THAT is the best systematic, qualitative, no-nonsense mic comparison I have ever seen. Bravo, and kudos to the vocalist- excellent chops, and excellent mic technique!
In my opinion the SE Electronics X1A was the best. I really liked the MXL 990, but seems more suited for instruments than vocals. I can also add I own the SE Electronics X1S and it’s amazing for vocals, bass guitar amps and drum rooms. It’s horrible on guitar amps though (both valve and solid state amps). Haven’t tried it on acoustic guitars yet.
Good news is you can probably afford to buy a few of these, or even buy them all, try them out and sell the ones that didn't make the cut on Reverb for only a bit of a loss. I think the 770 was pretty darn good in this shootout, but I can see why the singer picked the P120 - it's sounds the most polished without any post processing. Great singing and thanks for the all the work that goes into these comparison videos.
They are almost the same. The akg has a bit of a low end boost and the 770 has a high end boost instead. Just depends on what your trying do. If your on the fence of what to get... get either and just adjust your eq to suit your needs. I'm lazy and kind of particular so I have both plus several others.
For that song, the AKG might be the best choice indeed. I loved the 990 for the voice stands out, but the resulting sound seems too heavy for such a delicate style. If we were talking heavy rock, then the 990 for sure. Terrific video.
Wild how often I see the p120 and the 770 get compared and favorited one over the other in the world of budget mics! Personally for my own voice the 120 has a little too much high end for my liking, and i find the 770 more suits me, plus I like to use it as a secondary for instruments!.. Cool vid boys, dig it! 🤙🏼🤙🏼 earned me as a subscriber for sure
@@GRIMMILLER either will work the 770 has more hi end so sylibants are more pronounced. If you have a de-esser then your good. I use the 770s as overhead drum mics to pick up the cymbals better. The p120 would make your work flow a little easier when mixing. I use the 220 for vocals and the 120 for acoustic guitars or percussion and other instruments. The 220 will record any style of vocals from whisper to screaming.
Bonjour à vous j'aimerais vous solliciter à m'aider à choisir un micro je cherche un micro spécial qui a un timbre chaleureux un hyper cardiaque de préférence bien présent proposez-moi un micro s'il vous plaît sachant que j'ai une voix aiguë mon interface est une focus 2i2 3 gen merci de m'aider ???
One of your honourable mentions, the Samson C01 is very noisy to the point of being grainy. It's OK if found cheap on the used market, and there seems to be heaps of them out there, but as a first microphone, the P120 would make most folks happier. In some regards, all these microphones are "gateway drugs" introducing people like us into the home recording process. Very quickly I wanted something better than this level of quality and growing with the process meant that I was able to do more with less, but much more with "more". That's my 2cents. This process is about getting the most out of whatever gear is on hand and for the majority of home studio recordists, that is the biggest step towards competency. Thanks for your review. I'll look at more of your content.
It's hard. But the SE is the one that changes so much to clean sound (like studio entry range) that it surprises and seems to have less capacity to pick up the voice but, it is the opposite is the best (clean neutral for post). As for the lower range, at least with this voice I liked the 440, the treble boost is not in an uncomfortable area.
Nice review plus the artist makes it simple to understand it...for me the AKG takes it and will become handy when coming to effect processing the high ends are a flawless.
AKG was properly placed that's why it sounded the best, but if the x1a capsule wasn't placed in the clouds it would have sound better a mile from all these other mics including the AKG which is not bad at all!!! So the lesson here is you can have the best mic in the world and still if you're not looking after what your doing better go for the skype mic as it's sounding pretty consistent no matter of placing and hey if it's not the best sounding it's just a 2$ on the wind :D Great voice and all the other part! Keep it up I'm hitting the subscribe! :)
I have the 990. It’s currently in its stock form and I am using it as a voiceover mic But I do have a modeling kit for it to basically turn it into a “clone Neumann” That I will use for both vocals and guitar and what not. I have also removed the internal mesh to open a Stocks sound a bit more and that helps make it brighter and less muffled. Can’t wait to compare the stock versus MOD set up.
The AKG and the 770 had CRAZY amounts of detail, amazing for clean vocals. I'm wondering how the 990 and X1A would handle harsh or even extreme vocals since they seemed to be clear but less detailed to my ear.
I liked the 770 best. But the P120 was a very close second. Sound preference is so subjective. 🙂 But isn't it great to live in a time with so many great budget options? You can literally get up and running making your own recordings for $200-300. By the way, sorry if you mentioned this and I missed it, but what recording interface was used here?
wow the shoot out really shows the difference in quality was leaning towards the mxl 770 or the SE X1 A but after the shoot out idk akg seems pretty top tier
Hi Patrick, I just watched your video and wonder if you still recommend the AKG Microphone. I’m taking singing lesson and would like to purchase a great microphone. Let me know. Thanks
Wow, I'm amazed at how good the cheap stuff is these days. Back when I was selling music gear,, the AKG C3000 was the budget mic of choice, and it was $300 in 1995 money (so probably more like $500 in today's money). I have the P220 and got it for $125, and its' a way better mic than the C3000.
THE BEST MIC TEST ON TH-cam!!!! That dude's voice ran the spectrum. Sounds I agree... the MTX 990 and the AKG was best. And the Samson is a decent mic... but it has GOT TO BE the ugliest mic design ever! That bigass Samson logo on a mic . And what is up that little blue night light on the Samson mic about?
i hear a lot of good things about the AKG120 everybody talks about it but the SE sounds the best to me in this video, i haven’t heard enough comparisons from other vids however
Bonjour à toi j'aimerais vous solliciter à m'aider à choisir un bon micro pour enregistrer de la voix off merci de m'aider j'ai des difficultés à trouver un bon micro je cherche un micro particulier qui a une chaleur une présence un bas bien présent charismatique sachant que j'ai une voix aiguë je dispose d'une carte son focus 2i2 3g merci de m'aider ????
Hello, can you please tell me which microphone is better to buy for recording vocals - "akg p120" or "se electronics x1a" ? I have a "behringer umc202hd" sound card. Will she handle one of these microphones?
@@PatrickBreenMusic I like the C01 a lot. Got it delivered a couple days ago and did some testing yesterday. The quality is astonishing for this price! Thank you for your kind reply. I appreciate it.
Sir, I want to record my poetry professionally. Please tell me a microphone and audio interface that gives me professional quality. But my room is not sound proof. At night, the sound of a motorcycle and barking dogs comes in my room from outside. But I also want to do a professional recording. Please tell me. My budget is arround $350
The 770 and the p120 are great mics. I have a pair of the 770s for drum overheads. I found they sound better for cymbals rather than vocals or acoustic guitars. I use a p120 for acoustic guitars and other instruments and a p220 for vocals. If you need a good mic for vocals save an extra hundred and get the p220. From an engineering perspective you can record anything from rap, r n b, rock and even screaming metal vocals without changing anything except maybe the gain or using the pad. I've been using mxl, akg, and shure mics for over 20yrs now. Some of the other more expensive brands are great too but I dont see the point when most people who just listen to music cant even tell or know the difference.
The 440 is so harsh in the sibilance. The 770 is better than the 990 in that space too. The sE was not impressive. Agree with the assessment on the AKG
2nd or 3rd time watching this vid; I keep scouring the comments but don’t see the A to my Q: Do I have to plug these mics into an external audio interface? Specifically, can I not use an XLR to 3.5mm audio jack (m) directly into my iPhone 14 Pro Max (thru Apple audio jack f to lighting m into iPhone)? Something about phantom power? As in the mic won’t draw enough power from the 3.5mm jack / iPhone? Novice audiophile needs help please and thank you… 🙏🙏🙏
Hi! You do need an interface to use these mics. It sounds like a mic designed specifically to work with iPhone would be a better fit for you. Check out this video, hope it helps! th-cam.com/video/FiM63eswQ34/w-d-xo.htmlsi=OtR6HrTL2uvZh95e
I have to say that after connecting my balanced main outs from my interface into a reamp box and then my unbalanced speakers the mxl 440 sounds very nice.
They as all sound the same to me. I don't know for certain but I'm guessing that they are all probably technologically superior to the mics that were used to record number one records in the 50s and 60s and probably the 70s.
I had a 990 that I bought fror vocals. it was a disappointment in that it sounded somewhat thin. Then I learned that while it was being advertised as an LDC and it is NOT an LDC. It has a small 18mm capsule mountwed i a big dummy ring that makes it look like an LDC. I made a few recordings with it and disliked it so much that I immeditely sold it. If you are looking for an LDC do not buy the MXL 990!
![ร้อยพ่อพันแม่ - WanMai [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XY2pNYASEbg/mqdefault.jpg)
🎶 ✨ Stream MORNING LIGHT: bit.ly/morninglightsong
bro best test ever
make more i subscribed, i am waiting for an audio interface one.
@@aviatedviewssound4798 I got you: th-cam.com/video/5aEYHt0YzOk/w-d-xo.html
Where can i buy the tripod adapter from the AKG 120 for the AKG 220. I don't need the shock mount and i cant find it.....
On my playlist
THAT is the best systematic, qualitative, no-nonsense mic comparison I have ever seen. Bravo, and kudos to the vocalist- excellent chops, and excellent mic technique!
You gotta do a DAW breakdown for that song. The bouncy filter synth is sweet!
Been thinking about it! Let see if people like your comment and would be interested in a "Morning Light" breakdown! 😏😏
@@PatrickBreenMusic That`ll be great if you could do something like this !!!
Do it do it.
Do it do it.
Do it do it.
Yeah we want that.
In my opinion the SE Electronics X1A was the best. I really liked the MXL 990, but seems more suited for instruments than vocals. I can also add I own the SE Electronics X1S and it’s amazing for vocals, bass guitar amps and drum rooms. It’s horrible on guitar amps though (both valve and solid state amps). Haven’t tried it on acoustic guitars yet.
Javi's voice was so consistent a true pro, the akg was the best i feel but the others were definitely usable depending on your budget
I think the singer's review was DEAD ON!! The MXL 770 did sound a little clearer than the 990 and 440 MXL. But the AKG 120 gets the overall WIN!
Akg is the most natural sounding. A lot of room for post processing!
The clarity of the SE has something to be said for it. I think it's between the SE and the AKG.
Agree
Good news is you can probably afford to buy a few of these, or even buy them all, try them out and sell the ones that didn't make the cut on Reverb for only a bit of a loss. I think the 770 was pretty darn good in this shootout, but I can see why the singer picked the P120 - it's sounds the most polished without any post processing. Great singing and thanks for the all the work that goes into these comparison videos.
I've listened to all of these mics personally and would pick up the MXL 990 every time. Buy it, use it and later on upgrade it.
AKG definitely takes the cake here, but I feel like the MXL770 was really, really close behind
They are almost the same. The akg has a bit of a low end boost and the 770 has a high end boost instead. Just depends on what your trying do. If your on the fence of what to get... get either and just adjust your eq to suit your needs. I'm lazy and kind of particular so I have both plus several others.
Wow, that dude has awesome tone, especially lower down. Amazing how good those mics are for the money!
Yeah Javi is top-tier. Such a pro!
Patrick Breen it's much more fun recording when your talent is that good!
For that song, the AKG might be the best choice indeed.
I loved the 990 for the voice stands out, but the resulting sound seems too heavy for such a delicate style.
If we were talking heavy rock, then the 990 for sure. Terrific video.
I definitely liked the SE Electronics the best out of these. It just had the most pleasant sound to me. A bit more easy to listen to.
Wild how often I see the p120 and the 770 get compared and favorited one over the other in the world of budget mics! Personally for my own voice the 120 has a little too much high end for my liking, and i find the 770 more suits me, plus I like to use it as a secondary for instruments!.. Cool vid boys, dig it! 🤙🏼🤙🏼 earned me as a subscriber for sure
Im looking at getting the 770 for rap vocals would you recommend it?
@@GRIMMILLER either will work the 770 has more hi end so sylibants are more pronounced. If you have a de-esser then your good. I use the 770s as overhead drum mics to pick up the cymbals better. The p120 would make your work flow a little easier when mixing. I use the 220 for vocals and the 120 for acoustic guitars or percussion and other instruments. The 220 will record any style of vocals from whisper to screaming.
The 770 actually has more hi end than the p120. Look at the frequency charts. The 120 has a low end boost.
That mxl 770 was really good to me.
Bonjour à vous j'aimerais vous solliciter à m'aider à choisir un micro je cherche un micro spécial qui a un timbre chaleureux un hyper cardiaque de préférence bien présent proposez-moi un micro s'il vous plaît sachant que j'ai une voix aiguë mon interface est une focus 2i2 3 gen merci de m'aider ???
One of your honourable mentions, the Samson C01 is very noisy to the point of being grainy. It's OK if found cheap on the used market, and there seems to be heaps of them out there, but as a first microphone, the P120 would make most folks happier. In some regards, all these microphones are "gateway drugs" introducing people like us into the home recording process. Very quickly I wanted something better than this level of quality and growing with the process meant that I was able to do more with less, but much more with "more". That's my 2cents. This process is about getting the most out of whatever gear is on hand and for the majority of home studio recordists, that is the biggest step towards competency.
Thanks for your review. I'll look at more of your content.
It's hard. But the SE is the one that changes so much to clean sound (like studio entry range) that it surprises and seems to have less capacity to pick up the voice but, it is the opposite is the best (clean neutral for post). As for the lower range, at least with this voice I liked the 440, the treble boost is not in an uncomfortable area.
You can try blind test in future that eliminate the brand effect in our mind while listening.
dude! that song is the jam ! that should be a hit !
Nice review plus the artist makes it simple to understand it...for me the AKG takes it and will become handy when coming to effect processing the high ends are a flawless.
AKG was properly placed that's why it sounded the best, but if the x1a capsule wasn't placed in the clouds it would have sound better a mile from all these other mics including the AKG which is not bad at all!!! So the lesson here is you can have the best mic in the world and still if you're not looking after what your doing better go for the skype mic as it's sounding pretty consistent no matter of placing and hey if it's not the best sounding it's just a 2$ on the wind :D Great voice and all the other part! Keep it up I'm hitting the subscribe! :)
You missed the 2020, its not very bad in that price range as well and the Blue Ember too
I have the 990. It’s currently in its stock form and I am using it as a voiceover mic But I do have a modeling kit for it to basically turn it into a “clone Neumann” That I will use for both vocals and guitar and what not. I have also removed the internal mesh to open a Stocks sound a bit more and that helps make it brighter and less muffled. Can’t wait to compare the stock versus MOD set up.
Thank you so much................Bro you did this just in time...you wouldn't believe how relevant this was
Glad to hear it, my friend. Cheers!
I liked the AKG the most .
All great but this edged it for clarity and warmth
As a singer, it was between the AKG and the 990. It was cool to see that Javi felt the same way.
Real good voice 🔥🎙
omg, its hard to choose. What to choose to make a voice-over? Thank you for this check-out
I owned the AKG P120 and the mic is superb!
The AKG and the 770 had CRAZY amounts of detail, amazing for clean vocals. I'm wondering how the 990 and X1A would handle harsh or even extreme vocals since they seemed to be clear but less detailed to my ear.
Thanks for sharing this mic shout out. Nice review. Great voice and reviews from Javi.
i think i like the MXL 990 best, mxl 440 is probably the worst. akg p120 second followed by mxl770/se X1A
I use mxl 440 since 5 yrs superb performance😊
I liked the 770 best. But the P120 was a very close second. Sound preference is so subjective. 🙂
But isn't it great to live in a time with so many great budget options? You can literally get up and running making your own recordings for $200-300.
By the way, sorry if you mentioned this and I missed it, but what recording interface was used here?
AKG, then the MXL 770, which i just bought, in a bundle with flex boom and cord for $83 tax incl.
Any recommendations among these as to a mic that would be good for acoustic guitar + vocals and for live versus via PA versus recording. Thanks.
wow the shoot out really shows the difference in quality was leaning towards the mxl 770 or the SE X1 A but after the shoot out idk akg seems pretty top tier
That was awesome thank you. To the point very professional
Hi Patrick,
I just watched your video and wonder if you still recommend the AKG Microphone. I’m taking singing lesson and would like to purchase a great microphone. Let me know. Thanks
Wow, I'm amazed at how good the cheap stuff is these days. Back when I was selling music gear,, the AKG C3000 was the budget mic of choice, and it was $300 in 1995 money (so probably more like $500 in today's money). I have the P220 and got it for $125, and its' a way better mic than the C3000.
Bro...Video was great and I've made my decision, but Javi was super cold! Vocal & mic technics were superb!👍👍
Appreciate the comment and kind words! Cheers man!
I liked the 990. what a nice cheap mic! And Javi's voice is unreal!
Thanks for the kind words! Yeah, Javi is so talented!!
THE BEST MIC TEST ON TH-cam!!!! That dude's voice ran the spectrum. Sounds I agree... the MTX 990 and the AKG was best. And the Samson is a decent mic... but it has GOT TO BE the ugliest mic design ever! That bigass Samson logo on a mic . And what is up that little blue night light on the Samson mic about?
it's the light that turns if it's on or not
I the AKG was picking up a lot more, sounded louder I think which is interesting. I think I like the 770 the best!
i hear a lot of good things about the AKG120 everybody talks about it but the SE sounds the best to me in this video, i haven’t heard enough comparisons from other vids however
Surprised the AT2020 wasn't included in this test
This proves With a great performance any microphone will work. And never let your Gear get in the way of making music
Bonjour à toi j'aimerais vous solliciter à m'aider à choisir un bon micro pour enregistrer de la voix off merci de m'aider j'ai des difficultés à trouver un bon micro je cherche un micro particulier qui a une chaleur une présence un bas bien présent charismatique sachant que j'ai une voix aiguë je dispose d'une carte son focus 2i2 3g merci de m'aider ????
Nice review! And now, the song is in my mind
he has very nice voice. This is nice video too thanks so much.
A1:19 2:10 B3:00 3:51 4:41
4:47 5:06 5:15
Nice song. Great video. Thanks.
i really didnt get your thoughts on the SE x1a in particular....what are your thoughts on it...i think it sounded great
thanks for your video. what about self noise ?
Hello, can you please tell me which microphone is better to buy for recording vocals - "akg p120" or "se electronics x1a" ? I have a "behringer umc202hd" sound card. Will she handle one of these microphones?
I got the x1a and it's great! Your interface should work just fine!
Best MXL mic for podcasting/streaming?
Great video, great vocalist. I have the C01 from Samson.
Nice, do you like it??
@@PatrickBreenMusic I like the C01 a lot. Got it delivered a couple days ago and did some testing yesterday. The quality is astonishing for this price! Thank you for your kind reply. I appreciate it.
I’m looking to pick up quality sound from handpan would you have advice to which best suits
Sir, I want to record my poetry professionally. Please tell me a microphone and audio interface that gives me professional quality. But my room is not sound proof. At night, the sound of a motorcycle and barking dogs comes in my room from outside. But I also want to do a professional recording. Please tell me. My budget is arround $350
Akg souded best to me
Ik this is my third comment ...but Patrick ain't smiling as much....we need to support him...
Too kind! 🙌🙌
Awesome review, thank you.
Wait X1A has an inbuilt pop filter...why did you uses another one...that just ruined the fairness of this comparision!!
I like the SE!
Please let me know
Rank it please
Which is the best for singing
Akg p120 vs at2020 vs se x1a???
What audio interface was being used for these tests? Would love to know! Big thanks!
Apogee Duet 👍👍
I like the mxl 990 only because I use it
Www...awesome my frined 👏👏😍😍useful for me
great song and singer!
1:02 1:12 MXL 440
1:53 2:02 MXL 990
2:43 2:53 MXL 770
3:34 3:43 SE X1 A
4:24 4:34 AKG P120
The 770 and the p120 are great mics. I have a pair of the 770s for drum overheads. I found they sound better for cymbals rather than vocals or acoustic guitars. I use a p120 for acoustic guitars and other instruments and a p220 for vocals. If you need a good mic for vocals save an extra hundred and get the p220. From an engineering perspective you can record anything from rap, r n b, rock and even screaming metal vocals without changing anything except maybe the gain or using the pad. I've been using mxl, akg, and shure mics for over 20yrs now. Some of the other more expensive brands are great too but I dont see the point when most people who just listen to music cant even tell or know the difference.
AKG by a LLLOOOONNNNNGGGGGGG shot!
Akg or at 2020 whch one best
Where can i buy the tripod adapter from the AKG 120 for the AKG 220. I don't need the shock mount and i cant find it.....
The 440 is so harsh in the sibilance. The 770 is better than the 990 in that space too. The sE was not impressive. Agree with the assessment on the AKG
Akg p120 or se electronics x1a?
do you think which one?
Yo what do u think about se x1a vs akg p 120 . Can u please suggest me one of theseee🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
akg
Which MXL mic has the best quality?
Great Bro...Thanks for the detail comparison. 10000 Likes...❤️❤️❤️
Any of you kids know which one produces the least amount of self noise??
The SE Elec is the best. Followed by the AKG.
Akg hands down 🗣
Se x1a or rode nt1a
2nd or 3rd time watching this vid; I keep scouring the comments but don’t see the A to my Q:
Do I have to plug these mics into an external audio interface? Specifically, can I not use an XLR to 3.5mm audio jack (m) directly into my iPhone 14 Pro Max (thru Apple audio jack f to lighting m into iPhone)? Something about phantom power? As in the mic won’t draw enough power from the 3.5mm jack / iPhone?
Novice audiophile needs help please and thank you… 🙏🙏🙏
Hi! You do need an interface to use these mics. It sounds like a mic designed specifically to work with iPhone would be a better fit for you. Check out this video, hope it helps!
th-cam.com/video/FiM63eswQ34/w-d-xo.htmlsi=OtR6HrTL2uvZh95e
I'ma buy all these
Where can I find you guys I want Akg p120 please
I have to say that after connecting my balanced main outs from my interface into a reamp box and then my unbalanced speakers the mxl 440 sounds very nice.
They as all sound the same to me. I don't know for certain but I'm guessing that they are all probably technologically superior to the mics that were used to record number one records in the 50s and 60s and probably the 70s.
amanzing voice!!
Yeah i think the AKG was great.
🙌🏽🙌🏽🔥🔥🔥🔥nice review
I had a 990 that I bought fror vocals. it was a disappointment in that it sounded somewhat thin. Then I learned that while it was being advertised as an LDC and it is NOT an LDC. It has a small 18mm capsule mountwed i a big dummy ring that makes it look like an LDC. I made a few recordings with it and disliked it so much that I immeditely sold it. If you are looking for an LDC do not buy the MXL 990!
I like the song!
Appreciate that!
I want to buy
👌🏾✨770
Which one of these would you recommend ?
AT 2020
AT 2035
NT1
NT1-A
non of em, try marantz mpm 1000, itz cheaper and better
@@AXOi thank you
p220 vs at 2035?