microphone

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BLUEBlue CondenserMicrophone

Although it maylookverysimilarto theirexistingBabyBottle,thisnew micfromBLUEturnsoutto beadifferentbeastentirely.

The BLUEmicrophone company- thenamebeing derived from BalticLatvianUniversalElectronics- havebuilt upan

impressive portfolio of microphone modelsspanning a wide price range,and all withdistinctive, quirky styling. Thesehand-builtmicrophonesare mainly studio condensers(although there are a few dynamic modelstoo) and are mostly put together in Riga,Latvia.All employ Class-Acircuit topologiesin the headamps, with either valve orsolid-state (FET)active devicesdependingonmodel, and most feature transformerlessoutputs.

The latestaddition to the line-up is theBluebird model: a large-diaphragmcardioidcapacitor microphone. It's not a new designassuch- but it was previously onlyavailableas part of a packagewith variousDigidesignand Focusriteproducts.The goodnews is that the versatile Bluebird is now

available in its own right, alongwith animpressive kit of parts that includescable,shockmount, and bespokepop screen.

Superficiallyvery similar in size andstyling to the BabyBottle (reviewedin 50SNovember2002), the Bluebird is slightlyunusual in the BLUEline, as it hasbeendesignedto suit a wide range ofapplications. Most of BLUE'smodelsareoptim isedfor specific applications, but theBluebird is a true general-purposemic,equally at home recording vocals,electric oracoustic guitars, drums, percussion,piano,brass, strings, and so on. However, it hasbeenoptimised for fairly closeplacement-the contribution of the proximity effect isrequired to reproducean accuratebassresponse.

Hardware Overview

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The Bluebird is the samesize andoverall

shapeas the BabyBottle,and I dare saymany will confusethe two from a distance.However,there are severalobvious

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differenceswhen the two microphonesareviewed at closer quarters.Although thedimensionsof both modelsare identicalat

220mm in length and 44mm in diameter,with the capsulehousing removedfrom thebody at the end of an inch-long stalk, thecapsuleheadof the Bluebirddesign isfractionally larger than that of the BabyBottle- andwhereasthelatter'scapsulecasing is spherical,the Bluebird'shasa flattened front surface.Perhapsthe moreobvious difference,though, is that the bodytube of the BabyBottle is a discreteblack,while the Bluebird is a tasteful paleblue.There areother moresubtle differences

betweenthe two in the shapeof the variousmetal mouldings that decoratethe body,and, intriguingly, the review model'sidentitybadgeclaimsthat the microphoneis 'Madeinthe USA'as opposedto in Latvia.

Like most mics, the manufacturer'slogoidentifies the front of the capsule,and thebaseof the body incorporatesa maleXLRtocarry the output signal.Thespecifications

suggest a sensitivityof 27mVIPa (2dBlowerthan for the BabyBottle)with a noise floor of7.5dBA(acorresponding2dB higher). Partofthe juggling of figures here is in order toenhancethe Bluebird'sability to copewiththe high sound levelswhich might beencounteredin instrument close-mikingapplications,andas a result the Bluebird'smaximum 5PL(for 0.5 percentdistortion) is138dB(the BabyBottle'smaximum 5PLisspecifiedat 133dB).

The capsuleitself is edgeterminated andfeaturesa six-microngold-sputtered mylardiaphragm.The mic's electronicsarephantompowered in the usualway, drawinga modest 1.8mAof current from a 48V

supply,and ableto operatewithin thespecificationson suppliesdown to 35V.Themicrophone'sspecifiedoutput impedanceisan unusually low 500, and it requiresaminimum preampinput impedanceof 1kO,with 2.5kO being suggestedas the optimum.

The specificationsclaim a meaningless20Hz-20kHzfrequency response,but therather stylisedfrequency-responsechartprovided in the handbookrevealsareasonablyflat overall responsewith an airypeakcentredat about 12kHzanda smallpresencelift at about 2.5kHz. Thebottomend rolls off smoothly andgradually fromabout 500Hzwhen the mic is usedat a

distance,but this is easily compensatedforby the proximity effect when the mic is usedat closerangeto the source.

Although describedas a cardioid mic, thepolar responsechart revealshiddenhypercardioidtendenciesabove 1kHz, wherethe rear rejectionstruggles to better 10dB.However,in the regions around 130and 220degreesthe rejection nulls becomequiteprominent, exceeding20dBabove 500Hz,soI would strongly suggestthinking of this micas hypercardioidwhen placing it in order tooptimisethe rejectionof unwantedspill fromnearbysources.

On The Wing

I haveusedthe BabyBottlequite a lot overthe lastyear or so, but find its rather forwardupper mid-rangeis the determining factoroverthe sourcesI canuse it with. Forharder

rock-stylevocals it can be great, but i oftenfind it a little too aggressivesounding forgentiervocalistsor most instrumentalists-although it canwork very weli to giveacousticguitars just the right edgeto cutthrough in a complex mix.

In contrast, the Bluebirdsoundssmoother

through the mid-rangeand upper mid-range,but with a sparkly brightness towards thetop of the spectrumthat implies moredetail,air, and resolution than is really there. Itworks well though, and hasa crispnessandclarity that suits most music genres.

IncludedAccessoriesIn addition to the microphone itself, supplied in

a smart wooden box, the Bluebird kit also

includes an accessory pack. This contains one of

"Blue's own bespoke 'high-definition' microphone

cables - in this case a six-metre 22awg

Blueberry cable -'plus a specially designed

Birdcage cradle sh~ckmount and the, Birdnestmetal-mesh pop filter.

The II1lc cable appears to be good-quality

cable with a transparent blue plastic sheath

revealing the braided cable screen beneath.

, However, the conn~ctors appear to be qUite

close copies 0 dard Neutrik connectors

rather, than th ," thing, and'the screen braid issoldered to the metal connector bodies at\both

ends (as well as to~both pin.o~e contacts, ofcourse). This practice can lead to the creation of

ground loops and hums when connecting some

equipment, as It can link the chassis and signal"

earths together.

The shockmount is a common design, often

seen supplied with Chinese mics, comprising an

inner tube supported from an outer craille by top

and bottom zigzag'elastic loops. A pair of level

arms are used to expand the felt-lined inner tube

slightly to allow the microphone to be installed,

and releasing the arms then clamps the mlc firmly

in place. iJ"he mic stand adaptor has the American"standard S/8-inch thread, and unfortunately a:European 3/8-inch,;adaptor wasn't supplied.

The Blrdnest pop screen is ,a thing of beauty

- a metal disc 65mm In dlamjJter supporting afine gauze.mesh screen printed with the Blue

Vocalistswho soundedtoo hard or fierce on

the BabyBottlewere far more natural on theBluebird,and despite the falling bassresponseshown on the frequency plot in thehandbook, the bottom endwas actuallynicely rounded and full, being well balancedto the rest of the sound spectrum.The popscreenworks well, and everyonewho sawthe mic loved the way it looked with thescreenattached.

I also tried the Bluebirdon a clarinet and

a sax, obtaining nice crisp results from both,and as an overall mic above a percussionistit delivered cleardetailed transients that sat

nicely in the mix. In this last application, therelatively distant placementabove thepercussionist'shands resulted in a weakenedbassresponsewhich undoubtedly helped byreducingany tendency towards muddinessfrom other instrument spill.

In use,the mic clearly hasa hypercardioidpolar response,and I don't understandwhyit ismarketedasacardioid- thereisanobvious rear tail, with the rejection nullsbeing to the sidesexactly like a truehypercardioid. Nothing wrong with that, ofcourse, but an odd marketing approachnonetheless.

In many ways I preferred the Bluebirdtothe BabyBottle, principally becauseI found itmore flexible and compatible with a wider

TheincludedBirdnestpopscreen~ampsdirectlyto thecapsulemountingsfalk.

logo. This is held in place by a two-part metalblock, and Is anchored via a pair of knurled bolts.Releasing these allows the block to be split in

two and clamped around the stalk below theBluebird mlc capsule. The pop screen Is thenfixed ,flrmly"about lSmm in front of the capsule,lending an air of professional superiority and

expense to Jhe set up.

range of sources.I also prefer the blue body!In generalterms, this mic fitted in nicely withmy own mic collection, serving as ageneral-purposemic alongsidemy AudioTechnicaAT4040s. It was obviously a lotquieter than my AKGC414BUL5micstoo,but with a similarly wide dynamic range.Although the Bluebird'ssize makes it slightlyharder to placesometimes,and rather moreconspicuous, its distinctive shapeandcolouroften worked very much in its favour,making it an idealchoicewhen someego-flattering was required!

This is yet another good quality mic fromBlue,and one that can truly be describedasa versatile, general-purposemic. It looksgreat, soundssmooth and detailed,and isremarkably quiet. The included accessorypack is well worth having too and, apartfrom minor reservationsabout the cable

wiring and the lack of a 3/8-inch threadadaptor, it makesthe Bluebirdkit very costeffective.r::!i]

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aprilzo05 .SOUND ON SOUND 89