MXL 990 for recording female vocals?
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Posted on Feb 26, 2005 06:18 am
passionflower81
Member Since: Feb 26, 2005
Hi. I'm an aspiring singer/songwriter, very new to recording. I have a small Behringer mixer which I use to connect my mic to my computer. Currently I just have a generic dynamic mic which is not picking up my vocals the way I'd like it to. From what I have heard, condenser mics are the way to go for female vocals. I'm looking at a MXL 990 which seems to get great reviews. Is this a good buy? I'm low on cash at the moment and eager to get started on some projects with my writing partner. I was wondering what the home recording experts here thought of that.
If you have any additional advice for me, please feel free to share it! :) I would really appreciate it.
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TadpuiI am not a crook's headMember
Since: Mar 14, 2003
Feb 26, 2005 11:35 am Hello passionflower, I own the MXL 990 and I'm not sure that it would be that flattering to the female voice. It has a pretty high-ended frequency response and it sounds (to me, anyways) a little nasaly.
I guess the only way to know for sure is to give it a test. It's a good mic for the money, although it's not as detailed as I expected from a condensor mic. All things considered, I think that its a great entry-level condensor.
Feb 26, 2005 09:36 pm Hmm, nasaly? That's not good. LOL :) I think I will test one out though because I have read so many overwhelmingly positive reviews, and since I'm low on cash at the moment, it's a perfect fit for my budget. When I do I'll be sure to come back here and post what I think... anyone else have any experience with these, especially female vocalists? I've never actually sat down at the keyboard and figured out my exact range, but just as a comparison I can do Mariah Carey's entire range from top to bottom (though my style is nothing like hers), so I need a mic that will capture all of that and record it well...
WaltChief Cook and Bottle WasherMember
Since: May 10, 2002
Feb 26, 2005 10:54 pm Large diaphram mics are the way to go for vocals. Gender aside. The human voice is a very complex instrument and a large diaphram condenser will capture the subtle tones much better than a dynamic. The MXL is an excellent value at this time. In it's price range nothing will really compare.
GeoffSM7b the Chuck Noris of Mic'sContributor
Since: Jun 20, 2002
Feb 26, 2005 11:37 pm I have a VG76 and it works well for both, and it'sa great buy.
Feb 27, 2005 02:22 am You should check out a large diaphram condenser if you want your vocals to sound realy good. I realy like the apex 460. It sounds and looks like a AKG C-12. They sell for under $300.00 . Ask a question at WWW.cumberlandaudio.com/questions.htm if you want pro advice for free!
Feb 27, 2005 04:31 am Welcome to HRC PF. My mother can sing Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand. But she likes the blues and jazz best.
She tried the MXL 990 and she felt it was good value for money. She thinks she sounds alright through Shure 58, Rode NT1A, Neuman KM184 (yep, overheads) and Oktava ML52 ribbon mic.
The great thing about HRC is that this is a community. I am 15 and most of the gear I have in my home studio was recommended by guys here at good old HRC! It's meant I haven't made too many mistakes buying gear.
C_S
Mar 07, 2005 04:28 pm I have the MXL990...for the money...the best value going...
I run mine through a Behringer Eurorack mixer...small mixer like yours...you can do some adjusting on the EQ through the mixer to improve the tone some if you like too.
I wouldn't hesitate recommending this mic...yes I'm male, but don't get caught up in gear wars either...lotsa people will recommend expensive gear...and thats not a bad thing...
but evaluate yourself and what you are doing and your goals...for me...a simple home-recording guy...an amatuer...the mic is fantastic...and many people who are much more qualified than me agree. If you plan on using this mic to get a record deal...then maybe you should spring for something more expensive...and you still may not really be able to tell the difference...
Mar 08, 2005 12:05 am Hi PF, I'm a female vocalist and tried out all of these MXL Mics at NAMM 05 recently. I think they're all good values for the money, but I think their new MXL tube mic is the best of the bunch for female vocals. It's the v69 mogami edition. It's under $300 I think.
www.karynwhittemore.com
Mar 08, 2005 10:07 am The tracks on this site of my band were recorded with the MXL 990.
www.myspace.com/TheOps
We didn't have time in the studio to get to vox, so we added some at home for a demo. It certainly did the trick. But it depends on your voice too I guess.
