MXL 990 Blaze Edition - Review and Comparisons

[@weidellpinho]

Awesome review! I got the 990 Blaze Edition on Amazon for $29 and can't wait to start using it on my drum recordings. Maybe as a room ambience mic or as mono overhead. Again, congratulations for the review. One of the most complete and rational I've ever seen.

[@askdrtk]

Glad you enjoyed my review. $29 is a bargain...nicely done! I've used it as a room mic and had some good results. Never for drum overheads, but I can see it working well. If you get a chance, let me know what you think after you dial in placement and make a few recordings.

[@Chupacabramusic]

It is a good review. Hey bro I used a 990 on room ambience for drums for many yrs in a real studio.. it's actually tricky to hit sweet spots but if you can figure your room out the mic is incredible... I wouldn't get it right up on your snare or anything it capsule is kinda fragile but if you know your room and sweet spots you'll be surprised. I just ordered one of the 29.00 ones also... it'll make prob the 3rd or 4th one I've baughbought.. I'd say it's good for 110.00 muchless 30.00. Lol Good show big dawg!

[@jaephu92]

That mic is so clean. It was one of my option to buy a condenser mic, but in end i've chosen the AT2020. MXL 990 is so limited here on Philippines. Anyway! thanks for the review! ❤️

[@askdrtk]

Glad you enjoyed the review. The MXL 990 performs above its price point imo. That said, the AT2020 is a solid choice - not a wonder it is one of the most popular microphones for creating both music and video content. I am planning an updated review of the AT2020 with more comparisons to the latest microphones soon. Thanks for sharing and watching!

[@typicalsmile2747]

Great video! Extremely informative!!

[@askdrtk]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@Chupacabramusic]

I've put em to work for a easy decade in studio engineering and honestly for having a noisy floor it's still a workhorse mic if you just learn your damn rooms sweetspots.. I can't tell you how many fails I've seen because time wasn't taken to learn the live room. Good rodeo big dawg.... nice review... steady and relative like they all should be... the 990 isn't a dream mic but it's a solid job mic that is well worth its cost undeniably. Knowing what to do with the signal chain after the mic can easily bring it up to par with any other mic just as not knowing won't magically make a good mic do your job for you... lol

[@askdrtk]

I'm with you 100% on learning your room... No one is going to walk in and ask for a 990 (at least that I can remember lol), but as you say, it can definitely get the job done. Ahh the signal chain...where great, good, and not-so-good mics go to live or die...lol Cheers!

[@Chupacabramusic]

@@askdrtk lol you said it... hey man I've really enjoyed your stuff after subb'n the other day

[@askdrtk]

Thanks man, I'm glad you're enjoying the channel...

[@Chupacabramusic]

@@askdrtk yes sir

[@tricogustrico]

Like all of the inexpensive large condenser microphones it has a high self noise. I just picked up a used Rode NT1 for $120, it would be interesting to hear it against the MXL 990. As always another great video.

[@askdrtk]

Great value on the NT1! I recently got a couple of Rode mics in for reviews (coming soon) and an NT1 would be a good addition to my mic rotation... NT1 vs MXL 990 sounds like a good idea.

[@chrisbrowning7926]

Came for a decent review and I got a great one! I found an killer package deal on amazon for the Blaze (with stand, cable, pop filter, and acoustic barrier for $150). wanted to see if this mic would be a good fit. After watching this, immediately put it in the cart to send one my way! Thanks for the excellent review!

[@askdrtk]

Glad to help out! The 990 Blaze offers great performance above its price imo and has a really unique look on camera. Enjoy your new mic!

[@Dawudtru]

Thanks for the video

[@askdrtk]

All good - hope it helped out!

[@Nigel__]

Fantastic review. The 990 seems to fit what I’m looking for.

[@askdrtk]

Much appreciated and I'm glad my review helped out!

[@strongereveryday2302]

For what I do it's perfect and I love the red LEDs. Just an aesthetic that I enjoy.

[@askdrtk]

I do like the cool vibe the Blaze has...

[@strongereveryday2302]

@@askdrtk Now if they'd only make a red led version of the EV RE20 and 320 or the SM7B or even the MV7 I would be on those in 2 seconds and happily fork over my $400!

[@askdrtk]

I'm surprised I haven't really seen any LED mods on those either...with so many "on video" you would think someone would have gotten creative...maybe they exist and I just haven't seen them yet...

[@soulmanager]

Dude, thanks for the unboxing of the MXL 990 Blaze Condenser microphone. Would you please share the brand and model of your boom arm? Thanks mate!

[@askdrtk]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! I am using a Warm Audio WA-MBA boom arm. It is very well made. I use it every day and change microphones frequently. I have had some heavy mics on it and it never let me down…

[@soulmanager]

@@askdrtk thank you Mate! I will definitely check it out as it looks beautiful. It surelly looks like a Boya BY-BA30!

[@pauls3993]

990 is the most natural to my ears.

[@askdrtk]

Nothing over hyped about the 990. It’s surprising is sometimes flies under the radar for affordable condenser mics. Thanks for sharing your take!

[@ShallRemainUnknown]

Nicely done review! There's some talk on other reviews about the noise spec of 20db , as well as whether there is actual high audible noise, and some claim a high-pitched constant "whistle" noise from MXL990. Do you have any insight on the three?

[@askdrtk]

Sorry for the delayed response, but I wanted to do a couple of tests before responding. As a general rule, many will say 20dB self noise is higher than you would want, but in my experience it is more than the level but rather the “character” of the noise. I have not found self noise to be an issue with this mic. )I primarily use it as a room mic, but I also like it on a few instruments such as saxophone.) I placed the 990 in my isocab and looked at the frequency spectrum. There was no “whistle” either visible or audible from mine. I can’t say this is the same for all, but I can tell you that while not glamorous, there are a lot of 990s “quietly” in studio use everywhere… Hope this helps out.

[@ShallRemainUnknown]

@@askdrtk Thanks so much for testing in your isolation booth. Reviews on this mic are usually very good to excellent, but there are a number of haters, some of whom claim to be pros. (One guy makes it a point to cut paste the same disparaging comment in dozens of vids - but I'll discount him...) Your more scientific tests are certainly the most valid approach! I went ahead and I ordered two of these at a super price. Since the Blaze edition doesn't include shock mount (and it's hard to find reasonably priced shock mount that will fit the wide 60mm body), how usable would you say the included hard mount clip is? Thanks again.

[@askdrtk]

If I have to use a hard clip, I throw a rubber mat under the mic stand (works great for room mics). For boom arm use mounted to a desk, a shock mount is needed as these are sensitive to handling noise. Amazon has a shock mount from Boseen that fits these (and others, so good to have in the mic locker), but just like the mics, you have to watch for them to go on sale. Here is a link, I just checked and they are currently $28 usd... amzn.to/3TtWrT0

[@ShallRemainUnknown]

@@askdrtk Great tip re rubber mat under mic stand! I'm using a stand now (actually, on carpet, so I'm not sure if mat is necessary in this particular room), but also have mic arm ordered, so I'll need a shockmount and have time to get sale price on it. Thanks for the link, I'll keep an eye on it...

[@okay1904]

Good demo

[@askdrtk]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Cheers!

[@fasgamboa]

Any comparison against the "regular 990"? Asking because the blaze is 50$ on amazon right now, but the regular is still around 75 to 99. On the website their specs seems the same, but you never know lol

[@askdrtk]

I hear you...anything is possible...lol. I have both and can tell you the capsule and electronics appear to be the same other than the circuit proving power for the LEDs. I haven't measured any difference in tone, dynamics, or noise between the two. $50 is a bargain...

[@fasgamboa]

@@askdrtk will give it a shot! 😁

[@yiyin4548]

hola amigo una consulta lo compre hoy una pensaba que es replica china compre el mismo ?es original y cual es mejor el mxl 2006 o este en sonido de grabacion para voces es bueno ? la diferencia con el 990 normal es normal suenan igual? saludos

[@askdrtk]

Hello and thanks for the question! Almost all of MXL's microphones are manufactured in their own facility in China. The mics are not made by a generic OEM manufacturer and I have found their quality to be superior as a result of the extra control that comes from owning the factory. All of the MXL 990 variants use the same capsule and circuitry and therefore produce the same sound (within specific sample tolerances). I tried the Blaze version as it looked a bit different and I though it might for interesting to see. Thanks again for the question and for checking out my review!

[@gutekzpoligonu]

Hi Sir! Any Ideas? I have a LIne 6 UX2 and a MXL 990 mic and I set the gain for mic at ZERO and still it''s to loud on pro tools. I don't have a PAD on this mic. ANY IDEAS WHAT TO DO GO EVEN LOWER WITH INPUT?

[@askdrtk]

Great question! When attenuation is not available on an interface/preamp or mic I add an inline XLR attenuator. Since the 990 is a condenser, you need one that will pass phantom power (unless you use an inline phantom power supply after the attenuator which is less convenient imo). I recommend the Shure A15AS as it is switchable between 15, 20, an 25 dB of attenuation and will pass phantom power from your UX2 through to the 990. Here is a link: www.shure.com/en-US/products/accessories/a15as. Hope this helps out.

[@mattcero1]

What is the diaphragm size? I have a medium and a small and was wanting something one inch or larger. Do tell.

[@askdrtk]

The 990 has a 22mm capsule with a 17mm diaphragm, likely not what you are looking for. Some options I recommend for 1” or larger capsule in a moderate price range include the Aston Origin and Spirit, Rode NT1, and the Roswell mini K47/67/87 series with a 34mm capsule. The Lauten Audio LA-220 is also an excellent option. Hope this helps out.

[@mattcero1]

@@askdrtk It helps indeed sir. Thank you and I'm about to search those up. Thanks again.

[@BrAnDfLaKeS2002]

Mine isn't glowing do you have any guess why it's connected to a presonus audiobox

[@askdrtk]

I have heard of phantom power issues with the audiobox (and other bus-powered interfaces) that can be related to the usb cable you are using. As the audiobox is usb powered, sometimes using a longer cable (10ft / 3m or more) has resulted in insufficient power for using phantom. In some cases the audiobox shuts down and in others only one input has sufficient phantom power. Does you mic work and provide a good output level? The reason I say this is when I did a phantom power voltage test with the Blaze, I found that the mic would produce sound with both 12V and 48V phantom power, but the lights were very dim using 12V. Your audiobox provides 48V, but if it isn't getting enough current over usb, that may be the reason the lights aren't turning on. Hope this helps out and let me know what you find.