MXL - 990/991 Recording Microphone Package

Mxl 990 will be great bang for your buck as a beginner

The MXL 990 condenser sells for $99 and punches way above its weight class.

MXL 990 is still my favourite condenser mic I've ever used. Got it for £80 and it holds up crazy well even against super high end mics like a U87

Mxl 990 is much better for recording.

I'm just saying personally I used an SM58 or 57 for years and I got a 990 and it was massively superior.  Also I record guitar with the 990, it's more flexible in that regard.

The best mic you can afford is the best mic for your setup. If you have a “few hundred bucks maybe” I would get an SM-57 for instruments and an SM-58 for vocals. If you are trying to save money or really want a 1 mic solution, pick either one of those. They are both tried and true and work well for both instruments/vocals. If you want some variety, I’d pick one of those and the MXL 990/991 set. It’s not the best but it’s definitely not bad. You get a large and small diaphragm condenser mic to play around with. I’ve had my MXL set for about 15-20 years and still use them from time to time.

MyDream Mic is the Neumann $4000 but even the MXL condenser I have had for like 10 years works well.

I'm a fan of MXL microphones in general. The V63M is my workhorse mic, and the 990 is great too.

I would not use a 58 to record vocals at home. If it’s all you have that’s one thing, but if you’re going to spend around $80-100 for a mic to record your own vocals at home, cheap Chinese large diaphragm condenser mics have come a long way. The MXL 990 sounds great for $80.

Came here to say MXL 990. Great at capturing dynamics.

MXL 990 will get higher frequencies compared to the SM58, but it seems to add a little tinniness to me. Some of it depends on the singer and musical style, and some depends on what you want in the finished product. I eventually got a Shure SM-7 which is clear and fairly transparent, but is probably too much $ for OP (~$300).