if you???re in a situation like mine, where you already own a number of Chinese and Russian manufactured LDCs and just like to mix it up a bit. However, I???d seriously recommend to anyone new to the home recording scene that is in the market for a budget condenser to just save up an additional $35 and buy a Studio Projects B1. . Why? . . because it does every thing the 990 can do, but it does it much better.

Honestly, for its price the mic is okay, but that???s not saying much.

i've been playing guitar for over 5 years and recording for 3. i run a behringer eurorack mixer into a usb audio interface to a laptop with SONAR 4 producer edition. i got this mic because i'm the stereotypical poor college student and was on a strict budget.

large diaphragm condensor mic. looks great. comes with a nice case and shockmount.

i use the mic for vocals and as an ambience mic for guitar and drums. i have been very pleased with the results in each application.

the mic is crystal clear and is very low noise. it reproduces very faithfully but it seems like it colors the sound VERY slightly in the mids. however for some vocalists this has proved to be very beneficial.

i'd recommend this mic to anyone. regardless of skill level or budget. just be sure to fiddle around with the eq before you come on here and bash it. NO mic will sound great without some tweaking. take the time to do it right and this mic will never let you down.