Blue Microphones Bottle Rocket Stage One/Stage Two Review

Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Myles Boisen

           
 

TWO MICROPHONE BODIES, MANY CAPSULES

Similar to Blue's higher-priced Bottle mic, the Bottle Rocket comes with a single capsule you can replace with any of eight other Bottle Caps (available separately). Pictured: the Stage One.

Blue Microphones has been cranking out innovative microphone designs for years, along with clever names for transducers derived from its top-of-the-line Bottle microphone. The new Bottle Rocket mics use the same detachable capsule set developed for the original Bottle. The Stage One microphone body is a Class-A solid-state and the Stage Two is a tube (ECC83) amplifier design.

Though they differ in their amplifier sets and related features, the Stage One and the Stage Two have physical and functional similarities. Their cylindrical bodies are the same size, measuring 7 inches long and 5.5 inches around — roughly the same size as Blue's Baby Bottle and very similar to the Neumann CMV 563.

The CMV 563 was one of the first microphones to use a switchable bayonet-mount capsule (see Fig. 1). Anyone owning one of these vintage pieces will be happy to find out that its capsules are fully interchangeable with those in the Blue nine-capsule set.

Bonus Material

Bonus Material: Blue Microphones Bottle Caps

Related Link: Read more about Blue's entire Bottle Series on the manufacturer's product page

Related Link: Download the Blue Bottle manual

The Stage One and the Stage Two come with the all-purpose cardioid B8 capsule, housing a large diaphragm with a presence boost optimized for modern vocal sounds. Other capsules are available separately, but you can't substitute any of them for the B8 when you purchase a Bottle Rocket kit. The B8 (and all the Bottle Caps) fits over the mounting stem at the top of the mic. Once on the stem, a slight twist locks the capsule in place. Unlike on the original Bottle, the bayonet-mount stems on the Bottle Rockets are fixed and can't be swiveled toward or away from the source.

A shockmount with familiar European styling comes with each mic body. The mount has two fabric-lined bands that latch around the middle of the cylindrical microphone body, as well as sturdy elastic bands that suspend the inner cage assembly and a 180-degree swivel mount attached to the outer ring. An eight-page manual is included, and the Bottle Rockets feature a three-year warranty.

Stage One: Prepare for Takeoff

A lustrous blue powder-coat finish adorns the solid-state Stage One microphone, with distinctive art-deco caps at both ends. Blue's logo stands out in chrome, indicating the mic's address side when a capsule is attached. The body and B8 capsule are stored in separate wood boxes with snug-fitting foam inserts. Though not as elegant as Blue's earlier cases, they're a step up from the cardboard and plastic boxes supplied by most mic manufacturers. This set is delivered in a cardboard shipping box, with the microphone case, capsule case and shockmount nestled securely inside.

Stage Two: We Have Ignition

FIG.1: The Bottle Rocket (this shows the Stage Two, right) and the Neumann CMV 563 are not only physically similar, but their mic capsules are interchangeable.

The Stage Two tube microphone is physically similar to the Stage One body, but with a glossy deep-blue sparkle finish. This kit has a decidedly upscale presentation, with a lavish ATA flight case sporting heavy-duty metal hardware. When opened, the case practically glows with regal-looking blue velvet. Cutouts are provided for the mic body, three capsules and the tube electronics' power supply. A blue-velvet door lifts to reveal a five-conductor mic cable, shockmount and power cable.

The power supply is a simple-looking affair, built into the same retro-futuristic oval housing as Blue's Robbie mic pre. The front panel light glows red while the unit is warming up, and then glows green when it's ready for lift-off. All other features — the five-conductor mic in, balanced XLR out, power switch, IEC connector and 110/220-volt switching — are on the rear panel.

Blue Skies Ahead

Lisa Mezzacappa is a golden-eared musician who's very attentive to her acoustic bass tone. She likes the Neumann TLM 103 large-diaphragm condenser on her bass, but while she was in my studio I tried out the Bottle Rockets and their various capsule configurations.

I positioned the Bottle Rockets alongside the TLM 103 with their capsules almost touching. Blue Kiwi mic cables connected the mics to Grace Design 101 preamps, and I recorded the results to Pro Tools at 24-bit/96kHz resolution. I was impressed that the Stage One had self-noise and output level similar to the TLM 103. The Stage Two had similar high output and slightly higher self-noise, but only when listening at dangerously loud playback levels.