Recording

MXL 990 XLR Condenser Mic Review / Test

Today I am reviewing MXL 990 XLR Condenser Microphone. This is part 1 of 2 of the MXL 990/991 Recording Kit review series. This is the larger of the two microphones in the kit and it is designed as Vocal/Instrument Mic. It is also a condenser microphone, which means it will require phantom power to work properly, so keep that in mind when you are considering this recording kit.

If you are interested in this microphone, it will set you back $90 on Amazon

What's In the Box

  1. Microphone
  2. Microphone Mount
  3. Hard Shell Carrying Case
  4. Documentation
  5. 1-Year Warranty

Performance / Features

The build of this microphone feels pretty nice. It has an all metal construction and an all metal grill. It has some substantial weight to it too. It feels all around like a well built sturdy microphone. It doesn't feel like it's as high quality as an AT2035, but keep in mind that this microphone is between $50-$60 (if you buy the kit). 

The frequency response of this mic is listed as 30Hz - 20kHz which is a very nice range. It sounded relatively nice on vocals and electric guitar, but when I tested it on the acoustic it sounded a little bit thin. This could have been easily remedied by altering the microphones position. Regardless of the mic positions, it does seem to lack a little bit in the low end.

The microphone also offers a cardioid polar pattern. This means it picks up audio directly in front of the microphone and picks up little to no audio around the sides or back of the mic. It seems to be a narrow pick up range, which helps eliminate a lot of the unwanted keyboard noise in the background.

Pros

  • Cheap
  • Nice construction
  • Sturdy case
  • Nice sound on voice & electric guitar
  • Good at eliminating background noise

Cons

  • Lacks a little in low end

Conclusion

All around I think this is a nice sounding microphone for the price. It sounded nice on the vocals and the electric guitar, but did seem to lack a little in the low end. I think this would be a great option for gamers because it does help eliminate a lot of the background noise and has a good clean sound for vocals. This would also work really well as an entry level studio mic set and will allow you to play around with multiple micing positions if you opt for the mic kit.

If you have any additional questions about this microphone, leave them in the comments on this site or on the youtube channel, and I will try to reply ASAP. 

Buy the MXL990 / 991 Package
US: http://amzn.to/29ZPZBL
UK: http://amzn.to/29LBO3j

BSP-014: How I Got Into Music & Recording

On episode 14 of The Bandrew Says Podcast, we take a little bit of a detour from the regularly scheduled topics. Due to popular request, Bandrew is sharing a little bit more about himself with you guys, telling you how he got into music/recording.

Before that, there is a discussion about the SpaceX Falcon 9 landing, and what that means and why Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is not as bad as you remember. Bandrew also talks about his first impressions of the Nexus 5x as well as Android & why podcasting is not big on Android.

Make sure you like The Bandrew Says Podcast on Facebook to hear actual examples of the bands that Bandrew discusses in this episode.

Yuker Mic-001 Condenser Microphone Review / Test

Today I am reviewing the Yuker Mic-001. This mic is pretty cheap (approximately $27 US Dollars) and it comes with almost everything you will need to get started recording, sans microphone stand and audio interface.

This microphone bears an uncanny resemblance to the BM-700 and NW-700, so much so that I'm going to guess that it's manufactured by the same company. In the video I do a brief comparison and there are some minor audio differences. I also pulled apart these microphones below and took some pictures of the inner workings, and it is safe to say that they are not exact copies of one another.

What's In the Box

In this box you get everything you need to start recording other than a microphone stand and a USB audio adapter. You are going to get the actual microphone, a ball pop filter, a shock mount, and a cable (XLR to 3.5mm). The last thing you get in the box is a specifications sheet.

The box was missing 5/8" to 3/8" microphone stand adapter. However, if you buy a neewer microphone boom arm to use with this microphone, you will get an adapter with the stand.

Performance / Features

I have a problem. The spec sheet that I received had an image of a random microphone on it. The specifications on the specs sheet, and specifications on the amazon page were different as well. On top of this, the amazon page listed features that were not present on this microphone.

The frequency response of this microphone is either 20Hz - 20KHz, or 20Hz - 16KHz, I'm going to assume it is 20Hz to 20KHz because that is what the BM-700's frequency response is. The polar pattern is uni-directional (approximately 180-degrees at 1KHz) as well.

Comparison of inner working of Yuker Mic 001 & the BM-700

The amazon page states that this microphone has two switches: (1) Bass-Reduction switch to reduce room noise, and (2) -10dB overload protection switch to protect against clipping. I did not see either of these options on the microphone, I even unscrewed the whole thing, to make sure they were not internal options. 

There is the possibility that they mean "electronic switches", as in electronic components on the computer chips within the microphone, but I cannot be certain. I have included an image of the MIC-001 and the BM-700's inner electronics for reference. However, when I look at the spec sheet provided, it shows a the option to roll off the frequency response at around 100hz. This leads me to believe that there should be two physical switches on this microphone. one to activate the bass reduction and one to activate -10db pad. 

The build quality of this microphone is decent, but it is definitely a stay at home microphone. This is not the microphone you want if you are going to be traveling and want to record on the road. The shock mount does it's job perfectly, and the cable seems to be a high quality cable that will last for a while.

Pros

  • Cheap

  • Decent Sound Quality

  • Comes with Almost Everything you Need

  • XLR Microphone (can use different preamps, interfaces, etc.)

Cons

  • Unclear specifications

  • Features listed on Amazon, are not on the microphone

Conclusion

I think that this is a decent option for a microphone if you are on a budget. You can get everything you need to start for about $40-50. Because the audio quality of the Mic-001, the BM-700, BM-800, and NW-700 are all very similar, I would recommend shopping around and checking to see which is the cheapest.

I should note that I hook this microphone up using a $6 USB Audio adapter (linked below) which provides 5 volts of power, improving the audio quality. If you have any questions about the microphone, leave them in the comments down below or on youtube and I will get back to you ASAP. Thanks for watching & reading. 

Yuker Mic-001: http://amzn.to/1Qxn4C1
USB Audio Adapter: http://amzn.to/1X1asBV