The mic preamps in Studio 1A are sizzling with anticipation. We have all heard ‘of’ MXL mics.

Now, you can hear the latest MXL’s fresh out of their beautifully boxed cases. Before I even put these guys on the ‘air’, I have to say that MXL’s presentation is top notch. The new V6, Silicon Valve is almost too good looking to take out of its wooden, monogramed, blue-velvet lined presentation box. …I said almost, because the back of the UPS truck was barely over the horizon before I was plugging it into my FirePod.

We also test drive the MXL V69 Mogami Edition, powered by a 12AT7. This beauty comes in a no-nonsense looking metal briefcase-style, foam cushioned case. Snugly held inside is the power supply to light up the valve (we used to call them tubes?), some cabling, a windsock and a nice shock mount. The surprise came when I dressed the V69 in its own windsock. The foam did an admirable job of supressing plosives (the dreaded “P” pop) and worked better than my screen filter.

Anyone can tell you how they look, but you’re probably more interested in how they sound. You’ll hear them as PodSqod introduces a couple of MXL’s to life in Studio 1A. Step inside and lets here them…

Laura and I just finished recording cast 6. This was one of my favorite casts. We each tried our voices on the V6 and the V69. I preferred the ‘V6 Silicon Valve’ while Laura will not part with the V69. I found both mics very warm, rich and pleasing to the ears.

First, the V69 Mogami Edition:
This valve amplified mic was very smooth and silky. It had a warmness that seemed to wrap itself around my voice. The proximity effect was noticable (as expected) and I felt most comfortable speaking only about 1″ away from this beauty. The valve warmed up in a few minutes, although you should probably give it about 30 minutes to completely stabilize. The amplifier section seemed to be quite adequate and did not strain as I pushed the levels a bit. After a few comparisons back and forth, this mic sounded better to my ears than my (more expensive Rode NTK valve and far smoother than the Rode NT1A.) previous mics.

I have tried many microphones over the years and the V69ME is right up there with the top names. Since I was an MXL customer many years ago, I can tell you that this company must have been working hard on their quality. I had no complaints with the old MXL products, but they are getting better all the time. I notice a vast improvement on fit & finish on the outside. My ears also liked what they heard from the inside.

The V6 Silicon Valve:
A contradiction in terms? Yes. However, this mic pleased me from the start. I really didn’t know what to expect from an FET amplified mic that touted itself as having the warmth of a valve.

The people at MXL did a great job with this beauty. I found the V6 to be very warm, silky and punch out the highs without a problem. Compared to both my Rode NTK valve and the Rode NT1A (FET), I preferred the v6. The V6 felt as comfortable as a favorite pair of shoes. As good as the V69ME is, my voice preferred the V6. It seemed like the amplifier section was actually a bit hotter (I backed up only slightly to a, still close, 2″.)

I felt an articulation in the midrange and toward the high-end that wasn’t present in the V69ME, but it was subtle. A certain brightness was there, but not a touch of brittleness. The V6 takes your voice and adds a very subtle character to it. For my voice, I think this is the mic. It easily beats out microphones costing triple its price because, even in the small area of natural voice frequencies, the V6 coddles your annunciation and still keeps your voice warm and inviting.

Microphones are a very personal thing. I can say that both MXL’s sound amazing for their price point. Both have MSRP’s at $399, with a common street price of $299 for either the V6 Silicon Valve or the V69ME. Take your pick, audition them if you can. You can’t go wrong with either of these microphones.

Visit MXL’s website for a look at their complete product line.

Will the MXL’s de-throne the Rodes as the official microphones of the PodSqod Studios? …stay tuned

MarkJensen

The Testing Environment:
I tried to keep things very basic so you can really hear the microphone. I may add gating and just a touch of compression as most users probably will in post-production. However, I will not overly process so your ears can hear these mics on their own.

Other than that, I plugged both mics directly into my Presonus FirePod mic pre-amps using Monster Cables of equal length. The 128kbps mono MP3 file was created using Adobe Audition 1.5. That’s it. A very basic setup. No mixers, no de-essing, no outboard modelling or EQ.

Filed under: Podcasting