More Audio Purchases: MXL 550/551R & Steinberg CI1

You guessed it! I purchased stuff from Resolution!

I was looking for a general purpose mic. The recommended a condenser mic for better sensitivity and versatility.

This is a 2-mics set. One mic for to record a broader and more open sound, and the other, a more narrow pick-up pattern for more focused pick-up.

This is the MXL 550/551R.


These mics are internally wired with Mogami cables. Mogami cables are internationally agreed upon as cables of the highest quality.

These pair of mics are below $300, so that is quite value for money.



Now comes the second part of the problem. None of my audio interface equipment support the phantom power that is needed by condenser mics. So I ended up buying the most cost effective audio interface that fit the bill: the Steinberg CI1.

This nifty and well crafted piece of equipment has 2 mic/line inputs (XLR/TRS) both capable of sending +48 volts phantom power (as mentioned earlier), and a hi-Z option on input 1 (I haven't internalised it, but here's a really helpful article on what hi-Z does).

Being USB powered, it needs no external supply to take up your power points. Audio signals are processed at 48khz @ 24-bits. The CI1 is bundled with Steinberg Sequel LE and Wavelab 7 LE.

I got these at a good price from Resolution, under $500! Go check them out!