MXL R144 Multi-Purpose Ribbon Microphone with Shockmount, Purple (MXL R144)

I bought this microphone, it was not a review item or gift. This ribbon mic is one of the best bargains available if you have the right set-up to use with it. On it's own you might find the microphone sounding low in output level and dull in the higher frequencies, but plug it in to a good preamp like an API 312, then into a good equalizer like the Warm Audio WA-EQP, then into a good compressor like the UA 1176 and finally into your DAW or other input.....are you still with me? This microphone provides an amazing sound that you can work with and shape into a truly stunning final output with a little signal processing. I own over 50 microphones, many are vintage AKG classics. I've also built my own LDC microphones using high quality components, many of my custom microphones started as MXL 2001; with mods they easily compete with or exceed Mojave microphone performance for less than 50% of the M.A.P. price. I own a Royer R-121 ribbon microphone, it's pretty much the industry standard for ribbon instrument microphones. I often use this microphone with a Grace m-801 preamplifier set in the ribbon mode, this feeds an equalizer and compressor into an Apogee audio converter. I'm mic'ing four different Marshall 4x12 cabinets filled with Celestion speakers, driven with Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier amplifiers or vintage Marshall 100-watt clones. The speaker cabinets are contained in two different isolation rooms at the rear of our studio, this gives us an excellent perspective on the raw sound of these microphones in the control room. The new MXL R144 ribbon microphone is unmodified at this point, this is my first encounter with this particular low priced MXL model. I've recorded some male vocals with it and I've had it mounted up next to a 4x12 and I can say it has that smooth natural response, similar to the Royer R-121 in ribbon sounding character. Both of these microphones sound much better with EQ and compression. I've never cared for the R-121 for vocals, but with EQ and compression I like the MXL R144 as a very natural sounding vocal mic with big bass when used close up, smooth is the keyword to describe the sound. You can hit these ribbon microphones with a lot of high frequency boost and they never sound piercing. The R-121 has a slightly brighter sound from the rear when used closeup to the source, I have not really heard a similar effect from the MXL R144 but with the WA-EQP equalizer the R-144 sounds incredible, you can contour the overall frequency response to be whatever you want and it never sounds harsh, strident or piercing like all the cheap Chinese large diaphragm condenser microphones do. It is this characteristic of ribbon mics in general, that they take lots of high frequency boost really well, which makes them so popular for recording, their frequency response is smooth and un-hyped, very different from a bright dynamic microphone like an SM-57. I wanted to test this microphone out before ordering a second one to modify and customize. I need one factory stock piece to compare my modified creations to. I'm enjoying it un-modded right now, it sounds great! If I was going to complain about anything it would be the shock mount, the handles you squeeze to open the shock mount stick out a little too far and could interfere with achieving an optimum position when used up-close. On the bright side, it includes a nice shock mount, it's not the best but it's effective and it's included in the $88 Prime delivered price! A nice plastic carrying case is also included, it is foamed lined and die-cut to hold the microphone and shock mount. I prefer this small case to another brief-case size carrying case taking up space in my warehouse area. I've had my Royer R-121 since 2007, never had to have the ribbon replaced, I've taken care of it. For the price I paid back then I could buy 11 of these MXL and still take my beautiful GF out to dinner at a nice place. If I'd had one of these MXL in the first place I probably would not have bought the Royer, I'd much rather put any $$ saved into more signal processing like the WA-EQP and my latest find, the WA76. These are stunningly good sounding pieces of audio equipment. For less than $100 I don't think you can beat this MXL R-144 for a ribbon microphone. Good music to all! UPDATE: I still like this mic after a year of use. I hate describing tone with words but I'd say this mike has a bit of gravely-distortion when used close up, it's not a bad thing. I would not describe this microphone as high-fidelity, it's got gnarlyness and personality. When I venture outside the usual suspects this MXL ribbon is always a fun stop along the way. It's still a bargain. I still haven't gotten around to modding it either. I've got the Royer when I need a hi-fi ribbon, I kind of like the MXL being crude and a little nasty, it's fun tool in our rock recording studio.

I've used this mic to record a couple dozen tin whistle tunes (high, mezzo, and low) in an in-home studio. I am not a huge audiophile, so some of the subtleties of the craft might be lost on me, but I have found this mic perfectly suited to my needs: it doesn't clip, doesn't add noise or other artifacts, and doesn't call attention to itself. It just works out of the box.

Excellent value for money. Makes my Seagull acoustic sound dark and moody. Nice on amplified electric guitars and capable of handing high SPL. Suits some male vocalists I record. Pairs well with a condenser for mid-side recording. A Royer it is not, but it's a useful and sweet sounding ribbon for pocket change.

So far, so good. It’s really nice on my vocals where I’m either singing in a higher range or singing quickly. It also sounds great on my acoustic guitar with silk and steel strings. A word of caution: buy these new (probably good advice for all ribbon mics). I bought one on ebay that said it was in good condition, but was busted. They can break and people probably aren’t as familiar with ribbons as other mics, so they don’t know what to look for. You can do a “light breathing” test on each side of the mic and there should be no rattling; if there is rattling, it’s broken. I didn’t think I’d like the color of the Heritage Edition, but it looks much better in person than in the Amazon pictures. The case and shockmount make it a good bundle, so spring for the HE or you’ll have to deal with buying a separate shockmount and case that may or may not fit each other, etc. Also FYI, you can register your mic on the MXL website for 2 years of warranty protection. Update: Ordered a second one and it arrived with a rattling ribbon..lol. Returns are easy but check your ribbons! Update II: Just uploaded a video showing what to listen for in a healthy v. damaged ribbon mic. Breathe lightly on each side like you're fogging up a mirror and if you hear crunching/knocking/rattling, the ribbon is damaged, stretched, or out of alignment. Even the manual for these mics says to test the ribbon right away because they're fragile and can damage in shipping! Let me know if this video is helpful or not! These are great sounding mics if you get one that's not damaged. Update III: The replacement for the broken mic was also broken and looked like it had been a previous return, so I'm taking off a star for inconsisent build quality. Still, if you have the time to retension these, they can sound good; but if time is of the essence for your project, I would look elsewhere for something that's going to be reliable out of the box. P.S: When I mention "light breathing" like you're fogging up a mirror, it's just that: a super light and gentle breath, not a hard and forceful blow. It doesn't take much to test for a bad ribbon and a hard stream of air could cause damage. So be careful! These ribbons are crazy fragile. Light and gentle: hah...hah...hah; not: FFFFF!-FFFFF!-FFFFF!.

MXL R144 ribbon microphone has a low gain, The pickup however is very natural, has no hiss or distortion, I do recommend a good pre amp. The construction seems to be solid with good weight. Good for vocal for duets because of the figure 8 pickup. also use with a good pop filter. And if you remove the inner mesh filter, the gain increase and it clarity will improve. great mic for the price, worth a lot more than $80.00. You don't need to spend a $1000 for a great microphone when you know what to look for. note: do not remove the cloth filter around the ribbons and avoid touching them, you can easily distort and damage them.

It's a bottom-tier ribbon. It's going to be a great entry-level mic for someone, or just as something to have around, but I found the sound to be too harsh for the vocal applications I tend to use. That being said, if you're into modding mics, or if you use it for something where a harshness (for a ribbon) is called for: well, you'll probably be satisfied with this. Do not expect it to be anything like a $1k+ ribbon mic though; that's just begging to have your heart broken.

I bought this to record Cello and Djembe. When recording certain low-frequency notes, a high pitched buzzing occurs. After emailing Marshall Electronics for support, we thought it was the grill vibrating. Sent it back to them, and they replaced the grill. Got it back, and the buzzing was still occurring. At this point, I took off the grill entirely, tried recording with it, and found the buzzing still to be occurring. Very annoying. Hopefully they will replace it for me, because at this point it's too late to return it through Amazon. Two stars because when the buzzing is not occurring the mic sounds good.

I got a pair of these as the first ever ribbon mics I have ever owned, along with a pair of Cloud Lifter style (but off-brand) inline preamps into my existing UMC 204HD audio interface. The ease of use is as easy as "don't plug them straight into 48v with a lifter in the way" and "you're going to need more gain on your interface than with a condenser". I have no real standard of comparison with other ribbon mics, but the sound quality blew my mind vs my cheapo condensers. Probably overkill for podcasting if I'm honest, but they just sound so good through good headphones.