Reddit reviews MXL 990/991 Recording Condenser Microphone Package

Didnt realize this was a rule, my bad!

Equipment I use:
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Software:
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Ableton Live 9 - https://www.ableton.com/en/
OBS(Capturing webcam and computer screen) - https://obsproject.com/
SoundToys - http://www.soundtoys.com/
Serum - https://www.xferrecords.com/products/serum
Rob Papen - https://www.robpapen.com/
Adobe Creative Suite(Which I got for free :) - http://www.adobe.com/
ProTools(Sometimes)- http://www.avid.com/pro-tools
Thing that makes my screen look cool: https://justgetflux.com/

Hardware:
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Audio Interface: https://www.amazon.com/BEHRINGER-UMC-404HD-Audiophile-Preamplifiers/dp/B00TTX73YA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1529749195&sr=8-2&keywords=behringer+interface

Midi Keyboard - https://www.amazon.com/Novation-Launchkey-Keyboard-Controller-Ableton/dp/B00VVK2A3I/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1509296474&sr=8-7&keywords=akai+keyboard

Microphone-(Unfortunatly the cool one broke, I sent phantom power to it at the wrong time:( - https://www.amazon.com/MXL-990-991-Recording-Microphone/dp/B0002GJI3C/ref=sr_1_26?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1509296556&sr=1-26&keywords=mxl+condenser

Speaker Monitors -(They must not sell my version anymore, but here is the companies website) - http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/range_intros/Speakers_and_Monitors.shtml

Well, a lot of musicians I've talked to have an MXL 990. You can get it in a bundle (MXL 990 and 991) for less than 100 bucks.

I opted for just the MXL 990 for 60 and it just came in, haven't been able to try it out yet though.

If you're interested, I'd be glad to let you know how it does!

I've heard good things about the Shure 57 or 58... was going to go for those when I started off but a craigslist exchange fell through...

As far as a preamp/interface... I use a USB powered one by M-AUDIO called Fast Track Pro. It's very compact, powered by USB (which is amazing IMO) and has XLR and 1/4" inputs (L and R) as well as MIDI in/out. Not to mention it has great ability to plug up monitors to it so you can really hear it well (because headphones, no matter how amazing they are, won't represent the music how it would sound say - at a club.) I was pleased with it for $250, but now it's even cheaper.

Maybe not terribly related... but I just finished making one of these for my mic (this one isn't mine)... gotta protect the microphone from moisture and such...

Good luck to you and I hope you find something that works for you!

Shure SM57's are great to have in the studio. If you want a condensor mic you could check out the Audio-Technica AT2041 or the MXL 990/991 which are both 2 mic combo packs for around $100. I've used both combo packs to record acoustic guitar and vocals at the same time. I prefer the Audio-Technica mics. You could also find the larger condenser mics in each pack on their own for cheaper.

I hope someone here can help me. I do professional voice over work but I'm getting tired of renting out studio time. I wanted to set up a mini studio in my house using my computer to record.

I was wondering if the following mic/interface equipment would provide me with studio quality sound:

• Microphone
  
• Interface
  
  I understand I will need to purchase an XLR cable, pop screen, and stand. I just want to get the essentials out of the way.

The MXL 990 series delivers awesome sound with a price-tag under $100.

There's also this at slightly over $100, but this does not come with shock-mounts, and you definetly want those.

Here is what I have been using for the past few years, absolutely no complaints. I record vocals and acoustic guitar.

Yeah, that's the one I've got, but it didn't come with the shockmount (or the hot blond). This is the box I bought. Looks like it's $80 at Amazon. I think I found it for $50 because the Guitar Center was trying to get people in the door with cheap prices that day.

Mine didn't come with cables. I just used a basic XLR mic cable, nothing fancy.

I used to have that M-Audio interface. It works pretty well. But I find the MOTU Ultralite has better preamps. I'm not totally sure what that means, but I know it sounds better. If you ever feel like upgrading, you should try out the MOTU stuff and see what you think.

Thanks man, I really appreciate you giving it a listen.

I do all my recording on a PC I built a few years back. I purposely went overboard on RAM when I did, because prior to that I'd had nothing but trouble with laggy, crashing audio software during marathon sessions. Beyond that, mine is a "budget" setup to the max, but it works for what I do.

The DAW I use is Reaper - I've experimented with several over the years but this is the most responsive one I've found yet, and even the "vanilla" plug-ins are awesome. I think it cost me $60, but in reality it's a Winrar type deal where you could use the free "trial" forever. In the end I really wanted to support the dev though, because it's a great tool for the price tag.

When I'm just looking to bang out a quick recording before an idea escapes me (most of the time), I literally just use a $50 Blue Snowball wired directly into the PC via USB. I never intend for those to be the final versions of my songs, but sometimes I just kind of fall in love with random happy accidents and can't bring myself to toss out tracks with "real" moments in them. Hence the poor quality on a lot of my stuff.

When I want to record something "for real," I use this six-channel USB mixer, this standalone compressor/gate (I'm a bit old school about that), and some combination of a Shure SM58, an MXL 990 and an MXL991 depending on the situation. I was gifted a pair of Sennheiser HD280 cans many years ago, and they have been my faithful monitoring headphones ever since. When I want to play back what I've recorded so far at unreasonable volumes, which I consider a mandatory part of the process, I use the time-honored pair of Dayton B652 bookshelf speakers with a Lepai LP-2020A digital amplifier.

The only thing I somewhat regret is the mixer. It's fine for what it is, but I wish I'd spent a little more money on something that had more channels and enough juice to support the unpowered speakers I use for live performances. Other than that, my setup won't hold a candle to a $5000 or $10,000 rig, but it gets the job done and it's something I'm proud to have built one piece at a time. I paid for all of it using money I've made on gigs at local bars and coffee shops over the years, so it has some sentimental value as well. One day when I have the money for a serious upgrade, I hope I get the chance to pass this stuff down to a random kid who's just getting started and make his fucking year. :)

I would suggest this mixer as a cheaper alternative. When we first started my podcast we got these mics which although slightly different work well enough (we still use both, added in another MXL990 and a Shure SM57A Beta which although more a live sound mic works okay). The MXL990 is nice though a little more expensive individually. Add in stands and cables and you have a package right around your limit. I would also suggest pop filters. The extra $10-15 for them pays off in the end.

Hope that helps.