What do ya'll think about Blue Microphones?

[KaatheSnake]

Hey guys,
2 years back, for my 12th birthday, (I was already very interested in recording by then,) my uncle gave me a Blue Bluebird (the original, not the SL,) and I have loved that microphone ever since. I jokingly call it the "Dentist Drill" for its unusual design. I know the Bluebird is not the top of the line Blue microphone, but it definitely sounds like it! Blue has known to be quite pricey with their audio equipment (which is understandable.) Blue's most expensive microphone, the Bottle, is a whopping $4000! Still, for a microphone that has been said to be much better than the Neumann U87 and U47 (which range, I think from about $5000 to $25,000,) the mic is priced very well according to its quality. The Bluebird microphone (as a lot of ya'll know) is a condenser microphone, which requires 48V phantom power to create signal. What do ya'll think about Blue Microphones? What are ya'll's experience with them? Do you like their equipment?
Thanks,
Ryan

 

[slipperybidness]

@TLS Guy

 

[KaatheSnake]

@TLS Guy

I agree. @TLS Guy would find this thread interesting.

 

[sterling shoote]

@TLS Guy

No experience with that model, all of my recording is two channel sound effects field recording, thunder storms mostly. I used to use a pair of Sony ECM-23F's, now a Sony ECM-999. When I produced/directed radio commercials I used a studio that ,for the most part, used Neumann mics but I do not know what models.

 

[KaatheSnake]

No experience with that model, all of my recording is two channel sound effects field recording, thunder storms mostly. I used to use a pair of Sony ECM-23F's, now a Sony ECM-999. When I produced/directed radio commercials I used a studio that ,for the most part, used Neumann mics but I do not know what models.

You have some very nice equipment!

 

[Johnny2Bad]

I owned a pair of Snowballs, they worked well enough for what i needed them for (location recording in the middle of nowwhere) but I sold them as soon as the project was over. Solo guitar & vocalist.

These days I use a pair of AKG P420's for my own projects. Most of the location recording of music in bars and night clubs or summer concert stages here and on the West Coast will use that specific model AKG (large diaphram condenser mics, phantom powered).

 

[TLS Guy]

Blue microphones are made in Latvia. They are popular because of price largely.

For your purposes that microphone probably works quite well.

However you have to understand that all mics have an application. So to do serious recording you need a selection of microphones and good ones are expensive.

Now what is this microphones application. It is aimed at the pop folk market. It is a large diaphragm condenser. However it is for close miking and not distance miking. The response is also essentially hypercardiod, which I don't personally favor.

Now directional mics have a proximity effect which makes a bass boost occur with close proximity. So this mic has a roll off built in starting at 500 Hz. So this makes it unsuitable for distance applications.

It has a built in rise at 2.5 KHz to add artificial presence which I certainly would not like. One of the problems with large diaphragm condensers is that it is hard to keep the top end smooth, and this mic has a peak at 12 Khz, probably due to diaphragm resonance.

Now I will give you a bit of advice about mics and closely placed mics.

I know the teaching is to use cardiod mics for spot application. Wise engineers have taught me that is wrong, in fact totally wrong all though most often done by far.

For close miking I always use a small diaphragm omni. Here is why.

Omni mics have no proximity affect and a good bass response.

All microphones have rear and side rejection at close range just by virtue of proximity. Because the mic is close to the source it obviously has to favor the proximity source over the distant one.

Omni mics as a rule have a much smoother frequency response than directional ones dollar for dollar. In fact the smoothest mics known to man are omnis.

So the general rule of better performance at a lesser price is a good incentive.

Omni mics work well as close spot mics and as spaced omnis are an excellent choice for spaced mic phase difference stereo recordings in the distant field. So they are in general more versatile.

So what I have just told you is at odds with usual practice. However usual practice in this case is absolutely wrong.

 

[KaatheSnake]

Blue microphones are made in Latvia. They are popular because of price largely.

For your purposes that microphone probably works quite well.

However you have to understand that all mics have an application. So to do serious recording you need a selection of microphones and good ones are expensive.

Now what is this microphones application. It is aimed at the pop folk market. It is a large diaphragm condenser. However it is for close miking and not distance miking. The response is also essentially hypercardiod, which I don't personally favor.

Now directional mics have a proximity effect which makes a bass boost occur with close proximity. So this mic has a roll off built in starting at 500 Hz. So this makes it unsuitable for distance applications.

It has a built in rise at 2.5 KHz to add artificial presence which I certainly would not like. One of the problems with large diaphragm condensers is that it is hard to keep the top end smooth, and this mic has a peak at 12 Khz, probably due to diaphragm resonance.

Now I will give you a bit of advice about mics and closely placed mics.

I know the teaching is to use cardiod mics for spot application. Wise engineers have taught me that is wrong, in fact totally wrong all though most often done by far.

For close miking I always use a small diaphragm omni. Here is why.

Omni mics have no proximity affect and a good bass response.

All microphones have rear and side rejection at close range just by virtue of proximity. Because the mic is close to the source it obviously has to favor the proximity source over the distant one.

Omni mics as a rule have a much smoother frequency response than directional ones dollar for dollar. In fact the smoothest mics known to man are omnis.

So the general rule of better performance at a lesser price is a good incentive.

Omni mics work well as close spot mics and as spaced omnis are an excellent choice for spaced mic phase difference stereo recordings in the distant field. So they are in general more versatile.

So what I have just told you is at odds with usual practice. However usual practice in this case is absolutely wrong.

Thank you for all the helpful information sir! Yes, I knew most high end Blue Microphones were made in Latvia, their name is the initials for "Baltic Lativian Universal Electronics." I new the Bluebird was very good with close miking techniques, like the 12th and 14th fret method on acoustic guitars, etc. It also sounds better with a pop filter, which deadens the high frequencies a tad bit IMO.