The MXL 990 Blaze is a high-quality studio microphone at a competitive price and with the Mic Mate Pro a versatile device to record without the need of studio-grade mixer.
MXL 990 “Blaze”
Price: $100 (MXL)
MonsterVine was supplied with equipment for review
A quality microphone is essential in the streaming, podcasting, and VoIP based world we live in. While I haven’t streamed much as of late, I do a lot of those other things and have tried a wide variety of microphones and equipment, I am absolutely satisfied with the performance of the Blaze 990, especially when combined with the Mic Mate Pro.
MXL 990 Blaze Specs:
- Tube Type: Pressure gradient condenser microphone
- Diaphragm: 6 micron gold-sputtered
- Frequency Response: 30 Hz – 20 kHz
- Polar Pattern: Cardioid
- Sensitivity: 15mV/Pa
- Impedance: 200 ohms
- Equivalent Noise Level: 20 dB (A-weighted IEC 268-4)
- S/N Ratio: 80 dB (Ref. 1Pa A-weighted)
- Max SPL for .5% THD: 130 dB
- Power Requirements: Phantom Power 48V (+- 4V)
- Current Consumption : <3.0mA
- Size: 60mm x 130mm / 2.36 in. x 5.11 in.
- Weight: 1.2 lbs / 544.3g
- Metal Finish : Black
MXL has been manufacturing quality mics for a while. I even reviewed one of their tabletop mics seven years ago. The Blaze style of the 990 is a great looking piece of hardware. I had no trouble setting it up, as a studio mic.
Using the standard XLR output I had no issues connecting the device up to my tiny, tabletop mixer for leveling and control, but what made things even easier is an accessory from MXL, The Mic Mate Pro. This small, cylindrical device turns any XLR studio microphone into a USB mic, with onboard gain and the inclusion of a dedicated headphone jack. The ease of use here is wonderful. No drivers, no install of anything. I just hooked up the 990 in one end, and a USB cable into the other and my PC immediately recognized it as a mic. Then I was able to record my podcast, at a studio quality without the need of a dedicated mixer.
Playing with the gain on the Mic Mate Pro was a bit tricky, mostly because the device is a cylinder that sits in between the USB and XLR cables. If I had a mount or stand that was designed to hold the device in place, making adjustments on the fly would be a painless process. Instead, I found myself resting the Mic Mate on top of my desk, and hoped it didn’t roll around too much. Only a mild inconvenience, which on the grander scale of things could be solved with a small mounting fix on my end of things.
What’s truly important about a microphone is how the audio it captures sounds when played back, and I am very pleased with the quality of the 990 Blaze. Thanks to a cardioid polar pattern, the audio capture is designed for vocals, talking directly into the MXL logo on the front makes it easy to position, and when the gain is calibrated correctly, captures audio from directly in front, and minimizes other sounds. As with most recording instruments, they are gonna pick up noises from the background. After running a noise reduction effect through my noisy room recording, my recorded vocals were still very crisp, and full.
THE GOOD: Easy to transport thanks to a compact size. Stylish design and quality feel. Fits well on most stands and mounts. Has a streamer bundle which comes with stand, mount and adapter.
THE BAD: XLR connection only (fixed with the Mic Mate Pro). LEDs can be a bit bright when recording in the dark.
The Final Word:
The Blaze 990 is a stylish vocal microphone that is perfect for podcasting and broadcasting, assuming you have a good way to get an XLR microphone into a USB port (either with the Mic Mate Pro, or a USB mixer). You will have trouble finding a microphone at this price point that is better than the Blaze 990, as long as you can live with the red glow of internal LEDs from the design, I sure can.
