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MXL Studio 24 USB

Pricing & Availability

  • MSRP: $170

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Studio 24 USB Documentation

CardioidMXL Studio 24 USB

Cardioid Condenser Microphone

The Studio 24 USB is a small-diaphragm FET condenser with a 24-bit ADC and USB output. It is one of a handful of 24-bit USB microphones on the market.

The mic’s capsule is described as a 22mm design, but this refers to the mount rather than the actual transducer. The capsule is the company’s well-known copy of the Neumann KM-84 capsule, with a 16.75mm gold-sputtered Mylar diaphragm. It appears in the 603 and 604 pencil mics, and several other models; see the sidebar for details.

The mic works with an optional virtual channel strip GUI developed by MXL, and included with the microphone. Although the microphone works without the GUI, several features of the mic are accessible only if the GUI is used:

  • Leveler - an automatic gain control with four adjustable settings: attack, release, min and max threshold. The Leveler adjusts gain within the min and max threshold values, according to the attack and release settings. Note: this is not a compressor, but simply an automated gain function.
  • Noise Gate - an automatic muting control with sweepable threshold (-82dB to -34dB) and four attack options: 50ms, 100ms, 150ms, 200ms.
  • Phase invert
  • High pass filter: 120Hz, 235Hz, 465Hz
  • Gain control

The GUI also provides a virtual mixer for the mic’s onboard headphone jack:

  • Mic mute - prevents the mic’s signal from being fed to the headphones
  • Playback mute - prevents audio tracks from the host computer from being fed to the headphones
  • Headphone mute - disables all audio output through the headphones
  • Mic level - adjusts the volume of the mic’s signal
  • Playback level - adjusts the volume of audio tracks from the host computer
  • Headphone volume - adjusts overall volume of headphones

A second analog gain control can be found on the side of the microphone, near the headphone jack. As on the USB.009, this gain control is in a sense a variable pad, in that it prevents digital clipping by adjusting the analog gain stage prior to ADC.

A red LED inside the grille lights up to indicate the presence of a powered (5V) USB connection.

The Studio 24 USB ships with a USB cable, a desktop mic stand with weighted base, a carrying case, and a ring mount.

Permalink: MXL Studio-24-USB

The mic was released in 2010.

Specifications

Frequency Response - CardioidClick Graph to Compare!
Studio 24 USB Cardioid Frequency Response Chart
Pickup Patterns Pads & Filters
Cardioid (n/a mV/Pa; 20 - 20,000 Hz)
Capsule Dimensions Impedance SPL/Noise
Diaphragm diameter: 16.75mm
Capsule diameter: 22mm
n/a
Weight Length Max Diameter Interface(s)
n/a n/a n/a
  • USB (1)
Power Specifications

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