Blue Microphones brings the quality found in their higher end mics to the iOS/USB platform with their new Raspberry USB condenser studio microphone. Read our review below.
For starters, it doesn’t take up a lot of desktop real estate, and is pretty simple to use: a gain control on one side, and headphone/monitoring level on the other. The back sports a 1/8” headphone out, as well as the USB connection. It comes with a unique tabletop mount for recording podcasts or interviews, as well as a threaded adapter for a standard microphone stand. Inside the grille is an internal diffuser, and the capsule is a condenser that handles 24-Bit at 48KHz. Great for hi-res audio.
Using it as a room microphone connected to an iPhone, it’s perfect for interviews/podcasts/spoken word formats. It’s sensitive enough to pick up the faint hum of an air conditioner across a room, but it does wipe out a lot of excess white noise to a degree.
Connect it to a DAW, and it’s a surprisingly excellent vocal/instrument microphone. The sound quality is fantastic, and again the internal diffusers do a lot for pops, but an additional pop filter isn’t a bad idea. The headphone out is fantastic for recording vocals, giving a simple way to monitor without having cables draped everywhere. Instrument-wise, acoustic guitars came across nicely, with plenty of top-end sparkle, while placing it in front of a small guitar cab provided equally excellent results.
The only downside is it only comes with a lightning bolt cable for iOS devices, so no love for Android at the moment, but it does work on your Mac/PC with Studio One, GarageBand, BandLab as well as MoviePro, so it makes a great mic to use for creating YouTube content with waaaayyyy better quality than your typical device’s internal mic. However, it does work great when connected to a computer using its USB cable. Included in the street price is a copy of Studio One Artist as well as some basic iZotope software, meaning recording and post-production is pretty much covered in one box.
Let’s put it this way: for under $200, a singer/songwriter can equip themselves with an entire mobile production studio with just what’s included with the Raspberry.
Overall, it’s a very versatile mic for the serious mobile artist or even voice over situations, as well as a great mic for your YouTube content. For a more time-strapped professional, it’s nice not to have to grab different mics for quick demo sessions while still delivering excellent sound quality.
PROS:
Flexible, includes great recording and production software, great sound quality.
CONS:
No out-of-the-box Android love.
PRICE:
$199