MXL Mics MXL-STUDIO 1 USB Condenser Microphone, Cardioid

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $129.95
Sale Price: $78.81
Today's Bonus: 39% Off

• Quality sample rate converter
• Completely plug and play for both PC and Mac
• Includes a 1/8-inch headphone jack for low latency monitoring
• Comes with carrying case, desktop microphone stand/adapter, 10 feet USB cable
• Excellent all-purpose USB microphone kit
• PC and Mac OS compatible
• Headphone jack for audio monitoring
• CD/DVD-quality recordings that sound professional

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I always had to drive to a studio to record voiceovers for narrations and radio spots. Now I can do it at home. I was able to set up the MXL-Studio 1 mic in a quiet closet space (the generous 10-ft. USB cable helps) and the sound quality is almost as good as the studio.

I found that a pop filter is necessary. I use Apple's Soundtrack Pro (part of the Final Cut Pro suite) for recording and editing. It's a simple setup and works just fine.

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I bought this microphone because i'm tired of having headset microphones containing either too much static, or just not having the volume i need.

upon receiving the item it came in a nice plastic case with some pretty solid latches (think pelican case, just not a pelican case)

Installed the supplied stand (which is pretty nifty) and plugged it into my computer (Windows 7 Home Premium)

Took a Few minutes to get recognized in the Device list but it did so without a hitch (there is no driver to install)

Using the listen feature i began listening at the quality. It sound very good However, i had a Hum and i could not figure it out, turns out it was picking up the vibration from my computer itself (the fans) As well as any background noise it easily picked those up as well.

If you're going to use one of these professionally i would recommend getting a Pop Filter to cover the front of the Mic (It is VERY sensitive)

Overall, the size of it isn't too daunting, i can be placed in just about anyplace on it's included Tripod Stand and not be in the way, It also comes with a pretty long USB Cable which can help as you're not limited in length.

I'm pretty happy with it, and If i have any problems later on down the road i will for sure make a note of it here.

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First, I do not have any microphone from the Blue brand; however, I can say that I am very pleased both with the quality and the ease of this microphone. I purchased the pop filter as well, to protect it and make recordings that much better. It picks up sounds from everywhere, so if you are using it for anything other than high quality recordings, you are better off getting a different microphone or a headset. (That means do not use this one to play video games, specifically if you have a mechanical keyboard). It does just what you think it will.

If you use audacity to record your voice/sound tracks, the built in noise reducer takes away all of the background noise perfectly. Since audacity is free, no matter what software you use, background noise shouldn't be a problem.

To conclude, this is not a comparison to the Blue brand, but this microphone is good.