All user reviews of 3/5 for the MXL 990

*Microphones are very subjective. Some microphones that work for some brilliantly may be disastrous on others. It is therefore important to understand the context in which this review is written and take it with a grain of salt, like all reviews on microphones should be treated.*

Except for this one. The MXL 990 is a very popular microphone for one reason. It's cheap. It features a 30-20,000Hz response, and comes without any bells and whistles. No pads. No roll-off switches. That's understandable, since the MXL 990 is stupendously affordable. The diaphragm is also only about 3/4" inches wide, so it isn't a large diaphragm condenser, like many people seem to believe.

OVERALL OPINION

The MXL 990 is famous. It's famous because it's cheap. That means every single one of my friends who sort of cares about recording owns one of these.

There's very little to this microphone, because of its lack of frills. You either like it or you don't. Most people who have never recorded with this microphone will enjoy it, but for those of us who have used better equipment, this microphone is somewhat of a running joke on forums when wide-eyed beginner recordists ask for suggestions and bring it up. In the frequency graph, it has a strange rise in the sibilance range and a drop off right before the airiness. It also has a reduction of low-mids, making this microphone sound rather brittle. When I used it, there was a strange effect going on in the lacking mid-range. When I read Michael Joly's mod package for the MXL 990, he mentions a mid-range phase shift. That's just one of the problems that seem to plague this microphone.

You might appreciate it if you've never used a studio condenser before, but the MXL 990 is not exactly a place I would recommend beginning. I would recommend the Audio-Technica AT20-series for some neutrality or the MXL V67 for a more proper definition of high-end.

The MXL 990 is sort of a Medium diaphram condensor mic, and one of the only condensor mics that even exist in this price range (50 bucks or less) therefore anything it can do should impress you, and unless you spent 50 bucks expecting this to be your "go to" microphone then you won't be disapointed either. It can be quite useful in different applications, and is cheap enough for the home recording enthusiast to own a couple for stereo applications/experimenting/learning, which is something thats hard to do when you can only afford ONE of something.
Its fairly small and light, and comes with a shock mount thats a pain in the rear to use, but the microphone itself seems fairly sturdy (not as sure about the insides as I have read reviews where people have unknowingly destroyed them so maybe they are fairly fragile indeed). It also comes with a foam lined case, not bad at all for only 50 bucks.

OVERALL OPINION

If you have access to more expensive mics then you probably won't like the 990. Its fairly bright, very "live" sounding, and the high end came become brittle and harsh. Its fairly unforgiving of room acoustics, high frequency reflection especially. The smaller diaphram makes it less forgiving of proximity; i.e. like you can't move around too much when singing or playing in instrument in front of it.

I did not care at all for how it sounded on my acoustic guitar. It was harsh when I wanted warm, bright when I wanted full, crisp when I wanted "round". I never bothered to sing into it. I have used it for mic'ing up an electric guitar amp fron a couple feet away, and it suited this well in my opinion. The guitar I tracked came out very "live" sounding, fairly bright with definition and attack. This mic might be nice to have around for a slightly more bright sound that you want to cut through a mix. Basically, I say you should have a quality LDC first but if you can buy 2 of these, fool around with them in stereo, if you hate 'em sell them to someone online or keep them for rare moments you want a different sound.

The MXL 991 is about as cheap as decent condenser microphones come these days. I've use it a bunch in my small studio home set up, but never at a live performance. I've used it on vocals, acoustic guitars, and horns, among other things. The shape of the mic makes it extremely easy to sing into and to set up.

OVERALL OPINION

I've had this microphone for about 2 years now and while I'm not totally in love with the sound it produces, I am in love with the price. With microphones like this being as cheap as they are, its feasible for one to have a pretty decent microphone collection at a very nice price. I have a few other condenser microphones such as the Shure KSM27 and an Audio Technica, so this isn't my top microphone, but I love having it around when I need it. The sound quality isn't perfect, but its decent enough to make demos with and for when I need to set up a few condenser microphones. It comes off a bit thin for me. I do like the mid and low range frequency response on the mic though. It does look and feel a bit cheap though, which I guess it is. While if I could do it again I might spend a few more bucks on a better condenser, but for the price this really can't be beat.