Blue Spark Studio Microphone

Borrowed this from a friend a few years back [when it was pricier] and fell in love! My voice in particular is rather "airy" and usually sounds muffled with other mics. This one really brings out the quality in my voice. Very crisp, clean, and clear. Picks up my voice reeeally well, and my guitar also sounded very crisp and clean. Recorded an acoustic Priscilla Ahn cover with vocals and guitar, and then Florence + The Machine cover (more like Karaoke, 'cause I used a pre-made track w/o vocals), and the recording was really good on both.

Great for V/O auditions and audiobook recordings

As a grad student, I don't have lots of cash to throw around. But I thought it was finally time to get a condenser mic. I settled on a Blue Spark, which has proven to be an excellent compromise of low cost with good performance. Works well with vocals with a Stedman proscreen, and also great for acoustic instruments, percussion, and anything with lots of intimate detail. Wish it wasn't so tough to get one in a quiet color, so it is not as distracting for live use in applications where visual microphone attention is not desirable. I've had some fun with this mic up close off-axis doing a capella bass off the cheek or nose. The polar pattern and compact capsule is also amenable to doing some neat things with shakers especially when recording in conjunction with a second microphone. Decent for studio, yet cheap enough where you can gig it and not be nervous. People will comment on the clarity of your sound (I've gotten comments from non-musical people on my percussion). Overall, a tough mic to beat at the $200 price point. I've yet to find one that can compete.

Reliability: I've had this mic for three years now and it's generally held up. The pop filter doesn't really hold up well and it is primarily there for aesthetic purposes so not much of a loss in that department. Get a separate pop filter or create your own. I haven't had any major issues with the shock mount though it is difficult to hang the mic in any other position than vertical with the capsule up top. Looks/feel: It is a very beautiful mic, I have the blue model which is very appealing to the eyes. It has a little weight to it which gives the impression of a solid build. Sound(99% of what matters): I have mic'd amps, vocals, acoustic guitars, drums and some sound effects. Amps: Actually a very nice sound, very smooth and full on clean settings, thick with dirty settings and a little lacking on heavier distortion. Compared to an sm57 though, I'd probably prefer the spark on dirty and clean amp micing. Vocals: this mic is a heavy gamble for vocals. Generally if you have a somewhat heavy voice do not buy this as a vocal mic. This mic does work pretty well on light, airy female vocals so take what you want from that. acoustic guitar: Pretty good sound, not phenomenal in any sense, but clear and appealing. Does not have a studio album feel, more of a live acoustic ambiance about it. Drum overheads: Can handle the sound, but certainly not the best mic I've heard on overheads, a little thin. Conclusion: this mic is okay at most things and good at a select few. I would head somewhere else to find a universal usage mic. maybe a at2050 or the like. There are a lot of options in this price range.

Great Mic, Not much to say. Used them on guitars, vocals. Love them for vocals and very good for guitars. Only found one singer that it didnt work with and there are to many factors that could have affected our displeasure with the mic at that particular time. I love this mic and almost everyone who uses it with me seems to as well. As appearance goes, i've had some pretentious musicians seem to think blue focused on the image of the mic alone at that its just a lame condeser in a fancy package. Maybe if youre used to $500+ mics and have experience testing out different ones with your voice it might not be as top notch as i feel it is. I just mention this because people will judge this mic before they hear it. Wether thats good or bad depends on the people. Another note i am hesitant to say on the review... Its cheaper on e b a y even new ones. Check evay

I'm one of the lucky ones that got this mic on a half-price black Friday sale. For that price the mic is great. For its normal price, I'd say it's still a good mic to have in a recording mic collection. I haven't had it for long, but I tested it against my Rode NT1-A which normally runs in the same price range, but a little higher. All testing was done with the "focus" high-pass-filter OFF. I am mainly interested in what the mic can give me rather than what it can filter - I can filter with the DAW. In general, the Spark lacks the depth of the NT1-A at the very low frequencies and the sparkle of the very highs, so I'm not as likely to use the Spark on acoustic strings. The Spark shines, though, in the midrange. Fast dynamics in this area have more punch and accurate timber. I think vocals and some percussion will benefit from this. If I had to choose only one of these 2 mics, I'd take the NT1-A and gladly pay the extra 20%, but I'm happy to have the Spark as an addition to my mic collection for its contrast. It should help bring some sources up to cut through the mix.