Recording - February 2014 - 24

Blue Bottle Rocket Stage One

that Blue has been manufacturing
for years as a drop-in replacement
for when they refurbish Neumann
U 47 mics. Of course, without the
rest of the electronics this does not
sound exactly like a vintage U 47,
but it's in the ballpark with a very
classic sound all its own.
B8: this large-diaphragm cardioid capsule is the same one
used in the Bluebird. This one is
the most open and modern, with
ruler-flat mids, a round and slightly bumped low end, and a 5 kHz
boost followed by a smooth and
even rolloff. This is Blue's best "all
round" capsule, and the one that
they typically recommend as your
first Bottle Cap.
2 microphones, 5 capsules
For this review Blue was kind
enough to send me not only the
Stage One Bottle Rocket, but also
a Stage Two so I could compare
the sonic differences of each
body. They also let me choose 5
capsules to try and I chose the B1,
B3, B6, B7 and B8.
Over a period of two months I
used both mics and the capsules
in front of a few drum kits, on electric guitar amps, acoustic guitar, percussion, male and female vocals, and even a
string trio-which made me wish I would
have also chosen a B4 capsule.
Solid state or tube
The solid-state Stage One is easily more
clear and open and less weighty. By contrast, the Stage Two is more filled out
across the low mids, and has a nice soft
dustiness on the top end. It's not overly
smooth, muddy or rolled off, just less crispsounding than the Stage One. To simplify
it into an old illustration, the Stage One is
like video and the Stage Two is like film.
One is by no means better than the other,
and-like when choosing any microphone-it comes down to context. What is
your source? Where do you want it to sit in
the mix? What capsule are you using?
Overall I found myself favoring the Stage
Two tube body for things like lead vocals,
acoustic guitar, and percussion that needed
the filling out and the weight, but I preferred
the solid-state Stage One body on electric
guitar, the string trio, and backing vocals,
where I wanted a clarity that sat more in
the mix. On drums it was a toss-up depending on how huge I wanted the front-ofkit/room mic to sound in the mix.
24

RECORDING February 2014

Capsule choice
The first capsule I grabbed was
the B7. I put it on the Stage Two
body where it did a great job on
female lead vocals. I had the
opposite reaction with male lead
vocals, preferring the natural
openness of the Stage One body.
The capsule kept the mid-forward
push that 47-ish mics have a reputation for, but the Stage One had
better clarity and the vocal took
up less space in the song.
Moving to the B8 capsule, I
have always been a Bluebird fan
since I reviewed it years ago in our
May 2004 issue. I find its natural
width is great on acoustic instruments and vocals for folk and
Americana music. The Stage One
with the B8 capsule is of course
very Bluebird-like, but what I liked
even more was the slight presence
boost that the Stage Two gives the
B8 capsule. The lows fill out a
touch and the highs seem to pull
back a bit more.
It's easy to see why Blue recommends the B8 with either body as
the best all-rounder. If you can
only afford one mic and plan to
use it on everything, I would
agree that the B8 is the safest bet. I did
some quick tests recording a verse and
chorus of a song using cajon, hi-hat, two
acoustic guitars, vocals, tambourine and
shaker, taking turns with each mic and
capsule on every source, just to see how
each mic stacks on itself in a mix, and the
B8 is the hands-down, all-around winner.
Second to the B8 for versatility was the
B3 in my opinion. It is very neutral and
offers an un-hyped naturalness. While the
soundstage was not as wide or
open as that of the B8, the B3
was smoother and very
pleasant on the ears across
the spectrum. This was the
capsule I chose for use on
the string trio (cello & 2
violins) and it did a great
job of capturing a full and
woody tone, but not highlighting too much string bite.
I also found the B3 to be my
favorite of the group on electric
guitar cabinet about 3 feet back,
where it added a nice depth, again
without being bright or biting.
Next it was the B1's turn. As a
small-diaphragm capsule the B1
excelled on sources needing a

smooth, clear focus. It was my favored
capsule for hand percussion, close-up
string work, again violin and cello,
acoustic guitar, and even up close in the
grille of a guitar cabinet.
While I expected my favorite capsule
to be the classic B7, which was awesome-especially on vocals, I found
myself enjoying and returning just as
often to the B6. Although Blue calls it
"modern", I think it nicely straddles the
line of modern punch and vintage fullness. It offers the most overall presence of
the collection, but it still stacks surprisingly well in an only-mic situation.
I liked its tone on male vocals a hair
more than the B7 and also found it to be
a nice front-of-drum-kit mic. It also did
well on percussion and on acoustic guitar
when I wanted a touch more character.
This is the best descriptive word I can
think of for this capsule: it takes a source
and adds a hint of character. It's also
easy to see why this one seems to be so
loved, used and recommended for use
with the Bottle, as it is quite full and distinct, especially with a tube body.
Whenever I see someone describe
Blue's Cactus tube microphone or even the
Bottle, I often see phrases like "it has the
Blue sound". I think that thanks to the B6, I
now know what they are talking about.
Wrap up
I know I have only scratched the surface
of what these mics can do and what they
are suited for, but reviewing this collection
is a bit like reviewing 10 distinctly different microphones in a few months' time.
What they all have in common, from
the Bottle Rockets to the Bottle Caps, is
quality, from their build to their sound,
even to their look and presentation. This
is a system that lets you start small and
grow over time to cover every sonic need
that you may have.
If I was starting my collection today I
would go with the versatility, clarity and
price of the Stage One and I would choose
a B6 or B8 capsule, as I think those cover
the most ground. Then I would add
a B7, then a B3, of course I still
want to try the B4, and the B1
was nice...!
Prices: Bottle Rocket
Stage One, $999 with
B8 capsule; Bottle Rocket
Stage Two, $2499.99
with B8 capsule; single
Bottle Caps, $599.99 each
More from: Blue, www.bluemic.com
Paul Vnuk Jr. (vnuk@recordingmag.com)
is a recording engineer, producer,
musician, and live sound engineer, living and working in Milwaukee.


http://www.bluemic.com

Recording - February 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - February 2014

Contents
Recording - February 2014 - Cover1
Recording - February 2014 - Cover2
Recording - February 2014 - 1
Recording - February 2014 - 2
Recording - February 2014 - 3
Recording - February 2014 - 4
Recording - February 2014 - 5
Recording - February 2014 - Contents
Recording - February 2014 - 7
Recording - February 2014 - 8
Recording - February 2014 - 9
Recording - February 2014 - 10
Recording - February 2014 - 11
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Recording - February 2014 - Cover3
Recording - February 2014 - Cover4
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