Yeah and I think the SM57 is a piece of CRAP.

So, what does this mean?

Nothing at all - if you like the mic, buy the mic. If you like it cuz of how it looks, you might find that you don't like how it sounds. Ultimately, if you're relatively new to this game, it won't hurt to buy one of them and use it. Even if 5 years down the line when you are a more experienced mixer and you find that the BLUE stuff isn't what you like - you'll probably still have a good use for it.

This doesn't mean that you won't like it now or 5 years from now. Hell, it might just be your favorite mic.

There are several mics in that price range, many of them that I would suggest (Such as ANY of the AT 40 series mics and some GT mics or hell, even a couple SP C1s).

Try it out - if you hate it - take it back. If you love it, send me some royalties from the first big album you cut! Or at least a comp copy. :D

J.

CRSBEATZ36 wrote: Im really interested in one of B.l.u.e. 's Mics (babybottle or bluebird)

but people tell me that they are not good for hip hop / rap "spitting"

thats who i work with!

can someone let me know the truth before i shell out some $$$

thanks

I can't see why the Blue wouldn't be good for HIP HOP / RAP "spitting" unless it's because they aren't gold plated ... .

:?

Cucco wrote: Yeah and I think the SM57 is a piece of CRAP.

J.

sorry to go off topic but who said any thing about the sm57?

mmmm
the sm57 is not crap
... a good work horse that will last a lifetime.

i heard the dragon fly the other day being used on hip hop vocals, and it sounded great. sorry if that's not the bottle, but it is a blue mic.

steve

Uhhh, hello, it's called I was making a point! :?

People draw parallels to other products when doing that. I didn't go off topic, I was simply explaining "diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks."

And frankly, I do think the SM57 is a piece of crap. I don't care what anybody else thinks. And in the case of this topic - this dude may fall in love with the BLUE and hate the U87. Hint -- it's all subjective.

cucco,

i normally agree with a lot of what you say, but i have to respectfully disagree that the 57 is not a piece of crap. that mic is good on so many sources. it is not really ever GREAT by itself, but it is good on most things. name any other mic that you can use for vocals, kick, snare, toms, guitar, bass, and just about anything else and still get a usable sound.

the 57 _is_ the definition of a work horse. you can chuck it out a 3rd story window and the thing will record the entire fall to the ground. it just keeps going.

as far as preference, there is no way that this is my first choice mic for almost anything (guitars, its usually my first choice) but i use it with other mics to augment the sound.

for someone to say it's a piece of crap would be to say that it never sounds good, or insinuate that it breaks or has some sort of quality issues. to say you dislike the sound is different from saying that it's a piece of crap.

steve

That's fine. You certainly have the right to disagree with me.

However, I find that many mics fit your requirements. Here are a few:
Audix OM2, OM5, I5
Sennheiser - MD441, MD 421
DPA - 4006/4003/4061
EV-RE20 - Cobalt Co4
AT - AE3000, ATM25

And yes, many of these mics are considerably more expensive than the SM57, but I have the luxury of having access to the majority of these mics or own many of them and would use them long before I'd ever use an SM57. I find the sizzle on that mic to be annoying and identifiable (and not in a good way). I shouldn't HAVE to reach for the eq. I should be able to position the mic in a specific way and get a specific sound.

My choice for all the instruments you named --

vocals - Gefell M930, Schoeps CMC 6/MK2, Neumann U87i, MG M296
kick - Audix D6, Shure Beta 52, Schoeps CMC6/MK2, MG M296
snare- Sennheiser E602, DPA 4061, Senn 441
toms- Senn 421
guitar- Senn 421, 441, Schoeps (acoustic) Groove Tubes 66, MG M296
bass- GT 66, Beta 52, Audix D6, Schoeps CMC 6/MK2, MG M296

The point is - for me, I don't like SM57's and thankfully, I never have to use one. The overarching point, and back to the topic at hand - who's to say what someone should like for a specific application? True, it's a bit drastic for me to say the 57 is a piece of crap, but in my book, it is. Granted, not everyone here has all of these microphones and the 57 may be their magic bullet. Personally, I would rather shoot it with my magic bullet. (Which brings up another point - you mention that I could chuck it out a 3rd story window and it would be okay. Granted, this is very true, but I baby my equipment. Stuff that I have that is over 20 years old looks as new as the day I bought it. That level of sturdiness holds no meaning for me.)

J...

wow, Cucco is commiting sacrilege! :roll: slamming the holy grail 57! :oops: That should start a controversy :twisted: Actually I've always had 57's and still reach for them ocassionaly- snare, guitar amps- though I also have other favs for those tasks- I used to put my vintage RCA D44 for guitar cabs as I liked the sound but I started to get paranoid about blowing out the ribbon and went back to the 57s.... :shock:

sorry guys im not concernd with the sm57 i already have an sm58
IM TALKING ABOUT THE BLUE BABY BOTTLE OR THE BLUEBIRD

We know that. (Or at least, I hope people do.)

I was simply making the point that one person's trash is another person's treasure. If your friends don't like the BLUE mics, you might love them.

I was using an example of a true situation that I knew would raise some eyebrows. Of course, I didn't expect people to freak out over it considering it was an example. (Though a true one at that, in my case.)

Long story short - try the BLUE, if you like it, buy it. They work well for many types of music and I can't see any reason to suggest that they wouldn't work in your application. As a matter of fact, I'm inclined to think they would do VERY well in your case. Of course, for the money, I would still STRONGLY recommend the AT 4050, 4047, 4033, and 4040 mics as well. These, to me, are far superior than what their price tag would indicate.

J...

YEAH I KNOW IT DID RAISE SOME EYEBROWS

THANKS FOR THE HELP!

P.S. HAVE YOU TRIED THE BLUE MICS?

HOW DO I TRY BEFORE I BUY?

Yep, I've tried them. FWIW, I kinda like the Baby Bottle. It's a very usable, quite professional microphone.

The only option in many cases for "try before you buy" is simply to purchase the mic, take it home, try it. If you like it, keep it, if you don't, return it.

Make sure of a few things though if you plan on doing this.

1. Make sure the dealer knows what your intentions are. Tell him/her you are trying the mic. If they start to panic because they don't like dealing with returns on mics, walk out. This is not the company you want to deal with.
2. Check the company's return policy. Some companies blatantly say, "No returns on microphones!" Avoid this company like the plague. Any dealer worth anything out there knows that you must try a mic before you decide whether you like it or not.

Good luck and keep us posted.

J.

cuco is right (about the deallers any way) ive found that most big chains mont let you return a mic for any reason, guitar center, sam ash dont even bother with them.

there is a lession to be learned here; if you are trying to make a point illistrate the point, dont juest make a vuege blanket statmant. oh yea the 57 is a great peice of equipment. not my first choise for every thing but if nothing else will work i know that it will.

I'll disagree here (but thanks for the props).

First, Guitar Center will gladly take the mic back anywhere up to 30 days.

Second - the lesson to be learned - I'll make whatever statement I feel is correct. I hate the SM57 and I used that to make a point. If someone doesn't like it, the can...............;)

J.

no guitar center will not take back any mic due to health resones

I see on their website that they specify the health reasons for not taking back mics. Hwwever, I've never had a problem returning a mic to GC as long as I tell them my intentions to begin with and assure them that I will use a full windscreen if necessary. It's usually up to management in these cases and quite do-able.

However, if in doubt, check with the guys at any of the following...

Sweetwater
Little Dog
Mercenary
Bayview
Old School

All of these guys are in the business of doing their customers right and will help any way they can.

J...

yea im just going by the large sing in the pro-audio dept. and i beleave that most if not all of the sites you mentioned offer tryale periods.