MXL Condenser Microphone, Midnight (MXL990MIDNIGHT)

As a hobby I do some youtube game recordings and I'm a bedroom guitar player.I was looking for a low cost entry mic that was not a USB interface (USB interfaces have so many issues randomly as far as feedback and white noise). So I looked for an entry level XLR Microphone and there are a few popular picks.I was pretty dead set on getting the Audio Technica AT2020 but the MXL 990 was also a popular choice for the roughly $100 price point. I ended up opting for the MXL because I was budgeting including my audio interface and random peripherals (cables, boom arm) and the Midnight color was actually $70 where the standard silver was the full price $100.Well this mic is definitely worth the full $100 either way.First, commenting on the Midnight edition, it is beautiful. It is a deep purple, but looks very black at first glance so it doesn't clash with my boom arm, cable, and pop filter. Not that it would be a deal breaker, but it just looks really nice.But for the sound...this mic can perform.Literally plugging into my audio interface (Scarlett 2i2) this thing sounded great.After applying a few filters (FIR and, compressor mainly) it sounds absolutely amazing.Again, I am doing youtube hobby work, so it's all talking I am judging this by, so I can personally attest that if you are going to podcast or game stream this mic is a fantastic pick. But even though I've never used it for singing, the voice clarity is so great I can't imagine it not being equally as great for that as well.This mic simply performs on all promises it makes.If you are looking for a condenser mic in the $100 price range, this guy is great.

WOW! This mic just blew be away. I've worked with many other mics over the past 20 years in studio recording, and this one for studio voice work is outstanding and goes head-to-head with other mics in the recording industry. I've worked with Sterling Audio, Audio Technica, other MXL mics and several others, but this one is truly silky smooth with my voice. It has at least 15-20% more full audio dynamics than the Sterling Audio ST55 and the audio peaks are not blown out. The mid range audio dynamics are perfect, supported by outstanding bass frequencies which provides a true world-class audio recording. I keep the peaks at around -6 to -9 dB and the bulk of the audio below that. This MXL did not need a pre amp like the Sterling Audio does. I run all my audio directly through the Yamaha AG03 with the phantom power on and the mic is very quite, around -51dB. I can barely hear any noise, if any, in play back. I work in Adobe Audition on the PC and sometimes Audacity, yet Audition gives me a better audio output and sound quality with this mic. I also use Monster Cables Prolink Standard 100 mic XLR cables. Bottom line, I can't say enough about this mic. It's now my "go to" mic for all my voice over and audio narration work. I record over 2,000 audio files in any given year and the MXL 990 will help my, and any other voice, sound even better.

Great microphone, but check to make sure you get your full order. I've been using this mic for a year and it's just fantastic. Decided to finally buy a shock mount for it. So I looked up the description of the mic to make sure I get the correct mount only to find out that my order a year ago was supposed to come with a mount and a case for the mic. Make sure you don't get screwed on your order and shorted pieces like I did. Value for the money is 1 star for not delivering my full order. Sound quality is a definite 5.

I just got this thing yesterday, took an hour or so getting it set up and rooted into my setup (focusrite Safire 40) and posted in and I'm frankly amazed. Sensitivity and clarity on it are amazing. Boosted the gain and i was picking up conversations my neighbors were having in their back yard (stopped as soon as i realized what that was). My vocals remain unimpressive, but that only reinforces my belief in this mics accuracy. Good case, nice shockmount.

Beautiful used microphone I picked up from the Amazon Warehouse. Came with all original packaging. On defect, Amazon didn’t tell me there was a small dent on the microphone metal mash where you would speak or play into. Not a major disappointment as the microphone had no other characterist flaws. Looks and records the same way it would if it was new.

Out of the box you pull out this pretty nice gear case housing the 2 mounts and the microphone. Very solid all metal build with some weight to it. You need an interface/pre amp since this mic won't work without phantom power. The main reason I picked this microphone is because it has the potential to be my forever mic. This mic can be easily improved with the upgrade kits available online for the capsule and circuit board putting it at the same or even better level of the more expensive mics priced in the thousands of dollars.

AMAZINGLY CLEAR AND QUIET!!!!I have had the “world’s quitest condenser” microphone as well as a $400 mic and this FOR ME is doing the best recording yet!Suuuuuuper clean and grasps all the frequency of my voice without tons of hissing and white noise that needs to be mixed out.The shockmount is annoying with the placement of the clasps for adjustments but the quality of the MICROPHONE is impeccable. And iGot it on sale for $70 and saved 530 dollars by replacing my other 2 with this one.

This mic is fantastic for the price and has a good sound quality, the only warning I’ll give you is to put a guard on it. For a mic stand I just got the amazon basics mic stand and the shock guard fits it perfectly and sits in it well

This mic has pretty solid construction, and I love its compact size. It's VERY quiet, and it has decent sound quality for the price. Great for beginners and those on a budget. However, I found it had trouble picking up the sublties and nuances of my voice. If I went higher or lower than a certain range, the sound became somewhat "static"y and slightly distorted. It's a step above a USB condenser mic, but I'll be returning this one and upgrading to a higher quality microphone.

Este MXL tiene una fidelidad de sonido increíble. Para voz, se escucha con bastante claridad y potencia. Como locutor lo recomiendo si se necesita que la voz suene nítida y clara. Incluso hasta las respiraciones se escuchan bastante.

Wow. Worked great for a while and I took perfect care of it, but after less than a year of 4h or less of usage per week, it completely stopped working, out of the blue. I always kept it in its case outside of usage and didn't allow dust or spit to enter the mic, but seems the internal design is flawed and not stable enough. Would not recommend at this price point. Get something more reputable.

If you're getting into streaming, music recording, or podcasts. This microphone is probably the best bang for your buck. Sounds great, is durable and it's not crazy expensive.

Good mic. Super happy with quality