Reddit Reddit reviews MXL 550/551R Microphone Ensemble

We found 7 Reddit comments about MXL 550/551R Microphone Ensemble. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

MXL 550/551R Microphone Ensemble
This all-in-one Recording Ensemble delivers outstanding performance for both vocals and instrumentsEnter your model number to make sure this fitsTwo microphones that cover a wide range of vocal and instrument applications
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7 Reddit comments about MXL 550/551R Microphone Ensemble:

u/SwellJoe · 3 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

Reaper is fine. Learn the tools. I've been a pro audio guy, and now a hobbyist with plenty of money to spend, and I chose Reaper for recording. Not because it's cheap, but because it's awesome (and cheap). I've used ProTools, among others. There's very little you can't do in Reaper that you could do in any other tool, and the workflow is really good.

To be very clear: You will be wasting money if you spend money on software before getting good microphones and good hardware for monitoring. You cannot possibly improve your recordings by prioritizing software at this point. Reaper can make pro quality recordings, but your current hardware cannot.

Spend the money on a decent audio interface, with a decent mic preamp built-in, a good set of headphones, and the best microphone(s) your money leaves room for.

The right mic for acoustic guitar is usually a combination of a small diaphragm condenser and a large diaphragm condenser. Sound hole or body gets an off-axis large diaphragm and the neck gets the small.

Vocals are usually very well served by a large diaphragm condenser. But for rock, a dynamic mic might be better.

A piano is pretty complicated to mic up well. Usually using three or four mics. A stereo XY pair of small diaphragm condensers in the room, facing the open lid, and a big diaphragm inside somewhere, perhaps. Consoles are similar, but more difficult to find the "sweet spot" where the mics should point and be placed. But, a minimum of a small and a large diaphragm combo would be OK.

AKG makes a good mid-priced set of the C1000 plus the C3000 which are great mics at a fair price, but it's not in your price range (if you're buying all the other stuff), so maybe an MXL or CAD bundle:

http://www.amazon.com/MXL-550-551R-Microphone-Ensemble/dp/B002LASBS0/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1344659431&sr=8-14&keywords=condenser+microphone+studio+pack

http://www.amazon.com/CAD-GXL2200SP-Studio-Condenser-Recording/dp/B0009K94L2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344659431&sr=8-1&keywords=condenser+microphone+studio+pack

The MXL bundle seems better reviewed. I've had mixed results with MXL; some are great, some are awful, and the model number is no indicator for which is which...they just have bad quality control. CAD mics are consistently decent. But, more expensive, so it might be worth starting with MXL.

Oh, wait, nevermind those, go with an Audio Technica bundle:

http://www.amazon.com/Technica-AT2041-Studio-Microphone-Package/dp/B000AQDSMQ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1344659652&sr=8-6&keywords=audio+technica+microphone+pack

Cheap, awesome, from a good company with good QC. Those mics will serve you forever, and you won't ever grow out of them...you'll grow your mic collection, but good mics will always be good for something.

Anyway, the transducers (monitors/headphones, and microphones) are the most important factors in making good recordings, by far, followed by the room in which you are recording. Almost everything else is picking nits, and a good engineer can work around limitations. But if you can't hear what you're working with, you can't make good recordings, and if you're recording through a trashy mic, it'll never sound good. Garbage in, garbage out.

u/SoundEmerge · 2 pointsr/country

Wow, 25? Don't tell anybody in the music business :)

Seriously, I thought your video shows promise, the best thing you could do is pick up a cheap USB audio interface and a "large diaphragm condenser microphone" and some headphones. Set it all up, then practice without recording for a few ways to get used to the feel of singing with your audio feedback in the headphones. Once you a re comfortable, hit record..!

Here's some gear that would worthwhile to look into... adjust to your budget and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UMC204HD-BEHRINGER-U-PHORIA/dp/B00QHURLCW/ref=sr_1_14?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1496707506&sr=1-14&keywords=usb+audio+interface

and pair it with either a microphone like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Nady-SCM-800-Diaphragm-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B000R4LQ4S/ref=sr_1_12?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1496707358&sr=1-12&keywords=condenser+microphone

or get a pair of large and regular condensers like this:
https://www.amazon.com/MXL-550-551R-Microphone-Ensemble/dp/B002LASBS0/ref=sr_1_11?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1496707358&sr=1-11&keywords=condenser+microphone

Those are just suggestions, check out this guy's channel, he's got some great tips!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZRnrA5GOx0

u/NelsonMandala · 1 pointr/futurebeatproducers

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002LASBS0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

You do not need to spend a lot of money to get good enough equipment to start working. Take a look at these.

u/timebomb13 · 1 pointr/recording

https://www.amazon.com/MXL-550-551R-Microphone-Ensemble/dp/B002LASBS0

I've been using these for a while. Get two quality mics for the price of one. 550 is great for vocal stuff. Not sure what your channel is, but if it isnt music-based, the 551 will be sort of useless... As others have said, the MXL V67 is very good. Good luck!

u/zenwalrus · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

Great pair of mics that allow you to do a fantastic range right off the bat. There are also specials that include cables and mic stands. I love mine.

MXL 550/551R Microphone Ensemble https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LASBS0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_PrqywbCTDXHVN

u/ramblin-bob · 1 pointr/recording

You can get a 2-pack of MXL for $76 https://www.amazon.com/MXL-550-551R-Microphone-Ensemble/dp/B002LASBS0/ (You still need an external audio interface to connect these to.)

For playing live or live streaming, you will sound better with separate guitar and vocals mics.

For recording things you'll later mix and edit, it's usually better to record vocals and guitar separately, so you can get away with just one mic.

u/bro_b1_kenobi · -1 pointsr/headphones

Bought these for a 16 hour flight. I needed good quality cans that could tune out babies and flight attendants.

Also replacing my shitty pseudo-5.1 Triton's for streaming/recording. With MXL 550 as my new mic.

The sound so far is excellent. I hooked it up to my Denon AVR1612 receiver and watched the first part of a Game of Thrones episode and listened to some music. For entertainment, they sound great. I have yet to test them as reference cans with video and sound editing, but will soon. I'd like to see how they compare the my M-AUDIO BX5 D2 reference monitors, as having cans similar to monitors is important.

The only negative I've found so far is that they're a little more flexible than I'd like. When I first saw them I thought they'd be nice and rigid, but they do not seem poorly built. I suppose their flexibility (about 1" give in either direction) is meant for consumers who may toss them in a laptop case. I did buy a rigid case for travel so I'm not worried about damage.

Anyone else own these? Thoughts?