Blue Baby Bottle SL XLR Condenser Microphone for Recording and Streaming, Large-Diaphragm Cardioid Capsule, Shockmount and Protective Case – Black
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Custom Blue Condenser Capsule
Delivers Baby Bottle SL’s rich, classic sound with depth and clarity.
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Precise Cardioid Pattern
Ensures accurate sound for recording and streaming.
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Classic Warmth and Presence
Baby Bottle SL delivers classic sound with a richly present midrange, smooth top end and neutral bottom.
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-20dB Pad
Keeps your stream free of distortion when things get intense.
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XLR Connection
Perfect for USB audio interfaces and mixers.
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High-Pass Filter
Increases clarity, reducing rumble from your room or desk.
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Brass Backplate Design
Creates Baby Bottle SL’s signature warmth and presence
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Premium Shockmount
Ensures crystal clear sound, free from bumps and vibration.
Comparison table
 Ember |  Blackout Spark SL |  Bluebird SL |  Baby Bottle SL | |
| Capsules | Custom Blue Condenser Capsule | Custom Blue Large-Diaphragm | Custom Blue Large-Diaphragm | Custom Blue Large-Diaphragm |
| Pickup Pattern | Cardioid | Cardioid | Cardioid | Cardioid |
| Sound Signature | Open, Accurate Sound | Detailed, Transparent Sound | Clear, Modern Sound | Warm, Classic Sound |
| High-pass Filter & -20dB PAD | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone Type | Studio Mic for Recording | Studio Mic for Recording | Studio Mic for Recording | Studio Mic for Recording |
| Mounting Option | Mic Stand Adapter | Premium Shockmount | Premium Shockmount | Premium Shockmount |
| Transport Option | Laser-Cut Foam Gift Box | Custom Wood Box | Custom Wood Box | Custom Wood Box |
| Output | USB Output | XLR Output | XLR Output | XLR Output |
| Weight: | 1.76 kg |
| Dimensions: | 22.25 x 5.15 x 5.15 cm; 1.76 Kilograms |
| Model: | 988-000113 |
| Colour: | Black |
| Colour: | Black |
This beautiful mic is perfect for those looking to smarten up their home studio and clean up their sound. The mic arrived in gorgeous packaging, the wooden protective case is very attractive and perfect for any storage needs. This is my first time owning a mic has this price point so I don’t feel comfortable commenting regarding that. To use this mic you will need to purchase an XLR seperately as no connection leads are included – I’m not sure why it doesn’t have a generic lead included at the high price, but as most purchasers will already have the necessary leads this won’t be a problem in most cases. Upon ordering I intended to use this with my PC, if you wnat to do this you will need to have an audio interface, I have a Behringer UMC22 which does the job, this will also allow you do connect any necessary musical equipment and headphones. At first I had an issue with connecting to to Windows 10, but a quick re-jig in the Sound settings had the microphone up and running in no time. The sound produced was smooth and warm, particularly at 20db. You do need to have the microphone pretty close to your mouth however this depends on the interface you have available to you.
At this price point, you can be pretty damn sure this is a solid microphone! There are plenty of reviews and videos out there showcasing the audio quality, so there’s really no reason for me to delve into that any further. Just know that it’s very good!
I really like the custom shockmount as it works great to dampen out vibrations and movements. Why is this a good thing? Well… If you’re a PC gamer, then you’re sometimes going to be mashing on your keyboard and aggressively clicking your mouse. This will cause your whole desk to shake/vibrate, and this could be picked up by your microphone. With a shockmount like this, it works exactly like a vehicle suspension and cancels out any movements – fantastic thing!
The high pass filter is also brilliant in my opinion. If you’ve got a gaming PC or a lot of devices in your room, these will likely have fans. These fans will be producing a low frequency constant murmur that can be easily picked up by top notch microphones like this. While listening back, it’ll sound like you’re in a plane or something! With the high pass filter, anything under 100hz is essentially just “ignored” by the microphone, and all your annoying fan sounds disappear – brilliant for streaming!
The -20dB pad is good, but a bit of a faff to use in my opinion. This button essentially decreases the gain on your microphone, so the overall volume of your mic drops. The description says “Keep your stream free of distortion when things get intense”. I agree, this would be a great feature in theory. When you’re getting a bit heated in game and start screaming at your monitor, you’re likely going to get some distortion in your microphone! However…. if you’re in the middle of a super intense moment in the game, or even if you’ve just died a stupid death and need to rant, is the first thing you’re going to do, to reach for the switch?
Perhaps if you’re a “screaming” streamer, then you can prepare for your loud bits by pressing the button in advance of when you plan to scream…
I think the only other thing to mention is the XLR connection. This is great for people who are really into their audio and want to use balanced cables to have balanced audio etc. However, this requires some pretty expensive cables, and an suitable amp. This means that this approach is most certaintly not for a beginner and it isn’t a plug and play option… However. If you’re not bothered about getting the absolute most perfect audio you can get, you can simply use an XLR to 3.5mm adaptor/cable and be on your merry way with a plug and play approach.
Overall, I think this is a very solid choice for any streamer or anyone looking to regularly record their voice for whatever reason, and I highly recommend it!
Wow, what a beautiful and high quality microphone! The microphone came beautifully presented with its accessories amongst a foam packaging with a hard-back branded box. Everything arrived safely and well packaged, no concerns here. The build is truly elegant and I love the compact design and the colour complimenting of both the pastel blue and black. This modern aesthetic will fit beautifully amongst your setup.
It is easy to set up and assemble, but if you’re stuck, there is a handy instruction manual that comes with it which is super easy to follow. The microphone connects via USB to your laptop/PC/Mac. After testing this for my Skillshare art class voiceover, I was blown away by how good the audio is. This is because of the XLR condensing capabilities during recording that essentially isolates your voice and removes all that unwanted background noise. This also allows the elegance of your voice to really shine thanks to the sheer depth and clarity in your voice that this microphone captures. This also means that post audio editing won’t be necessary so you can get ready to save some time from using Audacity and the rest of those softwares.
It also comes with a mic stand mount which allows the microphone to be attached to microphone stands and even boom arms. Blue Microphones do offer their own stands though I bought an off brand one from amazon which did the trick, obviously not as robust and stable as Blue’s ones, but if you are a start up such as myself this could be a great place to start on a lower budget.
I have absolutely no complaints to make about this product. The build quality and audio quality is superior to any microphone I have ever tried, and far better than the Blue Snowball ICE microphone that I tried a few years ago (despite being about half the price).. A 5 star product! Worth the money and it will exceed your expectations for sure!
At this price point, you can be pretty damn sure this is a solid microphone! There are plenty of reviews and videos out there showcasing the audio quality, so there’s really no reason for me to delve into that any further. Just know that it’s very good!
I really like the custom shockmount as it works great to dampen out vibrations and movements. Why is this a good thing? Well… If you’re a PC gamer, then you’re sometimes going to be mashing on your keyboard and aggressively clicking your mouse. This will cause your whole desk to shake/vibrate, and this could be picked up by your microphone. With a shockmount like this, it works exactly like a vehicle suspension and cancels out any movements – fantastic thing!
The high pass filter is also brilliant in my opinion. If you’ve got a gaming PC or a lot of devices in your room, these will likely have fans. These fans will be producing a low frequency constant murmur that can be easily picked up by top notch microphones like this. While listening back, it’ll sound like you’re in a plane or something! With the high pass filter, anything under 100hz is essentially just “ignored” by the microphone, and all your annoying fan sounds disappear – brilliant for streaming!
The -20dB pad is good, but a bit of a faff to use in my opinion. This button essentially decreases the gain on your microphone, so the overall volume of your mic drops. The description says “Keep your stream free of distortion when things get intense”. I agree, this would be a great feature in theory. When you’re getting a bit heated in game and start screaming at your monitor, you’re likely going to get some distortion in your microphone! However…. if you’re in the middle of a super intense moment in the game, or even if you’ve just died a stupid death and need to rant, is the first thing you’re going to do, to reach for the switch?
Perhaps if you’re a “screaming” streamer, then you can prepare for your loud bits by pressing the button in advance of when you plan to scream…
I think the only other thing to mention is the XLR connection. This is great for people who are really into their audio and want to use balanced cables to have balanced audio etc. However, this requires some pretty expensive cables, and an suitable amp. This means that this approach is most certaintly not for a beginner and it isn’t a plug and play option… However. If you’re not bothered about getting the absolute most perfect audio you can get, you can simply use an XLR to 3.5mm adaptor/cable and be on your merry way with a plug and play approach.
Overall, I think this is a very solid choice for any streamer or anyone looking to regularly record their voice for whatever reason, and I highly recommend it!
At this price point, you can be pretty damn sure this is a solid microphone! There are plenty of reviews and videos out there showcasing the audio quality, so there’s really no reason for me to delve into that any further. Just know that it’s very good!
I really like the custom shockmount as it works great to dampen out vibrations and movements. Why is this a good thing? Well… If you’re a PC gamer, then you’re sometimes going to be mashing on your keyboard and aggressively clicking your mouse. This will cause your whole desk to shake/vibrate, and this could be picked up by your microphone. With a shockmount like this, it works exactly like a vehicle suspension and cancels out any movements – fantastic thing!
The high pass filter is also brilliant in my opinion. If you’ve got a gaming PC or a lot of devices in your room, these will likely have fans. These fans will be producing a low frequency constant murmur that can be easily picked up by top notch microphones like this. While listening back, it’ll sound like you’re in a plane or something! With the high pass filter, anything under 100hz is essentially just “ignored” by the microphone, and all your annoying fan sounds disappear – brilliant for streaming!
The -20dB pad is good, but a bit of a faff to use in my opinion. This button essentially decreases the gain on your microphone, so the overall volume of your mic drops. The description says “Keep your stream free of distortion when things get intense”. I agree, this would be a great feature in theory. When you’re getting a bit heated in game and start screaming at your monitor, you’re likely going to get some distortion in your microphone! However…. if you’re in the middle of a super intense moment in the game, or even if you’ve just died a stupid death and need to rant, is the first thing you’re going to do, to reach for the switch?
Perhaps if you’re a “screaming” streamer, then you can prepare for your loud bits by pressing the button in advance of when you plan to scream…
I think the only other thing to mention is the XLR connection. This is great for people who are really into their audio and want to use balanced cables to have balanced audio etc. However, this requires some pretty expensive cables, and an suitable amp. This means that this approach is most certaintly not for a beginner and it isn’t a plug and play option… However. If you’re not bothered about getting the absolute most perfect audio you can get, you can simply use an XLR to 3.5mm adaptor/cable and be on your merry way with a plug and play approach.
Overall, I think this is a very solid choice for any streamer or anyone looking to regularly record their voice for whatever reason, and I highly recommend it!
Wow, what a beautiful and high quality microphone! The microphone came beautifully presented with its accessories amongst a foam packaging with a hard-back branded box. Everything arrived safely and well packaged, no concerns here. The build is truly elegant and I love the compact design and the colour complimenting of both the pastel blue and black. This modern aesthetic will fit beautifully amongst your setup.
It is easy to set up and assemble, but if you’re stuck, there is a handy instruction manual that comes with it which is super easy to follow. The microphone connects via USB to your laptop/PC/Mac. After testing this for my Skillshare art class voiceover, I was blown away by how good the audio is. This is because of the XLR condensing capabilities during recording that essentially isolates your voice and removes all that unwanted background noise. This also allows the elegance of your voice to really shine thanks to the sheer depth and clarity in your voice that this microphone captures. This also means that post audio editing won’t be necessary so you can get ready to save some time from using Audacity and the rest of those softwares.
It also comes with a mic stand mount which allows the microphone to be attached to microphone stands and even boom arms. Blue Microphones do offer their own stands though I bought an off brand one from amazon which did the trick, obviously not as robust and stable as Blue’s ones, but if you are a start up such as myself this could be a great place to start on a lower budget.
I have absolutely no complaints to make about this product. The build quality and audio quality is superior to any microphone I have ever tried, and far better than the Blue Snowball ICE microphone that I tried a few years ago (despite being about half the price).. A 5 star product! Worth the money and it will exceed your expectations for sure!
Blue are legendary and this microphone is no exception to the case, it comes in a lovely wooden box that snuggly fits the microphone body, and comes with the basket as seen in the pictures.
I have this as my main audio input to my desktop so you will need an xlr cable then a amplifier capable of powering the 45w to use the microphone, I have a USB interface amp and it’s perfect for the job. Once is all plugged in, let the asmr commence! This is paired with the blue boom arm in the pictures and I find the angles this can achieve are not intrusive to me on the pc. The microphone has two settings that you can adjust, a high pass filter and a -20dB filter to remove any ambient noise, i have had a play with the combinations but I use nvidia broadcast to clean up my audio through software (what does a brilliant job cleaning up the signals from this mic)
I predominantly stream and discord audio and the quality is far superior to any microphone I have had before, and miles beyond any headset wireless or wired model, the quality of the sound can be heard across the entire spectrum of human ear frequencies, their is a lovely warm tone to the voice and human feel to the audio, the feedback has been great all round since I’ve started using this. I would give some feedback on singing with this mic but I sound like a cat in the blender what isn’t pretty at all.
Overall for a serious streamer or serious audiophile, this microphone is a fantastic piece of equipment, even with my setup the difference has been extremely noticeable, no more raspy wireless headset comms from me! The body is nice and compac
Blue are legendary and this microphone is no exception to the case, it comes in a lovely wooden box that snuggly fits the microphone body, and comes with the basket as seen in the pictures.
I have this as my main audio input to my desktop so you will need an xlr cable then a amplifier capable of powering the 45w to use the microphone, I have a USB interface amp and it’s perfect for the job. Once is all plugged in, let the asmr commence! This is paired with the blue boom arm in the pictures and I find the angles this can achieve are not intrusive to me on the pc. The microphone has two settings that you can adjust, a high pass filter and a -20dB filter to remove any ambient noise, i have had a play with the combinations but I use nvidia broadcast to clean up my audio through software (what does a brilliant job cleaning up the signals from this mic)
I predominantly stream and discord audio and the quality is far superior to any microphone I have had before, and miles beyond any headset wireless or wired model, the quality of the sound can be heard across the entire spectrum of human ear frequencies, their is a lovely warm tone to the voice and human feel to the audio, the feedback has been great all round since I’ve started using this. I would give some feedback on singing with this mic but I sound like a cat in the blender what isn’t pretty at all.
Overall for a serious streamer or serious audiophile, this microphone is a fantastic piece of equipment, even with my setup the difference has been extremely noticeable, no more raspy wireless headset comms from me! The body is nice and compac
Blue are legendary and this microphone is no exception to the case, it comes in a lovely wooden box that snuggly fits the microphone body, and comes with the basket as seen in the pictures.
I have this as my main audio input to my desktop so you will need an xlr cable then a amplifier capable of powering the 45w to use the microphone, I have a USB interface amp and it’s perfect for the job. Once is all plugged in, let the asmr commence! This is paired with the blue boom arm in the pictures and I find the angles this can achieve are not intrusive to me on the pc. The microphone has two settings that you can adjust, a high pass filter and a -20dB filter to remove any ambient noise, i have had a play with the combinations but I use nvidia broadcast to clean up my audio through software (what does a brilliant job cleaning up the signals from this mic)
I predominantly stream and discord audio and the quality is far superior to any microphone I have had before, and miles beyond any headset wireless or wired model, the quality of the sound can be heard across the entire spectrum of human ear frequencies, their is a lovely warm tone to the voice and human feel to the audio, the feedback has been great all round since I’ve started using this. I would give some feedback on singing with this mic but I sound like a cat in the blender what isn’t pretty at all.
Overall for a serious streamer or serious audiophile, this microphone is a fantastic piece of equipment, even with my setup the difference has been extremely noticeable, no more raspy wireless headset comms from me! The body is nice and compac
This is no joke, a mid range microphone that captures the voice beautifully with very little in the way of artifacts or spurious noises. It’s XLR connection allows it to be connected directly to a mixing desk or to a computer, via a bridge. The packaging is lovely, the feel of the mic and guard is lovely, it’s a retro look that is superb for those who need to capture high quality voice. Given the amount of work that people out into their podcasts, videos, voice work, it’s a no brainer at this price.
If you are pruchasing as a gift or this is your first xlr mic, you will need an audio interface and a xlr cable to make the mic work with a pc.
This is my first xlr mic that i ever tried and was really surprised by how clear the sound is ,i love how my voice sounds with this mic. a huge upgrade compared to the mic i was using, i used the snowball and yeti in the past , both by made by blue, they sounded great but was usb, so i had to use software to change the sound, with the Spark SL everything can be controlled with a audio interface and its much easier. Also as a little bonus,with xlr microphones , you can get xlr cables in many colors and sizes compared to the limited selection of printer cable style used for usb mics
In the box you get the mic, a shock mount and a fancy storage case/box that has really nice thick foam in it and should keep the mic safe.
A perfect upgrade for people who want to make the upgrade to an xlr mic.
The microphone itself rests in a wooden box. A shock mount is included, but is not meant to be in the same box as the microphone. Build quality of the microphone and shock mount are excellent with all-metal construction. Microphone feels solid and substantial. My favorite characteristic of this microphone, as a compliment to its versatility, is that you can use it to record full musical sessions. It’s quiet, clean, with a strong output level with low noise. You can sing with the instruments playing and all comes in clear. The Blue Blackout Spark SL is a terrific studio microphone for serious-minded streamers, content creators, and musicians.
When this package arrived it screamed quality. The design of the box is lovely and upon opening there is a wooden case specifically for the microphone. I have used many mics over the years including good brands and I use them for everything from recording music to filming interviews and this is by far the best quality one I have tried. The tone is perfect and the custom mount is made from very sturdy materials. This has now replaced my other more modest mic as the ones I use in the studio for voice over and general recording. High quality from top to bottom.
Professional microphone from Blue. This product corresponds to the quality and affordability. Although I do not understand all its details, I can say simply and clearly that it is a good microphone, which works perfectly and has a clean sound, doesn’t had any problems with it since I use it. It is very easy to use it and also to connect it, it is light weight , easy to carry. Delivery was fast and well packed. I’m
Very happy with this produc
This review is for the baby bottle microphone everything about this microphone feels exceptional quality this arrives in a box with a sleeve over it showing you an image of the mic, inside the microphone itself is in a very nice wooden box with foam protecting it inside, inside the actual box is the shockmount.
Once I got it all set up I could not believe how quality the sound is compared to my old mic it completely blows it out of the water, my daughter has been using this for singing and streaming and she thinks it is absolutely amazing and so clear.
Overall this is an amazing mic that feels very well made and built to last.
A high quality XLR microphone like this is a fanatic buy if you want to get into recording podcasts, YouTube videos, or just upping the quality of audio for zoom calls etc!
The blackout spark looks really stylish, it comes in a lovely wooden case, and it feels premium with lots of metal in the construction. It comes with a shock mount too, so can be put straight on a mic stand or desk mount. You do however need to use something like a focusrite scarlett or a zoom recorder set up as a usb interface, as there’s only an XLR output from the mic.
With a Scarlett, the sound quality is outstanding! It’s lovely for both recording natural sounding voice, or even recording instruments if you’re into recording music! Personally I make YouTube videos so I use it for that, and it’s a huge upgrade over my old blue yeti mic.
There’s some controls on the mic for high pass filters and levels, which is really useful if you’d rather do that in the mic rather than post processing.
Honestly it’s fantastic, a really high quality product!
Over the years I’ve used my fair share of all types of microphones to use with various laptops but this is my first time using such a professional quality mic. This comes extremely well packaged and in the box you get the microphone as well as a small attachment which you can connect to a mic stand if desired. I should mention that this microphone requires a fantom 48V supply so you can’t directly connect this to your PC it must go through an audio interface even something USB powered will be just fine as long as there is a 48V supply to the mic. Coming onto audio quality it is simply outstanding. This mic comes into its own if you produce podcasts or are a keen Youtuber but even for dictation this produces true BBC quality audio which sounds sharp and natural so I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this microphone.
This is the 2nd blue microphone I have used. This is much more affordable, it doesnt have the sound patterns or any software but it works brilliant and uses the stardard XLR microphone connector. This is a durable microphone. I usually base quality mics over the years by their weight. The heavier they are used to mean the better they were. This has a bit of weight to it but nothing heavy. It is streamlined so you can hold it in your hand or use a mount. The quality is fantastic. This would be perfect for podcast and recording vocal. There is nothing cheap in terms of quality and performance. There is no distortion and sound comes across loud and clear. Blue has a great name and this is another fantastic microphone from them.
I ordered this Spark SL condenser microphone for my gamer son who’s into making video logging and game streaming.
Everything about this product is impressive, it just screams quality in every aspect, from the packaging, the design of the microphone itself and the crisp and clear sound it produces. Together with the microphone, you’ll receive a shock amount and simple instruction booklets. There’s no stand included in the package, but my son already has a decent quality stand, so it’s not a problem.
According to my son, for this microphone to work, you will need to run it through an audio interface, anything with an XLR input and phantom power, in order to add it in your setup.
He said the audio quality is simply superb and delicious. The 100Hz high pass filter boosts the vocal clarity while tuning out any other surrounding noises. While the -20dB pad will keep your voice clean and crisp.
Such a huge improvement in the audio and sound quality from the basic-entry level microphone that he was using before.
Overall, a great quality large diaphragm condenser microphone that’s ideal for game streamers, voice over works, video loggers etc. Priced at 168.22 (at the time of writing), a premium product that is worth every penny.
Thank you for reading. Hope you have found my review helpful.
I ordered this Spark SL condenser microphone for my gamer son who’s into making video logging and game streaming.
Everything about this product is impressive, it just screams quality in every aspect, from the packaging, the design of the microphone itself and the crisp and clear sound it produces. Together with the microphone, you’ll receive a shock amount and simple instruction booklets. There’s no stand included in the package, but my son already has a decent quality stand, so it’s not a problem.
According to my son, for this microphone to work, you will need to run it through an audio interface, anything with an XLR input and phantom power, in order to add it in your setup.
He said the audio quality is simply superb and delicious. The 100Hz high pass filter boosts the vocal clarity while tuning out any other surrounding noises. While the -20dB pad will keep your voice clean and crisp.
Such a huge improvement in the audio and sound quality from the basic-entry level microphone that he was using before.
Overall, a great quality large diaphragm condenser microphone that’s ideal for game streamers, voice over works, video loggers etc. Priced at 168.22 (at the time of writing), a premium product that is worth every penny.
Thank you for reading. Hope you have found my review helpful.
A very well regarded brand for top quality microphones for serious to semi-serious use.
The Ember is a ‘side address’ condenser microphone and reminds you of this in large lettering when you unbox the set.
Its pleasingly heavy enough and well built to express the quality of the unit.
A fairly good price at around 100 but it is sold without the shock mount which is expected at this price. In my son’s test, we didn’t notice a great deal of sound transmission down the stand.
We would have likes to see a transportable case with this microphone, none is included which makes it a bit difficult for my son to use it straight out of the box as intended for scheduled practise away from home.
For the price it performs way above it’s pay grade, we’re impressed enough with the quality to consider kitting this out with the supporting accessories to make full use of all it has to offer.
5 stars
I ordered this Spark SL condenser microphone for my gamer son who’s into making video logging and game streaming.
Everything about this product is impressive, it just screams quality in every aspect, from the packaging, the design of the microphone itself and the crisp and clear sound it produces. Together with the microphone, you’ll receive a shock amount and simple instruction booklets. There’s no stand included in the package, but my son already has a decent quality stand, so it’s not a problem.
According to my son, for this microphone to work, you will need to run it through an audio interface, anything with an XLR input and phantom power, in order to add it in your setup.
He said the audio quality is simply superb and delicious. The 100Hz high pass filter boosts the vocal clarity while tuning out any other surrounding noises. While the -20dB pad will keep your voice clean and crisp.
Such a huge improvement in the audio and sound quality from the basic-entry level microphone that he was using before.
Overall, a great quality large diaphragm condenser microphone that’s ideal for game streamers, voice over works, video loggers etc. Priced at 168.22 (at the time of writing), a premium product that is worth every penny.
Thank you for reading. Hope you have found my review helpful.
This is an excellent, high quality microphone.
If you’re a YouTuber, have your own podcast or simply want clearer audio in an online work call or family video chat, then this is a great choice.
It’s beautifully packaged, the microphone comes in a wooden storage box, a little over the top in my opinion.
There’s very little in terms of accessories, no leads or stand, which is a surprise considering the price. You need an XLR cable and a USB interface if you plan to use it with a computer.
Setup is easy and overall the sound quality is good but is vastly improved with the addition of an amplifier, extra outlay but well worth stretching your budget.
Audio is crystal clear, free from distortion, rich, with real depth and clarity.
This is a serious piece of kit, with a serious price but it’s fantastic quality and there’s very little reason not to choose this.
Hope you found my review helpful
This Blackout Spark SL XLR Condenser Microphone is easy to use, and creates a beautiful sound resolution, perfect for recording, pod casting, game streaming and many more.
It is equipped with a hand-tuned condenser capsule which has a depth and clarity sound quality and a cardioid frequency response from 20Hz — 20KHz that ensures accurate sound. It also has a high-pass filter of 100Hz which increases clarity and minimizes the sound in your room or desk. Lastly, it has 12db per octave PAD of -20Db to keep your streaming away from distortion.
Furthermore, the custom shock mount helps you to ensure a noticeably clear sound without any bumps or vibrations and its XLR connection is especially useful for USB audio mixers and interfaces.
I particularly like the lovely packaging, then the box further inside which holds the microphone is a lovely professional wooden material which looks great.
Above all, it has advanced range of sound and a top-quality set-up. I think this is a well-built product and worth the money.
My son has been doing some home music recording during the recent periods of lockdown so was really pleased to have a go with this rather special Baby Bottle style microphone by Blue Microphones. The first thing we noticed was the excellent presentation — very classy and Apple products or Microsoft laptop style of high quality packaging. The microphone itself has an XLR connection so is compatible with most recording devices you may wish to use it with, and it features a simple to use -20dB Pad to reduce distortion when things get a bit raucous. The package also includes a shock-mount and protective case. Blue Microphones was founded in 1995 and the name derives from Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics — since 2018 the company has been a subsidiary of Logitech. At around three hundred and sixty pounds currently from Amazon this Blue Microphones Baby Bottle SL XLR Condenser Microphone is a professional audio device that should give classic results with a wide range of home or studio recording methods and equipment. This microphone brings it’s own characteristics to your recordings — but certainly not in a bad way — and at the price it deserves five stars for compatibility and performance; this microphone is the best either my son or myself have used.
If vlogging or making sound recordings you’ll need a high quality microphone, and this meets the bill.
Unlike some cheaper offerings, it does not include a tripod or stand. So you’ll need to choose your own boom setup. You’ll also need a XLR cable and a pre-amp (cheapest is probably the Behringer UMC2, as a starting point).
Quality, both sound and physical, is sublime. It’s really enjoyable to use and listen to. Great for vocals but also suitable for most instruments.
This is the pinnacle of mic brands and this Ember is a more budget friendly version of their recording mics.
The quality is felt straight from the unboxing. The build quality is fantastic of the mic itself housing a beautiful metal frame with a nice polar blue colour and silver accents.
– To power this you need an XLR cable which is not included in the box.
– It comes with adjustable stand for housing it.
So how does it sound. Absolutely fantastic to be honest. It is crystal clear and perfect for recording video or even singing which it is marketed towards. Testing it on discord with my mate was fun as he was blown away with the clarity.
Overall it is a fantastic recording mic which is made up well.
I have to record voice-overs for presentations and podcasts these days — before the pandemic it was an occasional task which I did in a recording studio at work, but now it’s a more frequent task and I have to do it from home, without any technical help. I have used some of the microphones I have for other purposes (making calls, using speech recognition software) and the results are poor — lots of echo and background noise. This microphone is therefore a huge step up in quality — my colleagues and students will be significantly relieved at the difference.
As an amateur, it has taken me some time to work out how to make this work. On opening the very luxurious box, it’s surprising that there are no cables — none at all! On researching I realised this is because the microphone might be connected to a wide variety of things, from mixing desks for recording music, to a laptop for recording basic speech on commonly used software packages. So I needed a way of getting the microphone connected to a USB (the only input on my Surface Pro). This is a condensing microphone so it needs “phantom power” and/or a pre-amp. This is at the very limits of my technical knowledge so I ordered a cheap little unit which supplies phantom power and is the “bridge” between the mic and the laptop.
The packaging is quite luxurious; the only contents are the mic itself, which is cushioned with fitted foam inserts in a special wooden box, and a stand which can either sit on a flat surface (such as my desk) or, by means of the attached clamp, can be attached to a mic arm or other fitting. The instructions in the box are minimal and I found limited information on Blue’s own site — but this is, I think, a symptom of my being an amateur encountering professional-level kit.
Having worked out what I needed in terms of the power and the cable, I have found it simple to connect to the laptop and get it working. There’s no software to install (though I know there are applications available that this will work with, for more sophisticated recording). Having got it plugged in it is instantly working and I was able to record two voice-overs without knowing anything else. The sound quality is very, very much better than on my “everyday” microphones, and the noise cancelling function does seem to filter out the background traffic noise and focus on my voice alone. It copes well with a variety of volumes (I tried whispering and shouting, and both were equally clear on the recording) and doesn’t “fizz” the way a cheaper mic does on “s” sounds. This is really a good piece of equipment, sturdily built as far as I can tell, and easy to use once you know about the power requirements. It is pricey for an amateur/occasional user like me, but there is no denying that it produces a much clearer and more professional result than the cheaper options I have used in the past.
I have to record voice-overs for presentations and podcasts these days — before the pandemic it was an occasional task which I did in a recording studio at work, but now it’s a more frequent task and I have to do it from home, without any technical help. I have used some of the microphones I have for other purposes (making calls, using speech recognition software) and the results are poor — lots of echo and background noise. This microphone is therefore a huge step up in quality — my colleagues and students will be significantly relieved at the difference.
As an amateur, it has taken me some time to work out how to make this work. On opening the very luxurious box, it’s surprising that there are no cables — none at all! On researching I realised this is because the microphone might be connected to a wide variety of things, from mixing desks for recording music, to a laptop for recording basic speech on commonly used software packages. So I needed a way of getting the microphone connected to a USB (the only input on my Surface Pro). This is a condensing microphone so it needs “phantom power” and/or a pre-amp. This is at the very limits of my technical knowledge so I ordered a cheap little unit which supplies phantom power and is the “bridge” between the mic and the laptop.
The packaging is quite luxurious; the only contents are the mic itself, which is cushioned with fitted foam inserts in a special wooden box, and a stand which can either sit on a flat surface (such as my desk) or, by means of the attached clamp, can be attached to a mic arm or other fitting. The instructions in the box are minimal and I found limited information on Blue’s own site — but this is, I think, a symptom of my being an amateur encountering professional-level kit.
Having worked out what I needed in terms of the power and the cable, I have found it simple to connect to the laptop and get it working. There’s no software to install (though I know there are applications available that this will work with, for more sophisticated recording). Having got it plugged in it is instantly working and I was able to record two voice-overs without knowing anything else. The sound quality is very, very much better than on my “everyday” microphones, and the noise cancelling function does seem to filter out the background traffic noise and focus on my voice alone. It copes well with a variety of volumes (I tried whispering and shouting, and both were equally clear on the recording) and doesn’t “fizz” the way a cheaper mic does on “s” sounds. This is really a good piece of equipment, sturdily built as far as I can tell, and easy to use once you know about the power requirements. It is pricey for an amateur/occasional user like me, but there is no denying that it produces a much clearer and more professional result than the cheaper options I have used in the past.
I have to record voice-overs for presentations and podcasts these days — before the pandemic it was an occasional task which I did in a recording studio at work, but now it’s a more frequent task and I have to do it from home, without any technical help. I have used some of the microphones I have for other purposes (making calls, using speech recognition software) and the results are poor — lots of echo and background noise. This microphone is therefore a huge step up in quality — my colleagues and students will be significantly relieved at the difference.
As an amateur, it has taken me some time to work out how to make this work. On opening the very luxurious box, it’s surprising that there are no cables — none at all! On researching I realised this is because the microphone might be connected to a wide variety of things, from mixing desks for recording music, to a laptop for recording basic speech on commonly used software packages. So I needed a way of getting the microphone connected to a USB (the only input on my Surface Pro). This is a condensing microphone so it needs “phantom power” and/or a pre-amp. This is at the very limits of my technical knowledge so I ordered a cheap little unit which supplies phantom power and is the “bridge” between the mic and the laptop.
The packaging is quite luxurious; the only contents are the mic itself, which is cushioned with fitted foam inserts in a special wooden box, and a stand which can either sit on a flat surface (such as my desk) or, by means of the attached clamp, can be attached to a mic arm or other fitting. The instructions in the box are minimal and I found limited information on Blue’s own site — but this is, I think, a symptom of my being an amateur encountering professional-level kit.
Having worked out what I needed in terms of the power and the cable, I have found it simple to connect to the laptop and get it working. There’s no software to install (though I know there are applications available that this will work with, for more sophisticated recording). Having got it plugged in it is instantly working and I was able to record two voice-overs without knowing anything else. The sound quality is very, very much better than on my “everyday” microphones, and the noise cancelling function does seem to filter out the background traffic noise and focus on my voice alone. It copes well with a variety of volumes (I tried whispering and shouting, and both were equally clear on the recording) and doesn’t “fizz” the way a cheaper mic does on “s” sounds. This is really a good piece of equipment, sturdily built as far as I can tell, and easy to use once you know about the power requirements. It is pricey for an amateur/occasional user like me, but there is no denying that it produces a much clearer and more professional result than the cheaper options I have used in the past.
In a nutshell this is a stunning microphone that looks amazing, has a wide, smooth and detailed response to a wide frequency array and it is particularly suitable for mid-range and with highs that I feel are a bit more pronounced than similar microphones.
I was mostly surprize (but honestly pleased) by the pickup pattern of the microphone that to me appears more similar to a supercardioid than a cardioid one.
The voice clarity is stunning and for under 300 this is surely a very competent mic that also looks stunning and feels well buil
Having use this Blue Baby Bottle mic for the last week and a half i’ve really grown to love it. I’ve owned a couple of cheaper Blue mics in the past as well as Rode branded microphones and this has jumped to the top of my list.
It is a cardioid pattern mic and I found that although the most clear sound is picked up from directly in front actually it managed to handle 2 other voices sitting to both sides very well indeed, a bit quieter as expected but perfectly clear. I found for Podcasts and video audio it worked well without any post processing needed, the sound is warm, well balanced and natural. It picks up external instruments also quite well, there can be a little boom due to its high output but if you have a dedicated soundproof room I can’t see this being an issue. You can also switch on the high pass filter to help.
Build quality is exactly what you’d expect for a premium product. It’s a full metal body that feels luxurious and precise, it’s also very sturdy with no flex at all in the mic head. It’s nicely presented and comes with a wooden storage box which honestly looks great.
Having used this for the last 10 days I can honestly say it’s a fantastic microphone for a true and natural sound. It doesn’t sound too bright or unnaturally processed/amplified. It is rather pricey but in this case I think you get what you pay for from a well respected brand.
Having use this Blue Baby Bottle mic for the last week and a half i’ve really grown to love it. I’ve owned a couple of cheaper Blue mics in the past as well as Rode branded microphones and this has jumped to the top of my list.
It is a cardioid pattern mic and I found that although the most clear sound is picked up from directly in front actually it managed to handle 2 other voices sitting to both sides very well indeed, a bit quieter as expected but perfectly clear. I found for Podcasts and video audio it worked well without any post processing needed, the sound is warm, well balanced and natural. It picks up external instruments also quite well, there can be a little boom due to its high output but if you have a dedicated soundproof room I can’t see this being an issue. You can also switch on the high pass filter to help.
Build quality is exactly what you’d expect for a premium product. It’s a full metal body that feels luxurious and precise, it’s also very sturdy with no flex at all in the mic head. It’s nicely presented and comes with a wooden storage box which honestly looks great.
Having used this for the last 10 days I can honestly say it’s a fantastic microphone for a true and natural sound. It doesn’t sound too bright or unnaturally processed/amplified. It is rather pricey but in this case I think you get what you pay for from a well respected brand.
Having use this Blue Baby Bottle mic for the last week and a half i’ve really grown to love it. I’ve owned a couple of cheaper Blue mics in the past as well as Rode branded microphones and this has jumped to the top of my list.
It is a cardioid pattern mic and I found that although the most clear sound is picked up from directly in front actually it managed to handle 2 other voices sitting to both sides very well indeed, a bit quieter as expected but perfectly clear. I found for Podcasts and video audio it worked well without any post processing needed, the sound is warm, well balanced and natural. It picks up external instruments also quite well, there can be a little boom due to its high output but if you have a dedicated soundproof room I can’t see this being an issue. You can also switch on the high pass filter to help.
Build quality is exactly what you’d expect for a premium product. It’s a full metal body that feels luxurious and precise, it’s also very sturdy with no flex at all in the mic head. It’s nicely presented and comes with a wooden storage box which honestly looks great.
Having used this for the last 10 days I can honestly say it’s a fantastic microphone for a true and natural sound. It doesn’t sound too bright or unnaturally processed/amplified. It is rather pricey but in this case I think you get what you pay for from a well respected brand.
This arrived in a sleeved box with colourful images of the microphone on the outside along with details of the specifications. Once opened you get a bespoke wooden slide top box containing the microphone protected top and bottom with foam, in a separate box you get the shockmount inside a cellophane bag. The documentation included is limited to a small card showing the switch usage and identifying the XLR connection along with a warrantee leaflet.
First impressions: this is a very well presented package with an emphasis on quality from the packaging right through to the slide top wooden box containing the microphone. The shockmount is very nice with a brushed metal finish and feels very sturdy. The microphone has an immaculate finish to it with the gold being replicated across both switches and the blue logo complimenting the matt black finish, I went over both the shockmount and the microphone to check for any defects or rough finishing and it was perfect.
I set this up to my main computer using a Behringer U-PHORIA UM2 computer audio interface and XLR to XLR microphone cable, then connecting to the computer via USB and fitted it onto my microphone boom arm. After switching over to the Baby Bottle microphone from my previous one it was ready to go.
I don’t pretend to be highly knowledgeable on all the nuances of sound adjustment and processing so spent quite a long time with different tests and adjustments before I found the perfect result for me. I found the sound quality to be very rich with a really good midrange tone to it, capturing my voice really well. I have been using it since it arrived for voice chat over various platforms and recording, the change in quality was instantly noticed by the people I talked to.
My daughter who is a budding singer has been using the microphone for her recording and in her words was “blown away by the difference in quality from her normal mic”. I set the microphone up on a small microphone stand I have and on my laptop to give it a simple out of the box test using a basic voice recorder, without any adjustment pre or post recording, I wanted to do this to give a raw test out of the box rather than edited recordings, hopefully the processing of the upload won’t alter this too much and you can hear the difference.
Overall I am really impressed with this microphone, the switch adjustments work well allowing you to flick across to 20dB cutting out loud signals, and the high pass filter switch cuts out the unwanted sounds near to the lower end of the audio. In my opinion this is an extremely good quality microphone well presented that delivers great quality recordings from plain voice to singing, I have no hesitation in giving it top marks.
Having use this Blue Baby Bottle mic for the last week and a half i’ve really grown to love it. I’ve owned a couple of cheaper Blue mics in the past as well as Rode branded microphones and this has jumped to the top of my list.
It is a cardioid pattern mic and I found that although the most clear sound is picked up from directly in front actually it managed to handle 2 other voices sitting to both sides very well indeed, a bit quieter as expected but perfectly clear. I found for Podcasts and video audio it worked well without any post processing needed, the sound is warm, well balanced and natural. It picks up external instruments also quite well, there can be a little boom due to its high output but if you have a dedicated soundproof room I can’t see this being an issue. You can also switch on the high pass filter to help.
Build quality is exactly what you’d expect for a premium product. It’s a full metal body that feels luxurious and precise, it’s also very sturdy with no flex at all in the mic head. It’s nicely presented and comes with a wooden storage box which honestly looks great.
Having used this for the last 10 days I can honestly say it’s a fantastic microphone for a true and natural sound. It doesn’t sound too bright or unnaturally processed/amplified. It is rather pricey but in this case I think you get what you pay for from a well respected brand.
This arrived in a sleeved box with colourful images of the microphone on the outside along with details of the specifications. Once opened you get a bespoke wooden slide top box containing the microphone protected top and bottom with foam, in a separate box you get the shockmount inside a cellophane bag. The documentation included is limited to a small card showing the switch usage and identifying the XLR connection along with a warrantee leaflet.
First impressions: this is a very well presented package with an emphasis on quality from the packaging right through to the slide top wooden box containing the microphone. The shockmount is very nice with a brushed metal finish and feels very sturdy. The microphone has an immaculate finish to it with the gold being replicated across both switches and the blue logo complimenting the matt black finish, I went over both the shockmount and the microphone to check for any defects or rough finishing and it was perfect.
I set this up to my main computer using a Behringer U-PHORIA UM2 computer audio interface and XLR to XLR microphone cable, then connecting to the computer via USB and fitted it onto my microphone boom arm. After switching over to the Baby Bottle microphone from my previous one it was ready to go.
I don’t pretend to be highly knowledgeable on all the nuances of sound adjustment and processing so spent quite a long time with different tests and adjustments before I found the perfect result for me. I found the sound quality to be very rich with a really good midrange tone to it, capturing my voice really well. I have been using it since it arrived for voice chat over various platforms and recording, the change in quality was instantly noticed by the people I talked to.
My daughter who is a budding singer has been using the microphone for her recording and in her words was “blown away by the difference in quality from her normal mic”. I set the microphone up on a small microphone stand I have and on my laptop to give it a simple out of the box test using a basic voice recorder, without any adjustment pre or post recording, I wanted to do this to give a raw test out of the box rather than edited recordings, hopefully the processing of the upload won’t alter this too much and you can hear the difference.
Overall I am really impressed with this microphone, the switch adjustments work well allowing you to flick across to 20dB cutting out loud signals, and the high pass filter switch cuts out the unwanted sounds near to the lower end of the audio. In my opinion this is an extremely good quality microphone well presented that delivers great quality recordings from plain voice to singing, I have no hesitation in giving it top marks.
Having use this Blue Baby Bottle mic for the last week and a half i’ve really grown to love it. I’ve owned a couple of cheaper Blue mics in the past as well as Rode branded microphones and this has jumped to the top of my list.
It is a cardioid pattern mic and I found that although the most clear sound is picked up from directly in front actually it managed to handle 2 other voices sitting to both sides very well indeed, a bit quieter as expected but perfectly clear. I found for Podcasts and video audio it worked well without any post processing needed, the sound is warm, well balanced and natural. It picks up external instruments also quite well, there can be a little boom due to its high output but if you have a dedicated soundproof room I can’t see this being an issue. You can also switch on the high pass filter to help.
Build quality is exactly what you’d expect for a premium product. It’s a full metal body that feels luxurious and precise, it’s also very sturdy with no flex at all in the mic head. It’s nicely presented and comes with a wooden storage box which honestly looks great.
Having used this for the last 10 days I can honestly say it’s a fantastic microphone for a true and natural sound. It doesn’t sound too bright or unnaturally processed/amplified. It is rather pricey but in this case I think you get what you pay for from a well respected brand.
This arrived in a sleeved box with colourful images of the microphone on the outside along with details of the specifications. Once opened you get a bespoke wooden slide top box containing the microphone protected top and bottom with foam, in a separate box you get the shockmount inside a cellophane bag. The documentation included is limited to a small card showing the switch usage and identifying the XLR connection along with a warrantee leaflet.
First impressions: this is a very well presented package with an emphasis on quality from the packaging right through to the slide top wooden box containing the microphone. The shockmount is very nice with a brushed metal finish and feels very sturdy. The microphone has an immaculate finish to it with the gold being replicated across both switches and the blue logo complimenting the matt black finish, I went over both the shockmount and the microphone to check for any defects or rough finishing and it was perfect.
I set this up to my main computer using a Behringer U-PHORIA UM2 computer audio interface and XLR to XLR microphone cable, then connecting to the computer via USB and fitted it onto my microphone boom arm. After switching over to the Baby Bottle microphone from my previous one it was ready to go.
I don’t pretend to be highly knowledgeable on all the nuances of sound adjustment and processing so spent quite a long time with different tests and adjustments before I found the perfect result for me. I found the sound quality to be very rich with a really good midrange tone to it, capturing my voice really well. I have been using it since it arrived for voice chat over various platforms and recording, the change in quality was instantly noticed by the people I talked to.
My daughter who is a budding singer has been using the microphone for her recording and in her words was “blown away by the difference in quality from her normal mic”. I set the microphone up on a small microphone stand I have and on my laptop to give it a simple out of the box test using a basic voice recorder, without any adjustment pre or post recording, I wanted to do this to give a raw test out of the box rather than edited recordings, hopefully the processing of the upload won’t alter this too much and you can hear the difference.
Overall I am really impressed with this microphone, the switch adjustments work well allowing you to flick across to 20dB cutting out loud signals, and the high pass filter switch cuts out the unwanted sounds near to the lower end of the audio. In my opinion this is an extremely good quality microphone well presented that delivers great quality recordings from plain voice to singing, I have no hesitation in giving it top marks.
Blue is part of Logitech and it makes sense that it is a different brand – Logitech is reliable tech that doesn’t set the pulse racing. This Blue microphone is serious quality and is audibly a cut above anything else I have used. Now, being perfectly honest, while my son’s YouTube videos now sound better, it wasn’t the sound that made his channel have a small following, and in his case a top notch microphone wasn’t a ‘need’. But if you have got as far as reading reviews for this microphone you are serious about the need to a quality mic and be assured that this one delivers.
This microphone makes everything so crisp and clear and feels like a really solid microphone. The mic part itself arrives in a wooden box.
My daughter has been using this to record her singing and she is very pleased with the sound.
Overall this is an excellent mic at the current price of 184.
This review is for the Blue Microphones Baby Bottle SL XLR Condenser Microphone for Recording and Streaming, Large-Diaphragm Cardioid Capsule, Shockmount and Protective Case – Black
Wow, wow, wow. One word, amazing.
This is the daddy of all mics, was so shocked about the quality, it is totally amazing and so much so that I feel I don’t even want to handle the mic in case I damage it.
It is seriously well made and looks so good. It was easy to setup and I must say the audio quality matches the price tag. I have had other mics in the past that I thought were good but you don’t realise until you get this that there is a massive difference.
The design of the mic is amazing too and looks very space age. Would defo recommend. Amazing product!! Great sound, quality and design.
This is a cool bit of kit. To use it, you will need various other items that are not included in the box. Basically what you get here is just the microphone. So you will need to work out your set up and whether you can use the mic with it before you buy it. It’s good quality for the money and if you’re using it with a visual set up, it’s quite slim so you’re not going to have it dominating the screen or having to dodge round it.
I got this for my brother who is big into his game streaming. I don’t know if he’s any good or has any followers, but he seemed pretty excited when I dropped it off.
It was easy to get set up and the quality out of the box is great. It may benefit from an amplifier that wasn’t included but this just allows you more flexibility to choose your accessories.
Audiophiles will probably be able to give a more in-depth, technical review but as far as using a microphone for streaming, it works great!
Captures sound in a natural flat tone and does a good job at making you sound clear even if you are not in the best environment great for those who want a top-end mic without the price tag as it has an XLR connector for hooking this up to a more high end set up one of the best microphones I have had suited best to podcasts and streaming.
Small points…
1. Get an XLR cable. I did not think that it wouldn’t come with one, but I had to wait an extra couple of days for a cable because I didn’t read everything… Duh…
2. Make sure to get a stand (if you are getting one) that is heavy duty. This thing makes my low clearance mic stand creak and sounds like it’s about to break. Will be saving up for a better one as soon as I can.
This is definitely a mic for on camera performances. It looks great while not taking up too much fo the frame.
The sound quality is great for the price point.
It is a little disappointing that it only comes with a very basic mount but I guess you can’t expect too much for the price and you can always get your own shock mount for it.
Make sure your recording system has a way of delivering phantom power to this mic otherwise you will be in for a shock at how much extra you may have to pay to get this working.
I recently upgraded my home studio and Im so pleases I bough this mic. My prior mic was good, don’t get me wrong, but this microphone is leagues ahead. It Looks good, but most importantly it sounds really good. It is built like a tank. The shockmount included also is made of metal and is very effective at nullifying rumbles and shakes. It looks stunning on display in its microphone case. I’d recommend this to anyone looking to bring extra soul and character to their music. The will give you a true/professional sound for a reasonable price.
This is genuinely an amazing piece of kit. The build quality, the standard of all the materials used is genuinely second to none. The design of the mic follows a retro style with a copper-mesh lollypop condensor head, brushed aluminium collar and a dark matt blue cylinder. The Blue logo looks great in raised copper relief and there are two hardware switches on the mic itself; a High-Pass Filter which will eliminate low rumble or background noise in your recordings, and a -20dB pad which will provide a useful top end buffer against distortion due to very loud sounds. The brushed aluminium custom shock cage is again a thing of beauty and the whole package feels like having a piece of art attached to your desk.
Moving beyond the physical, the sound achieved by the Blue Baby Bottle SL is just gorgeous. Having moved from a USB condensor mic, I was absolutely blown away by the difference in sound quality – immediately I was greeted by a warm, rich sound with real depth and presence, instead of the shallow, tinny sound of my old USB mic. Important to note this is a mic which requires an XLR cable connection – If you’re using this alongside standard audio amps etc it’ll likely plug straight in, if however you’re planning to use it on your PC you will need to pick up a USB Audio Interface to act as the middle-man between the Baby Bottle SL and your PC. I chose the Behringer U-Phoria UMC22 and it was simplicity itself to get up and running.
This mic is genuinely a next-level product for anyone seeking to really elevate the quality of their audio.
This is genuinely an amazing piece of kit. The build quality, the standard of all the materials used is genuinely second to none. The design of the mic follows a retro style with a copper-mesh lollypop condensor head, brushed aluminium collar and a dark matt blue cylinder. The Blue logo looks great in raised copper relief and there are two hardware switches on the mic itself; a High-Pass Filter which will eliminate low rumble or background noise in your recordings, and a -20dB pad which will provide a useful top end buffer against distortion due to very loud sounds. The brushed aluminium custom shock cage is again a thing of beauty and the whole package feels like having a piece of art attached to your desk.
Moving beyond the physical, the sound achieved by the Blue Baby Bottle SL is just gorgeous. Having moved from a USB condensor mic, I was absolutely blown away by the difference in sound quality – immediately I was greeted by a warm, rich sound with real depth and presence, instead of the shallow, tinny sound of my old USB mic. Important to note this is a mic which requires an XLR cable connection – If you’re using this alongside standard audio amps etc it’ll likely plug straight in, if however you’re planning to use it on your PC you will need to pick up a USB Audio Interface to act as the middle-man between the Baby Bottle SL and your PC. I chose the Behringer U-Phoria UMC22 and it was simplicity itself to get up and running.
This mic is genuinely a next-level product for anyone seeking to really elevate the quality of their audio.
When you put this microphone through an amplifier it gives a very crisp, clear sound. It also looks fantastic. The microphone part comes packaged in a nice wooden box and then in an outer box complete with the other part and some instructions. It is great for singing which is what I love to do. But also would be great for a musician or an ASMR artist. This microphone is a quality item that is well made and sturdy.
This is genuinely an amazing piece of kit. The build quality, the standard of all the materials used is genuinely second to none. The design of the mic follows a retro style with a copper-mesh lollypop condensor head, brushed aluminium collar and a dark matt blue cylinder. The Blue logo looks great in raised copper relief and there are two hardware switches on the mic itself; a High-Pass Filter which will eliminate low rumble or background noise in your recordings, and a -20dB pad which will provide a useful top end buffer against distortion due to very loud sounds. The brushed aluminium custom shock cage is again a thing of beauty and the whole package feels like having a piece of art attached to your desk.
Moving beyond the physical, the sound achieved by the Blue Baby Bottle SL is just gorgeous. Having moved from a USB condensor mic, I was absolutely blown away by the difference in sound quality – immediately I was greeted by a warm, rich sound with real depth and presence, instead of the shallow, tinny sound of my old USB mic. Important to note this is a mic which requires an XLR cable connection – If you’re using this alongside standard audio amps etc it’ll likely plug straight in, if however you’re planning to use it on your PC you will need to pick up a USB Audio Interface to act as the middle-man between the Baby Bottle SL and your PC. I chose the Behringer U-Phoria UMC22 and it was simplicity itself to get up and running.
This mic is genuinely a next-level product for anyone seeking to really elevate the quality of their audio.
This is genuinely an amazing piece of kit. The build quality, the standard of all the materials used is genuinely second to none. The design of the mic follows a retro style with a copper-mesh lollypop condensor head, brushed aluminium collar and a dark matt blue cylinder. The Blue logo looks great in raised copper relief and there are two hardware switches on the mic itself; a High-Pass Filter which will eliminate low rumble or background noise in your recordings, and a -20dB pad which will provide a useful top end buffer against distortion due to very loud sounds. The brushed aluminium custom shock cage is again a thing of beauty and the whole package feels like having a piece of art attached to your desk.
Moving beyond the physical, the sound achieved by the Blue Baby Bottle SL is just gorgeous. Having moved from a USB condensor mic, I was absolutely blown away by the difference in sound quality – immediately I was greeted by a warm, rich sound with real depth and presence, instead of the shallow, tinny sound of my old USB mic. Important to note this is a mic which requires an XLR cable connection – If you’re using this alongside standard audio amps etc it’ll likely plug straight in, if however you’re planning to use it on your PC you will need to pick up a USB Audio Interface to act as the middle-man between the Baby Bottle SL and your PC. I chose the Behringer U-Phoria UMC22 and it was simplicity itself to get up and running.
This mic is genuinely a next-level product for anyone seeking to really elevate the quality of their audio.
This is genuinely an amazing piece of kit. The build quality, the standard of all the materials used is genuinely second to none. The design of the mic follows a retro style with a copper-mesh lollypop condensor head, brushed aluminium collar and a dark matt blue cylinder. The Blue logo looks great in raised copper relief and there are two hardware switches on the mic itself; a High-Pass Filter which will eliminate low rumble or background noise in your recordings, and a -20dB pad which will provide a useful top end buffer against distortion due to very loud sounds. The brushed aluminium custom shock cage is again a thing of beauty and the whole package feels like having a piece of art attached to your desk.
Moving beyond the physical, the sound achieved by the Blue Baby Bottle SL is just gorgeous. Having moved from a USB condensor mic, I was absolutely blown away by the difference in sound quality – immediately I was greeted by a warm, rich sound with real depth and presence, instead of the shallow, tinny sound of my old USB mic. Important to note this is a mic which requires an XLR cable connection – If you’re using this alongside standard audio amps etc it’ll likely plug straight in, if however you’re planning to use it on your PC you will need to pick up a USB Audio Interface to act as the middle-man between the Baby Bottle SL and your PC. I chose the Behringer U-Phoria UMC22 and it was simplicity itself to get up and running.
This mic is genuinely a next-level product for anyone seeking to really elevate the quality of their audio.
Very clear and professional sound, fitted our on-board rig on a Heritage train for a moving Quiz night
Lovely voice reproduction, our existing mike was a little fuzzy at the edges.
The mike seems well made and finished, well presented in an attractive box, so makes a decent present for the aspiring broadcaster or singer/ DJ.
The quality of this blue microphone is outstanding. I love its amazing design. It works great and keeps the voice crisp and clear. It is ideal for recording, podcasting, broadcasting, YouTube videos, and twitch gaming streaming. It provides you a professional sound. Its high pass filter will increase the clarity and it will also decrease the rumble from the desk or room. Then the custom shock mount makes sure that the sound is crystal clear without vibration and bumps. Moreover, the cardioid pattern ensures that the sound is perfect for recording and streaming.
Likewise, the -20 dB pad makes sure that there is no distortion during the stream. Furthermore, an XLR connection is ideal for mixers and USB audio interfaces. If you will set this microphone properly it will surely provide you dynamic sound. It is perfect for music lovers. My family also loves music. It can be used for online music sessions, especially in this Covid-19 situation.
If you want higher-level clarity in the recordings, then you should go for this microphone. It will not disappoint you at all. Its price is also reasonable. I am very happy with this product. It is very useful. I highly recommend i
This is by far the best Microphone I have ever used. The quality is almost irreproachable. I mostly record voiceovers for user training videos. With my cheaper Mics, I have had to denoise and remove hissing from my voiceovers. This Mic produces crystal clear audio recordings without significant background noise and hissing. This a real cardioid Mic.
The built quality is excellent, it really looks professional.
I have a hobby of using computer software to make entre songs. I do this for fun, not as a money making exercise but I do take it seriously.
For the most part I use sound clips and samples for these tracks but occasionally the sounds I need are not available – especially vocals- so I have to record my own.
Step up this beautiful baby blue Ember XLR Condenser microphone which works wonderfully with my software package.
The sound qualiry is excellent and rich which is just as well as I usually have to manipulate the sound of my own voice which would get me 2 seconds of air time in its raw form on ‘Britain’s Got Talent ‘.
This microphone, put simply is extremely good and well worth the price.
With podcasting and video growing in recent years, having the right sound quality starts with having the right microphone. On first impressions, one might argue that this one from Blue (a Logitech brand) is made to appear on screen but would the sound also live up to the looks?
One thing to note before we get into the review is that you’ll need a sound interface with phantom power if you want to plug this into a computer. It’s an XLR connection so will go directly into many sound desks and a sturdy mount is provided, though you’ll probably want something sprung or a pop filter to add to the set too.
In terms of build quality though this microphone is very solid and looks like it could handle a wide variety of situations. Perhaps for this reason, its provided only with the box it came in and the mount and no case or similar. Despite this it remains both portable given the small size and attractive on screen – you can get away with it being there but not too blocking of the face.
You’ll want to set this up to speak into the side of the microphone which is what makes it more suitable for podcasting or recording. Once done you get some very decent sound quality. The audio is all crisp, offers a good range and provides depth.
If you’re looking for an upgrade to your podcasting set up but don’t want to break the bank then overall this is a good option.
Super surprised, I had taken part in podcasts & never liked my voice, I tried this I wanted to try my own podcast & I had no idea I sounded how I do, I realise now the others had poor microphones I actually have a nice voice (not being big headed promise!), it is crystal clear, cancelled out background noise, no static, very crisp sounding & very easy to use/set up. Very impressed
*Just a note* this review was supposed to be for the blackout spark but I was sent the Bluebird SL.
As soon as you open the box you know this microphone is quality, it comes presented in a wooden box which looks superb, there’s also a supplied shock mount which is really good quality.
The microphone is a large diaphragm condenser so it’s perfect for vocals and acoustic instruments (guitar violin etc…)
The pickup pattern is cardioid so if you’re using it for a podcasts or gaming it has the ideal directional pickup, add to this the high pass filter and the -20dB pad and it’s just perfect for the aforementioned uses. Don’t get caught up in that though because this is a really good studio microphone instruments and vocals sound amazing.
In use it’s excellent, gives recording excellent clarity. The shock mount supplied keeps it stable, obviously make sure you have a quality stand and pop filter and you’re away.
Overall this is an incredible microphone
Blue Bluebird SL XLR Condenser Microphone
Having used the Blue Yeti USB mic for voice overs and meeting calls for the past 7 years I was looking to upgrade it as I kept getting a lot of line noise through the USB and as a guitar and saxophone player I thought it would be nice to get a microphone capable of recording high quality sounds. Blue Microphones and Amazon Vine have kindly sent a review sample to test out.
The unboxing experience is sublime with a nice wooden box to protect the microphone and the addition of a shock mount which can connect to a 3/8″ or 5/8″ standard boom arm. There are no cables included as is standard with these. The mic is all metal with a strong xlr connection and 2 switches for a 100hz high pass filter and -20pad which I will cover later.
For my testing I ran this through a Behringer UMC22 which is very cheap and is a limiting factor in the audio quality, but I have to say this microphone still sounds incredible running through it and for voice overs, live streaming and meetings it is more than adequate.
The microphone has a cardioid pattern condenser capsule and has been inspired from their high end mics. It has a max SPL of 138db and a frequency response of 20Hz-20KHz which covers a massive range without distortion making it good for recording instruments. The mic itself can be tuned quite easily through hardware or software without losing quality. The mic is pretty versatile, although I prefer this for vocals it can also stretch to any use, even drums.
It requires phantom power and has a transformer-less design which reduces any ground noise which for me is the biggest improvement over a usb mic. It is also very easy to run with a 50% input volume on the audio interface the levels come through nicely, compared to the Sure-SM7B which needs a lot of gain to get a good sound out. The low pass filter is a simple hardware switch and for vocals helps cut a lot of background noise out without additional filtering. The -20 pad is probably useful for drums or very loud inputs although for vocals I haven’t needed it. The audio quality at all frequencies is very impressive without any muddiness at lower levels like a lot of mics struggle with. I have uploaded a video to show the quality but I don’t know how much it will be compressed.
The design of the microphone actually fixes the biggest issue I had with the yeti, the rounded top which is separated from the body actually allows me to clearly see the screen whilst recording, its also quite a way from the shock mount which keeps my line of site clear. It is however, a pretty heavy mic and so I would recommend a good boom arm to support it, it can rotate 360 degrees in the mount so works in any orientation.
Overall I can’t express how much I have enjoyed using this. It’s best suited for vocals but works well at most other things and the design makes it a good choice for streamers, gamers and anyone who wants something nice to look at. It’s the perfect upgrade step from a blue yeti in my opinion and I’m still impressed with how good it sounded through a cheap audio interface.
Hopefully my review and video has been helpful.
This mic has character and classic quality sound , Blue microphone baby bottle SL XLR condenser microphone for recording and streaming. Delivers great sound with classic mid range , good smooth top end and neutral bottom . XLR connection and is perfect for my desktop computer audio interfaces and mixers . The high pass filter increases clarity , reduces rumble from my room or desk . -20dB keeps my stream free from distortion . This quality of microphone is a revelation to me , it screams professional and will not disappoint . Just the way it comes in a so well presented wooden box looks so classy it looks good so it must be good . I will use this every week at our well supported Line Dancing classes and my music centre at home . It is very expensive but the quality is top class !
From the family musician.
Opening the box, I was impressed by the build quality of the Blue Ember microphone. It’s not ridiculously heavy, but it feels solid and quite weighty. It looks smart and it has a relatively slim profile, which is probably a bonus for “on camera” video makers. A rigid microphone stand mount was also included. It would be nice to have a shock mount included, but perhaps that’s a bit much to expect at this price. In practice, at least during testing, I didn’t experience any problems with noise transmitted through the stand. There is no case – not even a soft one – but again I’m sure cost is a factor here and the money seems to have gone into the microphone itself.
The Ember is a condenser mic, requiring phantom power, so you need to make sure your interface can provide this. As the large notice inside the box lid says, this is a “side address” mic, so the source should be pointing at the face of the mic with the Blue logo, rather than the top.
It looks and feels good, but how does it sound? I didn’t have either of my normal vocal recording condenser microphones to hand, but I used a good quality dynamic supercardioid that was already plugged into my interface, so bear in mind that this was not a full comparison with another condenser microphone. I recorded a short piece of music featuring acoustic guitar and vocals (tracked separately), first with the dynamic and then with the Ember, taking care to match levels and proximity to the sources as best I could. On listening back, my preference was for the tracks recorded with the Ember on both the vocals and the guitar. The vocals had a greater sense of air, without ever sounding overly bright or harsh. Sibilance was not a problem. There was good off-axis rejection from the cardioid Ember. The acoustic guitar sounded fuller through the Ember at both ends of the spectrum, with a richer low end and a bit more presence in the upper mids, though not dissimilar to how bright acoustics tend to sound on modern recordings.
I was very surprised at just how well this microphone suited my voice, with a frequency response that gave a pleasing – perhaps even flattering – result. I recorded without a pop shield & although there were no horrible plosives, there were a couple of moments that came close to popping and I would recommend using a pop shield to be sure of keeping plosives under control.
Overall, I think this a microphone that performs above its price point and I’m looking forward to trying it on some other instruments & voices.
From the family musician.
Opening the box, I was impressed by the build quality of the Blue Ember microphone. It’s not ridiculously heavy, but it feels solid and quite weighty. It looks smart and it has a relatively slim profile, which is probably a bonus for “on camera” video makers. A rigid microphone stand mount was also included. It would be nice to have a shock mount included, but perhaps that’s a bit much to expect at this price. In practice, at least during testing, I didn’t experience any problems with noise transmitted through the stand. There is no case – not even a soft one – but again I’m sure cost is a factor here and the money seems to have gone into the microphone itself.
The Ember is a condenser mic, requiring phantom power, so you need to make sure your interface can provide this. As the large notice inside the box lid says, this is a “side address” mic, so the source should be pointing at the face of the mic with the Blue logo, rather than the top.
It looks and feels good, but how does it sound? I didn’t have either of my normal vocal recording condenser microphones to hand, but I used a good quality dynamic supercardioid that was already plugged into my interface, so bear in mind that this was not a full comparison with another condenser microphone. I recorded a short piece of music featuring acoustic guitar and vocals (tracked separately), first with the dynamic and then with the Ember, taking care to match levels and proximity to the sources as best I could. On listening back, my preference was for the tracks recorded with the Ember on both the vocals and the guitar. The vocals had a greater sense of air, without ever sounding overly bright or harsh. Sibilance was not a problem. There was good off-axis rejection from the cardioid Ember. The acoustic guitar sounded fuller through the Ember at both ends of the spectrum, with a richer low end and a bit more presence in the upper mids, though not dissimilar to how bright acoustics tend to sound on modern recordings.
I was very surprised at just how well this microphone suited my voice, with a frequency response that gave a pleasing – perhaps even flattering – result. I recorded without a pop shield & although there were no horrible plosives, there were a couple of moments that came close to popping and I would recommend using a pop shield to be sure of keeping plosives under control.
Overall, I think this a microphone that performs above its price point and I’m looking forward to trying it on some other instruments & voices.
From the family musician.
Opening the box, I was impressed by the build quality of the Blue Ember microphone. It’s not ridiculously heavy, but it feels solid and quite weighty. It looks smart and it has a relatively slim profile, which is probably a bonus for “on camera” video makers. A rigid microphone stand mount was also included. It would be nice to have a shock mount included, but perhaps that’s a bit much to expect at this price. In practice, at least during testing, I didn’t experience any problems with noise transmitted through the stand. There is no case – not even a soft one – but again I’m sure cost is a factor here and the money seems to have gone into the microphone itself.
The Ember is a condenser mic, requiring phantom power, so you need to make sure your interface can provide this. As the large notice inside the box lid says, this is a “side address” mic, so the source should be pointing at the face of the mic with the Blue logo, rather than the top.
It looks and feels good, but how does it sound? I didn’t have either of my normal vocal recording condenser microphones to hand, but I used a good quality dynamic supercardioid that was already plugged into my interface, so bear in mind that this was not a full comparison with another condenser microphone. I recorded a short piece of music featuring acoustic guitar and vocals (tracked separately), first with the dynamic and then with the Ember, taking care to match levels and proximity to the sources as best I could. On listening back, my preference was for the tracks recorded with the Ember on both the vocals and the guitar. The vocals had a greater sense of air, without ever sounding overly bright or harsh. Sibilance was not a problem. There was good off-axis rejection from the cardioid Ember. The acoustic guitar sounded fuller through the Ember at both ends of the spectrum, with a richer low end and a bit more presence in the upper mids, though not dissimilar to how bright acoustics tend to sound on modern recordings.
I was very surprised at just how well this microphone suited my voice, with a frequency response that gave a pleasing – perhaps even flattering – result. I recorded without a pop shield & although there were no horrible plosives, there were a couple of moments that came close to popping and I would recommend using a pop shield to be sure of keeping plosives under control.
Overall, I think this a microphone that performs above its price point and I’m looking forward to trying it on some other instruments & voices.
First things first it’s a beautiful looking mic and the wooden box is an extra lovely touch, it’ll look great in any set-up.
It’s a condenser mic so will need some external power — it isn’t going to work running an XLR to USB cable. You’ll also need an XLR amplifier or mixer to bring out the best of this mic.
Fo just shy of 200 it would have been nice for an XLR cable to be included — mass production makes them pennies and would have been a nice little extra.
For the average person you’re not going to overly notice the difference between this mic and one that’s half the price — don’t forget all the extras you’ll need to go with too.
Lovely piece of kit but on the pricey side for me.
To compare, I recorded audio tracks on Sony Vegas; one for Blue and one for my BM-800. No anechoic chambers unfortunately and this is hardly an ultra-scientific test; so this review is just a ball-park comparison in performance. 1) Vocal performance is pretty equal. The high-end sibilance from my voice (I have a mid-to-high-end voice, with hardly no bass) were identical; I could not tell the difference in performance. 2) next: Ava Max — Sweet but Psycho — played through my Soundcore 3. The contrast couldn’t be starker; the BM-800 has far superior bass performance — leaving Blue attempting to offer dull-thudding to pass for the hit bassline. The mid-to-high-end performance was again similar, although the BM-800 seems superior in overall sensitivity. What these tests show is how good the BM-800 is – as a cheaper microphone — and should not detract from Blue as a quality Mic. The over presentation out of the box for Blue — is that of a high-quality studio Microphone.
The downside: as above — the bandwidth is not as good as it should be. But whereas the BM-800 came with all sorts of microphone stands and mounting (see the pictures I uploaded) Blue came with only a mounting holder. If I did not have the set-up for the BM-800 — I would not have been able to place Blue on a proper stand.
I can only recommend for vocal work. And if you have a Baritone voice — then you should look elsewhere to bring that out. Still, Blue is a great mic.
To compare, I recorded audio tracks on Sony Vegas; one for Blue and one for my BM-800. No anechoic chambers unfortunately and this is hardly an ultra-scientific test; so this review is just a ball-park comparison in performance. 1) Vocal performance is pretty equal. The high-end sibilance from my voice (I have a mid-to-high-end voice, with hardly no bass) were identical; I could not tell the difference in performance. 2) next: Ava Max — Sweet but Psycho — played through my Soundcore 3. The contrast couldn’t be starker; the BM-800 has far superior bass performance — leaving Blue attempting to offer dull-thudding to pass for the hit bassline. The mid-to-high-end performance was again similar, although the BM-800 seems superior in overall sensitivity. What these tests show is how good the BM-800 is – as a cheaper microphone — and should not detract from Blue as a quality Mic. The over presentation out of the box for Blue — is that of a high-quality studio Microphone.
The downside: as above — the bandwidth is not as good as it should be. But whereas the BM-800 came with all sorts of microphone stands and mounting (see the pictures I uploaded) Blue came with only a mounting holder. If I did not have the set-up for the BM-800 — I would not have been able to place Blue on a proper stand.
I can only recommend for vocal work. And if you have a Baritone voice — then you should look elsewhere to bring that out. Still, Blue is a great mic.
I was genuinely so, so very excited to receive this microphone as someone who is hoping to eventually set up a podcast (or just mess around), so when it arrived I was pretty much bouncing off the ceiling. The microphone is stunning, it is weighty and well designed and is a perfect shade of metallic blue. It comes with the instruction manual only – you don’t get a cable. That’s because this mic is a professional compression one, it needs an XLR cable for starters. Now please stop me if I’m wrong, since I am just getting to grips with how this works… It also needs a digital audio interface that can plug into a USB if you plan to record on your computer. You also need to ensure that the interface has 48V phantom power. And to finish it off, you ideally need a mic stand and a pop filter to go over it to help the sound quality. Phew. Got all that? It took me a while of searching online and reading a LOT of material to get the basics. As things stand, and I am sorry, Blue – but because I don’t own the equipment that gets the mic up and running I haven’t been able to try it. I am planning on rectifying this because oh my goodness the quality of the build is unreal, and I want to give it a fair review (plus, who doesn’t want to pretend they’re a rock star?) – I plan on coming back with an update. But for anyone planning on buying a mic as a casual user, I’d choose a USB mic for ease of setting up!
To compare, I recorded audio tracks on Sony Vegas; one for Blue and one for my BM-800. No anechoic chambers unfortunately and this is hardly an ultra-scientific test; so this review is just a ball-park comparison in performance. 1) Vocal performance is pretty equal. The high-end sibilance from my voice (I have a mid-to-high-end voice, with hardly no bass) were identical; I could not tell the difference in performance. 2) next: Ava Max — Sweet but Psycho — played through my Soundcore 3. The contrast couldn’t be starker; the BM-800 has far superior bass performance — leaving Blue attempting to offer dull-thudding to pass for the hit bassline. The mid-to-high-end performance was again similar, although the BM-800 seems superior in overall sensitivity. What these tests show is how good the BM-800 is – as a cheaper microphone — and should not detract from Blue as a quality Mic. The over presentation out of the box for Blue — is that of a high-quality studio Microphone.
The downside: as above — the bandwidth is not as good as it should be. But whereas the BM-800 came with all sorts of microphone stands and mounting (see the pictures I uploaded) Blue came with only a mounting holder. If I did not have the set-up for the BM-800 — I would not have been able to place Blue on a proper stand.
I can only recommend for vocal work. And if you have a Baritone voice — then you should look elsewhere to bring that out. Still, Blue is a great mic.
To compare, I recorded audio tracks on Sony Vegas; one for Blue and one for my BM-800. No anechoic chambers unfortunately and this is hardly an ultra-scientific test; so this review is just a ball-park comparison in performance. 1) Vocal performance is pretty equal. The high-end sibilance from my voice (I have a mid-to-high-end voice, with hardly no bass) were identical; I could not tell the difference in performance. 2) next: Ava Max — Sweet but Psycho — played through my Soundcore 3. The contrast couldn’t be starker; the BM-800 has far superior bass performance — leaving Blue attempting to offer dull-thudding to pass for the hit bassline. The mid-to-high-end performance was again similar, although the BM-800 seems superior in overall sensitivity. What these tests show is how good the BM-800 is – as a cheaper microphone — and should not detract from Blue as a quality Mic. The over presentation out of the box for Blue — is that of a high-quality studio Microphone.
The downside: as above — the bandwidth is not as good as it should be. But whereas the BM-800 came with all sorts of microphone stands and mounting (see the pictures I uploaded) Blue came with only a mounting holder. If I did not have the set-up for the BM-800 — I would not have been able to place Blue on a proper stand.
I can only recommend for vocal work. And if you have a Baritone voice — then you should look elsewhere to bring that out. Still, Blue is a great mic.
Absolutely Awesome mic! Well packaged and fantastically presented with high quality construction materials right down to the shock mounts. Straight forward setup and very easy to use.
Very impressed with the warmth & presence also the clarity is amazing with the vocals being spot on & ideal for many applications seriously has good value as i have tried more expensive mics & i cant tell the difference performance wise, its that good which is sturdy & also durable.
Very pleased and highly recommend.
Blue Microphones bluebird SL Condenser Microphone with Custom Shockmount, Cardioid Polar Pattern, for Recording, Broadcasting, Podcasting, Twitch Gaming Streaming, YouTube Videos –
This is specifically designed to produce a very modern, almost hi-fi sound that is clean and crisp for articulate instrument applications. It’s a large diaphragm condenser, but it behaves more like a small diaphragm, highly-directional microphone. It is ideal for getting added dynamic response from acoustic guitars and pianos, and I just know it would take the skin off your nose with a horn section in front of it. If you are looking for clarity and punch in your recordings without having to run the source at high volumes, this is the Blue microphone for the task. It also makes an ideal alternative for a vocal microphone when several vocal tracks are used in one song and you want each to stand out from one another. As with any good microphone collection, the SL range offers some real diversity that allows you to multitrack single sound sources with different capsules for varying results. The Bluebird SL is the perfect microphone for doubling up your takes with when looking to add some sparkle to the mix.
This microphone truly sings. It gives truly excellent accuracy in vocal recording on both the highs and lows. It really stands out, however, when you mic an acoustic guitar. Position the mic about 8 inches away from the highest point on the fretboard and you’ll be amazed at how it sounds. Just play with it a little bit and you will be blown away.
The Blue Bluebird is a very decent mic. It’s highs are more pronounced than another mic with a flat frequency response. … It also makes a good over-the-shoulder mic for recording acoustic guitar.
BLUE are known for their offbeat designs and mostly source-specific microphones. However, over the past few years the Bluebird has shown to be a particularly versatile microphone, a great addition to your microphone cabinet and a welcome addition to the BLUE line of microphones…. You can’t go wrong with the bluebird!
Features……
Extended upper clarity with smooth mid frequencies for any voice or instrument,
Hand-built proprietary large-diaphragm cardioid capsule for full, open sound.
High-pass filter and -20dB pad for ultimate versatility.
Works great with home studio USB audio interfaces.
This comes very well presented in its own deluxe box, the bluebird microphone is then inside the deluxe box inside a wooden box, it’s very well protected from getting damaged in transit…….the Shockmount is in there too.. Along with instructions.
This has to be one of the best Microphones on the market, very impressive and deffinatly worth the money!
Can recommend highly.
Blue Microphones bluebird SL Condenser Microphone with Custom Shockmount, Cardioid Polar Pattern, for Recording, Broadcasting, Podcasting, Twitch Gaming Streaming, YouTube Videos –
This is specifically designed to produce a very modern, almost hi-fi sound that is clean and crisp for articulate instrument applications. It’s a large diaphragm condenser, but it behaves more like a small diaphragm, highly-directional microphone. It is ideal for getting added dynamic response from acoustic guitars and pianos, and I just know it would take the skin off your nose with a horn section in front of it. If you are looking for clarity and punch in your recordings without having to run the source at high volumes, this is the Blue microphone for the task. It also makes an ideal alternative for a vocal microphone when several vocal tracks are used in one song and you want each to stand out from one another. As with any good microphone collection, the SL range offers some real diversity that allows you to multitrack single sound sources with different capsules for varying results. The Bluebird SL is the perfect microphone for doubling up your takes with when looking to add some sparkle to the mix.
This microphone truly sings. It gives truly excellent accuracy in vocal recording on both the highs and lows. It really stands out, however, when you mic an acoustic guitar. Position the mic about 8 inches away from the highest point on the fretboard and you’ll be amazed at how it sounds. Just play with it a little bit and you will be blown away.
The Blue Bluebird is a very decent mic. It’s highs are more pronounced than another mic with a flat frequency response. … It also makes a good over-the-shoulder mic for recording acoustic guitar.
BLUE are known for their offbeat designs and mostly source-specific microphones. However, over the past few years the Bluebird has shown to be a particularly versatile microphone, a great addition to your microphone cabinet and a welcome addition to the BLUE line of microphones…. You can’t go wrong with the bluebird!
Features……
Extended upper clarity with smooth mid frequencies for any voice or instrument,
Hand-built proprietary large-diaphragm cardioid capsule for full, open sound.
High-pass filter and -20dB pad for ultimate versatility.
Works great with home studio USB audio interfaces.
This comes very well presented in its own deluxe box, the bluebird microphone is then inside the deluxe box inside a wooden box, it’s very well protected from getting damaged in transit…….the Shockmount is in there too.. Along with instructions.
This has to be one of the best Microphones on the market, very impressive and deffinatly worth the money!
Can recommend highly.
Blue Microphones bluebird SL Condenser Microphone with Custom Shockmount, Cardioid Polar Pattern, for Recording, Broadcasting, Podcasting, Twitch Gaming Streaming, YouTube Videos –
This is specifically designed to produce a very modern, almost hi-fi sound that is clean and crisp for articulate instrument applications. It’s a large diaphragm condenser, but it behaves more like a small diaphragm, highly-directional microphone. It is ideal for getting added dynamic response from acoustic guitars and pianos, and I just know it would take the skin off your nose with a horn section in front of it. If you are looking for clarity and punch in your recordings without having to run the source at high volumes, this is the Blue microphone for the task. It also makes an ideal alternative for a vocal microphone when several vocal tracks are used in one song and you want each to stand out from one another. As with any good microphone collection, the SL range offers some real diversity that allows you to multitrack single sound sources with different capsules for varying results. The Bluebird SL is the perfect microphone for doubling up your takes with when looking to add some sparkle to the mix.
This microphone truly sings. It gives truly excellent accuracy in vocal recording on both the highs and lows. It really stands out, however, when you mic an acoustic guitar. Position the mic about 8 inches away from the highest point on the fretboard and you’ll be amazed at how it sounds. Just play with it a little bit and you will be blown away.
The Blue Bluebird is a very decent mic. It’s highs are more pronounced than another mic with a flat frequency response. … It also makes a good over-the-shoulder mic for recording acoustic guitar.
BLUE are known for their offbeat designs and mostly source-specific microphones. However, over the past few years the Bluebird has shown to be a particularly versatile microphone, a great addition to your microphone cabinet and a welcome addition to the BLUE line of microphones…. You can’t go wrong with the bluebird!
Features……
Extended upper clarity with smooth mid frequencies for any voice or instrument,
Hand-built proprietary large-diaphragm cardioid capsule for full, open sound.
High-pass filter and -20dB pad for ultimate versatility.
Works great with home studio USB audio interfaces.
This comes very well presented in its own deluxe box, the bluebird microphone is then inside the deluxe box inside a wooden box, it’s very well protected from getting damaged in transit…….the Shockmount is in there too.. Along with instructions.
This has to be one of the best Microphones on the market, very impressive and deffinatly worth the money!
Can recommend highly.
I’m so enthusiastic to learn and get the best possible audio and video quality. When I was purchasing my audio equipment with a Focusrite 2i2 and a good microphone with positive reviews from a good brand, I thought this was the perfect kit for streaming and home music studio. Audio quality was impressed me when I hear for he first time. That was until I hear Blue microphone. Oh man, what a surprise!
Unboxing experience was so impressive and revealing the quality level of this price range.
Baby Bottle SL Large-Diaphragm Studio Condenser Microphone is ultimate in rich, detailed, professional sound.
Baby Bottle SL delivers classic sound with a richly present midrange, smooth top end and neutral bottom, reminiscent of the world’s finest vintage microphones.
Some highlights are;
* Custom Blue Condenser Capsule – Delivers Blue’s legendary broadcast sound quality with depth and clarity
Classic Warmth and Presence-Baby Bottle SL delivers classic sound with a richly present midrange, smooth top end and neutral bottom
XLR Connection – Perfect for desktop computer audio interfaces and mixers
High-Pass Filter – Increases clarity, reducing rumble from your room or desk
-20dB Pad – Keeps your stream free of distortion when things get intense
I’m hopeful that pro streamers and home studio musicians looking for the latest microphone technology will learn more about Baby Bottle SL.
I’m so enthusiastic to learn and get the best possible audio and video quality. When I was purchasing my audio equipment with a Focusrite 2i2 and a good microphone with positive reviews from a good brand, I thought this was the perfect kit for streaming and home music studio. Audio quality was impressed me when I hear for he first time. That was until I hear Blue microphone. Oh man, what a surprise!
Unboxing experience was so impressive and revealing the quality level of this price range.
Baby Bottle SL Large-Diaphragm Studio Condenser Microphone is ultimate in rich, detailed, professional sound.
Baby Bottle SL delivers classic sound with a richly present midrange, smooth top end and neutral bottom, reminiscent of the world’s finest vintage microphones.
Some highlights are;
* Custom Blue Condenser Capsule – Delivers Blue’s legendary broadcast sound quality with depth and clarity
Classic Warmth and Presence-Baby Bottle SL delivers classic sound with a richly present midrange, smooth top end and neutral bottom
XLR Connection – Perfect for desktop computer audio interfaces and mixers
High-Pass Filter – Increases clarity, reducing rumble from your room or desk
-20dB Pad – Keeps your stream free of distortion when things get intense
I’m hopeful that pro streamers and home studio musicians looking for the latest microphone technology will learn more about Baby Bottle SL.
The Blue brand is part of the Logitech group. Regular readers will know that I am a fan of Logitech and have speaker systems and computer accessories of theirs. In use, the microphone works superbly. Out of the box, it is quite low gain and certainly benefits from the extra volume boost from hooking it up to an XLR amplifier or mixer. It is a bit like a turntable or Bluetooth can be with out pre-amplification, you need to turn the volume up to hear it. The downside can manifest itself as hiss or noise. This is how it is when one tries to step up a very low gain source to audible levels without some boost in between. While I am on he subject some kind of level monitoring, like VU meters or automatic level setting control is a handy addition.
Properly set up and with suitable ancillary equipment this microphone rewards with very clear and dynamic sound. Just what you want for a top quality set up. As such the ‘Blackout Spark’ is very good value even when you factor in the extra cost of the necessary gubbins. Perhaps not for the absolute beginner without some extra advise/help but with a little effort and perseverance the results are well worth it. On the plus side, once it is all set up, there is little else you need to do but enjoy what it can do.
We are a musical family and have all done the lockdown sounds singing/playing thing. This new microphone is the first step in setting up a dedicated music recording room in our house. Hopefully, everything will stay unlocked and open but if not we will be prepared for on-line music sessions, as well as we can be. I would recommend this product with the proviso that you are prepared to add or already have the necessary extras. Otherwise, there are some very good plug and play alternatives out there and other options in the Blue Microphone range is as good a place as any, to start your short list.
I’m so enthusiastic to learn and get the best possible audio and video quality. When I was purchasing my audio equipment with a Focusrite 2i2 and a good microphone with positive reviews from a good brand, I thought this was the perfect kit for streaming and home music studio. Audio quality was impressed me when I hear for he first time. That was until I hear Blue microphone. Oh man, what a surprise!
Unboxing experience was so impressive and revealing the quality level of this price range.
Baby Bottle SL Large-Diaphragm Studio Condenser Microphone is ultimate in rich, detailed, professional sound.
Baby Bottle SL delivers classic sound with a richly present midrange, smooth top end and neutral bottom, reminiscent of the world’s finest vintage microphones.
Some highlights are;
* Custom Blue Condenser Capsule – Delivers Blue’s legendary broadcast sound quality with depth and clarity
Classic Warmth and Presence-Baby Bottle SL delivers classic sound with a richly present midrange, smooth top end and neutral bottom
XLR Connection – Perfect for desktop computer audio interfaces and mixers
High-Pass Filter – Increases clarity, reducing rumble from your room or desk
-20dB Pad – Keeps your stream free of distortion when things get intense
I’m hopeful that pro streamers and home studio musicians looking for the latest microphone technology will learn more about Baby Bottle SL.
This is a beautiful microphone. The design is simple and classy and the build quality is excellent. It comes only with a custom mount for a mic stand – there is no XLR cable with it, unfortunately – so you will need to purchase one to connect it with your sound mixer or other equipment. As for the sound quality, my 17 year old grandson is the family musician, as the lead singer in the band he has formed with his schoolfriends, and he is absolutely over the moon. The sound quality is the best he has ever achieved, both when playing live and when recording. This super microphone is not something he would normally have been able to afford and it not only has changed his perception of what is possible, it has also helped him realise the difference good quality equipment can make.
I’m reviewing the Baby Bottle version here, and there’s something inherently lovely about this microphone, spanning from its decidedly old-timey stylings to the vocal tone that you get out of it.
The richness of quality is the full five stars without doubt. I’ve tested it with both sung vocals and calm voiceover and am quietly blown away by the quality of the result. When the description says broadcast quality, it really means it. There is that middle-of-EQ warmth that pushes through the roominess of a limited recording space, and allows you to tweak away the room and get something really clean but which still sounds original, organic and unfiltered. It’s a sonic joy. It’s one of those mics where you feel guilty that the vocal doesn’t live up to the quality of the microphone, rather than the other way around.
It’s a surprisingly forgiving microphone in terms of placement, and the results retain their quality even when the performer’s mouth keeps changing distance or direction relative to the mic. I’ve used pro mics before that have been much, much fussier. The two switches above the logo are lightweight and quiet. They’re so lightweight in fact that it’s quite easy to knock them by accident when handling the microphone, so handle it with there. But this is a microphone that deserves to be handled with care already, and that just adds to it.
Though it’s not the largest of microphones, it’s still got a lot of eye-catching power. In a live gig or podcast, if your vocalist is using one of these or it’s in-vision as a presenter mic, it’s going to get noticed and commented on. The branding of it seems to lean towards that classic Americana and country vibe, which come through also in the really-rather-nice dark red wooden box, but to me the slightly glam and gold-and-silver-cross trim on the microphone itself also lends itself towards a steampunk aesthetic.
The unboxing is fairly satisfying, it’s a nicely presented mic. The wood box is certainly the best bit but the other packaging is a demonstration of quality here, and it comes with a good dollop of that “posh new kit that sounds better than the old kit” joy. It’s also quite weighty.
Yes, this is an expensive microphone, and yes vloggers and podcasters who are only doing hobby videos for Y’Tube will get decent results from something far cheaper. But this is an absolutely top-notch mic for people with quality vocals that need recording in the best way possible. It’s an investment, but a good one.
I’ve had this mic since 2018. I use it for voice overs and live streams. It has always sounded fantastic, even back when I was just using a phantom power supply and a cheap usb sound card. Now I have a GoXLR and the mic sounds amazing.
The build quality is great, it’s a bit heavy for cheap mic arms
All in all it has and still is serving me well, it sounds so much better than the yeti, plus it looks awesome
I’m a content creator for YouTube and I stream. This microphone is great for my voice. My voice is kind of unique in that I have a bassy mid-tone voice which allows me to pic up almost any mic and my voice will require minimum eq. This mic is FANTASTIC at picking up my low and mid tones. It gives a very pleasing warmth (think radio announcer) with great presence to my voice. Just remember that microphones are better suited to different tones of voice. I read somewhere that this mic is best suited for the low and mid toned voices.
One important thing to note is that I use a GOXLR Mini for my interface which is pretty much has the best preamp on the market and provides premium quality sound. Blue Spark SL + GOXLR Mini is a match made in heaven. It has made a huge difference in my work flow as I don’t have to waste time in post processing my voice overs. I record and go straight into post video editing.
It is a good microphone with dinamic range and has very good quality
It is a good microphone with dinamic range and has very good quality
It is a good microphone with dinamic range and has very good quality
I use this microphone with a GoXLR for streaming on platforms like Twitch. This microphone is crisp and clear, and the aesthetics of it are top notch… Well worth the money… Just keep in mind that you need audio equipment to use it with as it is only an XLR mic… no 3.5 mm or usb connections.
I had my microphone for at least 4 days when I decided to just flip the switch on it to see what they do. After the 3rd time I’ve ever touched the switch it just falls off. Thanks
if paired with a decent xlr cable and a decent audio interface the sound is amazing. im using a xlr cable with extra shielding for low noise and a scarlett solo 3rd gen audio interface. beautiful sound and very detailed with low background noise. the high pass filter and 20db pad switches are very useful. great quality, great look. would reccomend to everyone. great value for the price as well.
This mic looks amazing. Feels like a quality build. I haven’t been able to use it with Logic Pro x for some reason. I do have an outdated logic program, but as soon as I get a new PC I will update. Looks great, feels great, and does sound pretty good through interface.
El microfono me da una definicin tan hermosa que no necesita masterizacin para mis proyectos de Youtube, sin duda alguna es un excelente microfono, como dato importante: lo uso con un cable con oro, para una conduccin de electricidad mejor.
Excellent mic and super top quality you would expect from blue microphones
Excellent mic and super top quality you would expect from blue microphones
Excellent mic and super top quality you would expect from blue microphones
I love this mic. It sounds amazing for a reasonable price. Would definitely recommend.
Doch wie das immer so ist, steigen mit der Zeit die eigenen und auch die Ansprche der Kunden was die Tonqualitt angeht.
Begeistert von Blue stand fr mich fest, dass es wieder Blue werden sollte – natrlich trotzdem noch ein zwei RODE Mikros getestet – aber die Klangfarbe, die Verarbeitung und das Design sprachen fr mich eine ganz eindeutige Sprache.
Verarbeitung:
Die Verpackung alleine ist schon der Hammer, eine Box in Kirsch-Holzoptik transportiert das Spark SL Blackout. Dazu gibts auch gleich die Spinne, die wie das Mikrofon selbst perfekt verarbeitet sind.
Die Schieberegler rasten ordentlich ein, die Metalle fhlen sich wahnsinnig gut an und das Gewicht trgt zu einem massiv-positiven ersten Eindruck bei.
Natrlich braucht man dafr auch einen ordentlichen Mikrofon-Arm oder ein stabiles Tischstativ. Bei mir ist es dieses hier geworden, das ich nur weiterempfehlen kann: Samson MD5 Mikrofon Tischstativ
Zusatzfunktionen:
Betrieben wird das Blue bei mir an einem iMac und ist per Scarlett 2i2 Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2G) USB-Audio-Interface mit Pro Tools angeschlossen.
Softwareseitig habe ich mit Logic, GarageBand und FinalCut ein paar Aufnahmen gemacht.
Nutzt man den -20dB-Switch, reduziert sich das Grundrauschen des Mikrofons, der angeschlossene Verstrker, kann dann das mglichst rauschfreie Signal verstrken und die Aufnahmequalitt nimmt deutlich zu – soweit die Theorie.
In der Praxis benutze ich das Mikrofon um z.B. VoiceOver ber Video-Bedienungsanleitungen zu legen bzw. Textteile einzusprechen – sobald das Video auf einer der gngigen Online-Plattformen landet hrt man da keinen groen Unterschied mehr.
Ich denke da habe ich auch den falschen Usecase, im Gesangsbereich wird man von dieser Funktion deutlich mehr profitieren.
Der zweite Switch, links, ist ein Low-Cut-Filter, er schneidet automatisch alle Gerusche unter einer bestimmten Hz-Zahl automatisch raus – in diesem Fall 100 Hz.
So bietet sich die Option, z.B. Trittgerusche, das Surren von Festplatten, Wind/ Luftzug usw. direkt schon vor der Aufnahme aus dem Tonspektrum zu schneiden – bei dieser Funktion merkt man selbst bei Audioaufnahmen mit einem schlechteren Codec deutlich die bessere Qualitt.
Klang:
Jedes Mikrofon/ jeder Hersteller hat seine eigene Frbung, hnlich wie bei Analogfilm. Blue gibt seinen Mikrofonen eine sehr warme Stimmfarbe. Beschreiben lsst sich sowas in Textform sehr schwer, am bestem mal auf die Seite von Blue schauen und die Stimmproben hren.
Diese Frbung kriegt in meinen Ohren kein anderer Hersteller so gut hin, RODE mag gute Mikrofone bauen, ein zu cleaner Ton ist aber fr den Hrer oft etwas komisch.
Tne die zu klar sind, zu sauber und zu neutral – wie ein komplett weier Raum – lenken oft viel mehr vom Inhalt des Videos und Tons ab als dass sie die Verstndlichkeit verbessern.
Und nein, dass soll nicht heien, dass das Spark SL unsauber aufnimmt oder den Ton verzerrt, die Frbung macht es aber zu einem perfekten Mikrofon fr Stimmen, den man gerne zuhren soll.
Zusammenfassung:
Will man dieses Mikrofon ordentlich betreiben, sind neben den >200 fr das Spark auch noch knapp 200 fr einen guten Verstrker, XLR-Kabel und Tischstativ zu berechnen – wenn man diese Investition aber wagt, dann gewinnt man ganz klar an Aufnahmequalitt.
Auch hat man in der Nachbearbeitung deutliche Vorteile. hnlich wie RAW-Bilder knnen mit diesem Mikrofon viel breite Spektren abgedeckt werden, so hat man hinterher deutlich mehr Spielraum fr die eigene Kreativitt.
estock itthis is the best microphone for streaming and gaming then baby bottle sl