BLUE Bluebird Cardioid Studio Condenser Microphone

No longer available at zZounds
The Bluebird sings as a vocal mic -- and it makes an excellent multi-purpose large-diaphragm condenser microphone, with all the quality you expect from BLUE.

With a distinctive design that recalls the Baby Bottle microphone, and a clear, well-rounded sound equally well-suited to vocals and instruments, Blue Microphones' Bluebird gets rave reviews from professional engineers who describe it as open, warm, round. The Bluebird is designed to be versatile, with an even-handed response throughout the midrange and a decidedly airy top end.

This Bird Sings On Vocals -- And More

Patterned after the popular Baby Bottle, the Bluebird is part of Blue's "Essential" line of mid-priced microphones. The outer dimensions and general body shape appear identical to the Baby Bottle; however, the two mics have some key differences. Aside from its periwinkle-blue body in place of the Baby Bottle's black, the Bluebird is the clear winner when it comes to flexibility in the studio. Where the Baby Bottle has an aggressive mid-to-upper range that can preclude its effectiveness at capturing softer or more nuanced performances, the 'Bird sings on delicate acoustic instruments. Try it on acoustic guitar, about eight inches from where the neck joins the body -- or position it two feet above the bridge of a violin or viola. Perhaps most valuable to artists and engineers, the Bluebird is a hit for its ability to capture warm, natural vocals, without the "hyped" high-mids often found in cheaply-made condensers. An ideal choice for home-studio tracking, the Bluebird's tighter-than-typical cardioid pattern works to provide a focused sound on vocals, especially read more when paired up with a back baffle like SE Electronics' Reflexion Filter.

Pro BLUE Quality for a Project-Studio Price

Although its price is within reach for any home recordist, the Bluebird's build quality is indicative of Blue's more expensive offerings. Blue has borrowed from many of its famous application-specific designs to create this mic. Satin nickel plating gives the mic a solid, hefty feeling immediately apparent when you hold it in your hand. A closer look at the specs reveal a rigorous attention to detail not found in other mics of this price range: low self-noise of under 7.5 dB, thanks to the transformerless Class-A discrete amplifier circuit, and a thin gold-sputtered Mylar diaphragm for an impressively sensitive response of 27 mV/Pa. And as all professional mics should, the Bluebird comes in a snazzy wooden box, complete with Blue's specially-designed Birdcage shock mount and BirdNest pop filter. Just add a microphone stand and cable, and you're ready to track some serious vocals -- or just about anything else.

Features:

- Tight cardioid pickup pattern well-suited to vocals
- Accurate midrange and extended highs make an excellent general-purpose large-diaphragm condenser
- Unmistakable Blue body design
- Specially-designed BirdCage shock mount
- Distinctive BirdNest metal mesh pop filter

About Blue Microphones

BLUE, Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics, has been committed to building specialized mics for a variety of instruments and environmental circumstances. With the Bluebird, they have developed a mic that works for a variety of applications, especially capturing smooth, buttery vocal tracks.
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Specifications- Acoustical Operating Principle: Pressure Gradient
- Directional Pattern: Cardioid
- Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz
- Sensitivity (1kHz into 2.5k ohm): 27mV/Pa
- Rated Impedance: 50 ohm
- Rated Load Impedance: Not less than 1k ohms
- Noise Level A-weighted (IEC 651): Not more than 7.5dB
- Max Output (1% THD into 2.5k ohm): 12dBV = 3.1V
- Max SPL (0.5% THD into 2.5k ohm): 138dB
- Dynamic Range (2.5k ohm load): 130dB
- Supply Voltage (IEC 268-15): +48V phantom power (+35V min.)
- Current Draw (typical ai +48V): 1.8mA

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 818-879-5200

BLUE Bluebird Cardioid Condenser Mic

With its unique look and highly versatile performance, the Bluebird has been designed to deliver the same high-quality, no-compromise audio that Blue users have come to expect. The Bluebird is a large-diaphragm cardioid condenser, utilizing Blue's renowned microphone technology and Class-A discrete circuit.

In a departure from its normally application-specific designs, Blue engineered the Bluebird to be as versatile as possible, with applications ranging from vocals to electric and acoustic guitars, close-miking of drums, drum overheads, percussion, piano, horns, strings, and any other application where crystal-clear sound quality and detail is of the utmost concern. In addition to the microphone itself, the Bluebird also includes a specially designed shock mount, The BirdCage, and a metal mesh pop filter, the BirdNest. So no matter what your sound, the complete Bluebird package offers today's musician a top-notch recording experience at an outstanding price -- all in one nest.

Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. (20 ratings)
Submitted February 3, 2011 by a customer from gmail.com

"Bluebird = Win"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I love it, if something happened to it I'd definitely get another one. I really hope I have this mic in my studio arsenal forever.
Sound
This has got to be the best microphone in this price range. The highs are nice and clear and the lows and mids are smooth and crisp. Its the perfect vocal mic.
Features
Featurewise, the mic is pretty simple, no on/off, or any other switches to worry about, honestly I think that makes it better. Less variables in the equation means less potential problems.
Ease of Use
It's pretty straight forward, plug it in, get it some phantom power and go.
Quality
I haven't had the mic too long so time will tell as far as endurance goes, but the mic itself is very solid. All of the components feel very sturdy. The only downside I see is with the thin little neck, a drop could pose a serious problem.
Value
As I said earlier this mic is the best bang for your buck. Whatever kinds of instruments or vocals you are trying to record with this mic will come across brilliantly. If your looking for a studio condenser mic that does'nt cost an arm and a leg, but sure performs like it does, than you need to get this mic.
Manufacturer Support
haven't had to deal with support, I hope I don't ever have to.
The Wow Factor
Awesome blue finish, sleek innovative design. what not to love? They even give you a nice little wooden padded case for the mic.

Musical Background:

Active Musician, Recording Engineer

Musical Style:

Metal, Hardcore, Rock, Death Metal
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