Recording - October 2011 - 46

B Y PA U L V N U K J R .

After some time spent focusing on USB mics like the Yeti (reviewed December 2010) and the enCORE series of live vocal mics, Blue returned to the studio-applications arena with the entry-level Spark (reviewed April 2011). With the Reactor, Blue has given us another studio mic, this time an emphatic return to its once-company-defining “this mic could be a modern art sculpture” design philosophy.

Blue Reactor
Multi-Pattern Condenser Microphone
Attention-grabbing design and sonic magic to match
Another striking-looking mic from Blue, the Reactor is a multi-pattern largediaphragm solid-state condenser. In keeping with the designer look of the mic itself, Reactor ships in a custom foam-and-felt-lined briefcase with scientific symbols and numeric ID markings. The shockmount looks like a sciencefair model of an atom, and even the instruction manual fits the fantasy. The Reactor body The dark red body of the Reactor has the shape of a drum, 2" wide and 4" in diameter. A bayonet-style capsule is mounted on top, with a matching bottom mount that threads into the shockmount; this is also where you attach the mic cable. The mic’s total height is 91/2" and it weighs 2.2 pounds. Recessed in one side of the circular drum is a center-mounted pattern selector switch with a magnifying glass on top. As you change pattern, the magnifying glass shows illuminated pattern symbols. A rotating head design allows you to place the capsule forward on the mic’s bulbous body or rotate it roughly 90 degrees to the mic’s flat side, which can allow you to get the mic closer to a source. The Reactor core The new 34-mm custom-tuned capsule, loosely based on Blue’s B6 capsule, is a dual-backplate, dual-diaphragm, and center-terminated design. Its three available patterns are Cardioid, Omni and Bi-Directional (Figure-8). Blue states that internally the Reactor features an all Class-A signal path. Like all condenser mics it requires phantom power. The factory data are: Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz; Sensitivity: 22 mV/Pa (Cardioid) / 18 mV/Pa (Omni and Figure-8); Output Impedance: 50 ohms; Max SPL: 138 dB; Signal To Noise Ratio: 84.5 dBA; Equivalent Noise Level: 7.5 dBA (Cardioid) / 8.5 dBA (Omni and Figure8); Dynamic Range: 130.5 dB (Card) / 129.5 dB (Omni and Figure-8). The three included response graphs suggest a mic that—in cardioid mode—is fairly flat, with a 50 Hz roll-off, and an 8 kHz presence peak that starts slowly at 2 kHz and rolls off after 10 kHz. In omni the low end evens out the most while the presence peak is the widest, and in bi-directional the frequency response has the most rolled-off lows and highs. Reactor extras If you know Blue’s Spark mic and its shockmount, you will see a similarity in the Reactor’s shockmount and how it is even more stylized and robust. Unlike with most current shockmounts, instead of the mic sitting inside of a suspension basket, here the mic screws into and sits on top of the mount.
46
RECORDING OCTOBER 2011

Recording - October 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - October 2011