Award Sounds

I've just been using a BLUE Bluebird and I'm remarkably surprised at it.

Initial Impressions

I'll admit, I didn't expect much. This microphone retails at just over £170. When I last compared prices, a month or so ago, that was about $300 USD. So it's not up there with the classic Neumanns. That's ok, it's about just over a tenth of the price. It's a large diaphragm condensor. And the pack I was using came complete with a shockmount and pop-shield.

It's a nice feeling microphone which looks better than it should for its price range. I found no sharp edges or indications of a lack in quality control in the external construction. And I haven't had to take it apart to look at the internals either.

I tried a few tests with it, as I mentioned, not really expecting much.

On Guitar

The first was recording acoustic guitar, mainly picked, with some strumming. I had a small-diaphragm condensor close to guitar and the Bluebird was positioned about 2 feet away. I varied the distance and settled on one that worked for this particular combination.

I found the bass a bit lacking compared to other LDCs. That's not necessarily a bad thing. More important, I found it transparent and I didn't notice the presence associated with a lot of Chinese microphones - it may have been there, I just didn't notice it. I was very impressed with the results. The combination of the Bluebird with the SDC worked very well together.

On Vocals

The second test was on male vocals. I can't describe it as warm, but neither was it clinical or harsh. I had three LDCs lined up, all as on-axis as I could get them. For a more accurate test, I'd have changed their positions each take, but this was just a rough experiment to see which I preferred. In this case, the Bluebird provided good results again. More impressive as it was the cheapest of the three and it was the one I preferred.

Accessories

The pop-shield looks nice, looks like it does the job, although it may be a little small. However it's awkward to install. It fits onto the collar of the mic, rather than the mic stand and there doesn't seem to be any quick way of arranging in onto the mic. Nor does it fit into the case, since the case holds the mic only; the shockmount and pop-shield are extra. I'm not sure about the shockmount. It looks a bit flimsier than others. Seems to work well enough right now, but I can't guess as to how long it will last.

Reviews

If you read the reviews on the manufacturer's page, bear in mind that the price for this microphone has dropped considerably since it was first introduced and reviewed. This one was less than half the original suggested retail price.

Verdict

I was so impressed with this microphone for the price that I'd now recommend it as an ideal starter microphone. And it may be one you don't remove from your microphone cupboard, no matter what else you've got in there