Meshing smooth ribbon character with the top-end detail of a condenser, the Blue Woodpecker active ribbon microphone delivers rich vocals, guitars, room ambiances and more -- while requiring far less gain than a typical passive ribbon. Blue Microphones is a company known for their original, often whimsical design, but the Woodpecker's more classic styling strikes a welcome balance. Since the body of the mic is made from real wood, no two are alike, and this beautiful packaging befits the handcrafted aluminum ribbon and precision electronics inside the capsule.
Ribbon Mics: Classic for a Reason
Vintage ribbon microphones are sought after for their flattering top-end smoothness and full-bodied low end on vocals and instruments. Commercially available before condenser microphones, ribbons have a "vintage" sound that recalls early analog recordings of the 1940s. By design, ribbons pick up in a bidirectional, figure-8 pattern that responds well to sounds arriving at the front or rear, while rejecting 90 degrees to either side, which intensifies proximity effect for a tight, intimate vocal sound. Though ribbons went out of vogue around the 1970s, they have enjoyed a huge comeback in recent years, in part due to wider availability of modern preamps that can provide clean gain for ribbons' typically low outputs. Ribbon mics are classics for a reason: condensers can leave strings, woodwinds and vocals sounding harsh and scratchy, but ribbons are known to tame transients and smooth out strident sounds.
The Modern Ribbon: High Gain, Low Noise
Today, ribbons are widely available in just about every price range. But cheap, sub-$200 ribbons are fragile and stretch easily, introducing phase or distortion problems. Not content to make a "me too" product, Blue took their time developing the Woodpecker ribbon microphone. So what makes this mic special? Well, the Woodpecker is an
active ribbon, which means it requires phantom power -- and puts out a hotter signal than a typical ribbon microphone, requiring less gain from your preamp and keeping the noise floor low. You won't need a specialized mic pre with tons of clean gain, and you won't have to worry about impedance mismatches between the preamp and mic. Rather, any pre that works well on your studio condensers is likely to work well on the Blue Woodpecker.
Use It As You Would a Condenser
The Woodpecker's lively, open top end rivals the high-frequency response found in large-diaphragm condensers, and Blue intends for you to reach for it on sources where you'd typically employ a condenser. But since it's a ribbon, it "grabs" intimate sounds and lends body, character and flavor to sources like vocals and acoustic guitar. Dark, yet detailed -- that's the Blue Woodpecker. And it's safe to say that when Blue Microphones throws their hat in the ring, it's a telling sign that the ribbon-mic revolution is no passing fancy.
Features
- Active ribbon microphone with an unusually low noise floor
- Combines the warmth of a ribbon with the high-end clarity of a condenser
- Beautiful wood finish
- Can handle up to 114 dB SPL
- Includes a custom-designed brass shock mount and cherry wood storage box
zZounds is an authorized dealer of
BLUE products.
Product Description
The only ribbon mic with true top end! Over five years in development, the Blue Microphones Woodpecker Ribbon Microphone is the only choice when searching for the smoky, warm, classic sound of a ribbon, but without sacrificing the bright presence of top-end. The Woodpecker ribbon mic is designed to deliver the wide frequency response needed in today's modern recording environment.
Features
- Focused mid-range with ultra-smooth top end and outstanding bass response
- Captures the essence of any recorded sound from vocals, piano, electric guitars and more
- Excels at ambient recording, capturing room tone with the most intimate detail
- High quality components, solid construction and distinct clean looks Blue is known for
- Comes with a wood box and shock mount
Capsule Design
Behind every hit record is a great song. Like a song is to music, the capsule is the foundation of every great microphone. The core belief at Blue Microphones is that great sound originates in the design and manufacturing of the capsule; this is the reason why each of their professional microphones utilizes its own proprietary design.
Blue's unique tunable backplate enables you to dial in each capsule to precisely capture a specific sonic signature, resulting in great recordings every time that require little, if any, post production assistance.
Proprietary Mylar
Blue's focus on capsule design extends all the way to the materials and manufacturing standards necessary to achieve the results required by Blue's engineers. To create a capsule capable of capturing the emotion and intensity of any recording, Blue's engineers have developed a proprietary mylar formulation, which is sputtered with a custom specified alloy coating. This unique capsule film is then mated to precision milled backplates that are produced to Blue's exacting quality specifications. The result is outstanding musicality and utterly consistent performance.
Discrete Electronic Components
Blue's professional microphones receive the highest quality electrical components that can be sourced from around the world. Many are specially constructed for Blue, oftentimes at an expense exponentially higher than that of components used in other mics.
These selections are the result of more than 20 years of engineering and experimentation and represent an investment in quality that increases mic speed, decreases distortion, reduces product variance, and creates lasting reliability. When the sum of these components is coupled with their remarkable capsules, they create a sound that is years ahead of the competition, and a sound that will last for years to come.
Cleanest Path Possible
The key to attaining audio perfection is to create the purest signal path possible. To deliver the cleanest audio path, there are no pads or filters between the capsule and mic circuit in any Blue mic. Manufacturers and mic designs of the past were bound by the constraints of the analog and vinyl recording process, requiring filters and pads to compensate for the poor dynamic range inherent to the equipment of the time.
Blue Microphones are instead designed to harness the full bandwidth of digital audio technology, combining the presence and feel of the finest vintage mics without suppressing the most emotive aspects of the audible spectrum or detail of modern recordings.
