Showing posts with label blue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blue. Show all posts

4/17/2012

Nady PCM-100 Professional Classic-style Condenser Microphone Review

Nady PCM-100 Professional Classic-style Condenser Microphone
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I bought this mic to record acoustic and classical guitar as well as vocals in my modest home recording set up. It performs ok, better than the Shure SM58 I used before. It sounds way more crisp and ambient, picking up a lot more details and clearer highs. It is not a professional studio mic, but it definately adds some semi-pro quality to my recordings. For miking-up electric guitar, placing it in front of my guitar amp, I still prefer the SM58 though. All in all a good price/performance ratio.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Nady PCM-100 Professional Classic-style Condenser Microphone

The Nady PCM-100 Classic Condenser Mic is perfect for broadcasting and stage vocal use. It is versatile in the studio, too. The Nady PCM-100 mic features a high-quality electret condenser element, cardioid polar pattern, and a smooth frequency response tailored for vivid vocal reproduction with a perfectly positioned presence peak. Switchable low-cut filter. Integral mic holder mount. Comes with foam-padded plastic carrying case. Requires phantom power.

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4/04/2012

Audio Technica AE5400 Handheld Condenser Microphone Review

Audio Technica AE5400 Handheld Condenser Microphone
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I purchased this microphone as a gift to a very talented Vocalist. I looked at many brands and models. After giving this microphone, I received several demo tapes on which it was used. Amazing! What a difference over the 58 wired and wireless he was using. One big attraction is the ability to use the microphone in either flat or low roll off modes. This extends the utility dramatically. I'm glad I went this way.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Audio Technica AE5400 Handheld Condenser Microphone

The Audio Technica AE5400 Handheld Condenser Microphone delivers pristine sound quality demanded by the most discriminating microphone user. With its superb sonic design, this true condenser features superior anti-shock engineering for low handling noise and quiet performance. Featuring the same element as the classic AT4050 studio mic, its large-diaphragm capsule assures an accurate, natural response. It handles high SPL's and offers protection against plosives/sibilance without compromising high-frequency performance and clarity. Audio Technica AE5400 Features The ultimate vocal performance instrument Pristine sound quality demanded by the most discriminating microphone user Same large-diaphragm element as the renowned AT4050 studio microphone; true condenser design Superior anti-shock engineering ensures low handling noise and quiet performance High-quality double-sided PCB uses surface-mount components. Extensive grounding plane and attention to best-practice grounding methods minimize electrical noise Multi-stage grille design offers excellent protection against plosives and sibilance without compromising high-frequency clarity Cardioid polar pattern reduces pickup of sounds from the sides and rear, improving isolation of desired sound source Custom transformer improves performance specifications by isolating against noise and RF interference, and providing excellent saturation characteristics that contribute to smooth linear sound quality Robust design for enduring dependability on the road Quiet-Flex stand clamp provides silent, flexible microphone positioning Integral 80 Hz HPF switch and 10 dB pad AmericanMusical.com is an authorized dealer of Audio-Technica products.

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3/27/2012

Crown PZM-185 PZM Mic Battery/Phantom Review

Crown PZM-185 PZM Mic Battery/Phantom
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Specialized! Great for purchasers who understand this type of microphone. This type of microphone must be placed on a flat, hard surface for best results. A table, a sheet of suspended plexiglass, a desktop are examples of flat, hard surfaces. This type of microphone picks up all sound that reaches the boundary -- or surface -- on which the microphone rests. The plastic paddle features two (2), tiny and fragile "posts." You can either attach the paddle or remove it using these posts, which squeeze and insert into holes on the bottom of the microphone casing. The paddle isn't required if you want to mount the microphone on some other type of flat surface. I am a distance learning audio technician who works with far more expensive ceiling-mounted Tandberg "AudioScience" microphones (around $1,500). Believe it or not, this Crown PZM-185 is almost as good when mounted on suspended plexiglass! They call this a "PZM" or "pressure zone microphone." The pickup pattern is shaped like a half-sphere. So, if you put it on a table, then everything above the table will be heard to a distance of at least nine (9) feet. This model uses either batteries or, if you plug it into a mixer, you can use the mixer's "phantom" power to power the microphone. Amazing device for the money. Crown has better, more expensive models too. As I understand it, Crown's PZM line of microphones is now being marketed by AKG... a Harman company.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Crown PZM-185 PZM Mic Battery/Phantom

An inexpensive version of the PZM-30 and PZM6 with XLR output, can be phantom or battery powered.The Crown® PZM®-185 Pressure Zone Microphone® is a microphone designed for general-purpose use. Ideal for applications such as conferences, group discussions, interviews, broadcast, home video production, lectures, and recordings. The mic can be placed on a large surface such as a table, floor, wall, or lectern. The PZM-185 is powered either by an internal AAA 1.5V battery or 12-48V phantom power. The boundary "paddle" can be detached so the mic will fit in your pocket. Attached to the mic is an 8-foot (2.438-m) cable leading to a tubular power module. The microphone’s low-profile design reduces "mic fright" and minimizes clutter. It is nearly invisible on camera. The PZM-185 minimizes pickup of vibration and handling noise. Its electret condenser capsule provides a wide, smooth frequency response from 50 Hz to 16 kHz. The mic’s hemispherical polar pattern allows clear pickup of everyone surrounding the microphone. The PZM-185 is protected against static and RFI. The output is balanced, low impedance, which allows long cable runs without hum pickup or high-frequency loss.Like other Pressure Zone Microphones, the PZM- 185 uses a miniature mic capsule mounted very near a sound-reflecting plate or boundary in the Pressure Zone. In this zone, direct sound from the sound source combines in phase at all frequencies with reflected sound off the boundary.

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2/20/2012

Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone Bundle (with Ringer Shock Mount) Review

Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone Bundle (with Ringer Shock Mount)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This WAS my third attempt at purchasing a microphone for some Web Based Multimedia Training that I am developing. The other two manufactures that I purchased were junk. They hissed and popped and just plain sucked! I was at my witts end. However, this Microphone by Blue Mic was an excellent investment. IT WORKS GREAT! I plugged it in and away we went. I use the Adobe products it worked out of the box with both Captivate and Presenter. I highly recommend this microphone.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone Bundle (with Ringer Shock Mount)

The Blue Mics Snowball USB Microphone is the world's first professional USB mic! The Snowball finally provides you with a USB mic that's not only easy to use, but sounds as good on your desktop as it does in a professional recording studio. Whether you're recording a guitar at your kitchen table or a complete band in the studio, the Snowball can capture it with detail unheard of before in a USB mic. The Snowball is a direct plug n' play mic that connects to either a Mac or PC - no additional software is needed. With its dual capsule design and unique three-pattern switch (cardioid, cardioid with -10dB pad and omni), the Snowball can handle everything from soft vocals to the loudest garage band - and it's ideal for podcasting. Check it out and you'll see why it's the coolest mic in town. Blue Mics Snowball Features Plug and play design - no software required! Professional studio quality performance - record both vocals and instruments Mac and PC compatible Blue's renowned circuit and unique two-capsule design Switchable mic patterns for a variety of recording applications Great for podcasting Includes custom mic stand and USB cable Add The Ringer for a few coins more! Designed for Blue's complete line of spherical microphones, The Ringer is a vintage-style suspension mount designed to isolate the microphone body from low-frequency energy when mounted on a mic stand. The Ringer also accommodates virtually any microphone with a standard thread mount.

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10/08/2011

Tascam TRACKPacKX1 Recording Bundle with US100, Mic, and Headphone Review

Tascam TRACKPacKX1 Recording Bundle with US100, Mic, and Headphone
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This entire package is garbage. The headphones have no bass. I plugged my bass guitar into this thing and the headphones would crackle with every note played. The microphone does plug in through XLR, but vocals come out ugly sounding. The interface itself, while simple to use, gives me terrible latency when using adobe audition 3.0, to where you cant even record vocals because your ears are confused. and that leads me to using the audacity software that comes with it(which there are no instructions for) and im unable to master my vocals. So in short, this entire bundle sucks, and i wouldnt recommend it to anyone.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Tascam TRACKPacKX1 Recording Bundle with US100, Mic, and Headphone

Get all the components you need to turn your Mac or PC into a total recording system for music, podcasting or production with Tascam's Track Pack X1, which bundles together the US-100 USB audio interface, MC-VT1 microphone, HP-VT1 headphones, and Audacity recording software.


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9/10/2011

Pro Tools Make Music Now Vocal Studio Review

Pro Tools Make Music Now Vocal Studio
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
To all of those out there that love to rap or sing.especially if you use Fruity Loops or Pro-Tools to make music this is a must have.You will not be dissapointed.It sounds very professional and is the real deal.

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Create stunning, clear vocals with Pro Tools Vocal Studio, powered with the same technology preferred by top music professionals to create, edit and produce much of the world's most popular music. Enjoy limitless musical creativity when you pair Pro Tools M-Powered Essential music software with the top quality, yet simple M-Audio Producer USB microphone. Produce professional-sounding soundtracks, podcasts and voiceover narrations with ease. The fuel to your creative fire, Pro Tools Vocal Studio packs everything you need to effortlessly turn your computer into a complete recording studio.
Achieve studio-quality recording at home with the M-Audio Producer microphone.

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8/17/2011

Blue Microphones Bluebird Cardioid Condenser Mic Review

Blue Microphones Bluebird Cardioid Condenser Mic
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This microphone sounds very good on everything I've tried it on. Running the mic through a DBX 376 mic pre, I was able to get some great vocals. Though to get a good amount of clarity on the consonants I did have to ask the singer to back up about six inches from the mic. Being close in, the mic just didn't pick up the T and S sounds. With that adjustment, the mic did a good job on vocals ending up with takes the singer and I were both happy with. It didn't blow me away, but it sounded good. I've used it on a combo amp with good results as well as acoustic guitar and mandolin with better results. Not blown away, but overall happy with the way it sounds being a two to three hundred dollar mic.
What I really don't like about this mic is how the look of the design and aesthetics of the mic are clearly more important to blue than the functionality. Getting this thing in and out of the shock mount is a bit of a pain as it threads into it. I just know I'm going to mis-thread the thing once and have to spend another 80 bucks to get a replacement. Also, every time you adjust the angle of the shock mount you really have to crank the small thumb screw to get it to stay into place. I find the thing very difficult to lock into place all for the sake of looking attractive. I find nothing less attractive than poor functionality. Which brings me to the pop screen. I've read plenty of reviews claiming the pop screen was useless. I wouldn't know because the screen that came with my mic doesn't fit the mic. I sent an email off to Blue and didn't hear anything for two weeks, in the mean time Amazon shipped a free replacement, but it had the exact same issue. Blue responded to a second email and they said the last batch of screens was bad. Blue is supposed to be shipping me a pop screen "when they become available", so I hope I'll be getting one.
All in all, it's a good sounding mic for the money. I find it to be on par with my ADK A51. It's not the "crown jewel" of my modest mic collection but a different flavor to use. But I find the functionality of the accessories to be cumbersome at best, and unusable at worst.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Blue Microphones Bluebird Cardioid Condenser Mic


Designed to offer superb sound and maximum versatility, Blue Microphones' Bluebird is a large-diaphragm cardioid condenser that can handle everything--including vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, drums, strings, and woodwinds. It utilizes Blue's renowned microphone technology and a Class-A discrete circuit to achieve superior detail and clarity, while its unique, retro appearance is sure to be a hit in the studio. The complete Bluebird package includes a shockmount, pop filter, cable, and wooden case.
All-Purpose Design Gives You Professional Quality
The Bluebird is Blue Microphones' response to popular opinion--most people ask for a mic with a warm tone and silky smooth highs, and the Bluebird delivers. Engineered to be as versatile as possible, the Bluebird maintains the high-quality, no-compromise audio that you expect from Blue Microphones. This makes it ideal for male and female vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, close-miking of drums, drum overheads, percussion, piano, horns, and strings--in short, whatever you need it for most.
Proprietary Capsule and Discrete Electronic Components
Each professional-grade Blue Microphone utilizes a unique, proprietary capsule design to capture a specific sonic signature, and the Bluebird is no exception. As a large-diaphragm condenser with a cardioid polar pattern, the Bluebird is built to capture rich, full-bodied sound from sources that are directly in front of the mic.

The capsule and cardioid pattern combine with high-quality electronic components, including a Class-A discrete amplifier circuit, to ensure that each Bluebird mic offers consistent, reliable performance with extended top- and bottom-end sound detail. The electronic components in all of Blue's microphones have been carefully selected, based on 20 years of engineering and experimentation, in order to increase microphone speed, decrease distortion, reduce product variance, and ensure long-term dependability.
Unique Vintage Look and Complete Setup
Satin nickel plating and a baby-blue grip give the Bluebird Mic an original look that matches its well-rounded audio performance. A specially designed shockmount and metal mesh pop filter for laying down clean vocals are included with the mic. It also comes with a wooden storage case that matches the mics retro good looks.

The Bluebird is backed by a three-year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
Bluebird cardioid condenser microphone, shockmount, pop filter, cable, and wooden case.


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5/28/2011

Blue Microphones Icicle XLR to USB Mic Converter/Mic Preamp Review

Blue Microphones Icicle XLR to USB Mic Converter/Mic Preamp
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I bought the Blue Icicle because I had to quickly record some trumpet lines and I didn't have an interface. Well, actually, I did pick up an open box unit that didn't work because they couldn't provide me with the external power supply, so I took it back and got the Icicle as a quick fix that would get me where I needed to go in a timely manner.
Hardware: iMac, dual core 2.0 GHz processor and 4 GB or RAM. OS 10.5.8.
Software: Garage Band.
Mic: Shure SM57.
Pros. For recording trumpet with an SM57 it was perfect. Clear sound, low noise, LOTS of signal. With the gain a little over half way on the Icicle and about 58% in Garage Band I got hot horn lines with gain to spare. Any hotter and they would have started clipping, so it definitely gave enough signal to get the job done.
Cons. The gain knob has no dial or indicators for how far you have turned it - it has to be done by feel making it almost impossible to duplicate your settings exactly. This could be improved with a knob with an arrow and a marked dial so you can see where it's set. It also feels a bit cheap - it's lightweight and feels almost fragile. Treated with care it's fine, but I doubt it would take much abuse before it would break and I have been ultra careful with it because it feels so lightweight and cheap. I also used it as recommended in the accompanying literature and didn't plug it directly into the back of the mic - I used it with a mic cable.
For what I needed it was perfect - simple plug and play that got good sound into my computer, and it worked well in a pinch. I just wish it was a little higher quality in terms of construction. A bit heavier and a better dial for the analog gain, and I would have rated it a full 5 stars but as it is, I can at best give it 4.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Blue Microphones Icicle XLR to USB Mic Converter/Mic Preamp

The Icicle is Blue's new stylish USB converter and mic preamp combo that allows you to connect any XLR microphone directly into your computer via USB. The Icicle features a studio quality microphone preamp, 48V phantom power, fully balanced low noise front end, analog gain control, and driverless operation.

Make Any Mic a USB Mic The Icicle works with both dynamic and condenser microphones, providing high quality and hassle-free connectivity with Mac or PC. Whether you're using a microphone for digital recording, podcasting, voice messaging, or voice recognition applications, the Icicle is the quick and easy way to get connected.
Plug and Record Simply plug in the USB cable and your mic will be live--no special driver installation is required.
Quality and Simplicity The Icicle features a built-in, studio-quality mic preamp, along with a fully balanced, low-noise analog front end to send a clear signal via USB.
It also supplies 48V Phantom Power for condenser mics.
On the control front, the Icicle keeps it simple, with a single analog volume level control.
What's in the Box Blue Icicle, 6-foot USB Cable

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5/09/2011

Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone Review

Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
NOTE: I used the Blue Yeti Microphone to record this Video Review
Blue Yeti Review Summary
The Blue Yeti is an excellent plug and record USB microphone that has dramatically increased the quality of my voice recordings. It has a solid & sleek build, is easy to use, and most importantly clearly records my voice.
Introduction - Who I am and how do I use this product
My name is Antonio and I own and operate ATailoredSuit.com; I have been using the Blue Yeti since February to speak with clients on Skype and to record podcasts and videos about men's style and custom clothing. Prior to owning the Blue Yeti I used the Blue Snowflake for one year; before that I used the built in microphone on my computer and headsets. For the last 6 months I have been looking at purchasing the Blue Snowball; when this microphone came out I decided to make this purchase instead.
Pros - Things I Love
1.Sound Recording Quality - The most important quality in a microphone; from my limited 30 day use and when compared to the past types of microphones I am used to (Blue Snowflake, Logitech Webcam 9000 Microphone, Various Headset microphones, Built in Computer Microphones) this Microphone beat them all.
2.Plug and Play - I have seamlessly used this microphone on 3 separate computers, one running XP, the other Vista, and on a Windows 7 machine. In each case it was immediately recognized and clearly marked as the Blue Yeti
3.Simple Knobs and Design - Mute, Mode, Headphone Volume and MIC Gain Control. Stand can be tightened and microphone removed.
4.Solid Build - Overall, Solid (One small complaint below). The 10 foot USB cord was a nice touch.
5.Playful Approach - Blue has decided to present the Yeti in a playful manner. They appeal to the creative and make the manual much more approachable for those of us not technically inclined.
Cons - Things I am not happy with
1.Size - It weight 3.5 pounds and stands 1 foot high - I am used to this now, but be prepared for a big footprint!
2.Looseness of Volume & Gain Controls - A small complaint, but for an overall solid device these feel like they will be the first things to break.
Final Recommendation
The Blue Yeti is an amazing microphone that was well worth the investment. It has already dramatically increased the quality of my voice recordings and I recommend it to any podcaster. I give this product 9 out of 10 stars (5 out of 5 for Amazon!), my only knock that the price maybe too high for some.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone

Combining three capsules and four different pattern settings, the Yeti is the ultimate tool for creating amazing recordings, directly to your computer. THX Certified for exceptional sound and performance, the Yeti can capture anything with a clarity & ease unheard of in a USB microphone.

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