MXL USB.009 - Large Diaphragm 24-Bit 96kHz Studio USB Microphone

Comments about MXL USB.009 - Large Diaphragm 24-Bit 96kHz Studio USB Microphone:

First off, let me say that I own two of the three microphones mentioned in his review. Multiple Audio Technica AT2020s, AT4040s, and the MXL USB.009.

I am also disclosing that the USB.009 was given to me for free, by a friend of mine as he upgraded to the Yeti Pro. I am using the MXL USB.009 for portable field recordings.

As a quick review of the microphone, I can say it is an "OK" mic however if I was not given it for free I would have chosen to purchase a different microphone and a stand alone USB/Firewire audio interface. THE MXL IN MY OPINION IS WAY OVER PRICED. If however, you are just looking for an extremely decent mic from an awesome company with fantastic support try the Blue Yeti Pro. I own a number of their high end microphones (Woodpecker, and capsule mics) and they are fantastic. The Yeti Pro includes all the cables, stand (and has a threaded standard mic stand mount which the MXL does not), stereo XLR and USB converter output AND includes polarity and polar pattern seletions (cardiod, stereo, omni, bi-directional), has a MUTE button (when on USB), and can convert stereo audio at 24bit/192khz and which is manufactured in Latvia!

Blue Yeti:
Cheaper
Stellar company support
Manufactured in Latvia
Includes stand
Stereo
Multiple polar patterns
MUTE (when on USB)
24bit/192khz converters
Stereo XLR /w breakout cable (for use with your own interface or mixer)
All cables included
Standard threaded mic stand (you can use your own REAL stand)
No fancy blue light

In contrast MXL USB.009:
More expensive
Mediocre support
More expensive
Rebadged Chinese Microphone
Carrying case
USB Cable included
Fancy blue light (but a fancy blue light doesn't make it sound better)
Requires a pop filter (not included)
Includes stand
No mute button
24bit/96khz
Mono
NO XLR (for use with your own mixer or interface)
Non standard mic stand mount (so you can't use your own stand)

To respond to the previous reviewer:

I don't believe that the reviewer owns or has tested the other microphones as the AT2020 does NOT have a D/A converter in it and is NOT a USB microphone. It is a standard XLR condenser requiring phantom power.

He also lists Zero Latency as a CON and states that 16bit over 24bit is hardly noticeable when recording vocals. (You might like to get a better monitoring setup). The Zero latency settings for monitoring while recording in fact, come in handy.

He also compares to a Yeti Pro from Blue Mics, which he says does NOT convert as 24bit (which it indeed does) and states that it records at 16bit 48k. The Yeti's single channel D/A converter will convert up to 192k.

He states that the AT2020 has a marked hiss for sibilants however these can be mitigated by properly aligning, using a pop filter, and using a standard de-esser.

He mentions "digital zero" a number of times however as the A/D converter is INSIDE the microphone with no metering ON the unit there is no way to tell when you have reached a digital clip level other than to listen for it.

Comments about MXL USB.009 - Large Diaphragm 24-Bit 96kHz Studio USB Microphone:

Mathematically the 24-bit audio versus 16-bit borders even on insignificant, for typical voice usage. This microphone is such an improvement quality-wise, over the AT2020 (16-bit 44kHz) and Yeti Standard (16-bit 48kHz), that it most likely is the 96kHz recording rate of the MXL 009.The Yeti Pro has double that, a 192kHz recording limit, which is highly intriguing. It also has the multiple recording settings that the Standard does, in contrast the .009 is strictly mono. The AT2020 after extensive tests has noticeably better recording quality than the Yeti Standard, so perhaps the focus pays off for a singular purpose, of acoustic instruments or voice.Far fewer digital processors are required to get the .009 recordings to "digital zero" during quiet parts, than either of the two mics mentioned. Of course its cost is more than both of the other two combined, so this might be considered a trade-off.The hardware knobs provided on the .009 are highly useful, as well as having a headphone jack. The three (3) on-mic knobs are Gain, Mix (of zero-latency playback vs. computer sounds), and headphone volume.One major setback, is the current inability to listen to both the zero-latency playback, directly from the mic, and the computer audio, mixed out of the hardware headphone-jack. The low-tech solution, is using ear-buds for the mic, and putting larger headphones from the computer on top of them, clumsy and silly. Currently using the latest version of the OS from the certain company, incompatibility and unfriendliness are only to be expected. In contrast the Yeti, even using the unfriendly OS, mixes the two perfectly well.The mic is tall, and has a fine brushed metal look. A pop-filter works fine, for the sake of space and movement, an MXL wind-filter was used instead, and works almost identically. The ones from [...], just are not tall enough. The standard desk stand and spider shock-mount, both fit perfectly well.The large metal traveling case could be useful some time in the future, and it is appreciated to have a form-fitting travel option, though certainly the cost is higher because of it.The USB input is at the bottom of the mic, the headphone input is along the front, and so the wire does get a bit tangled with the spider. Underneath, like the Yeti design, seems to be a better placement for the jack input.The AT2020 and Yeti both are fine for network chats and broadcasts, apparently they are indistinguishable from the .009 at that level (feedback from others). For CD-quality or better recordings, even the AT2020 has a marked hiss-sound for silibants. The 009 comes to the rescue, after months of fiddling with settings and post-editing.This, again, is probably due to the 96kHz. Mixing maintains superb quality as well, the current chain includes 1. noise-reduction, 2. a sweetening plug-in (quite flat settings), and then 3. a compressor. The result is a +/-6 db range of vocal recordings, with minimal background and the ever-appreciated "absolute digital zero" quiet zones.Finally, when it is plugged in and working, the mic gives off a pleasant blue LED color. This is a plug-and-play mic, only the computer audio settings need to be adjusted after plugging it in for the first time. There is/was no driver installation needed.This mic should have an option to plug in a USB drive or SD card directly into the mic, thus to not even require having a computer (power provided by the USB input) for initial storage. The resulting portability from this, would really raise the bar.Incidentally, the mic being used for this review, was purchased directly from this website.