I've never owned the Bluebird, but I tried it out at GC years ago. I remember liking the way it sounded, but at the time I ended up going with a Rode NT1A (highly recommended). IIRC, it seems that there were some problems with the durability of the Bluebird (head capsule breaking off?), so you might want to check out the Harmony Central user reviews.

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My price range is $300 max (and it must include a pop filter and suspended chords to help with vibration.

Do you have some suggestions for this price range? I was just looking at the Audio Technica AT2020 and it's only $99 but the reviws of it all seem good. Kinda strange.

I've looked at the NT1A micr, along with the PG42 with Shure. Again, your advice would be very helpful. Also keep in mind this mirophone is STRICTLY for vocals, nothing else.

quote:

Originally posted by DjStephenWiley Do you have some suggestions for this price range? I was just looking at the Audio Technica AT2020 and it's only $99 but the reviws of it all seem good. Kinda strange. I've looked at the NT1A micr, along with the PG42 with Shure.

Sorry, I haven't used any of those, other than the NT1A, so I can't be much help there. I have heard a lot of good things recently about the Russian-made Oktava mics. They're very affordable (several models under $300) and get compared to Neuman's (which mic doesn't, right?), but I also understand that they can be hard to find since most major retailers don't carry them.

http://www.oktava-online.com/mics.htm

One thing I would mention is to just be aware that, when reading reviews of mics, everybody is a mic snob. But, the usual "truth" is that most decent large diaphragm condensers, even in the sub-$300 range, will get decent results with vocals. You're talking primarily about subtle differences in color and you have plenty of opportunity to shape the sound after the fact. By far the most important element is the source (i.e., the vocalist).

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I have the rode nt1a and it is a good start mic. It great for guitars and ok for vocals. The good thing is it is a really quiet mic so it is very usable in many situations.

I also had the at2020. I didnt really like it as it was much noisier. It is good for recording instruments but not vocals at least in imo.

I have audit the baby bottle blue before and it sound great on vocals. For its price, it sounds like a Neumann. But that might well be out of your budget.

So I will say nt1a will be the way to go.

Remember, mic is just one of the chain of the front end. There is still mic pres, cables and possible compressor to consider.

I would definitely go with the Rode NT1A over the Bluebird if you are staying within that price range.

I own them both and using them on different sources, the NT1A always has seemed to come out with better results through my Apogee Ensemble pre. Also, the bluebirds shockmount is a piece of crap where the NT1A is a lot more sturdy.

I got the NT1A on ebay for around $150 usd. It was a floor model at some music shop and it works perfectly.

Also you might want to consider an Electrovoice RE-20. It's a dynamic mic used in broadcast a lot, but it is amazing on vocals. It is also immune to the proximity effect which is good when you are recording vocalists who aren't very experienced in vocal/mic techniques.

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