Blue Microphones Electrostatic microphones

When I made the decision to start recording vocals in my home studio I decided to buy some low cost mics to experiment with and just to get myself comfortable with the whole recording process. I ended up buying several mics but none of them really impressed for one reason or another. I eventually opted to buy the Blue Spark after doing some thorough research and it was a great investment. The Spark is an XLR, cardioid mic with a frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz. The build quality is very good and it has a solid and polished feel. It's quite heavy for a mic of it's size, weighing in at 567 grams, with a height of 7.71 inches. It comes packaged in a wooden box and has a custom shock-mount and pop filter which is quite handy if you don't already those items separately. It also comes with a user manual which explains how to setup the mic, store it and tips on recording different sound sources. The mic is mainly targeted at the low-budget market and home/project studio owners. I use mine mostly for in-studio recording of R&B, reggae and hip hop vocals. Being an XLR condenser it requires phantom power which you can obtain from many mixers and audio interfaces. I use mine with an Avid Mbox Mini 3 and the pair works great. If you don't have a mixer or audio interface to provide phantom power but are still interested in getting this mic you can consider buying the Blue Spark Digital which is a USB version of the mic or buy an XLR to USB converter which will use power from your computer. One unique feature of the mic is that it has a "Focus" button which when activated acts as a high-pass filter and rolls off frequencies below 100Hz and adds some boost to the lower . Aesthetically it's a very beautiful and unique-looking mic. OVERALL OPINION What I like most about the mic is the sound quality. The self-noise of the mic is very low and when used with a good preamp it produces stellar results, enough to make you forget its low price. When the "Normal mode" is activated it captures bass and low frequencies very well. The sound is very forward and in-your-face, perfect for hip hop which normally needs powerful vocals. None of the other mics I've used within the same price range capture the bass element of a voice as well as the Spark. It generally performs very well under most of the conditions which I use it for, which is mainly vocal work (R&B, hip hop and reggae vocals) and recording sounds to use in my music (things like hand claps, shakers, tambourines, beat-boxing, custom sound effects, etc). Since it captures vocals so well this should be usable usable for voice-over work and podcasts. Following are the pros and cons of the mic that I've noted: Pros: - Excellent sound quality at its price point - Attractive design. It's solid and feels expensive. - Dual mode to increase/decrease low-end sensitivity - Comes with its own shock-mount and pop filter (free stuff is good) Cons: I'm hard-pressed to find any real cons with the mic, because it performs exceptionally well considering it's cost. But the main thing is the quality/usability of the included accessories. Much as I appreciate that they're free the pop filter is not effective at close range, so I have to use an additional pop filter. The shock-mount is also cumbersome. It doesn't hold the mic very well, it shakes a lot. I've found that it works best when hanging upside down. With that being said I would not hesitate to buy this mic again. It really gives more bang for your buck and shines above most mics in its price range and even some in the slightly higher price bracket.

The Blue Microphones Dragonfly is a uniquely designed condenser microphone made for use in the recording studio. It has a unique shock mount that holds the mic in place and also comes with a storage box. There isn't much more to say about the characteristics of this microphone as that is pretty much all there is to it. OVERALL OPINION I've used the Blue Microphones Dragonfly a number of times to record a variety of applications and I've found it to be a very good microphone. It isn't my favorite microphone that Blue has to offer, but this doesn't mean that this isn't a great mic, I just really love the line of mics that Blue has put out. Like all of the Blue Microphones, the Dragonfly has its own quirks and interesting look and shape which lends to the way that you can place it and what it is best suited for. I have found that the mic works great for a variety of applications including vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, horns, and bass guitar. This being said I can't say if it will work well with other applications for sure as I haven't had the chance to try it out for other things, but I would bet that it would sound great for most applications as this is definitely a well rounded microphone that is built for a variety of applications. The price of the Blue Microphones Dragonfly isn't all that cheap but is definitely reasonable considering the quality of microphone that you are getting. If you are looking to add to your collection the Blue Microphones Dragonfly is a great way to go, but I probably wouldn't recommend buying it as your first or go to microphone for a smaller home studio setting because of its strange design that may not make it the best choice for certain situations. All in all, the Blue Microphones Dragonfly is definitely a microphone that is worth checking out.

The Blue Microphones Bluebird is a condenser microphone made for use in the recording studio and I wouldn't recommend using it anywhere else. It has a cardioid polar pick up pattern and is suppose to pick up signals ranging from 20 Hz to 20 KHz. It has a similar look to the Blue Kiwi, but is a less superior microphone designed more for home studios. OVERALL OPINION I've used the Blue Microphones Bluebird a number of times for recording sessions at my friend's home studio, although I do not own one myself. While I definitely like the sound of this microphone and it has a lot of uses, I already have enough condenser microphones in my collection. This mic is suitable for all sorts of applications including vocals, acoustic piano, acoustic guitar, and horns amongst other things. I like using it best for acoustic instruments but I would recommend experimenting to see what will work best for you and this is definitely a versatile mic. If you have a pair of them they will probably work as room mics or drum overheads as well, although I haven't tried this myself. I've become a big supporter of Blue Microphones as they have a really impressive line of microphones ranging all over the price range. This is one of the cheaper microphones that Blue has to offer, but is still a high quality mic even if it isn't as good as some of their high end mics. I trust Blue all the way with microphones and there aren't any complaints that I have about the Bluebird as it sounds great and is set at a great price. Overall, the Blue Microphones Bluebird is perfect for the home studio owner looking for a great mic that doesn't cost too much. This is one of the best bang for your buck mics out there.