The MXL R44 is a ribbon microphone designed for use in the recording studio.  Since it is a ribbon microphone, I wouldn't recommend trying to use it in any other sort of situation.  The mic has a figure 8 polar pick up pattern and usually comes with the shock mount and a case.

OVERALL OPINION

For the price, the MXL R44 is a great bargain in terms of ribbon mics.  I've had the microphone in my collection for a couple of months as I was interested in seeing what a ribbon microphone of this price would sound like and I was pretty surprised.  I wasn't expecting much for the price but I was happy to find that this microphone has a pretty cool sound.  It isn't super clean and doesn't quite have the sound that a great ribbon microphone will have, but it isn't a bad emulation.  I think that even in a home studio situation, it is nice to have a lot of different types of microphones in your collection for all sorts of situations, and this provides you with a cheap option that has the sound of a ribbon microphone, granted if it isn't really close to the best of them.  This is just about as cheap as you can get a ribbon microphone in general, and it is good to know that this isn't a bad microphone at all even when disregarding the price.  It has a nice look and it is great that it comes with the shock mount to keep it secure and the case because the biggest thing to remember while using any ribbon microphone is that they are fragile and need to be treated with care.  The ribbon inside of the mic is quite fragile and can't be broken easily.  All in all, the MXL R44 is a good buy for home studio owners who want to experiment with their mic types and expand their collection at a cheap price.