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Sale Price: $294.66
Today's Bonus:
- 24-bit A/D and D/A 96 kHz recording
- 114 dB dynamic range, Zero latency monitoring
- Analog gain control before A/D
- Includes Mic, Aluminum flight case, Desktop stand, 10 feet USB Cable, cleaning cloth, manual.
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For years I've been working with traditional XLR cardioid condenser mics (love my Neumann TLM) but I've had to travel a lot lately, and humping the XLR cables, pre-amp, and heavy mics through airports and hotels has gotten to be a real bother, so I started The Hunt for a Great USB Mic.Now, there are good USB mics out there for under $100, and Blue's Snowball is adequate. At ~$70 you get what you pay for. It is ok for podcasting, if you aren't too picky about sound quality. I had one shipped to me, didn't like that background hum, sent it back thinking it was a problem with the mic, and got another one that sounded exactly the same. (And yes, I read all the instructions and advice and made all the adjustments. I even tried it on Mac, Laptop, and PC--so spare me the "oh did you try this, and you're an idiot because you didn't try that" Snowball fanboy snarkiness ;).
So, when I returned the Snowball, I considered getting Blue's Yeti, but it's sheer size disqualified it -the mic is way too big and heavy to be considered remotely portable, and since I like to record standing-up instead of sitting down, I worried that it would be too heavy for my boom.
Having eliminated Blue's mics, I tried the Samson G Track at ~$120 and the AudioTechnica AT2020 at ~$110. I like that the Samson has the headphone output and the gain controls (which the AT does not) and better recording quality versus the AT2020 at 48kHz versus 44.1kHz. However, the Sampson weighs a half-pound more. For both mics the sound quality is great for podcasting, and while vastly superior to the Blue Snowball, and certainly adequate for most vocals that will be supported with background music, neither mic produces recordings clean enough and of high enough quality (limited to 16bit) for pure narration (IMHO).
So I upped my price-point again. And found THE perfect USB mic for voice-overs at ~$275. The MXL USB.009. It records at 24Bit/96kHz -a huge improvement over the 16Bit/44.1kHz of all the other mics. It has the benefits of a mic jack and knobs for gain control like the Samson G Track, and is Plug and Play. I don't have to tweak anything on my Mac or my PC. It is lightweight, so I'm not worried about my boom tipping, and there is no background hum. I like the steel carrying case -it weighs about 6 pounds with the mic and USB cable -and makes it easy to carry through airport security.
Yes, the MXL USB.009 is 4x the cost of the Blue Snowball and 2.5x the cost of the Samson G Track and the AT2020, but for me, it is worth it. I not only do podcasting, but I do professional voice-over work, and I need something that will give me the convenience of direct USB recording with near-studio quality.
Buy MXL USB 009 24BIT/96KHZ USB Condenser Mic Now
I have worked in radio for a lot of years and used many excellent microphones in various studios, some costing thousands of dollars. With this microphone, I am able to get very close to that level of quality in my home using my personal computer. I bought the mic from Amazon.com when I started producing a new show where I needed to do the introduction and close to each episode. Dynamic range is outstanding, great deep bass response, and very clean and clear. If you are shopping for a USB microphone and hoping to get pro-level results, this is a good choice.Here's a warning, though. When you plug the mic into your computer, it wants to take over as the sound card for output also. It has a headphone jack for monitoring your voice during recording, but I was very surprised when I started playback in Adobe Audition, and I heard those headphones fire up. So that's a little weird. I've adopted the practice of plugging in the mic when I want to record, starting Audition, recording, then saving the file, closing Audition, UNPLUGGING the mic, before restarting Audition and moving on to the edit phase. Clunky? Yes, a bit. But I'll still use this mic for its quality over some others that I've tried. I do hope that hearing about the sound card part in advance helps at least one person avoid the head-scratching I faced for a few minutes.
Read Best Reviews of MXL USB 009 24BIT/96KHZ USB Condenser Mic Here
I'm writing this to help save time for those looking to get a pro level USB mic as I spent quite a bit of time reading reviews (amazon and pro music reviews) listening to mic shootouts and leg work on USB microphones so I though I would see if I can help others save some time. I'm a bit retentive when it comes to my audio gear. I spent 10 years looking for the perfect studio monitors and finally found a slice of heaven in the ADAM s3A's.I have a professional recording studio and consider my 20 years of listening experience worthwhile in doing an unbiased review.
My goal was to find a usb microphone able to perfectly capture vocals and instruments without adding color (anything but the pure sound) to use with my ipad for audio work.
Microphones and monitors are very subjective in my opinion . Different people like the way different gear sounds. I was simply looking for sonic clarity and depth.
I settled on the Blue Yeti Pro and the MXL 009 and bought them both. I surmised these were the two top picks (based on user and pro reviews) out of the 5 or so at the top including the non pro yeti.
This is my first time owning a blue or MXL mic. I have a couple of Shure ksm44's and a few Neumanns
I ran a series of comparisons between the Yeti Pro, THe MXL 009 and my goto in the studio which is the ksm44 running through an Avalon ad2022 pre through an RME Fireface UFX into an 2011 Imac. I used two sets of headphones and my monitors to listen to the audio recorded. As set of audio technica m50s, and a pair of Sony MDR7509's and the s3a's. I recorded vocals, shakers and tuning forks at both 48k 16bit and 24bit 96k sample rates to see if it made a difference. It does make a difference but its slight and if you were making a song you probably couldn't tell in the mix. If you were doing a podcast or talkshow you woud notice slightly richer deeper clarity with the 96k 24bit setting.
The results were very surprising to me mostly because I was blown away that a $300 microphone can compete with 7K in studio gear. I think I need to tell Toto were not in Kansas anymore. Rating scale 10 = amazing 1=Sucks
The MXL 009 If you want the best sounding Mic and dont care about the rest this is your mic.
Features = 7 (lack of traditional xlr out limits to digital use)
Easy of Use = 7 You need to get your gain levels set prior to using or you will get pops and clicks in your audio. This could be a bummer if you just did a big long take and now have to edit to remove a few clicks. Set your gains and you will be without issue. ( would be nice if they had a clipping indicator on the mic since this is such a big issue). Maybe they will correct it with a soft or firmware update.
Set up = 10 ( I literally just plugged it in and selected it in logic pro used to record the audio)
Sound Quality = 10 The MXL009 was a bit more transparent and honest with the sound. It is really a beautifully accurate mic.
Accessories = 9 desk stand is rock solid but not as cool looking as the yeti. Its a basic stand. It comes with a cool metal case if you travel with your mics.
Look and Feel = 9 Very nice looking and solid feeling. The blue led is a nice touch to show its connected
The Yeti Pro If you are looking to get just one mic then this is your pick because of its feature set. Its built like a tank. Has the 4 different switching options which is very useful for getting different sounds. You could put it on a table for an interview and hear both people as an example. Also has standard xlr out, could be nice if you want to use it with standard gear. The stereo out is a nice feature (unless you want mono).
Features = 10
Easy of Use = 10 quick adjustments of gain and are forgiving if your not spot on.
Set up = 10 ( I literally just plugged it in and selected it in logic pro used to record the audio)
Sound Quality = 8 The MXL009 was a bit more transparent and honest with the sound.
Accessories = 9 desk stand is rock solid and cool looking
Look and Feel = 8 Very nice looking and solid feeling but kinda bulky. Sexy sitting on the desk if you care. They get -2 points as the Blue logo was slightly off level which most people probably would not or could not notice. (retentive)
The verdict is that they all sound amazing. If you were not doing a sise by side A/B you would miss the subtle differences. The Shure has a slight lead for overall sound but the MXL009 is not far behind and the Yeti pro is right up there with them. Its not quite as good sonically but as far as getting bang for your buck the yeti pro is an amazing choice for everything you get for less than $300. Unbelievable! My hats off to both companies for such great products.
I am keeping them both unfortunately as they are that great for different reasons.
Want MXL USB 009 24BIT/96KHZ USB Condenser Mic Discount?
This microphone is worth every penny. Studio quality sound, at home through your USB.If you're simply doing voice overs to your computer, this USB mic is the one. Great sounding, easy to set up, and very flexible. The controls and audio monitor on the mic give this USB microphone the real time monitoring and controls you don't get with other USB microphones. And I appreciated the carrying case this came in.
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