Name Dropping Gear Review: the MXL BCD-1

Name Dropping Gear Review:


MXL BCD-1 - $170

If you listen to the show you know two things about me:

1. I drop gear names, and 

2. I love good cheap mics

So lets start dropping names and get this review on!

This week's mic review is of the MXL BCD-1. A large diaphragm dynamic mic that a simple Google search shows: nobody's using it! Sounds like a perfect mic for me. At $170 I felt I could take a chance on a large diaphragm microphone that could be awesome or terrible.

First Impressions:
Got it quickly from amazon, and realized this feels like a nice mic. Heavy is the first word I would use to describe it. The mount had a hard time actually keeping the mic from rotating, and I struggled to tighten the side screws enough to keep the mic in place. Taking the mic off of the mount, and then re configuring the hardware allowed me to help the mic sit straight where I put it. A small downside, albeit a downside.

I plugged the mic into my interface (a Presonus XMAX preamp) and turned the gain up. It definitely needed more gain to get to a recordable level than say a condenser microphone, but it seemed the XMAX preamp was up to the task. It's a clean microphone that faithfully reproduces voice well. It comes with a hefty proximity effect that Eric loves to use in the podcast (so much so that I have to roll off a little). This is a mic that you want to get right on top of.

Negatives:
The microphone comes with no pad and no roll off switches, both of which would be nice, but neither is truly necessary. I take care of both of these things in my DAW.

Final Thoughts:
I've used this mic in many different recording situations, and become in many ways, my "goto" mic, as I reach for it first when recording Guitars, Bass Drums, Singing Vocals, and Broadcast Vocals. I always have it out and ready on a stand since I know it's going to end up on just about every recording I do. Some of my clients call it my "Golden Mic" because it makes their voice so deep and gorgeous. And I'd have to agree.

So if you've heard the praises of a large diaphragm dynamic mic such as the SM7b or the RE-20, then you will realize the value of an inexpensive, high quality alternative. The BCD-1 fills this need for my studio.

--Art