Microphones are exploding all over Summer NAMM 2009. Everything from USB mics to high-end vacuum tube models and classic revamps are all coming into play. Contributing to that microphone onslaught are four new microphones: the MXL R77, R144, Gold 35, and V69XM. Quite a mouthful aren't they?

The MXL R77 is a classic ribbon microphone offering stunning realism and natural sound to vocal as well as instrumental recordings. A figure-of-eight polar pattern is exhibited by the R77 for those extended sweet spots, and the 1.8-micron aluminum ribbon captures those smooth lows and natural highs. A limited edition variant, called the MXL R77L, comes with a Lundahl transformer to give it a different character than the standard isue MXL R77. The standard R77 has a price tag of 600 USD while you pay an extra 100 USD for the R77L.

For the musician on a shoestring budget, the MXL R144 would fit the bill. It is a ribbon mic with the characteristic smooth sound with a price within the reach of your typical home recording enthusiast. It carries a price tag of only 160 USD.

Billed as the "go-to microphone for all your studio work" the MXL Gold 35, despite its elegant-looking appearance, is MXL's workhorse. A condenser mic with a fixed cardiod polar pattern, unusually large 35-mm capsule, solid-state electronics, and a gold-plated body, it carries a price of only 400 USD. The MXL Gold 35 is a rather inexpensive microphone for its kind that can go toe to toe with the more expensive thousand-dollar condenser mics in the market.

The last of these new microphones is the special edition of the V69 tube microphone, the MXL V69XM. This special Mogami Edition tube microphone is internally wired with namesake world-class Mogami cable, has a 32-mm capsule, and a transformer-balanced output which gives it versatility and extremely high levels of quality. The V69XM costs 600 USD.