Nice warm sound, I am actually a video producer that hates his own voice, but suddenly mine dont sound so bad....

Be sure and buy the shock mount with it, $10 more now or $35 later. Only wish it were tall enough that I didn't have to use a mic stand with the shockmount.

Its hard to believe how little this thing costs

This mic is the best value out there.

NA, but I did notice they had a toll free #....

Its pretty nice lookin, I am sure there are better lookin mics out there, but this one is nothing to be ashamed of by any means

video dude that has to do his own audio

mostly voiceover stuff

I Purchased this Microphone from zZounds for laying down some live audio tracks of traffic in the area for an intro to a song and I must say it does a very good job of picking up even the most subtle noises on the street.

It is a very basic Condensor microphone which in a way is good, there is less to go wrong with it that way. The microphone included a stand clip and for $10.00 more I purchased the shock mount which was well worth it. It did not include a carry case but was packaged well in a foam crypt.

I turned on my mixer and phantom power waited a few minutes and plugged the mic in, set the gain and EQ and that was all I had to do. The mic has a very warm and natural quality to the recording and doesn't have off axis problems and feedback like many other microphones I have used over the past 30 years.

The microphone is surprisingly heavy and appears to be constructed of top grade materials. I will be ordering more like this.

If you are looking for a microphone that has good bang for the buck, this is a good choice.

Haven't used it.

It is ghastly to look at but that doesn't matter, I listen with my ears not my eyes and it's a microphone.

Active Musician, Recording Engineer

R & B, Jazz, Rock

Have used several of these microphones for the past several years. We've recorded upright bass, acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, dobro, fiddle, egg shake, djembe, sax, trumpet, vocals (male range from bass through tenor) and they have served us very well.

all the V57M's we have came with the ring mount. Have never bought or used a shockmount with these microphones.

With any microphone used in the studio, the microphone placement is the key. We go for completely natural sound, with the mic placement giving us the most even sound that covers the range of whatever instrument we are recording.

Though the color is a little ghastly, use dominates over appearance everyday. At the prices I have bought these microphones for, I'm completely satisfied. They have been hauled a bit for some "on the fly" recording in hotel rooms with no problems. But, we do not take for granted that these are condenser microphones and try to take decent care of them when transporting them from place to place.

Again, at the price we've paid, we can buy tons of these microphones for what you can tie up a substantial sum of money on ONE "boutique" microphone. The sound going to the hard drive has to come from a decent set of speakers and good ears, along with good instruments and people who know how to play them, not just an expensive microphone. You can take one of the "boutique" microphones and get garish sounds from it if you put the microphone in the wrong place for sound to begin with, or have someone who doesn't know how to coax tone and good sound from the instrument.

Have needed no support. We currently own 5 of these microphones and have had no trouble out of any of them.

It is completely practical for our studio and the money we have to put into it to obtain it.

Active Musician & Recording Engineer

Bluegrass, acoustic, acoustic-oriented jazz

First of all, I use a Yamaha 10 Channel Mixer, as well as the Alesis IO2 Audio Interface when I record. This microphone has performed great with both of these. It has an extremely clear sound, and is very reliable. I haven't had a problem with this microphone yet and I've had it since Feb. '07. I use the program Cool Edit 2.0, and I believe it's all in how you mix your track to classify near perfection. This microphone is a must have!

I ordered this product with a microphone shockmount, which is excellent. The color of the mic is a little strange, and the design is different than I'm used to. However, this mic is only $60 dollars and I prefer to use this over my Shure.

It's pretty basic, just plug it in your interface or mixer. Depending on your equipment will determine how great this microphone will sound.

I actually bought one of these mics in January, but I somehow I'm guessing it got the slightest bit wet. This microphone is very water sensitive. Be sure to ALWAYS use a Pop Filter with this and don't even consider talking/singing into it without one.

Yes, this mic is worth every penny! If I had to pay another $50 bucks I'd gladly do it knowing the results it can produce.

They sent me a new microphone after mine broke from water damage due to the 30 day guarentee.

It's not the most attractive mic. It's color is different as well as it's design.

Musician, Recording Engineer.

Rock. Hardcore Rap.

I admit I haven't played around with many high end condenser mics. But I find this mic tracks my lead vocals and backup vocals very well. My voice is a little low and gruff - so I am not sure how it would respond to the upper end (although it tracks the high's on my acoustic nicely as well). IMHO this is an incredible deal - I have 2 in my home studio and have been extremely pleased with the results.

Not sure how to rate this - features of a mic? Well as a cardioid I find it does a good job at keeping the audio bleed down when tracking jams sessions. Shock mount works fine.

No defects - solid construction. I imagine the windsreen could be improved upon - but as I use it in a studio wind isn't a concern :-)

Seriously - I am sure there are incredible condenser mics worth thousands of dollars. But for 60-70 bucks this deal cannot be beat. This mic reproduces my vocals very accurately - paying a few grand for a high end condenser simply can't give me a justifiable improvment (ie. if this tracks at 90% accuracy and something forth $1500 tracks at 98% is it really worth it when only a small percentage of your audience is even going to notice?)

Best support - is when you have a product that doesn't need it.

Price <-> performance is amazing. I would replace....and maybe buy more.

Active Musician, Recording Engineer

Folk, Bluegrass, Old Time and Rock

This is actually my second studio condenser mic. With this one i'm noticing a lot of "Sharpness". It's not bad though, it records pretty clear.

No Features. I like that.

It's easy to use, just plug in and get started.

It's made well, it's got a nice weight to it. It seems like it will last a long time.

For the price it's the best.

Well there are tons of mics out there. Just reading the reviews made me want it.

catholic christian rapper

hip-hop/Rap

This mic is HIGHLY underated. The sound quality on this mic sounds better in my home studio than recordings done at a professional studio with a far more expensive mic and equipment. This condenser mic makes my professional home recordings sound like they were ACTUALLY done in a professional studio, and the ones I previously did in a professional studio paying top dollar sound like they were recorded at home! For the price, this microphone is a steal! If you are looking for a professional budget or NON-budget condenser microphone, this is it! Sure, you can buy a better studio mic, but for the price? I have yet to see a legal deal that can beat this mic's sound! Just make sure you have a phantom power supply (can be purchased here on zZounds.com) or you might not think well of this mic.

Included a shockmount....very simple mic to use. Just plug it up to your phantom power source, and from there into your inputs, and you are ready to go.

This mic might not be the best looking mic right off the bat (not that it looks bad), but it will grow on you the longer you own it. It seems very strong and solid for a condenser mic that you don't have to treat like a wet piece of paper ready to break.

This condenser mic is highway robbery for the price! If you have a good studio setup, this mic will blow away or at least compete with most of the other thousand dollar or more mics! Your friends/family/fans/co-workers/etc may be surprised of the sound you get from this mic!

N/A

It's not the best looking mic out there, but the complete gold look along with a sturdy fit and finish gives you a luxurious expensive feel in the mic so I'll give it an 8 out of 10 rating.

Vice President of Gospel Rhymes Records, Musician, Producer, Engineer

Hip Hop, Holy Hip Hop

I never write reviews for products. Ever. But after purchasing and using this in my home studio, I felt compelled to. For the price, the sound quality is amazing. If it cost $1,000, the sound quality would still be amazing for the price.

The price of the bundle (with shockmount, stand, and cable) is second to none. $100 for all of that is highway robbery. Buy it.

Remembering to have phantom power is the only thing that made this a 9.

Again, an amazing value.

It's kind of ugly, but who cares. It's an amazing mic.

Active Musician

Hip hop

This mic has great frequency response and I like the way the cymbals on the drumset I miced up with it, very clear and crisp sounding. The V57M is good for live recording too because it wont pick up sound that's projecting from sources that are further than about 4-5 feet away. A very good versatile mic especially for the price. Much better than Sure or Peavey mics.

Good for pretty much anything.

The V57M is manufactured well and sturdy. I hung it over a drumset to record and the drummer accidentally cracked it with a drumstick and it barely left a dent on the metal mesh over the diaphram.

Very good price and a great product as well.

Didn't deal with them yet.

???

Musician and Recording Engineer

Metal, Drum&Bass, Hip Hop, Experamental Techno

Very nice sound for the price I would say get it because at 60.00 dollars you can't go wrong. Really hot though which to me is good better that than low I just did like foxy lady said and fixed it at the mixer (tip) cut the gain down don't need to much with this mic. Really really warm sound with rhe tube pre-amp I just bought.

Zzounds ask you if you want to buy it with a a shock mount so just spend the ten dollar mor to get the shock mount. If you are serious about music you should already have a XLR cable.

Very good quaily I have friends who had AKG and unlike the first guy took good care of them, moved from one house to another with it in the case in the front seat of the car and for some reason it stopped working. Better for it to happen to a $60.00 dollar mic than a $350.00 mic.

For the money and the sound quailty I think it is one of the best values out there. Remember you kind of have to know what you are doing with any mic, you just started recording and blame it on the mic cause it sounds bad it might be YOU.

Have'nt needed it.

I don't think the mic is so ugly and besides I don't give a damn what it looks like as long as it works. I got a wife for looks. It's in a sound proof booth so it's not looked at till it's time to work. And at that point me or any other artist that I know are more concerned with the track we are about to lay down. The look of a mic is the far far from my mind at that point.

Recording Engineer, Vocalist

all types well rounded

The sound for this mic is so-so. If you have it in the right room, with the right sound absorbers, then you should be okay.

The only problem I had with this microphone, was if you got too loud the vocals would become distorted. In other words it's very sensitive.

It's strongly built. No loose parts, it seems everything stays intact.

The price for this mic is reasonable. I honestly wouldn't sell it for any higher or lower. Only because it doesn't give a true professional sound. But overall it is a good mic for beginner producers/artists.

Nope, no problems with it.

Active Musician, producer.

Rap/Hip Hop/Film voice overs

I've been a musician for 25 years. Home studio, guitar, piano, cello

Goth, Darkwave, Alternative, 80's, Electronic

Excellent!! This mic sounds fantastic on acoustic instruments and vocals! I have more expensive mics, AKG to name a few and this mic sounds waaaaaaay better! You can't beat this mic for the price!

It came with just a mic clip.

Extremely durable and built like a tank! This mic is heavy!

More than worth its price!! I had an AKG C414 and it didn't sound this good!! I have a C1000s and it's not even close to the sound quality of the Marshall!

Haven't needed support.

Not the prettiest mic in town but built like a tank and very durable!

Folk, Country and Soft Rock

the sound was very good. i never thought 60 bucks could reproduce your sound so well, with my recording gear i had cd quality sound. the only thing you had to make sure of was to stay at a safe distance when at high volumes, to make sure you do not over modulate.

it had a largecapsule, was just what you need for recording.

is for recording and sounds like a million bucks. Was way better than anything at the price.

for its price, this is amzingly great sounding.

I didn't need support.

looks very good and impresses my friends who aren't "musically inclined"

recording an undrground CD, singer/guitarist in a garage band

Ska, punk, Alternative

Wondeful on accoustic guitars. Great for some vocalists and not-so-great for others. Great as a room mic.

Survived one major fall. Not as bulletproof as a SM-57, but for a condenser, probobly as good as they get.

I got it for 80$ at the time, and it was still pretty cheap.

My swivwel adapter broke after one day. I contacted the company, and a new one was on the way the very next day.

Plenty of other sex mics at the sub 100$ price range. This is just one of them.

it is a very good mic till you get above cd quality recording then it's faults really show.

came with a standard mounting bracket, I already own spider shock mounts.

easy to get good quality sound at CD quality masters

very durable it seems, I bet ya could use it live, comes through great on my PA at home though never used live performing.

very much worth the selling price, but now knowing that CD quality is the best you can really hope for from this mic (no pre amp used) I would have saved and waited till I had more money to buy a higher quality mic.

never had to deal with marshal, they make great quality products.

can't answer this because I would need to see if using in a live environment would work because I don't want to use for vocals in the studio anymore, for guitars it rocks.

Recording at this time, live preformer prior

Adult contemporary to hard rock with a hint of metal

Mic is great with deep/gruff/throaty/raspy vocals. (thats the main reason we went with it) With female alto: Nasal range 360-450Hz is more apparent. Upper mids are flat and thin while highs are lighty distorted

Shockmount is built nice. The clip looks cheap as if one bad fall it's done for.

Easy nothing to config

One drop from 5 feet onto carpet in the basment. No issues after drop and no visual dings

Awsome !!

Havn't had to contact them yet

No sex appeal but hey, it's a MIC

Jr Recording Engineer

HorrorCore Rap/Techno/Alternative/Rock

Its pretty good. Got this from a a cheap $20 wal-mart mic. Very clean and clear, quiet, but it needs a some eq'ing for my voice. Very sensitive. Some songs my voice can sound tiny and thin, and other songs my voice cuts right thru the beats with the right settings.

Comes with a clip and bag.

Rugged and heavy.

Rapper

Rap

Smooth vocal mic. Has a vintage sound.

Plastic mic. mount seems out of place for such a heavy microphone. Get the shock mount.

Hard to compare with the very high end microphones, but has extreme value when considering its performance compared to price.

Very pleased with the performance for the amount paid.

No issues, so no need for support.

Contemporary Christian, Gospel, Country

I use this microphone record various instruments eg. accoustic guitar, bamboo flute, clarinet, the sound quality is fantastic, its warm and clear and responds to my diffrering playing styles with ease.

jazz

The sound of this mic is considerably nice 4 the $$. Y not get this mic 4 just 60 bucks. Try 2 remember too that there is no right #1 Vocalist mic out there. Everyones Vocal is different. My first experience with this mic was with a Vocalist and it came out great but he has a throaty older styled Country voice so it complemented his voice very well. It may not work as well will a Tenor voice or other styled voice. U kinda just have 2 have a little experience 2 know what mic will work with what. But it works like it should and really probably better than expected 4 the money. It's got low self noise and a good range in freq. response.

Features like good cardiod patterns r important. A lot of people don't realize how important that is in recording. It can b a huge plus 4 the mic 2 reject sound coming from behind it when being used. It cancels out sound from behind it well. That limits ur needs 4 iso booths and such and those r very pricy. It can make ur whole project room cheaper 2 invest in just on that merit alone.

Studio only mic so don't use on stage. Not recomended as with any of these styled mics. Well built microphone 4 60 bucks and sounds great. U need 2 buy 2 or 3 of them. 2 for overheads and 1 for Vocal unless u perfer something else 4 vocal. Also good 4 distant cab. micing.

It is definitly worth the $$.

Have had no need 2 call but will give them a 10 on that merit alone.

It complements my arsinal of mics well. Yes I believe that my mic arsinal would not b nearly as appealing with out these 2 MXL V57M's in my mic case or on my stands with my other microphones.

Musician, Recording Engineer

Rock, "Alternative", "Country", "Jazz", "Drum and Bass", "Techno", etc

The sound out of this microphone is amazing compared with any dynamic microphone, and a few condensers I have heard. When recording, where I found myself having to add volume to vocal tracks before, I now have to remove volume - Quite a bit. I no longer have to scream at my mic in order to get sound produced. Very good sound.

I had to give the microphone a 5 as far as features go, because there are many microphones with more features, however when it comes down to it, a horrible mic with great features is still at the end of the day, a horrible mic. This is an excellent mic with few features - Great for those of us who prefer to record rather than play with buttons and switches.

Plug it into phantom power, and it's on. Couldn't get any simpler.

It's a very heavy microphone and is held in place very well by the shock mount that came with it for an extra $10. The entire thing is very well put together and I feel I won't have any quality issues with this mic.

For as cheap as this mic is, you'd be a fool not to buy it. I'm running it through a Behringer MIC200 and with the options available for the sound, it is perfect for anyone starting out in the rap/hip-hop world.

Haven't had to use them, hope I won't have to.

It's an awful color, but the sound it makes is excellent. If I were buying a mic to look pretty and not work well, I would be spending more than what this mic costs!

Producer/Rapper

Rap/Hip-Hop

The mic has great sound quality, especially for the price. With some knowledge on mixing you can make it sound even better. Pro quality

a shockmount, a good one too

very easy, just took me a while to learn to connect it to the phantom power, its really easy though

very strong, fell on me just today and still sounds the same

worth the price

never needed it

not very sexy, but who cares

active musician

Rap

For recording lead vocals, it is junk. Lead vocals are tinny, thin, hollow and virtually unusable with this mic.

Forget this mic - don't be suckered by the low price.

Cheap price makes it ok to record instruments buried in the mix, but it is unusable for vocal tracks.

It was a waste of my money. Do not buy this mic to record lead vocals.

songwriter-singer-indie label owner-band leader

rockabilly

Before I bought this mic I tried dozens of others...AKG's, Rode's, Audio Tech's, Shure's, etc - this mic tops them all. At first it was difficult to accept that this mic could be this good at such a low price but it really is. It's a very quiet mic yet is very sensitive and tolerates air pressure extremely well...I had a Rode NT 1A hooked up right next to it for direct comparison and the Rode was terrible regarding plosives - MXL V57m sound quality was more natural than the Rode. Usually you get what you pay for and the more expensive something is the better right? Well if you listened to the MXL V57M alongside a $600 mic you'd think the price would be up there with it.

No features on this mic but it doesn't need them. Recommend getting a shock mount and pop filter.

Built like a tank and constructed very well. This mic is worth a lot more than the cost.

During my search for a mic I read reviews on dozens of different mics and everyone says the same thing, "This is the best mic for the price" - in the case of the MXL V57M this is a fact.

Haven't had the need for support.

In a microphone beauty contest this the MXL V57M wouldn't win any awards but I have seen worse, (check out the MXL V67...YECH). But who cares about that? Would you rather buy a nice looking mic that doesn't sound as good?

Active musician, recording engineer, producer

Everything except rap

In my experience, this microphone produces much better instrument recordings than it does vocal recordings. Vocals really lose a lot of nuance.

Warm, not as detailed as a top-o'-the-line condenser, but all things considered, the tone is good. It has a strong midrange, which some cheaper condensers don't. Note: If you are recording digitally, this mic (any mic for that matter) wont sound great unless you push the sample rate up to 96kHz or 192kHz. Garageband tops out a 44kHz, so it's performance will be good, but not as good as in a pro product like logic where you can increase the sample rate. At 192kHz, every little detail comes out, this really is not cheap-o mic.

none. it's a simple mic and not intended to have features The shockmount is necessary, so go ahead and buy the combo.

Really easy to get pretty good sound out of this mic. You have to work a little bit to get really great sound. For vocals I've noticed that S's tend to get a little fuzzy if the vocalist is within 8 inches of the mic, but just push the gain a little and step back a bit from the mic, and the sound is superb. I have recorded acoustic guitar, electric and bass amps, percussion, piano, and vocals. So far this mic has proved to be very versatile

The mic is sturdily built, metal (probably aluminum) construction. None of this cheap plastic that many budget mics are made of. All the same, it is a condenser, so if you drop it you will probably damage the diaphragm. This mic is part of my mobile studio, so it gets treated a little rougher than a studio mic would, but it seems to be holding up quite well.

Well, there are few mics under $100 that sound this good.

I assume, i haven't had to use it.

Sex appeal? well it's ugly. it's like that weird gold-green-grey color that should have died with the 70s. It is however, a very practical addition to my setup. Very few people think, when listening to a CD "Gee, that sounds like it was recorded on an ugly colored mic"

producer, recording engineer, live sound engineer, guitar, bass, piano.

Alternative Rock, Folk Pop

has a tendency to be thin and tinny. i am trying to do do a number of different applications for vocals (spoken word, screaming, etc.) and it just doesnt cut the mustard. its better than very low end mics but NOT top notch quality here as other reviewers have stated.

its just a mic. no features.

again, no brain busters here.

pretty solid build but sound is subpar.

price is really low but you get what you pay for - save your money and buy a higher end mic. i made it happen on my recordings but it makes me wonder what i could have done with a better all around mic.

this is the bottom rung of recording here. you can only go up so its not too desirable.

active musician

instrumental, vocal, experimental, rock and roll revival

The sound for this microphone is beautiful. It's crisp, it's clean. The sound is just amazing.

There is no features, just plug and play, I really like that.

The mic is the best microphone I have ever used. I've used a lot of different mics, but this one is by far the best.

This microphone is worth every penny.

The mic isn't the prettiest one out there, but the sound quality is great.

Well, its a beginners mic, but there are many more beginners mics like this on the market,I would not say that this is the best one. For recording of course I would prefer this mic than, lets say for example an SM58, because its a condenser. But id you want to make professional vocal recordings, spend more money, get something better

What do you expect for that price

As any mic

Again, as any cheap mic

You get what you pay for

Dont know

Sex Appeal, ITS A MIC, not a chick

Pro Musician , Hobby Rec Engineer

Nearly any I get paid for

great mic. don't be turned off by some of the negative reviews posted here. they're probably coming from people new to recording or with cheesy equipment to begin with. this mic is amazing! we run a pro studio and have been in business since the mid 80's. we have quite a huge mic locker with very expensive mics at our reach. this one gets used quite often. it's that good.

it's a plain design. so what! who cares. it sounds fantastic even for the most critical recording applications.

can't beat it for the price. it's up there with some of our more expensive mics.

excellent. buy a few. you won't be sorry.

never needed them but heard they're great!

well... it's a mic.

The sound is great for the amount i payed. I didnt give it a 10 because im sure the really expesive mics sound better. but for 60 bucks! this thing is great. Just starting out it is the perfect choice. I get very desireable sounds out of this when doing vocals, acoustic guitars, and even micing my guitar amp works great. Even if you aren't just starting out, this mic would probably be a very good item to pick up. Once you learn how to use it properly you will be VERY pleased with it for the price you paid.

Comes with a shockmount for 10 extra bucks. Smokin' deal.

Well like any microphone you have to figure out how to get the best sound out of it.

It is made very sturdy, and made to last. And it is amazing quality for the price. I've even used this live as a overhead for a drumset once. worked great.

Amazing value. Unless your seeking an expensive profesional mic, buy this. I would be willing to pay more for this mic.

Never needed, never tried. 10!

At first i really liked the look. but it got boring. I dont care though, it does the job very well.

hobbyist, musician

Rock, techno, metal, alternative, house, jazz