Blue Microphones Microphones

The Blue Spark is a great condensor mic that I use for strictly home recording. As you can see from the picture above that it looks pretty sharp too.. It's got a great build and an even better sound. OVERALL OPINION For the price this microphone is awesome! For one, it's orange - you can't beat that. On a seriouse note, the sound is definatly within the range of Blue's top of the line mic's. I bought the mic because I read good reviews, listened to some audio demos, and knew that Blue was an excellent microphone company. I figured if their Baby Bottle and high end mic's were great than they have to make a good mic within my price point too...and they did. Besides the fact that this mic looks really cool, comes with a shock mount, and a popper stopper it's a great mic. It's a sturdy build and if you buy it at Guitar Center it comes with a 2 year warranty so you know it will last you a while as well. To get to the sound though, there is no doubt that you can create professional sounding mixes with the right talent using this mic.. To be specific, this mic is a little bright. Nothing that isn't good but it's not as warm as the Sterling ST51...overall though it sounds better than that microphone. I'm running a crappy M - Audio FastTrack USB interface with it an dit still sounds good. I'm actually thinking that a new interface would be a good purchase because my mic is being bottle necked by my interface. One really cool feature about the Blue Spark is the "Focus" button located directly on the mic. It is a high pass but I believe it is also a high shelf. It just makes it more brighter basically. I've yet to use it extensively because I've been liking the results of the mic without this feature turned on. Overall for the price of $200 I wouldn't hesitate to get this mic again and I'd definatly recommend it. It's no surprised because of the brand but the value is still impressive.

The design on the Dragonfly is really unique and I believe it won a number of awards for its innovative spec. The physical design as well as the circuitry is very different than most cardioid condensers. Blue claims it's meant to be used as a pop vocals mic and for electric guitar. Well obviously it does work well for vocals. I found that the Dragonfly works particularly well for young girls and guys with higher voices. If you have a 20 something year old with a Taylor Swift or Adam Levine type of range then this is an incredible mic to have at hand. I feel it adds the thump that those vocals need. While it does also work nicely for drum overhead (who would have thought?) I also found it works great on my Taylor Jumbo and a couple other acoustics. I never would've found this out until one day I needed to record an acoustic part and the Dragonfly happened to be turned on. I was surprised how much it complimented my acoustic. It's since become a staple for that purpose. It is okay for electric guitars but not like I was led to believe. Maybe as a room mic? I would rather use another more specially designed cab mic but I suppose this would work in a pinch. OVERALL OPINION You can use this thing for a surprising amount. It will do almost any drum duty their is. Toms, snare, overhead, or bass kick. Whatever. Also it doesn't seem to be fussy with placement like a lot of Blue mics are. For the price it's a no brainer. This is a building block mic for any small studio considering the versatility. It has the high Blue build quality and finely tuned performance they are known for in spades. I can't complain about it in any way. It's worth twice what the asking price is. Highly recommended.

Blue's Bluebird microphone is a condenser with a cardioid pattern and a 20Hz to 20kHz frequency range. This mic has a high SPL rating (138 db, if I'm not mistaken) which makes it versatile enough to handle vocals, close micing of drums, electric or acoustic guitars and just about anything else you could use if for. The Bluebird is aimed at the home studio crowd, as it's one of the the less expensive mics in the Blue collection. It is designed by Blue, but built overseas. This is a very high quality and great sounding mic though. A wooden, foam padded case and metal mesh pop-filter are included with this microphone. I tested the Bluebird first on vocals and acoustic guitar, using a presonus Firestudio and Garageband and the results were excellent. On vocals the Blue sounds rich and deep. In fact the low end that this thing picks up is very apparent when listening back to my tracks. My singer is a male with a deep voice and he has never sounded so rich and complex as he did using the Bluebird. The included metal pop filter didn't seem to benefit the sound much, but we have other ones so no big deal. Acoustic guitars were very airy, full and rich as well. Depending on where I positioned the mic in relation to the higher frets or the sound hole, I was able to get the desired amount of low end and top end sparkle. I then tried something not always done with a condenser. I cranked up my Mesa Dual Rec to a nice healthy volume and positioned the speaker about an inch from the cabinet grill, and lined it up with the edge of the dust cap where it meets the speaker cone. The results were awesome to say the least! Big and chunky chords and riffs played back just as they felt in the room while playing. There were no phasing issues or nasal qualities that can sometimes be heard when I mic up my cab with my shure sm57. I honestly don't know why more guitarists and producers don't mic overdriven guitar amps with condensers. There was no finicky sweet spot to find like some dynamics, and the sound was so natural and warm and big. My band will begin recording a full-length later this year. We have a few nice mics to choose from, but I think my secret weapon will be the Bluebird on my guitar cab! You just have to be careful when dialing in your low end so it doesn't flub up the guitar sound. But then again, that's what high and low pass filters are for:) OVERALL OPINION I can't recommend the Bluebird highly enough! From the working musician, to the home studio owner or semi-pro, this mic is a great addition to any collection and is versatile enough to be put to work on nearly any instrument.

Blue Microphones' Woodpecker is a unique designed ribbon microphone that can be used with any type of preamp. It has a pretty high output for a ribbon microphone and is best suited in the recording studio since it still is a ribbon mic. The mic has a figure eight polar pick up pattern and will pick up frequencies between 20 Hz and 20 KHz. OVERALL OPINION I only first used Blue Microphones Woodpecker about six months ago in a recording studio and upon first use I immediately liked what I was hearing. While the mic definitely has a ribbon sound to it, it has a much cleaner sound than most ribbon mics and isn't exactly a traditional ribbon sound. I've used the mic to record female as well as male lead vocals and found that the mic brought something to the table for both of these applications. While I wouldn't say that it would be the best choice for recording vocals, for some people's voices it works quite well; the trick is figuring out which voices will work well with it and which ones won't. While I'm sure that it will work well with other acoustic instruments, I can't say which for sure as I haven't yet had the chance to experiment too much with this microphone. Like all Blue Microphones, the Woodpecker is very well built and will last a long time as long as you treat it right. It is also bigger than most microphones out there, but it comes with a shock mount that will keep it in place well. The price of the mic is definitely right and is a great deal for anyone looking for a high quality ribbon microphone at a good price. Overall, my favorite aspect of Blue Microphones Woodpecker is that you are getting a true ribbon microphone without the low output level and other problems that come with more traditional ribbon microphones...

The Blue Mouse is condenser microphone with a cardioid polar pattern and is typically used in a recording setting. I use these microphones mostly as room mics, however they will work with a number of different applications. I've also had success with acoustic guitars and male vocals. These are really well built and I can't imagine how one would break this as it looks like it is really sturdy. It has a cool looking capsule and is a good shape for a singer to sing into. It is compact and can be moved into position and swiveled easily. The compactness of the mic makes it easy to place. This can make for quick set up and sometimes can inspire a new cool mic placement! OVERALL OPINION I first used the Blue Mouse mic about 8 months ago and since then they have been my go to mic for room mics and for getting a wet signal on horns, drums and guitar amps. These also sound really well for close micing. While a number of mics will get you both a nice close sound and room sound, you can't go wrong with these. While these mics are bit pricey, Blue is known for making reliable, high quality, great sounding mics, so you know that you are getting your moneys worth. I love having these mics available and I would replace them if they broke. If you are looking for a reliable all around good mic I would definitely recommend picking up one of these, but it isn't the only mic I would look at if you are looking for a single mic in this price range. It all depends on what you need it for and what you would like to do with it.

This microphone is one of the best kept secrets in recording. It is also a very unique setup, going with Blue's usual business plan. First of all, the mic body is extremely high quality. This mic is a tube condenser with interchangeable. It comes standard with one capsule, which reminds me of a Neumann. The sound on this mic is really breathtaking. It would be very hard to find another mic that sounds as alive as this one does. You could swear that someone is singing between the speakers when you listen back to a vocal recording done with this marvel. Blue mics are hand made in the USA so you know the craftsmanship is top of the line, and that the mic is built to last. There is an external power supply for this mic, which is going to help extend the life of the mic and of the tube within it. This mic is very expensive on its own, and that is with just one capsule. You can buy the capsule set of all of the other capsules, but that costs the same as this mic new! However, you will then get the equivalent of 7 very different, but all extraordinarily high quality microphones in one. There are small diaphragms and large diaphragms, and some in between all with different coloration qualities. A lot of them will sound very much like some famous vintage microphones. OVERALL OPINION This microphone system is really one of the finest that money can buy, if you have a lot of money. It's not really a great value because it's just so pricey, but it is the best, so if you just want quality look no further, because here it is. I have worked in a studio a few times that had this mic and all the capsules, and it was a dream to work with. Maybe I'll get one for myself if I get rich!

The baby bottle is a large diaphragm condenser mic housed in a cartoon microphone body. Seriously, one of this mic's best assets is the way it looks. Every time I used this to record someone, they remark on how awesome it looks and they seem somewhat inspired to perform just a little bit better. That is a huge plus for this mic. In addition for the great original look, this mic is sonically very nice. The noise floor is very low on this mic even though it looks like a tube microphone. Whatever you record with this mic, assuming you have a quiet room, is going to come through as a very clean and quiet signal. It is a condenser so you need to use phantom power with it. It comes with a really unique and cool looking spider shock mount and pop filter with the Blue logo on it. It does seem like it might be a little bit fragile, so I wouldn't recommend trying to use this mic live or on a drum kit with drum sticks flying around it. You also get a really nice wooden box and velvet sleeve for storing the mic. Blue mics are also USA hand-made to very exacting specifications, so you know you will be getting a very nicely crafted microphone that will last. OVERALL OPINION This mic has a very transparent and clear sound. The one defining characteristic of this mic that does stick out though is the mid range. There is definitely some mid-range hype that goes on through this microphone, but surprisingly it never really bothers me because it still manages to sound very natural. This can even be a positive thing if you are recording something like an electric guitar where it's all about the mids anyway. This mic will get you pro quality at a discount price, all the while looking very cool. I love this mic!