Blue Microphones Studio & Home Studio

The Blue Spark is a relatively new microphone from Blue. This small but powerful cardioid, solid-state condenser mic should be the first choice for anyone looking for a mid to low cost mic for recording. Built into this mic are Class-A discrete electronics resulting in superbly detailed and uncolored output, making it the ideal microphone for recording vocals, drums, guitars, pianos, brass, woodwinds, and just about anything else you can light a fire under. Unlike most of the cheaper condenser microphones, the Blue Spark features unique button on the back called Focus Control, providing two different usage modes at the push of a button: the Normal mode (out position) providing increased low frequency sensitivity for recordings with great impact and definition, along with the Focus mode, (in position) for even greater clarity and detail. In addition, this mic features: - Blue's legendary condenser capsule design - Includes custom designed Shockmount and pop filter - Professional wooden carrying case - Detailed manual with proven recording tips OVERALL OPINION What i like most about this mic is how much it weighs. When you first look at it, it looks very light and very small. But when you pick it up, it feels 5 times heaver than you first thought. What does that mean? It means that Blue packed a lot of stuff into this mic. I also love how great the mic looks in my studio. The orange and silver both look like they glow, and man is it a sexy look. For the price, this is a great buy. $200 is very cheap for a mic with this kind of sound, and you can probably find it cheaper. In addition, it comes in a beautiful wooden box to keep it safe. This was my first mic in my studio, and it is making me professional sounding recordings. I ended up buying two!

The Baby Bottle microphone is made by Blue Microphones and has been out for a while now. I was using it for 3 months last year. It comes with a custom pop filter and in a wood box. The Baby Blue is considered to be one of the best condenser microphones that can be purchased for fewer than 500 dollars and I agree. For the price that the Baby Bottle cost you will not find any other microphone that can do what it can do in that price range. OVERALL OPINION The Baby Bottle does require phantom power and it is a pressure gradient condenser microphone with a cardioids polar pattern. The frequency response is 20Hz to 20 kHz. The sound quality is crisp and clean on all different vocal types. I have not used this microphone for anything other than recording vocals in my studio. But I have heard that it does well with some instruments too. The Baby Bottle sounds very natural and does not color the sound at all. It is rich and full and does a great job with those mid to high range frequencies to get them cutting through the mix. I used the Baby Bottle with a high fidelity cable to get the best possible sound out of it that I could and I had a shockmount from when I was using the Blue Microphones Spark mic so I used that with the Baby Bottle microphone. I do not own this microphone anymore but I still have Blue Microphone mics in my current studio and I love them. The quality that Blue Microphones provides is great and they stand by all of their products. I have used the Spark, Kiwi and a few other mics from them and each of them are absolutely amazing. I recommend this microphone if you are recording from home and want to get a great sound for a few hundred bucks. As long as you have a decent interface with warm preamps you will get an amazing sound for recording at home.

The Blue Microphones Bluebird is a large diaphragm microphone that has a cardioids polar pattern, it comes with a shock mount and pop filter. I was in search of a microphone that could be a do it all type of microphone and record anything that I wanted to use it with. I did a lot of looking around online for a microphone with these specs and came across the Bluebird. Once I had the chance to start using it after I received it I was shocked by how good it sounded for this price. This microphone is very well built as well, it seems like it could hold up for a long time. I have been using this microphone for a year now and it still looks brand new. OVERALL OPINION The frequency range of the BlueBird is 20 Hz to 20 kHz with an impedance of 50 ohms. Since I purchased this microphone I have been able to record vocal, guitar, and brass instruments with it and get a great sound with all of them. This is the perfect microphone for the at home musician, it will give you studio quality in the comfort of your own home. It has saved me a lot of money from having to go to the studio so much. Blue Microphones also makes a few other microphones that I am now using that are pretty good, but the BlueBird is the best for the money. The sound quality is warm and clear, and it really does not matter to much what your set up looks like as far as having a treated room or not. You can use this microphone in a padded room with wall treatments or a living room and it will still sound great while not picking up noise you don’t want it to pick up like a background TV or outside noises. This microphone is amazing and I am so glad that I purchased it, I do not regret my decision at all and getting this microphone has made me go out and purchase other Blue Microphones.

The Robbie by Blue Microphones is a class-A single channel Tube Microphone and also has a amplifier for instruments. The price of the Robbie can get pretty steep depending on where you purchase it from. Brand new it will cost you right around 1,000 USD but you may be able to find one cheaper on EBay or Craig list. The Robbie has a very quiet tube preamp as well as a very unique design and look to it, despite the fact that it looks different you can still rack it, which is a huge plus. On the back panel of the Robbie is where your connections are as well as the power button to turn it off and on. It has a mic in and line out channel and AC 10V adapter. The Robbie is great because of its powerful preamp and how warm it can make your vocals sound and feel. With a frequency response of 10hz-100kHz and 34dB of headroom, there is no doubt that the Robbie packs a powerful punch. UTILIZATION The set up of the Robbie is very easy, there really isn’t anything too it. It does have a manual but I have never looked at it and you probably wont have to either if you have used other interfaces then you will understand the Robbie as well as be able to use it right out of the box and not have to read the manual. SOUND QUALITY Sound quality on the Robbie is amazing, the preamp does all the work for your vocals. I have recorded some really warm and natural sounding lyrics using the Blue Microphone Robbie. OVERALL OPINION I am very happy that I had the chance to get to use the Robbie by Blue Microphones on several occasions. The price is high, but it is well worth it when you hear the quality you will get. It will also last you a long time because it seems to be really well built on top of how cool it looks. I highly recommend buying the Robbie for the preamp alone, all the other stuff is just an added bonus!

The Blue Microphones Mouse is a cardioid polar pattern mic. This mic is great with almost all uses like vocals, guitars and even some brass instruments. But the brass instruments I don’t recommend using with this mic I have just seen some people use it with them but brass instruments require a special mic that can handle the dynamics of the sound they produce. Using this mic with a brass instrument just isn’t a good idea. Also, on a female voice it really wont bring out the dynamics in her voice either. But for a more masculine tone it will do the job the best. Do not use on drums either, it will sound horrible and make you not want to use the mic. But if you use it for what its made for you will be good to go. OVERALL OPINION I have had a few different times with the Blue Mouse and each experience was a little different. After using it on my voice I loved it and wanted to use it. Also, when hearing a friend who also uses this mic sing and play guitar and record just a simple one track demo with it so I could hear his new project I thought the mic was great. But for some reason on a female voice that just to higher tones quickly its like the mic just couldn’t keep up. Most of the Blue Mic line will do great in this part, but for some reason the mouse didn’t. but its still a good mic , just don’t push the limits too far. Overall, the mic has some ups and some downs. Its not my favorite mic made by Blue Microphones. They have several mics that can put this one too shame. I think this one was just a more affordable mic that they made for people on a tighter budget.

I have been fascinated with BLUE mics for some time now, and was looking for the right opportunity to jump in and try one. I got the Dragonfly at Guitar Center for just under 700. The sales rep discounted me because it was the display model, and because I am a regular customer. I love the sound of the Dragonfly. It's clean, crisp, and still full with just the right amount of low end. You can't beat its positionability. In case you haven't seen it (and you really should look it up, it's quite unusual looking), it has a long body with a floating round capsule head that is wonderfully positionable for different sounds and applications. My acoustic guitar sounds awesome in this mic. Plus, it grabs the sound of any electic guitar cabinet and produces every nuance faithfully. I'm not big on this mic for male vocals, but I've heard some women who sound spectacular with the Dragonfly. A little price for an amature like myself. Still, it's a worthwhile investment for the future. This will be a classic mic. While I've already given a hint at what the mic looks like, let me just add that it feels solid. It comes with its own built in shock mount. I'm hoping that the moving head of the mic will maintain its quality for years to come. I don't know what kind of bucks you have to shell out, but this mic is worthy of your investment. I wouldn't recommend it for your basic beginner mic cabinet, but it should be your first choice when taking things to the next level. I plan on adding a Kiwi next. In the meantime, the BLUE Dragonfly WILL NOT dissapoint you in the least bit. Plus, it's a whole lot of fun to use and is quite eye catching to look at (why looks are important, I don't know, but this is one cool looking mic). This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Blue Woodpecker is a ribbon mic that proves very very good quality for your recordings with vocals. You will get a very warm sound with depth to it without effort. it’s a very natural sounding mic. Blue Mics always provide a very good quality. I know so many different studio’s that have used or are using this mic and other mics from Blue. The only issue with these mics is the price is very steep. So don’t plan on making this a easy purchase. Once you see the price of the woodpecker you will be shocked. But you will love the quality of it. This mic cost right around 950 (I think) online now and that’s with a discount. It was a little more than that when it first came out. But don’t expect it to drop down much more. The Blue mics tend to hold up well and keep their value because customers are crazy over these things and after hearing it I know why. OVERALL OPINION My final thought on this mic is very up and down. Its sounds so good and warm, and you wont need to cut off much of the frequencies. But for the price it doesn’t do “enough” for me. I have use plenty of Shure mics that have similar quality of this for half the price. So if you are going to record from a home studio (which most of us do) then get a cheaper mic that will sound great. I just don’t feel te need in investing in a mic that cost this much just for home and demo recordings. Now if you are working with a great budget then go for it, the Blue Woodpecker will do just great for you. I guess it just depends on what your budget is looking like. Mine is good enough to have this at home just yet.

The Blue Microphones Omni Mouse is an omni only version of the regular Mouse condenser microphone. I've used both of these mics, but mostly this version. The mic, obviously, has an omnidirectional polar pick up pattern and will gather frequencies in the range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The mic also has a built in mic stand adapter on it's underside. OVERALL OPINION The Blue Microphones Omni Mouse is up there as one of the best room microphones I've ever used. It's perfect for this applications because it is indeed omnidirectional and will pick up sound from all angles. This helps to capture all sorts of reflections and really gives you a nice a roomy sound, even when you're using it in a small room. One of the producers that I work with frequently has a set of these and he uses them exclusively as room mics and I really can't say that I blame him based on the results. I honestly haven't used the microphone for much more than this. However, I have used the regular Blue Mouse, which I believe is the same exact microphone in a cardioid pick up pattern, and that's a great mic for vocals and other things, so it's possible that this is just as good for similar applications. However, due to it's omnidirectional pick up pattern, which isn't adjustable, it's not surprising that you'll see this version of the mic mostly used for room mics and other applications where you want sound from all sides. This does limit it's capabilities a bit, so if you're looking for an all purpose condenser, it's probably a safer bet to go with the the cardioid version of the Mouse. Having said that, these are excellent mics for what they are and should definitely be checked out if you're looking for a pair of stationary rooms mics!

The blue Kiwi is a great and high quality condensor mic. I think this mic is a phenom for instruments, acoustic guitar was awesome. Female vocal was also pretty awesome, clean, some make vocals are great on it if they are higher pitched. My rich baritone voice is not very warm on it though. Every one I record on it sounds great, the only one I don't like on it is me. I want to try a Neumann U47 or something to see if it's just in my head or is it really that good. I expect a warmer sound on me, more "Shocking warmth" but never quite satisfied. My mic pre is the blue tube from presonus with a groovetube in place of the tube. I want to get the Presonus ADL600 or avalon AD2022 to see if the quality of the NT1a improves...Using a 192 delta audiophile card from m-audio and nuendos 4. This mic is built well and will look great in your home studio. You will get crystal clear audio vocals with this mic no hiss or hums either. If you understand mixing and mastering you will have professional sounding records in no time and with little effort. No more paying to go to the big studios. Make sure you have good acoustics in your home studio set up and a shock mount. You will be 100 steps ahead of anyone that is recording from home, no matter if your just recording vocals or instruments this mic can do it all with out a doubt. OVERALL OPINION This is a great multi-purpose mic for any engineer. The sound is highly detailed and transparent. This mic made my guitar shine, even while connected to my lower end mic pres. Sounds good on everything I have tried it on so far...drum overheads, acoustic guitar, vocals. For the price you cant beat it. If you are in the market for an all-purpose, affordable mic, look no further.

Blue Microphones' Kickball is a dynamic microphone that is designed for recording bass drum in the recording studio. This is the only application that I've used this mic for, so this review will be focusing on this kind of use only, although I could see it being useful for live sound. The mic has a cardioid polar pick up pattern and also features a low end roll off. It will pick up frequencies between 35 Hz and 16 KHz, although I wouldn't mind if it picked up all the way down to 20 Hz considering that it is a kick mic. OVERALL OPINION I first used the Blue Microphones Kickball about two or three years ago as I really though that it was a cool concept. Let me say that I'm a big advocate of the mics made by Blue, as I think that they do great work and offer reasonable prices. The Kickball is the perfect little mic to keep inside your bass drum, as it does a great job for this application. Having the roll off is great because it makes it versatile for recording different sizes of kick drums when necessary. The mic is also a great because of its size and shape, as it fits easily inside of a kick drum without too much fiddling around, which can be a problem with other mics. It is also nice to have a mic that is solely devoted to recording kick drum, as you know that it will do its job well because that is what it is built to do. The sound of the Blue Microphones Kickball is full and well rounded, and has all of the right responses for recording a bass drum. I can't say I've used it for recording anything else, but I would imagine that it would work well for recording a bass guitar amp as well, considering it is a similar application. The price of the Kickball is very reasonable and is one of its best features as it makes it accessible to both home and professional studio owners a like. While there are definitely a ton of dynamic mic options out there that are great for recording kick drum that aren't specially designed for the application, if you're looking for a mic to devote to recording bass drum, you definitely need to check out the Kickball.

The Blue Microphones Bottle is a tube condenser microphone designed for use in the studio. This is quite an expensive microphone and is also delicate, so use outside of the studio in any application should not be happening. It has an interchangeable capsule with different pick up patterns and for different uses. Not much more to say about the make up of this mic except that it will come with a case and a power supply. OVERALL OPINION I've been using the Blue Microphones Bottle for about a year or so and it is probably the best microphone that Blue has to offer, which is saying a lot because they really do have a great line of microphones. The sound is incredibly warm and full and is great for a variety of applications, but especially for vocals of all kinds. I've really only used the microphone for vocals, although I'm sure that it will work fine for just about any application that you would want an extreme amount of detail and warmth in your sound like acoustic piano and guitar and other acoustic instruments. While this is an incredible sounding microphone, it definitely has the price tag of an incredible mic as this is no where near cheap. For this reason the mic is best suited for professional studios and engineers who can afford a mic like this one. While I would encourage those interested in a top of the line tube condenser microphone to shop around a bit, the Bottle should definitely be in the conversation as should a variety of Neumann mics and other top brands. Even if you can't afford this, as an engineer if you can get your hands on one to try it out I know you'll have a good time with it and will be able to appreciate it as a top end mic.

The Blue Microphones The Pop is a pop filter for microphones that will work well with microphones of any type. It is a good size that will fit over any capsule and the goose neck is easily adjustable and easy to move around, which I find can be an issue with a lot of pop filters out there. OVERALL OPINION I've been using the Blue Microphones The Pop for about six months or so and it is probably one the best pop filters that I have used. It is easy to use and to set up and definitely will do it's job well. While most pop filters that I have used usually do the job well and block out spit and 'p' syllables, this seems to do the job even better. It is made out of a sturdy material and is a pop filter that you will have and be able to use for a long time if treated properly and kept good care of. While it is made by Blue and is probably best suited for use with Blue microphones, The Pop will work well with just about any microphone as I have used it in a variety of situations and with a variety of different brands of microphones. Just make sure that you have it lined up with the capsule of the microphone, as this can really help it to do its the job the best that it can. The one bad thing about the Blue Microphones The Pop is the price as it is much more expensive than most traditional pop filters out there. While it is certainly made better than a normal pop filter, I don't think that the sound quality is worth the price alone. I do think that if you are looking to make sure that you have a great pop filter for a while, that the way this is made will make a big difference. I often find that I have trouble placing traditional pop filters sometimes, but I never have problems with this one. Although expensive, the Blue Microphones The Pop is a very well made pop filter.