Engineers all have different perspectives on gear and studio necessities. For me the biggest impact for studio recording is the Mic and Preamp. There are distinct differences on products within various price ranges. For this review think microphones ranging from $200 to $500. Within this budget I believe the Bluebird by Blue Microphones is the best bang for the buck. Blue engineered this mic to be an all purpose large diaphragm condenser…and that’s exactly what it is.
The Bluebird is a great vocal mic and works really well with instrument micing as well. It sounds big with an open top end and big low end. If you are using a $100 - $200 microphone you will notice a big difference in the detail and size of sound coming from this microphone. I use to own a cheap large diaphragm condenser that was made in China. The low price point and hyped reviews made large promises. I loved the mic for a year and then came to realize everything I recorded with it was sounding harsh and too bright. The substance just wasn’t there. Depth and size comes with better microphones. The Bluebird definitely differentiates itself from cheap Chinese microphones. It achieves the size, depth, detail, and clarity that I find in mics up to $700. With budgets over $500 there are different choices I would start to make but for any budget under $500 you are going to be quite happy.
I do have one small complaint on this microphone. It comes with a very cool pop filter and a shock mount but the accessories are a pain to take on and off. As long as you don’t have this mic in a tough climate I would probably just leave it in the shock mount and with the pop filter on.
You can get it now at MusiciansFriend.com for $299 and if you need a way to get audio into your computer - check out the Blue Icicle!
(Reviewed by Jeff Gunkel, our studio manager)
hold your horses with shooting down the "Chinese" mics...don't have to make it so clear that they're CHINESE
Posted by: osmond | March 28, 2009 at 02:43 AM
I think what the author is referring to are cheap "imitation" mics, which attempt to duplicate the sound of more expensive mics and don't quite accomplish the task. I have a Blue, and I concur with the review-for the price, which was $299 on sale a year ago, the mic delivers full range vocal and instrument recording without the killer price tag. And yes, the accessories are a pain, so dedicate a stand to this baby and just leave it up in the corner of your studio :) Besides, it looks cool.
Posted by: earlwnash | March 28, 2009 at 10:08 AM