MXL Mics - Which models are good?

[rodreb]

Of all the MXL mics, which are good and which ones suck?

[Harvey Gerst]

I like their 603, the V67, V69, V77, the 960, and the Genesis.

[memphisindie]

I have a V67 G and although I hated it when I got it, I used it on something that worked and it came out more often. My ex-partner loved it.
I'm modding the snot out of it now and I like it even better now. I've heard a lot of MIC GUYS badmouth the capsules, but, I think it's more the electronics, this of course till I finish working on it. I think their electronics are pretty interesting circuits and I see what they are doing with them, they aren't bad as a start and are quite innovative.
I'd like to see a shootout with ADK, "like circuits" in a shootout against each other, assuming there are any.

[Fieldstone]

I find the MXL V69M works great on vocals and on picking acoustic guitar. It yields a nice fat tone with a creamy top end.

I've used the MXL990/991 that a buddy let me borrow and didn't find them that appealing. They seemed hyped at the top with lack of nice bottom. I'm sure I could make them work with some source, but just haven't found it yet.

I've never used the MXL603 but have used its sibling/cousin/stepchild the JoeMeek JM27 which I find to have a nasal peak around 1khz. It's been said these are the "same" mic...up for debate. I've heard some liken the MXL603 to the Oktava MK012...but I'm not in a position to give an opinion, never hearing the 603s with my own ears.

[skiltrip]

The only MXL i currently own is the 2001. I've had that for at least 7 years, probably closer to 10, I'm losing count, but it was a long time ago.

Now and then, it's exactly what a certain vocal needs, but it's noisy, and limited in what it can do. But it's funny. I was once doing a just for kicks version of I Can't Smile Without You... and none of the mics sounded right, I dusted off the 2001 for ha-has, and it sounded awesome for that Manilow cover. go figure!

I am interested in picking up an MXL tube mic, but not sure which yet. I'm leaning toward the 960 or V76t. Lots of kind words about those two out there on the interwebs.

[rodreb]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Anyone know anything about the V63m?

Or any of their stereo mics? Or any of the $99 or under MXL's, really?

[BudgetMC]

Love my 960.

I've got a V67g, which I think is a great mic for the money. Had a V63 which I also thought was nice for vocals. Had a pair of 603's, and was not impressed.

[Josh Rose]

I am an FOH engineer. The video guys in my department had a couple mxl 990's sitting around for voice over work. I never thought to try them until a buddy of mine said they sound great on floor tom. My floor tom sound had sucked as of late, so I tried it. Wow! It had an amazing tone. I also used it on an electric guitar with impressive results. Definitely a great mic for $60.

Also, check out oktavamod.com, as they are now offering a mod for the 990/991.

[Track 7]

+1 on the V69M but with a with tube mod. Mullard 12AT7 NOS (cv4004) Killer tube mic!

MXL 2006 a mind blower. Silky, smooth, versatile. Best $99. mic on the planet.

V57M best mic on the planet for the money... A/B it and you'll be shocked. Use your ears and force yourself to make someone blind test it with you.

There's a lot of mic's in the locker, but I've never regretted using these.

[Beyersound]

Originally Posted by Harvey Gerst

I like their 603, the V67, V69, V77, the 960, and the Genesis.

+1 Harvey! Listen to this guy, he knows these mics as well as anyone could! I have the V76t(the update of the V77) with a nos Mullard 4024 tube swap, very vintage! I also have a pair of 603s, I am going to send them in to Oktavamod, they are a very nice mic.

[MichaelMackie]

Originally Posted by rodreb

Of all the MXL mics, which are good and which ones suck?

To the latter: All of them.

[AdamJay]

the M3 and V12 are great, versatile, and with a good preamp they sound like more than they cost.
can usually find them used for cheap

[TSMusic]

I've been using a 909 as a body mic for acoustic guitar and it works right fine. I get a pretty sound out of it

FWIW

Tony

[toxostoma rufum]

the v67g, M3, and V6. The v88 is cool for VO, and I'm looking forward to the v87!

[kylergoehle]

+1 for the V69M w Mullard mod

[kit]

I have 2 603s mics, and really like them, I also use my 4000 quite often.

Kit

[moon_unit]

Their best ones are whatever you can get uber-cheap. We're talking bargain-bin, blue light special, two-for-one, get 'em out of here specials.

Most of their stuff uses the same capsules, similar (cheap) electronics, along with the same shoddy quality control that Chinese manufacturers are famous for. From top to bottom of their line -- there isn't much variation. So if you can get something uber cheap, then that's the one to get.

Sometimes Musician's Friend will blow out some models you've never heard of -- which are usually just rebadged versions of their standard product line made specifically for Musician's Friend / Guitar Center. These are especially good bargains. Anything that costs significantly more than their cheapest model ... probably isn't worth the added cost. Just go for the cheap stuff and hope you can uncover a gem. And if you don't like it - sell it on Ebay, wait for the next blowout and try it again.

[joelpatterson]

Originally Posted by rodreb

...Anyone know anything about the V63m? ...

I got two V57M's, and then I got two more. One set is my "cheapo" ORTF. Astonishifying. I think the "M" means it's wired internally with Mogami cable. Whatever the reason, it's amazingly clear, I use it on "moderate" distance things: choruses, miking a whole stage, like that.

I had it on a drumkit, and the director's eyes grew two sizes bigger when he heard the results.

Gets you where you want to go, I'll say that.

[Ken Walker]

Originally Posted by kylergoehle

+1 for the V69M w Mullard mod

+2 on that.

[Corran]

I hate the fact that MXL mics just exhude cheap and Chinese in their design. Not that I'm against that, but they just don't give the impression of being good mics.

I do own a pair of 603s that work well for the most part. I think the omni caps sound waaay better than the cards. For $100 for the pair and capsule sets, I think this was a great deal (MF Stupid Deal).

But the generic VxxM and 99x mics just don't do it for me. I had the 990/991 set for about a week and I thought they sounded horribly harsh, unmusical, and frankly unusable. But I've been told the 991 is the same as the 603! I find them completely different.

I think at the end of the day, regardless of price, MXL just has terrible QC. One mic model might really sound good but then a new shipment arrives from China and they're terrible.

Despite the temptation to get a few mics everytime they pop up in clearance, I really stay away from them in general. Besides, the price-point of $100 for a microphone has been filled for years in my book - the Oktava MK-219. I have six! And when I finally save enough money to mod them I'll more or less have six mics comparable to Neumann U47's / M149's. How many MXL mics can sound like that??

[memphisindie]

Originally Posted by Corran

I hate the fact that MXL mics just exhude cheap and Chinese in their design.

I LOVE it!

Despite the temptation to get a few mics everytime they pop up in clearance, I really stay away from them in general. Besides, the price-point of $100 for a microphone has been filled for years in my book - the Oktava MK-219. I have six! And when I finally save enough money to mod them I'll more or less have six mics comparable to Neumann U47's / M149's. How many MXL mics can sound like that??

I just modded an MCA SP1, (I think I paid $49 off ebay new, I SALUTE YOU, moon unit) and it sounds double awesome. Super duper clear and un weirded.
I modded my V67G ($69 on a blowout) sounded OK, now sounds unfrikkinbeleeeevable.
How?
Put in quality parts different materials, in the right spots. Just like Oktavas.
BTW moon unit, the V67G has different guts and circuit inside, highly moddable.
As far as MXL's sounding like a Neumann, they are a completely different circuit than a Neumann, some would sound more like a Schoeps or some like a 67/69.
Whatever they sound "like" (I have nothing to compare to in my studio) they behave a lot better now. They sounded so much better, I didn't bother keeping a stock model around long enough to A/B them, wish I had.
I know what you mean about the Oktava's too, I have four 319's and six 012's and they are all modded to the extreme. I feel guilty using my 012's on toms, but, that's where four of them are. They sound so much better on acoustic guitar and vocals now. Once modded they are so much easier to match because they just match better when the electronics have better continuity.

[Corran]

I've heard about the Schoeps circuit design. I have enough clean mics myself (Earthworks) so I'm looking more at the color aspect I guess. When someone says a mic sounds really good I'm thinking it imparts something on the sound, not just that it sounds ''realistic,'' so I guess modded MXL's are just more clean??

By the way, speaking of matching, I have two pairs of Oktava 219's that sound as if they were factory-matched when purchased (the body ring is the same pitch!). I bought them in a lot off ebay for about $65 a piece - so it was quite a pleasant surprise. I am really looking forward to getting all 4 of them modded with the ''premium'' Joly mod and two of them modded to be omni mics. Should give me all the color I could possibly want, and the choice of patterns to boot!

Anyway, sorry to stray OT.

[joelpatterson]

No one's going to get banned for straying off-topic... of course, you never know, I guess...

[KeithMoonwannabe]

MXL mics are what they are. I've owned and used a lot of their mics. For the price none of them are really bad and none of them really stand out. I've heard that with mods some of them can be terrific mics. I'd say if you can get a good deal on some go for it, they don't hurt to have around, just know how and when to use them. Same can be said of any mic.

I'd say the 603/604, 4000, and V69ME are probably my favorites from their product offerings. The Genesis looks pretty cool, but it's kinda pricey.

But I wouldn't choose them over more expensive mics most of the time personally. But I used to use an MXL990 and people loved some of the tracks I did with them on classical guitar, electric guitar, and vocals. So obviously they didn't impart too much badness on my performances. I'd say as long as the passion and talent is in the performance being recorded mics and equipment become less important in the end result. But it depends on the approach you want to take. Obviously using better tools can yield better results but that doesn't mean using inferior tools can't yield good/acceptable results or that the result will automatically be bad. Plus depending on the character you want the gear to impart the MXL mics can be perfect for the setting.

I'm thinking about getting a pair of MXL604 or MXL990 modded by oktavamod I may use those on acoustic guitar and cymbals if I go through with it.

[memphisindie]

Originally Posted by Corran

I've heard about the Schoeps circuit design. I have enough clean mics myself (Earthworks) so I'm looking more at the color aspect I guess. When someone says a mic sounds really good I'm thinking it imparts something on the sound, not just that it sounds ''realistic,'' so I guess modded MXL's are just more clean??

By the way, speaking of matching, I have two pairs of Oktava 219's that sound as if they were factory-matched when purchased (the body ring is the same pitch!).I am really looking forward to getting all 4 of them modded.

That's funny about the pitch. You'll love them modded. Completely different mic.
The MXL's don't necessarily get more clean as a caricature, but, they do get cleaner and more vibey. MUCH more.

[Michael_Joly]

Originally Posted by rodreb

Of all the MXL mics, which are good and which ones suck?

To the original poster's question here's what I like and what I don't...

The Good -

MXL 603 - pretty good stock, sounds like the KM 184's twin once modified.

MXL 2001 - Decent enough capsule for Dave Royer to use this mic for his "Barstow / Berlin" article. Cheap Chinese transformer degrades performance (assorted spitty distortion) but does provide an after-market upgrade path.

MXL V63 - Has a 6 micron capsule and is not as zingy as most Chinese LDCs. Transformerless. Headbasket and signal path mods clean this up. Remains a bit bright and lightweight even when mod'd.

MXL 2003 - Very flat response capsule, quite unusual for a Chinese LDC. Transformerless so it needs the usual capsule-to-FET capacitor upgrade and a few other signal path tweaks. A very clean and balanced FET / transformerless sound is possible with this mic.

MXL V67g - The real winner - nearly flat response capsule, transformer output. Combined with some signal path tweaks this a very nice mic with good body and transformer-coupled "heft".

The Bad -

MXL V69 - spitty, spike-in-the-head HF peak with stock capsule and electronics. Just not cost effective to solve all its problems.

For other LDC cheapies I like the Nady SCM 900 because its only $60. Has a poor capsule and transformer, but makes a cheap platform for a complete capsule / circuit / transformer overall.

[Beyersound]

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

To the original poster's question here's what I like and what I don't...

The Good -

MXL 603 - pretty good stock, sounds like the KM 184's twin once modified.

MXL 2001 - Decent enough capsule for Dave Royer to use this mic for his "Barstow / Berlin" article. Cheap Chinese transformer degrades performance (assorted spitty distortion) but does provide an after-market upgrade path.

MXL V63 - Has a 6 micron capsule and is not as zingy as most Chinese LDCs. Transformerless. Headbasket and signal path mods clean this up. Remains a bit bright and lightweight even when mod'd.

MXL 2003 - Very flat response capsule, quite unusual for a Chinese LDC. Transformerless so it needs the usual capsule-to-FET capacitor upgrade and a few other signal path tweaks. A very clean and balanced FET / transformerless sound is possible with this mic.

MXL V67g - The real winner - nearly flat response capsule, transformer output allows upgrade to a quality unit. Combined with some signal path tweaks this a very nice mic with good body and transformer-coupled "heft".

The Bad -

MXL V69 - spitty, spike-in-the-head HF peak with stock capsule and electronics. Just not cost effective to solve all its problems.

For other LDC cheapies I like the Nady SCM 900 because its only $60. Has a poor capsule and transformer, but makes a cheap platform for a complete capsule / circuit / transformer overall.

Thank you for the insightful post. Nice to hear facts from someone who has researched them so extensively. Lots of people like to flame the MXL line, and don't really understand what they are about. Anything that is ultra cheap has a compromise or two somewhere. That in itself does not make it a bad product. It is important to know where the compromises are, what it will cost to upgrade, and if it is still cost effective to do so. Michael, I don't think that the 603s mod makes it a twin to the 184, I actually think the 603 is clearer and better in the mid/upper mid punch area, great for piano, snare, and other things. The 603 modded also has a much more open and extended high end without spittiness or grittiness. One listen the the spoken word and jingle bells file will confirm this. It becomes a distinctive mic with it's own personality. Before you slutz out there slam something, try to get the facts and give a good listen first, there are a lot of great non-German mics out there, especially after a few inexpensive mods. Hell, the Germans use a lot of Chinese parts in their mics these days!

[Michael_Joly]

Originally Posted by Beyersound

...Michael, I don't think that the 603s mod makes it a twin to the 184, I actually think the 603 is clearer and better in the mid/upper mid punch area, great for piano, snare, and other things. The 603 modded also has a much more open and extended high end without spittiness or grittiness. One listen the the spoken word and jingle bells file will confirm this...

And thank you Beyersound for the kind words. I was trying to under-sell and over-deliver with my "KM 184's twin" comment and the accompanying audio

[superburtm]

my partner had one of those cheap 990's laying around and I was out of my mics when drum trking and I said ah hell lemme use this for a mono room...it worked quite well!! I use it all the time now...good mic for the money thumbsup

[AllAboutTone]

Originally Posted by superburtm

my partner had one of those cheap 990's laying around and I was out of my mics when drum trking and I said ah hell lemme use this for a mono room...it worked quite well!! I use it all the time now...good mic for the money thumbsup

I have a couple laying around that I use as well, 990s are great through a high end pre. Something I use 991 on OHs.