Blue Mics

I've been using the Samson C03 condenser mic for about a year, and I'm ready for something better. A lot of people don't like Samsons but it's worked for me, one of the better mics in it's price range IMO.

So now I'm leaning towards Blue mics for my next purchase. Is the blue bottle good enough, or should I step it up a level or 2?

Anyone use blue mics? Thoughts?

Also, what compressors do ya'll use, and how do they work out for ya

I've read an interview with darkchild (r. jerkins) where he put the blue kiwi on the same level as the U87.

He said that he even liked the coloring of the sound better on the blue mic than the neumann.

but the price range for this mic is also very pro.

indivisibleProductions wrote:I've been using the Samson C03 condenser mic for about a year, and I'm ready for something better. A lot of people don't like Samsons but it's worked for me, one of the better mics in it's price range IMO.

So now I'm leaning towards Blue mics for my next purchase. Is the blue bottle good enough, or should I step it up a level or 2?

Anyone use blue mics? Thoughts?

Also, what compressors do ya'll use, and how do they work out for ya

How much you got to spend?

I guess I'll spend 400-800 for it. But a lot of times more expensive doesn't always mean more quality. That's why I'm thinking a blue mic around the 400 range, rather than another brand at the 700-900 range. I think the Blue would be just as good. Everything I've ever heard about Blue mics have been really good, from lower models to top models.

What do ya'll think?

Blue's old stuff was great but I've heard quality has dropped since they got bought out.

morgan wrote:Blue's old stuff was great but I've heard quality has dropped since they got bought out.

This is true.
THe original designer of BLUE mics was fired by the directors for what ever reason, can't remember the details. But he started his own company Violet Microphones http://violet-design.ee/index.php?Itemid=1
Check out the products, look familiar?
Needless to say BLUE are trying to shut him down and visa versa.
The quality went with him tho, if you want a BLUE mic, you should get a Violet one. It's a shame most people just assume that they are a rip off of BLUE but they're actually the original and better built microphones.

indivisibleProductions wrote: But a lot of times more expensive doesn't always mean more quality.

Unfortunately, when you're talking about audio gear, is generally does.

indivisibleProductions wrote: I guess I'll spend 400-800 for it.

Have you looked at AUdio Technica, they make some decent mics for reasonable prices.
A mic I love is the Neumann TLM 103. It's a little over your budget at $1000 new but I just looked on ebay and there's quite a few at about $500. This is quite a versitile mic and should suit quite a few vocalists. Although no mic is ever going to suit every vocal.
I would definately go for a second hand one of these over a BLUE mic in the 400-700 range.

the tlm 103 is perhaps the worst mic neumann has ever made that is why they r on ebay for cheap. The soundelux u195 murders that mic and is a few hundred less than the tlm. in fact the soundelux is one of my favorite mics at any price. the blue baby bottle is in my mic locker and definately gets a lot of work. I say get the baby bottle and pair it with the aphex 207 mic preamp. all that i just said is purely my own opinion.

i own a bluebird, and i'm very satisfied. for like $400 i got the mix the pop filter, the shock mount, and a really good cable. the sounds on it are unbelievable. i've also got access to a baby bottle and a dragonfly model. the baby bottle sounds the best for vocals. imo

this past weekend i used some of the blue "ball" series. we were micing a drum and we used a kick ball on the kick drum and a blue-ball (lol, i said blueball) on the snare. i didn't particularly like the snare sound, but the kickball sounded incredible.

Beat God wrote:the tlm 103 is perhaps the worst mic neumann has ever made that is why they r on ebay for cheap. The soundelux u195 murders that mic and is a few hundred less than the tlm. in fact the soundelux is one of my favorite mics at any price. the blue baby bottle is in my mic locker and definately gets a lot of work. I say get the baby bottle and pair it with the aphex 207 mic preamp. all that i just said is purely my own opinion.

I disagree, i've used it for many apps and its great, got a really nice recording of a female soul artist with the TLM and I had the choice of many mics including U87, Sony C800 but the sound i got from the TLM suited that vocalist.

Horses for courses!

damn, it's hard to take advice when everyone has different opinions...

I think I'll go with a Blue bottle or maybe an audio-technica. I'll just buy new, rather than ebay, so if I don't like it, I" can take it back

indivisibleProductions wrote:damn, it's hard to take advice when everyone has different opinions...

I think I'll go with a Blue bottle or maybe an audio-technica. I'll just buy new, rather than ebay, so if I don't like it, I" can take it back

Thats exactly what you should do.
Try them out for yourself, ask the shop if they'll let you take a couple home to try. They might let you if you leave a deposit.
Good luck!

indivisibleProductions wrote:damn, it's hard to take advice when everyone has different opinions...

I think I'll go with a Blue bottle or maybe an audio-technica. I'll just buy new, rather than ebay, so if I don't like it, I" can take it back

You can't really go wrong with the Blue Bottle, but I'm guessing you mean the baby bottle, unless you're planning on spending 5k based on the opinions of people on the internet. I'd also check out some nice pres if you're going to spend a decent amount on a mic, it's such a waste to plug a nice mic into a crap pre, it completely ruins the sound.

just saw this in a sweetwater email.....


Blue Wins Protective Order
Blue Microphones, the company that produces those really cool, really innovative mics, was just granted a temporary protective order that freezes the assets of a Latvian national accused of Breach of Contract, Misappropriation of Trade Secrets, Trade Libel, and Civil Conspiracy. There's a bunch of other confusing legal terms, but one thing is clear: Someone really must have stepped over the line.... Of course, Blue Microphones is celebrating its 10th year in the music technology business and is having a banner year with products like the OmniMouse, the Snowball USB mic, along with other popular Blue mics. The defendant is under order to appear in Los Angeles County Superior Court on November 10th. Probably won't make Court TV, so we'll let you know how this one turns out.