MXL 990 Stereo

This microphone is basically two MXL 990’s combined in one housing. The electronics and capsules are the same as the 990, only multiplied by two. The capsules are mounted one on top of the other in a classic Blumlein configuration. This technique is intended to eliminate phasing and comb filtering issues that can arise from other stereo miking techniques.

The sonic quality of the MXL 990 stereo microphone is (not surprisingly) very similar to the non-stereo MXL 990; however, I noticed a decrease in proximity effect with the stereo 990. Since the stereo 990 is not really intended to be used as an announcer’s or vocal mic, I view this as a non-issue. Like the non-stereo 990, it’s extremely sensitive and will pick up almost any background noise during recording.

The stereo field is very lifelike, with decent separation between channels. The fact that only one microphone needs to be set up to capture a field recording of a choir or band concert makes the MXL 990 stereo mic a good choice for an unobtrusive setup that won’t be as much of a distraction on the stage.

It also seems that this mic would work well recording piano or as a drum overhead, although I’ve yet to try it in either of these scenarios.