MXL 990 - This Mic is a Bit Overrated (Budget Microphone Review)

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Today we check out the MXL 990, inarguably one of the most requested microphones for me to check out on the channel....and well, its not all good news. In this microphone review/demo, we'll learn the strengths and weakness of this budget legend, and I'll let you know where the mic let me down, and where it absolutely excelled.
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Favorite Microphones:
NT1 - amzn.to/2NUoBJK
SM57 - amzn.to/2P1pUXC
Electro Voice RE20 CLASSIC - amzn.to/2UFdyaM
SM7B - amzn.to/3lL4REV
Lewitt 440 Pure - amzn.to/3imNwRh
Austrian Audio OC818 - amzn.to/3CCO0MK
My Audio Interface:
Scarlett 18i20 2nd Gen- amzn.to/2P4SXtl
My Monitors:
KRK Rokit 5a - amzn.to/3grczSW
My Headphones -
Audio Technica M30x - amzn.to/3feOfE6
Status Audio CB-1s - amzn.to/3IfcOeX
Hifiman Sundara - amzn.to/3JvDkm1
My Guitar Amps -
Fender Deluxe Reverb Tonemaster (Blonde) - amzn.to/3w9ZuGk
Boss Katana MKII-50 - amzn.to/3dNj40c
Fender Bassman - amzn.to/3hbT4y4
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Launchpad Pro Mk. 3 - amzn.to/3rl502V
Arturia MicroBrute - amzn.to/31eFSQL
Korg MS 20 Mini - amzn.to/3JjjeLm
Arturia Microfreak - amzn.to/3u1RYLa
Arturia Drumbrute Impact - amzn.to/3i8nL7F
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Avid Pro Tools - amzn.to/3cjE5QN
These are amazon affiliate links, so I get a percentage of the sale if you buy from these links, it's a nice way to support the channel!

[@AudioHaze]

If this review made up your mind, this link supports the channel! Thanks friends :) MXL 990: amzn.to/3ut9okH

[@schipbreukeling3]

Funny, but most of the people you convinced with this video are the people who are not going to buy the MXL 990.

[@djtommykeys]

Nine years ago when I knew diddly squat about mics I bought the MXL 990 on a stupid deal of the day for $59.99 shipped to my door. I used it to record a bunch of demos and it put money in my pocket many times. I have zero regrets about the purchase. It has since been replaced by a Rode NT1. I feel like you just talked trash about an old girlfriend who is still dear to my heart.

[@AudioHaze]

Like I said, good mic! Just not perfect, Certainly didn’t mean to talk to much trash. I mean, if I was nothing but positive about every item, would I not lose a bit of credibility?

[@djtommykeys]

@@AudioHaze Actually, in my book you are one of the most credible. Most of the others like all the junk out there so they can make money off of affiliate links.

[@Vel_Plays_2.0]

59.99 new is crazy good.

[@schipbreukeling3]

@@Vel_Plays_2.0 That's 75.29 today

[@felipecesarlourenco8955]

@@schipbreukeling3 stupid deal muscians friend 60 dollars, right now

[@EasyHeat]

I've got over 2 decades of pro audio under my belt and the 990 is one of the best entry level mics hands down.

[@jackdaynes7412]

hands down, hands down? i gotta get my hands on this!

[@EasyHeat]

@@jackdaynes7412 😅 Ha! Hey! Thanks for pointing out that typo redundancy. My ASPD & OCD doesn't catch 'em all.🤣

[@SavoxYT]

This was my first XLR mic, way back in 2012. Looking back, it's not a particularly good mic, but I've never looked back from XLR to USB ever since. So I'm at least grateful to it for introducing me to the world of _real_ microphones.

[@AudioHaze]

Honestly its a great starting point none the less! I'll definitely be using is as a second tier mic, maybe for the room or for a bit of color for different kinds of productions

[@bentlyist]

Great and fair review, thank you! I have a 990-s and really like it. I had an occasion to record with a woman in San Diego a few years ago. She was an amazing vocalist and I remember the recording engineer saying that her vocal was so good he could record her with pretty much any mic in his studio and she would still sound great. It sort of goes back to the old saying "It's not the wand, it's the wizard" which holds true for much of the equipment out there! 😊

[@lukeGGlee]

Very trie and some hit songs have vocals recorded on Iphones like Charli XCXs song

[@szymontrojanowski7565]

Great thing about mxl 990 is it's modding potential, you can replace capsule for Chinese copy of that used in Neumann u87, replace ceramic capacitors in the audio track, and for about 120 bucks you have a microphone that sounds in my opinion better than 5th gen rode NT 1

[@bkfaudio]

Bought an MXL 990/991 kit from a friend for $30 several years ago... I ended up swapping out the capsules with Mic-Parts capsules (RK-47 & SDC cardioid) and it gave them both a really smooth high-end frequency response that is a lot more pleasing to me.

[@AudioHaze]

Nice! Great recommendation for those interested :)

[@ahfimiwonawun]

Solid review! I actually considered getting this mic once because I think it would be a good fit for my voice, but that 20db noise floor always turned me off.

[@AudioHaze]

That’s definitely a big jump to get over yes!

[@rustychassis]

Interestingly, its closest competitors - namely the AT2020, C01 and AKG P120 - apparently all use electret-style capsules, whereas the 990 uses an (takes a deep breath) externally polarized, medium diaphragm gold-sputtered 'true' condenser capsule, which might help explain why its tone is more pleasing and 'vintage' sounding to many ears than the others.

[@AudioHaze]

Nice! That definitely explains a lot about the tone

[@LoweCommotionStudio]

I may start using 'gold-sputtered' randomly in conversation from now on.

[@ibrahimboztas8369]

bana çoğu zaman bir dawda , magneto plg in kullanmışım gibi hissediyorum mxl990 yılların ürünü fakat hala bir çok üstün rakiplerini var fakat mxl990 güzel

[@_20nine_]

If you pair this Mic with a nice tube pre-amp. It shines very nice

[@keithpennington6141]

I got this mic as a birthday present about a year ago. I must admit, when I first tried it out, I couldn’t really hear too much of a difference between it and my AT2020, so it mainly sat in its case for awhile. Recently, I wanted to record some acoustic guitar, and thought, “what the heck, I’ll try the MXL again.” I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much detail it picked up, especially in comparison to the AT2020, I preferred the MXL overall. I agree about the noise rejection, but I think that also plays a part in how much detail it picks up, and for $99 I would not hesitate to recommend it to someone if they were on a budget.

[@KleversonRoyther]

I was looking forward to this review as I was thinking about getting a 990 coming from an AKG P220 and I knew yours would settle it for me, but wow I don't know now... I like the sound but then those issues... I'm not particularly knowledgeable to tell how much these will impact me, but I guess I'll just put this idea off...

[@AudioHaze]

It’s still worth it I think! Just in my experience, it’s not the golden option others have experienced

[@KleversonRoyther]

@@AudioHazethanks for the reply, mate! The AKG P220 is the only mic I have any extended experience with, I don't know how similar it is to the P440 you have used, but I know for a fact the P220 picks up a lot of ambient noise. Is the MXL 990 an upgrade? (at least the sound seems to be for me based on the vid)

[@ESSHfact]

As you can see from my channel, I have songs I recorded with mxl 990 but my voice is in a dark tone. I want to switch to Lewitt 440, but will its brightness turn out the darkness in my voice? And what kind of change would it be, I wonder if it's worth it? What is your suggestion, the reason why I chose lewitt catches my eye in more modernist works.

[@Ostateczny]

For my studio I bought 2x Samson C03 for 20$ each. This is lovely MidSide / stereo config for cheap. We are talking about budget mics, so we need to go for most flexibility- quality is similar on low budget. This all depends only on price ;). Next year I will replace it (at least in main studio) for 2x Rode NT2A.

[@nikolasdove]

It honestly has been my favorite condenser mic so far but then again I bought this after not liking the NT1A for being super bright. My voice isn't super bright but I do think the recordings I did awhile back with this mic weren't too bad aside from my subpar mixing ability lol. I am thinking about buy a couple more used 990s and seeing if modding them has some affect. There is a great library of parts from Mic Parts for modding the circuits and capsules of this mic and I would be interested to see how the projects turn out some time.

[@minnesotapetecampbell6920]

Absolutely love this mic! I own 3 and use em as drum room mics.... have zero complaints for the price! Built like a tank

[@AudioHaze]

Nice! Well I"m glad it worked out for you :)

[@sheluvme6940]

i have the behringer UMC22 audio interface would it work good with it?

[@billyschneider4785]

@@sheluvme6940 if it works with phantom power it should work well for you

[@ibrahimboztas8369]

2 yıldır mxl990 kullanıyorum , bir çok markanın orta düzeyinden daha kaliteli mikrofon , hiç pişmanlık duymadım

[@evolvingevrday]

So, after decades of using the electro voice re27, the first USB mic I ever tried was the fifine k670. It was twenty bucks this Black Friday. I got mine 40 I think? I now have a large collection. Even though that USB is only a 16-bit Mic with a not-so-good headphone output, I keep coming back to it. It's not a nostalgic thing. An engineer recommended this thing over the Blue yeti 6 years ago for zoom. I'm seriously considering taking the capsule and putting it in the body of one of my XLRs. There's a KZbin video floating around comparing that Mic to the Noimen 103. I don't have a 103, but having talked into one, I believe it. If you look at the Amazon review, you can see that the voice recognition rating is 5/5. That is how detailed every frequency is. The low-end tone is fantastic. Almost gives my 2035 and 4040 run for the money. not as dark as the 4040, but the low and it's super smooth. Anyhow, I'm so tired of kids spending $400-800 on mics/interfaces. I want them to know about this microphone. Maybe you can test and convince them a $20 setup can sound amazing for video game vids, vlogs, etc... I've never heard a producer complain. And, the silver looks like the Noimen.

[@theaudiophileshow4410]

Loved this. Recently got the 770 and beats the others in that range I've tried. Also, the honey badger. And is that a CB-1?

[@AudioHaze]

Honey badgers are AWESOME not terrifying!! I would take a honey badger as a guard dog before I'd take a rottweiler

[@theaudiophileshow4410]

@@AudioHaze hahaha. I can't argue with that. Red dead redemption 2 actually made me terrified of cassowaries tbh 😅. Please keep up the work; 3 of your videos alone has helped me improve the production for my channel ✌️

[@alexbaumy]

I bought two of the 990 991 packs at a killer price. Not a fan of the 990, love the 991. For a budget podcast, throw an expanded gate on the 990, not shabby. Great review. Spot on

[@AudioHaze]

Nice! Well I'm glad you enjoyed the vid nonetheless, sorry the 990 didn't work out!

[@alexbaumy]

@@AudioHaze no qualms, the 990 seems a tad brittle. I appreciate your channel!

[@mattcero1]

Thanks for this man! Would I tell the difference between this and my Tascam TM-80?

[@javaman3765]

Sorry…..I like it. Full rich and pleasant sounding. Bottom end is very nice….I hear the higher end presence boost you added. I like it. Don’t be to critical. The mic reviews and EQing can become quite a neurotic process. 990 Sounds great.

[@AudioHaze]

You're going to offend some people when you critique something, like I said, its a great mic, just not without its imperfections.

[@purpleheart69420]

@@AudioHaze nah dont listen to this dude, be too critical pls, think about it, if you had a low budget wouldnt you like to know what youre getting? all the pros and cons? ofc you would cuz money doesnt grow on trees... so knowing what youre getting before hand is really REALLY useful! So yeah It was a great review! (even tho I personally still prefer the 2020 over it but thats just my opinion 😌)

[@javaman3765]

This dudes not offended at all. I think it sounds really nice and I find you have a good ear and likewise EQ skills. But what are we chasing? Finding a mic thats pre tuned (fast food) that fits our individual voice types out of the box? Expensive endeavor. I am in the camp where we find a nice mic with a “flat” response and we EQ and tailor live or post if need be. This 990 for little money is flat. Most mics in this price range including the 2020 are not flat. I agree build construction on these falls short but hey for 80 bucks!? Invest in some good EQ sw tools and preamp and learn to tailor that EQ and build up a good ear. It’s a challenge EQing our own voice especially live as what we hear in our head live can be quite different on playback. Enjoy your vids and like seeing you grow your channel. Paul

[@Etomic-A-NewFound-project]

So being a beginner sound producer/engineer i am wondering what microphone i should go with. I dont have much money to spend on one (no more than 600) and i really want to know what LDC microphone i should purchase. I see that this is not a "LDC" mic technically so i am glad i didn't make the purchase before watching this review. My main goals in having one is to record drums, guitar amps and acoustic but mainly drums and guitar amplifiers. What "starter" mic would you recommend for this?

[@skymoov]

I had this mic for recording on flstudio and with a little bit of mix and mastering it was sounding pretty good tho

[@KMobstaBeatz]

I record in fl studio too but I have problems with background noise at times and hiss and hmm any advice

[@asadbird9400]

@@KMobstaBeatz noise gate at the beginning of your chain search up how to utilize it

[@jasonmusic9938]

i had one of those screws snap on me too, my dad fixed it with wing nuts on each side of a cut screw.

[@andrewcamagay6255]

When shopping for a budget mic, this was one of the mics I was looking at, but the 20db noise floor and the very bright sound didn't do it for me, especially since I play the violin, and mine, in particular, is a pretty bright instrument. Still, it's a great mic, many people ik love it, and use it as their all-rounder. And also, tell me why that cassowary is scarier than a Nile crocodile: those things are as long as giraffes are tall, 64 razor sharp teeth, and can swim up to 35kph AND run 20kph on land...there's almost no way a human can outrun it. I'm interested to hear your thoughts :)

[@AudioHaze]

Okay, truly ask yourself, you're locked in a concrete room with only a crocodile or a cassowary, which would it be? Because I feel like the crocodile would just sort of sit there, I've seen them at the zoos lol, most of the time they're just chillin. The cassowary as that sort of crazy manic energy that would result in some serious violence

[@Rompler_Rocco]

Those life-shattering facts got me looking up videos on nile crocs... but now I can't concentrate on anything besides the narrator's mic tone!! 🤦‍♂️

[@LoweCommotionStudio]

This was my first mic and I still have it 12 years later. I really didn't get around to recording until about a year and a half ago so I didn't really dig into it until then. Mine doesn't have the bad welds you showed and the grille is not exactly as tough as it could be but it seems strong enough. I like it for acoustic guitar but it's a bit harsh on my vocals at times and I switched to a beta 58 for those now. I also use it for a room mic for my drums. I used it to record 3 of us doing background vocals at once and it was great for that. However I may be sacrificing it to mod it. It's a toss up between that and the NT1a for that chopping block.

[@MichaelW.1980]

Thank you for your honesty on this. Because I cannot help, hearing the jarring differences between a TLM103 and more cheap microphones more and more these days. I say jarring, because that - exaggeratedly and in comparison of course - is how the high midrange and top end sound like, on affordable microphones. It’s almost like a very slight distortion, less stable and a little brittle. This is not to belittle the affordable microphones. That would not be fair, because on their own, they sound nice, for the most part. But still, if one says, that either of the microphones at this price point can replace a Neumann TLM103, a Shure KSM32 (tho with 20dBA it’s on the noisier side) or a Lewitt LCT540, then I got to say: You’re kidding yourself. That being said: When it comes to the legendary highest end microphones, you know, ridiculously priced bragging rights models like a Neumann U87 or U67, a Telefunken U47 or say an AudioTechnica AT5040, I can hear a difference, but these differences are mostly just a different sound. Different, but certainly NOT better. That is, of course, unless you are hellbent on getting or already have one of these. Because somehow, we need to justify our expenses, right?

[@AudioHaze]

Thanks Michael! Yes for sure, I think as a collective community we've established that cheap mics, with a bit of work, can sound exactly like their expensive counter parts, and I think there are things beyond just crafting an EQ curve that how the short comings of this thought process. Sensitivity to proximity, build quality, off axis rejection and coloration, this list goes on, and these things are a bit harder to tune out of a mic without some serious work. It can be done, but it takes some pro level audio knowledge to get it there :)

[@schipbreukeling3]

@@AudioHaze Do you have that pro level audio knowledge to get it there? It would be very helpful if you show us how.

[@mycosys]

The biggest issue with all these mic is if you have a little patience you can get something decent. My AKG P420 (VERY bright multi-pattern instrument mic) and BeyerDynamic M90X (warm, tight pattern vocal mic, 6dB EIN) both cost under $200 US (the M90x is $150 atm). Even if you aren't patient the sE Electronics v7 is gonna be way better for $90 for most people, at least for voice, because of its pattern and response curve. I've also bought the Sennheiser e935 and AKG D5 round that price on sale. Theres SO many good mics you can get for the money with a little patience.

[@CreativeFilmmaking]

As someone who's fairly new to music production, what's stopping us from adding an eq with cuts and boosts to perfectly even out a microphone's frequency response curve?

[@aether962]

I do it with the Rode Procaster because I find the presence boost to be a little much for me but absolutely love how good it is at background noise rejection. The main problem is that frequency response doesn’t entirely = the character/sound quality of the mic. A $20 mic with the same frequency response as a Neumann U87 still won’t sound anywhere in the same league. The balance might be better but the “texture” of the sound will more than likely still be off when using a cheaper mic. Still, I find it an incredibly useful tool for leveling out unwanted frequencies in a mic. I like to use Reaper’s ReaFIR on EQ mode to manually put in points (you can edit the coordinates of points you place) so you can do the inverse of the listed frequency response (for the parts you want to level out) for fairly precise manipulation.

[@AudioHaze]

Because of all the other components that contribute to the tone of the mic! The circuits, the capsule, the body's ability NOT produce too much resonance. As a metaphor, lets say you took an old beater car from the 90s and tuned it to the same speed as a sports car. Well, it still wont corner as well, or last as long, or drive as smooth when necessary. The mic may be tuned to sound similar, but it may not handle proximity or off axis coloration the same, it may begin to CHANGE frequency response as the singer hits certain notes and they get closer or farther from the capsule. The capsule itself may produce HARSH highs when the singer belts a note that wouldn't be there with a higher end microphone that maintains those frequencies in a more uniform fashion. I hope that helps!

[@CreativeFilmmaking]

​@@AudioHaze Thank you, you're very well spoken! I feel like you'd make for a great friend group therapist😂

[@LoweCommotionStudio]

Nothing is stopping you and it can work, but it's a lot more hassle and in the end won't sound quite as good. That being said, it doesn't mean using it is going to sound bad either. Different mics do different things. My particular voice may not work well with it but it may be friendlier to your vocal frequencies, or vice versa. I'm fairly new to this as well. Experimentation is the only way to really learn.

[@chrisw443]

As someone who ran an audio and video / photo company I can tell you the Neumann mic has that gold. But the MXL sounds just fine for talking. As does the md46 love that sound and the trusty sm 48/58's for singing. I also have a AT a286 shotgun mic. I will tell you that the difference between 500 to 1000 bucks and 150 bucks is a little gold in a vocal. Serious. So unless your making money producing albums. Dont spend over 200 on a mic. I would say for chatting the md46/sm58 sm48 and mxl990 are in a dead heat.

[@emaleighkelly4228]

hey! i am not getting sound out of my new mxl 990 into my scarlett which is connected to my rokits? do i need a mixer? please help! thank you so much!

[@andhellb8584]

I have the same mic but I don't know how to make it sound like you. Any guidance will be very helpful.

[@SlimeLoverboy]

Will this mxl 900 work good with my i rig pre 2 ?? For vocals??

[@wadesmith7924]

The shoebill is the most terrifying bird ever. It sounds like an actual machine gun and looks like it is going to kill you in your dreams

[@mypal1990]

Kinda tempted to get this for the price. What's a mid tier priced mic substitute for a Neumann sound?

[@AudioHaze]

Absolutely! Like I said, I'm critical but its still a bargain none the less :)

[@mypal1990]

@@AudioHaze I should have added context. I edited the og comment.

[@dylanwalker9184]

How does this mic do on kick drums?

[@bobbiebowers]

I bought mine for $40 on eBay in mint condition spent another $30 on a mod which makes the noise floor much quieter, for a mic that cost me less than $80 I’m more than happy with it 😊

[@swangonzalez4797]

Is this a back electret mic like the at2020?

[@ThatGuyThanus]

I bought one of these, blind, I don’t know how long ago.. I needed something to record vocals and acoustic guitar.. I probably bought it on price, rather than anything else.. I don’t remember any marketing blurb, at the time (long ago).. I’ve always though it was fine..

[@petchjordan9098]

great video

[@AudioHaze]

Thanks!

[@truthof7382]

I actually think your unprocessed sounds better than the processed here. It’s warmer and more balanced “sound” to my ears even if it’s not technically as balanced as your processed version.

[@bitzly4417]

I know they’re totally different but between the mxl 990 and the shure sm57 wich one would you recommend?

[@AudioHaze]

57 for sure :)

[@dmajorx]

You recommend a shure 57 to do what? Lol😂

[@9FMovie]

I have MXL 770, That amazing mic, i compare with lct 440 pure sound similar but MXL 770 litle bit harsh on high freq But this mxl990 is difrence.. Trust me this mxl990 is best on $100 microphone..

[@AudioHaze]

I still think that, like I said, I just think this sort of "wonder child" status this mic as got it a bit blown out of proportion :)

[@humanbeing3777]

⁠@@AudioHaze,the MXL 990 sounds incredible with the Art Tube MP preamp with the +20 db gain switched off.Sounds smooth up in the upper frequencies compared to the hyped +5 db peak of most dynamic mics.

[@mikebauer6917]

Not scarier than my wife if I bought a TM103 rather than pay the rent.

[@LocalLiveSessions]

Grammy Award winning engineers trust the 990

[@peterlesperance9782]

It works fine for me. Especially for recording instruments. I find it doesn’t do well with vocals.

[@milkywayxd1803]

Try the TC-Helicon microphone it’s a amazing microphone

[@AudioHaze]

Never heard of it! Will have to che k it out, always thought of them as more a pedal/effects company

[@larrymarso4492]

$29.95 red blaze edition, a bundle no less, last week at Amazon.

[@FriendlyAudio]

I should really stop commenting at 4 in the morning, but great advice!

[@AudioHaze]

Thanks man!

[@aperturedigitalmedia]

Thought I was the only one terrified of birds😂😂😭😭

[@AudioHaze]

They are all MONSTERS

[@christiankairos]

Would you do a review of MXL 770? 🖤

[@AudioHaze]

Definitely at some point soon!

[@christiankairos]

@@AudioHaze that's amazing, thank you so much

[@ZachariahConnor]

I believe in King Bee II supremacy

[@jrlyons5316]

Got this mic it’s better then any other mics I used

[@njrous]

Imo it’s great for the price if you’re like me who found one for $30, it’s something I have around in case I’m out and I just want one more detail captured

[@AudioHaze]

Yeah for that price its an absolutely bargain for sure :)

[@azarlane9553]

Neumann smooth out their frequency response graphs and so does 90% of the mic industry.

[@clarinetninja]

Aggressive ducks can be found at Van Cortlandt park...if you wanna travel boroughs and freak yourself out....those ducks are like seriously aggressive Bronx ducks

[@AudioHaze]

Oh wow good to know lol, Prospect park ducks are too tame, needed some excitement in my life

[@Rivenworld]

I had one of these and found it a bit harsh for my voice, great looking mic but doesn't work for me.

[@AudioHaze]

Good to know! I didn't get the same harshness, but have certainly heard scenarios and example where its been harsh

[@Mikas_Emil]

Have you tried the MXL 770?

[@AudioHaze]

Not yet! Its definitely on my radar though :)

[@jabnls]

Bro, I kid you not. The microphone that put fifine it in 2017, the k670 is the poor man's 103 or 87,. The sound card sucks so you will hear noise when monitoring if you plug into the microphone. I actually think I get a better sound out of it when I'm not plugged it with headphones. Anyhow, before this Market got super saturated, this was the only microphone which got similar reviews to the blue(s) it fluctuates between 40 and 50 but once in a blue moon it even goes down to 34. Again, nobody would know about this company if it was not for this microphone, you have to check it out. Whenever it's on sale I buy an extra one

[@oknmanii6648]

It depends on what type of music u are trying to do and it also depends of the software u use

[@rudeboy3923]

i am tired with de essing and its so annoying in this mic and i hate it

[@RemcoJvGrevenbroek]

the real jam is the mxl v69m

[@alisongaze]

The mic looks like a huge marshmallow LOL. The mic is sick but ill always sick with the neat worker bee at that price range.

[@AudioHaze]

TLM 103 meets marshmallows lol

[@alisongaze]

@@AudioHaze tlm stands for thick long marshmallow

[@MichaelW.1980]

@@alisongaze I knew it! 😆

[@LanceisLawson]

I bought one and hated it! First off it was by the retailer advertised to be an LDC and itis not! It has small 22mm capsule set in a big dummy ring that makes it look big through the grill. My 990 sounded thin and tinny. I ended up selling it a month after I bought it.

[@AudioHaze]

Dang sorry to hear! Its definitely not perfect

[@LanceisLawson]

@@AudioHaze I have a 20 year old Berhinger B-1 that sounds considerably better. The 990 is little short of terrible. Avoid it! The MXL v67 is so much better.

[@ShallRemainUnknown]

Claimed to be LDC where, or by whom, exactly? (Certainly not by MXL/Marshall.)

[@darrenbarton7135]

The whole bird story was too interesting, forgot to actually listen to the different mics, was just listening what he had to say 😭

[@dmajorx]

Its not over hyped its right where ot should be

[@azzydog]

i think bears are the most scary animals to encounter. i'm curious what you have to say ;)

[@AudioHaze]

Fair point, they're definitely more dangerous, but do they strike the same level of FEAR? To me, no. Bears are fuzzy terrifying fur balls, cassowaries are blue bird-dragons that make pure nightmare fuel.

[@azzydog]

@@AudioHaze they definitely have more of a dark magic kinda 😜

[@azzydog]

@@AudioHaze watched some videos about cassowaries. totally agree now 😱

[@plusone.network]

A komodo dragon will eat six of these things on its way to the bathroom as its midnight snack

[@plusone.network]

7:35

[@hi-friaudioman]

I was never a fan of the 990, or any of the mxl mics to be honest... I tell everyone they're better off with a used studio projects C1 or budget blue mic (not yeti of course. Lol)

[@TheINFJChannel]

But Ricky, humans are the most terrifying animals on the planet lol

[@AudioHaze]

the DISRESPECT

[@Tomastomieu]

for the price it is more than good.

[@danasdas6683]

Oh you gotta expand on the birds, man.

[@AudioHaze]

Honestly the fear mostly comes from those damn geese attacks I mentioned lol

[@NicoDeclerckBelgium]

You're still way too positive... The MXL 990, the AT 2030/2035 are the most overrated microphones I ever used. Similar to the Behringer C1/C3. All of these should be erased from history because of their crappiness: terrible noise floor, bad sounding response even when going only slightly off-axis, build quality and finish from hell, and so on. The Behringer B1/B2/B2 pro (the 797 Audio versions at least, don't know about the newer ones) are ten times better in ever aspect. The B1 is definitely not the best sounding microphone, but the only acceptable microphone I tested at this price point. Also the 990 and 2020 are often wrongly marketed as LDC microphones.

[@AudioHaze]

I still think these budget mics have their merits, and for many use cases I think those interested could get a ton of mileage out of these mics! I'm not quite as hard on them as you are, but they definitely have their weaknesses and short comings, one of the biggest ones being that noise floor.

[@williamdavenport4183]

But it is a ldc it's not a pencil condenser

[@NicoDeclerckBelgium]

@@williamdavenport4183 The capsule size of the 990 is the exact same size as a SDC, not that of an LDC.

[@williamdavenport4183]

@@NicoDeclerckBelgium the capsule is 22mm most sdc I've encountered have are around 16mm

[@williamdavenport4183]

@@NicoDeclerckBelgium and the capsule can be easily replaced with a larger capsule if you're a DIY kind of person

[@DopamineOverload]

I hated it, years ago. If you’re going for it…. Just buy an MXL V67G instead.

[@AudioHaze]

Interesting! What didn't you like?

[@DopamineOverload]

@@AudioHaze it sounded terrible. Maybe I should give it another chance but I don’t know.

[@peterlesperance9782]

I think all too often people just wanna make up for their bad performance with expensive equipment. I take better performance with a cheap mic performance with expensive Mike any day

[@lukeGGlee]

would have been easier to tell if you actually sang bro

[@lupit1]

cheap mic good 👍

[@AudioHaze]

yes cheap mic make good sense

[@ibrahimboztas8369]

990s çok çok iyi pads

[@MrSimpington]

MXL 770 < MXL 990

[@AudioHaze]

Interesting, I'll have to check it out :)

[@DopamineOverload]

Did they mean 770 > 990?

[@MrSimpington]

@@DopamineOverload no the 990 may have better parts, but it definitely doesn’t sound better. Everyone who has both mics generally agree that a 770 is far better. They even argue to say it’s way better than a AT2020. However for the same price; the Shure SM57, Shure SM58, or Sennheiser E835 are the best you can get at sub $100 price point and I’d even like to argue that it can complete well with mics twiced it’s price.

[@jrlyons5316]

@@MrSimpington same dam thing both sounds alike

[@powersliding]

definitely overrated but still generally a good mic

[@AudioHaze]

Yeah thats about where I'm at too :)

[@omnitone]

angler fish ;-;

[@AudioHaze]

You tryin to swim to the bottom of the ocean?? Too far away to be a threat

[@omnitone]

@@AudioHaze it spiritually swims to me ;-;