MXL Genesis is a large diaphragm, tube based condenser microphone. The mic is designed for use in the recording studio, which is the only place that I have experience with the mic and is really the only place I would recommend using it in. The mic has a 12AT7 tube inside of it, a -10 db pad, a 6 db roll off at 150 Hz, and has a standard cardioid polar pick up pattern. Since it is a tube mic, it does come with a power supply and the proper cables, but a big plus is that it also comes with a shock mount and a pop filter, both of which are custom made for the Genesis mic.

OVERALL OPINION

While the sound quality of the MXL Genesis isn't nearly as good as they would like you to believe, it still does have a pretty good overall sound for a mic in this price range. Certainly, it is better sounding than the other MXL mics out there that I have used. I've used the mic for recording only vocals, as it hasn't been possible for me yet to try it out on other instruments. For recording vocals though, it did the job very well with a good mix of warmth and clarity. If it will work for you or not really solely depends on what you are trying to do with the mic. I wouldn't recommend this to any professional as the sound just isn't up to par with the better tube mics out there, but for the home studio owner looking to add some warmth in the form of a microphone, MXL's Genesis is the perfect mix of quality and price. For an MXL mic though, I do wish it was even a little bit cheaper, but I can't complain too much as it is right around $500 USD. While MXL Genesis will probably get the job done in a home studio environment more times than not, I would regardless encourage those interested to shop around as there are better options out there in my opinion...