MXL Mics - Which models are good?

[old ghost]

I have the MXL V6, 603S, 3000, and 2003.


I'm no expert, but know what I like and don't like and what these work (or don't work) on. I have many more expensive mics to compare with.


V6 - Bright mic. Nice detail and works best for airy pop vocals and more delicate fingerpicked acoustic parts. Forget about it on strummed guitar, sounds like crap.

603S - Honestly, I only got it to try on acoustic guitar and I got it for extremely cheap. Basically, it finished dead last on acoustic guitar out of every mic I tested. I would stay away from this one and I'll probably sell it after a year of trying to include it in tests. It's like the kid that you let play football on the schoolyard but every time you let him on your team he sucks and you wished you hadn't wasted your time. (Though every instrument and setting is different and who knows, it could work great for someone, but not me.)

3000 - Dark as far as MXL condensers go. I really like it on strummed acoustic guitar and oddly enough on electric guitar cabs from time to time. Not extremely detailed like more expensive mics, but on a budget it is just a solid good mic for strummed parts.

2001 - Another one I bought used for cheap. No good on acoustic. As far as vocals, there's one thing I really like about this mic compared to my more expensive mics. This mic sounds better in shitty rooms compared to it's buddies in my locker. If I am recording someone in a bad room, this one just tends to give solid results and not reveal so vividly how bad the acoustics are.


As a whole, MXL mics are basically a means to an end, the end being better high end mics. But for the money over the past two years, they have been great tools for me. (Assuming they are through some decent pre's...not necessarily $1500+ outboard pres, but not through a $300 interface, either.)

Buy the good ones if you can find them cheap, just for fun if not for absolute necessity. (We all love mics too much to pass up a cheap gamble.) They certainly aren't worthless crap like some people think they are. Especially considering most people who say that have the means to buy far better mics, and the rest of us have got to find the best sounds we can with limited means.

[memphisindie]

I'm curious if you've had a chance to buy some of the modded versions of those mics?

[joelpatterson]

Modded MXL Mic alert!

I got a pair of V57M's modded by JJ Audio-- WOOO-HOOO!

Took what was basically a very decent mic and kicked it up a couple dozen notches. As Jim explained to me: the basic design is good, it's just put together with the cheapest parts that will work; you replace them with quality parts and you lay some JJ Audio healing hands on it and the results are out of this world.

But don't take my word for it-- I'll be posting a review early in June, with all kinds of mp3's of the little beasties in action. Hearing is believing, like they say.

[Michael_Joly]

Very interesting discussion about modding the v57 in this thread from 2007. Good technical back-and-forth between Jim Williams and "Wavebourn".

[mrboma]

Check out this link for VO tests of the MXL R77 and V89 (no, this is not my podcast and I don't know the guy): New Media Gear Podcast - Part 5


By the way, I'm new here. I'm a VO and I also do some Tuvan throat singing (I know… weird). You can hear my stuff on YouTube (YouTube - MrJBoma's Channel).

I've been scrimping and saving to get an AT4047 for my VO booth, but I would REALLY be stretching my budget. So after reading this thread, I am looking at ordering a modded MXL (or other mic). Would the modded V67 be best? I don't want to spend more than $400 (and don't try to tell me I should use a dynamic for VO). Whatever I get will be running through a TCE Konnekt 6 to my MacBook Pro.

[Michael_Joly]

The v67g's noise floor is a bit high for professional voice application - especially quiet reads.

I have quite few voice actor clients getting fine results with the mod'd 219 / 319 or NT1a. You can hear pro voice talent using the 219 against a Neumann M149 here (scroll down) and the mod'd NT1a here.

[kidvybes]

Originally Posted by mrboma

I've been scrimping and saving to get an AT4047 for my VO booth, but I would REALLY be stretching my budget.

...not neccessarily...

...look here: Music Go Round

[memphisindie]

Originally Posted by mrboma

Check out this link for VO tests of the MXL R77 and V89 (no, this is not my podcast and I don't know the guy): New Media Gear Podcast - Part 5
By the way, I'm new here. I'm a VO and I also do some Tuvan throat singing (I know… weird). You can hear my stuff on YouTube (YouTube - MrJBoma's Channel).
I've been scrimping and saving to get an AT4047 for my VO booth, but I would REALLY be stretching my budget. So after reading this thread, I am looking at ordering a modded MXL (or other mic). Would the modded V67 be best? I don't want to spend more than $400 (and don't try to tell me I should use a dynamic for VO). Whatever I get will be running through a TCE Konnekt 6 to my MacBook Pro.

Depends on the mod. I haven't heard of anyone doing a network low pass for them, they could use one for VO work.

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

The v67g's noise floor is a bit high for professional voice application - especially quiet reads.

I have quite few voice actor clients getting fine results with the mod'd 219 / 319 or NT1a. You can hear pro voice talent using the 219 against a Neumann M149 here (scroll down) and the mod'd NT1a here.

Before anybody flames Michael for this, HE'S RIGHT.
The 319 or 219 are much quieter mics and even better modded.
I would think they'd be excellent VO mics. I have a friend tha does VO a LOT, we did one for a SF CA Radio Station using a modded 319 and they absolutely loved it.

[mrboma]

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

The v67g's noise floor is a bit high for professional voice application - especially quiet reads.

The Konnekt 6 is supposed to have a transparent and quiet preamp, so I thought I might need some character from my mic. Plus I know a lot of VOs who use a U87, so I thought if the V67 mod sounded similar it might be a good choice. But not if it has too much noise. That's the biggest issue I have with my C01U right now… it actually sounds good with my voice, but it has a LOT of self noise.

And thanks kidvybes for the link to Music Go Round.

[Michael_Joly]

Yeah, lots of folks want the sound of a $2500-$3200 vintage U 87 for $400. I can deliver that sound - but its a bit more than your price point.

[fossaree]

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

Yeah, lots of folks want the sound of a $2500-$3200 vintage U 87 for $400. I can deliver that sound - but its a bit more than your price point.

your bluebird mod , sound like so ?
I ask cuz I gotta spair one loosing around my studio !

[Michael_Joly]

In terms of timbre - the BlueBird with my MJE-K47 capsule and headbasket mod is close to the U 87. The noise floor, while reduced with my Premium Electronics upgrade, is not as low as the Rode NT1a but in the neighborhood of the U 87.

[mrboma]

I know that no inexpensive mic will be identical to a multi-thousand dollar mic, but close would be awesome. So, what price point are we talking, Michael? If I could get a U87 sound (or better yet, a U47 sound) with one of your mods, what price point would I be looking at (for mic + mod)?

Or put another way, for $549 would I be better off with an AT4047 or your MK-319 floating head?

Thanks for the help. -Jerome

[johnny nowhere]

I like my MXL 960T tube condenser. I get lots of compliments on my vocal tracks all of the time.. and I think that my voice is nothing to write home about, so I give the mic kudos.

[Michael_Joly]

Originally Posted by mrboma

I know that no inexpensive mic will be identical to a multi-thousand dollar mic, but close would be awesome. So, what price point are we talking, Michael? If I could get a U87 sound (or better yet, a U47 sound) with one of your mods, what price point would I be looking at (for mic + mod)?

Or put another way, for $549 would I be better off with an AT4047 or your MK-319 floating head?

Thanks for the help. -Jerome

Given my bias on this matter (well-founded though, I believe) I'm the wrong person to ask. But there may be a few people here who have both the 4047 and a OktavaMod 219 or 319. Perhaps they'll spot this and answer.

[nicholassss]

I have two mxl 990/991 pairs. and i dig the 990s as my over heads, some times more than much more expensive mics ive borrowed or used in other studios.

and they work in a pinch for vocals and acoustic instruments if i cant get my hands on anything else.

for like 80 bucks for a pair you cant really lose.

[Robbie777]

i would rather posses talent and a cheap mxl mic (i own the mxl990) than have none with an expensive one, where can i buy me some more talent? ... i need it badly

[uncle duncan]

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

Given my bias on this matter (well-founded though, I believe) I'm the wrong person to ask. But there may be a few people here who have both the 4047 and a OktavaMod 219 or 319. Perhaps they'll spot this and answer.

I have a:
AT4047
Oktavamod MK-319 - original capsule, electronics and headbasket mod
Oktavamod K47H capsule with Premium Electronics upgraded sdc body
MXL V67g modded - stock capsule, electronics and transformer upgrade

They all sound different. I did have a borrowed U87ai here for a few weeks. In comparison, my impression was that the modded V67g was the closest, by virtue of its big low end. The U87 is a really beefy sounding mic. The proximity affect seems to start kicking in at 8 or 10 inches. The modded V67g has a more reasonable proximity affect, and seems to be a tad less pushed in the midrange.

My K47h has virtually no proximity affect. You have to get right up on it to get any kind of bass boost. When you're close, it is a very rich and full sounding mic with a bit of an enhanced midrange, and smooth, unhyped highs. It's the lightness in the low mids that takes this mic farther away from the U87 than the V67, but people tend to cut the low mids of the U87 during mix, so that might be a plus for the K47H.

The At4047 seems to be more of a character mic, with a peak in the 6k area, and a big low end. It does have a subdued top end that sounds a little hashy to me, but some people like it, in that it gives the mic a retro-ish sound.

The modded MK-319 with the stock capsule is useful on bright acoustic instruments that benefit from the 6k dip in the response. I've tried it on bright singers who need a mic to tame the harshness in their voices. It can do this, but I always end up going with something else. There may be a midrange resonance thing going on with that mic that just doesn't flatter the voices I've tried it on, but it works great on instruments.

Out of all these mics, the AT4047 flatters my voice the best (male baritone without any tone or support or resonance - yeah, I suck at singing) but the dirty high end always catches my ear - perhaps because I'm obsessing over it. They say that Tony Bennet used that mic for all the singers on his Duets album, but I would think you could get a similar sound by adding some EQ to the K47H.

I would think the deciding factor would be the midrange push versus the low end. If you want more beef, the modded V67 with the stock capsule would be the way to go. If you want more midrange, the K47H would be perfect.

Michael - you've modded the V67 with the stock capsule. What's your impression of that capsule when it's running through upgraded electronics?

[uncle duncan]

Here's a clip with the 4 mics in order:

V67g, K47h, 4047, 319

recorded in pairs through a DAV pre, no eq or compression. I added a touch of reverb. I was about 6" off the mics, with a pop screen up.

[Michael_Joly]

Hey Unc Dunc! thanks for the clips. Its always a treat to hear what our clients sound like. You'd make almost any mic sound good man!

Great review of all those mic models - Gearslutz needs more of that sort of compare-and-contrast text backed up with audio samples. But that takes more work than just squawking "bweeahh SM7, SM7, SM7, bweaahh" like a GS parrot - doesn't it?

doh, where was I?

Oh yeah, I've been doing two things with the v67 lately - stock capsule / mod'd electronics and MJE-K47 capsule with slightly different electronics (the MJE-K47 mod). I like them both but I love the low phase shift and clarity of the MJE-K47 version. And yes, you're spot on about the reduced proximity effect in the MJE-K47 capsule - all the deep mud gets EQ'd out of a vocal track anyway (ever do spectral analysis of solo'd Beatles vocal tracks? I have - talk about 200 Hz <or higher> high pass filtering) so I prevent the build up at the capsule and achieve better time domain response as well.

I'll have to let you borrow one of my mod'd RODE NT1a mics. If I wasn't such an Oktava man, a guy who cut his teeth on the 219, I'd say the MJE-K47 equipped NT1a is my favorite mic right now...ah wait...I also like the results I'm getting with the Nady TCM-1050 tube mic - but that's a different thing. But for a cardioid-only, FET / transformerless sound - the mod'd NT1a rules. Oh, but then there's the MJE-K47H capsule head / mod'd 22mm SDC combo...so many mics so little time!

[Mark D.]

Originally Posted by uncle duncan

Here's a clip with the 4 mics in order: V67g, K47h, 4047, 319

Prefer: 1) 4047 2) 319 3) V67G 4) K47h. Your voice has a resonant higher
mid quality and the DAV has more presence in that area vs other preamps
so that's how I think it matches up best. AT mics work great, or really do
not work, with singers, I've found. Quick question. Is that a song you are
recording? I'd buy it, the chord changes right after "buckled in" are great.

[uncle duncan]

Originally Posted by Mark D.

... Is that a song you are
recording? I'd buy it, the chord changes right after "buckled in" are great.

That's the drum machine scratch demo. The band broke up before we got a chance to track the song, but I may finish it anyway.

The chords are a Steely Dan ripoff, (or perhaps emulation would be a better word.) In the key of Bb, after the Ebm (4m) it's a Db over Gb, to Eb over F. I originally had a 2m to 5 there, but the guitar player likes to go for the unexpected.

[uncle duncan]

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

...you're spot on about the reduced proximity effect in the MJE-K47 capsule - all the deep mud gets EQ'd out of a vocal track anyway (ever do spectral analysis of solo'd Beatles vocal tracks? I have - talk about 200 Hz <or higher> high pass filtering) so I prevent the build up at the capsule and achieve better time domain response as well.

In the Rode NT2a mod, can you utilize the 2-position low cut switch for that? There are times in acoustic music when you want the full range of the voice or instrument to remain intact, rather than installing a permanent 200hz rolloff. In pop music, I do find myself cutting below 200 in vocals, and guitars, and keyboards.... It's really kind of sad. You go to all the trouble to get everything sounding nice and full, and then you have to roll it all off in the mix.

Trying to steer the thread back to MXL mics - the low cut switch and pattern selector options would be issues to consider when making purchasing decisions. I guess for a first vocal mic, cardioid-only is not that big of a deal, but getting into micing instruments, or doing a live guitar/vocal, switching to fig 8 can be really helpful. Plus, changing the patterns can alter the response curve.

[mrboma]

Originally Posted by Mark D.

Prefer: 1) 4047 2) 319 3) V67G 4) K47h.

I totally agree with this evaluation. The 319 just doesn't have the full bottom of the 4047, but the other two sound muddy to me.

So yes, back to the MXL focus of the thread: Michael, have you seen any of the newish models yet (V87, V89, Genesis) and evaluated them for mods?

[mrboma]

While we're at it, does anybody know anything about the MXL Trophy? Amazon.com: Marshall Electronics MXL Trophy Custom Studio Condenser Microphone: Musical Instruments

[fossaree]

Originally Posted by mrboma

While we're at it, does anybody know anything about the MXL Trophy? Amazon.com: Marshall Electronics MXL Trophy Custom Studio Condenser Microphone: Musical Instruments

it's got to be a new one , I've never heard of it before !

[Michael_Joly]

Originally Posted by uncle duncan

In the Rode NT2a mod, can you utilize the 2-position low cut switch for that? There are times in acoustic music when you want the full range of the voice or instrument to remain intact, rather than installing a permanent 200hz rolloff. In pop music, I do find myself cutting below 200 in vocals, and guitars, and keyboards.... It's really kind of sad. You go to all the trouble to get everything sounding nice and full, and then you have to roll it all off in the mix.

Trying to steer the thread back to MXL mics - the low cut switch and pattern selector options would be issues to consider when making purchasing decisions. I guess for a first vocal mic, cardioid-only is not that big of a deal, but getting into micing instruments, or doing a live guitar/vocal, switching to fig 8 can be really helpful. Plus, changing the patterns can alter the response curve.

To be clear - I'm not installing a permanent high pass filter in any of my mics. I've designed the MJE-K47 capsule to have excellent bass response but with a more vocal-friendly proximity effect. Not so huge that it requires heavy handed HP filtering. My example of the Beatles vocal track analysis was meant to indicate how much HP filtering was typically used with the U 47 / 48 on many of those tracks.

Re: pattern selection, low cut and attenuation switches.

In my opinion, the most valuable and least damaging sonically is pattern selection. The 9 pattern tube mics like the Apex 460 and Nady TCM-1050 are, as you note, very useful not only for polar pattern control but also on-axis frequency response contouring.

Originally Posted by mrboma

...So yes, back to the MXL focus of the thread: Michael, have you seen any of the newish models yet (V87, V89, Genesis) and evaluated them for mods?

Not those models. Though I was amused when an MXL new product press release for the MXL "Revelation" appeared in Audio Pro International back in December '09. MXL ran a press release that had a picture of the OktavaMod MK-319 Floating Dome mic with my signature single layer grille. The "Revelation" now also has a single layer grille.

But I do find it interesting that MXL has a number of models that extend their line pricing upward into the boutique mic range. They obviously believe there are significant numbers of mic buyers at "boutique" price points and want to capture some of them.

And MXL's upward extension of pricing is another validation of the value offered by those of us doing boutiqe mic work.