BLUE MICROPHONES The Ball

Dec 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Karen Stackpole

           

Blue Microphones' first dynamic mic, the Ball ($279), takes a novel approach: it adds a phantom-powered Class-A amplifier to the output stage. The discrete output amplifier maintains a consistent 50ž load, which, Blue says, results in a more consistent and accurate frequency response than typical dynamic mics provide. The balanced impedance also helps maintain sound quality over long cable runs.

Not a Softball

The Ball was created for use on loud sound sources — guitar and bass amps, drums, and percussion — onstage and in the studio. I used it in both types of setting and on a wider variety of sources (drum set, percussion, acoustic and electric guitar, upright and electric bass, cello, flute, tuba, and vocals) through several makes of preamp (including a Focusrite Green One preamp, a Mackie VLZ mixer, and a Studer D950 console).

The Ball can handle SPLs of 162 dB; the cardioid polar pattern's off-axis rejection is intended to maximize separation in live situations. The mic's frequency range is 35 Hz to 16 kHz, and it has a presence boost at the top end, which is unusual in a dynamic mic: the boost peaks at +5 dB between 7 kHz and 8 kHz and drops off sharply around 11 kHz.

The mic's low-end response, while not terribly beefy, is tight and defined. The frequency curve shows a rise at 125 Hz, a slight dip between 250 Hz and 500 Hz, and a downward slope below 100 Hz. Blue says the low-end response was designed to bring out the tonal subtleties of certain kinds of sources, such as the small-size kick drums used in jazz and hip-hop settings.

A nonresonant ABS plastic shell with radial ports carved into the address side houses the mic's electronics. The LED above the logo indicates the presence of phantom power. The XLR jack is on the rear of the mic, and the swivelmount stand adapter, at the bottom of the mic, gives you a 45-degree range of motion up and down.

Bass Ball

The Ball provided plenty of punch and sounded great on toms and snare. It captured the tonality of the drums along with the defined attack from the sticks. It also sounded fantastic on hand drums, where the presence peak accentuated the crisp sound of fingertips on the skins while presenting plenty of body from the drums. However, for my tastes, it didn't have quite enough juice in the low end for tracking kick drum.

The Ball excelled at miking electric bass and clean electric guitar. In fact, the Ball gave a true representation of how the bass amp really sounded in the room. In this application, the Ball had better definition in the low end than my EV RE20 and a crisper top end than my Sennheiser MD 421. The mic's top-end brightness proved a bit much for distorted guitar sounds.

Unfortunately, the performance of the mics I received was sometimes marred by the presence of radio frequency interference (RFI) while tracking acoustic instruments. (It didn't happen in my studio, but in places where RFI is inherent.) At times, when I increased the preamp's gain to get a decent signal to tape, the track became haunted by the ghost of an oldies station. Although the Ball sounded rich and defined on upright bass and cello, I couldn't get the Beatles and Aretha Franklin out of the signal path. At one point, while recording a tuba during a concert, I abandoned the Ball for a dynamic mic with better RF protection.

Ball Bearings

The Ball was easy to use and place with several exceptions. Due to the mic's bulbous shape and the swivelmount's placement and limited range of motion, I had difficulty positioning the Ball on bass drum, toms, and snare drum. The Ball's profile made it difficult to place the mic between a rack tom and hi-hat to get at the snare drum, for example.

A full-range ball-socket mount, positioned at the rear of the mic, would make the going a bit easier. As it is, positioning the mic inside a kick drum requires either a gooseneck or taping the mic to a short stand.

Play Ball

Positioning quibbles and RFI issues notwithstanding, the Blue Ball would make an excellent addition to any mic collection. It sounds fantastic on percussion, electric bass, and electric guitar. And in its price range, the Ball is a real bargain.

Blue Microphones
tel. (805) 370-1599
e-mail blue@bluemic.com
Web www.bluemic.com