Blue Microphones Baby Bottle Reviews

4.4/5.0 based on 29 customer reviews

Sweetwater Advice

Ted Hunter

The Baby Bottle is one of the few microphones I'd feel comfortable using on just about any source. It's also very quiet, not to mention impressive visually.

Nick Schenkel

Need a good vintage sounding vocal mic, but without the noise floor of a tube? The Baby Bottle is your solution. This mic delivers that classic vibe without all of the harmonic distortion that is inherent in tube microphones. It stands up favorably with mics that cost many times as much, and looks much classier.

Greg Baum

I bought a BabyBottle to record vocals. What I didn't expect is how huge it made my acoustic guitar tracks sound. Next I tried it on an AC30 with my Rick12 and Apple Scruffs flocked to my front door. This has become my favorite go-to mic for virtually any session work I do. I like BLUE's products so much that I ran out and bought the Robbie mic pre to go with it. Gorgeous sound with absolutely no self-noise whatsoever.

Jon Gillespie

This is my mic of choice when I'm recording my OWN vocals! Of course, if you ever hear me sing, you would not be impressed, however, if you have a lower, more resonant voice, this mic will make you sound GREAT! It captures the warmth and BIGNESS of deeper voices like altos, basses and baritones, and at the same time, it is very balanced on the high end, providing clarity without being too sibilant. It's also Bob Dylan's favorite vocal mic!

Mike Conyers

I've used a Baby Bottle to record many styles of vocals, from male rock to sensual female R&B, from aggressive hip-hop to gently-sung ballads, and this microphone has delivered every single time! It's versatile enough to use for acoustic instrumentation as well, and really brings out a 12-string guitar or acoustic bass. Tone, timbre, warmth and clarity; if you've never had a chance to track with a Baby Bottle, prepare to be blown away!

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Customer Reviews

Ben
from Orange County, CA
February 21, 2013Music Background:
Professional Sound Engineer

Amazing Microphone

I was blown away when I first got this mic. It sounds great particularly on male vocals. I've used it both with spoken word and singing and it sounds great either way. I've also used it on guitar cabs and have been pleased with its sound. An amazing mic for the price.

Tobias Chislom
from Afghanistan
October 27, 2012Music Background:
Hobbyist

Personal Favorite!

When I first used this mic in 2005 I fell in love with it. Its crystal clear and Very appealing. It even intimidates new vocalists after doing a mic check on this beast. It has been years since me and the Baby Bottle crossed paths until a week ago. And she is exactly the same since '05.

Christian Ballard
from WA
April 11, 2012Music Background:
Recording Engineer

Doens't get better than this!

I was just finishing up a project when I got this mic and loved it so much that I wanted to go back and record all the vocals on the tracks we just finished. I did the research on their website, listening to the samples they have up and along with reading the reviews, this microphone definitely lives up to all the hype about them. I am definitely gonna invest in more by Blue!

Alex Nieves
from Bronx,New York
March 14, 2012Music Background:
Recording Engineer, Pro Musician

WOW Awesome Mic

This mic is a winner.With a smooth top end and clear low end My blue Baby Bottle is my go to mic I have used other mics in its price range no comparison to its quality looking to buy one more and I will not think twice this is a AWESOME microphone

Rogerio Neto
from Miami, Florida
April 1, 2011Music Background:
Pro Musician/Producer, Recording Engineer

Awsome for the price!!

What I have to say about this mic is, its not just a cheap version of a Blue Mic. I have years of experience with recording and and high quality sound. And this mic is perfect for any vocal and acoustic instruments. Very sweet and warm sound. I use my baby bottle with PreSonus vintage channel preamp that gives me a warm tube sound. Baby bottle sounds awsome!!! This mic can be compared to $ 1000 dollars if you know how to explore good sound of your recording. Buy it!!! You will not be disappointed.

Dcalark
from Rockford,IL
January 24, 2011Music Background:
Singer,hobbyist

Perfect for me

I tested this mic along with the AKG C214 and the Neumman tlm102.
I was pretty set on the Neumman just by the reputation alone and the resell value. The mics were put throw a $149 mobile pre nothing like Avalon or a Black Lion pre amp just to let you know. And in my opinion the other mics were good but the Baby Bottle really caught my attention. A great mic for a singer and singing groups. I'm not saying the other mics weren't impressive. They just weren't for my voice and the baby bottle fits me perfectly. I do christian music from gospel to comtempary and it's the right mic for the job for what I do. I encourage you to find a place where they can let you test the mics it never hurts to ask the worst they can say is no. But to invest in something that is going to cost you a lot go money and not hear what's coming out of the mic no matter how other people or the reviews on the internet pump them up. If you have to travel a few miles so be it. A few dollars in gas over a few hundred dollars is a great save. It all comes down to what best fit you forget everyone else. That's for people who have excess to stores.

Eldon
from Oklahoma
April 1, 2010Music Background:
Artist/Producer

Amazing!!

Absolutely a pleasure! I don't see how anyone can do without this mic. If you want a mic that makes you sound like you....get this mic!

en76
from hawaii
March 12, 2010

can't go wrong in this price range.

great mic !!! a must have. Thanks to Joe who recommended this baby. Now I can sleep well knowing I have a great tool in my possession to be able to do some crazy recording with it.

William Jones
from Jasper, Georgia
June 14, 2009Music Background:
Semi-Pro Musician and Singer, Home Recordist and Hobbyist,etc.

This Microphone Is Stunning!

I really have to say that I'm really stunned by the presence this mic has on vocals especially. I actually prefer it over my tube mic for that. It also sounds darn great on acoustic guitar. I look forward to seeing what else it sounds great on.

DYTmiclover
from Dayton, OH USA
April 24, 2009Music Background:
Recording Engineer

The Pride of My Collection!

I love microphones more then anything else (as geeky as it sounds, but hey, im a geek). i have used more mics then i can think (C414, U87, k2,etc.) but have never had the money to buy one for my own personal home studio. but i saved up for a bit and took a chance on B.L.U.E., and i havent looked back since!

the baby bottle does so much in my studio. acoustic guitars sound full and present when i mic them around the 12th fret about a foot away. the midrange is fantastic and sounds unbelievable when i put it on the cone of my guitar amp. there is none of the boomy bass sounds i get when i mic guitar cabs with an sm57 or something else, which i love. as for vocals, there is nothing i can write that would do justice to how this microphone sounds on vox. i have yet to EQ a single vocal track with the baby bottle. i have read some of the other reviews and i disagree with one that says the mic's quality somewhat diminishes the higher range you go. i have used this mic on female vocals, to male tenors, to myself (a baritone) and i have gotten beautiful quality and presence everytime!

the baby bottle is a must have for every musician, songwriter, engineer or producer. i am confident it can do anything!

MR. KING
from Los Angeles, CA
October 31, 2008Music Background:
hip hop artist/producer

5 out of 5 in its price range!

i bought this mic because i wanted to take blue mics for a test drive (i already owned a tlm 103, ma-200, c414, rode k2). to be honest, i really didnt think it would impress me in quality as much as my other mics because of its low price. I WAS SO SO WRONG ABOUT BLUE!!!!!!

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST MICS IN ITS PRICE RANGE! nice clean transparency with subtle warmth. THE TRUTH for vocals! if your looking for the do-it-all mic to beef up your DAW setup or even add to your mic locker... get this baby...for you pros...grab a pair for a silky acoustic stereo track ...for home studio enthusiasts this is again THE TRUTH as a do-it-all mic! match with a high end pre for excellent results! trust me it bangs!!!!!!!!!!!! IF THIS IS YOUR PRICE RANGE YOU'D BE A FOOL TO PASS THIS MIC UP...BUY IT!

KNOCKBEATS
from LOS ANGELES, CA USA
October 12, 2008Music Background:
PROFESSIONAL RECORDING ENGINEER, PRODUCER.

AWESOME BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

I TESTED ALOT OF MICS UNTIL I CAME ACROSS THE BABY BOTTLE, IT SOUNDS GREAT, LOOKS COOL (I KNOW THAT DOESNT SEEM LIKE IT MATTERS BUT MY CLIENTS LOVE THAT AND IF MY CLIENTS LOVE THE LOOK AND THEY LIKE RECORDING WITH IT THEN IT MATTERS TO ME). I USE IT FOR VOCALS BECAUSE IT HAS A GOOD PRESENCE IN THE HIGHS AND LOW NOISE LEVEL SO THE VOCALS COME OUT AWESOME AND CLEAR WITH NO EXTRA NOISE. I NOTICED OTHER MICS AROUND AND ABOVE THIS PRICE RANGE SOUNDED LIKE THEY WERE LACKING IN THE HIGHS, LIKE THEY HAD A CLOTH OVER THE MIC. SINCE IVE BOUGHT THIS MIC IVE ALSO BOUGHT OTHER MICS FROM BLUE.

DB the investor/musican
from west cocoa fl
December 13, 2007Music Background:
rapper and investor lamar music my company

baby bottle rocks

if you stuck on your neumanns and akg mics's check out the babybottle mic. i bought this mic and match it with a personus mic pre and was blown away. hey neumanns are great mics but thats if you have the bread but for 500$ this mic is well worth it. hell i bought mine for six hundred and i'm smileing.

Andre Tillman
from Jersey city N,J
April 20, 2013Music Background:
Engineer,artists

Nice quality fast delivery and friendly service...

Love the mic always live blue products and I'm happy to have it..

Ian
from Long Beach, CA USA
May 17, 2012Music Background:
Hobbyist,Student

Great Microphone to start with!

If you are just starting out in audio recording this is the mic for you, it is great for vocals, and sounds really good on my acoustic guitar

Steve Litras
from United States
May 12, 2012Music Background:
Guitar Player, Hobbyist Songwriter/Producer

Great Tone, Great Clarity, Great Price

This mic is my upgrade from an MXL V67. This thing has great sound on my voice - side by side, it just simply blows it away.

Heriberto Perez
from Puerto Rico
August 24, 2011Music Background:
Mix Engineer/Producer

Very Nice!

Great microphone for the price. Awesome quality and sound. Be careful with the shock mount.

B.Garland Cole
from Nashville, TN
July 17, 2011Music Background:
Professional TuneSmith, Producer, Guitarist

Blue Baby Bottle

I bought this mic (with the Robbie Pre) to tame my loud singing voice - which it did. What I didn't expect was how good it sounded with a variety of vocal timbres, soft mid-rangy male, to pop female vocals.

I bought the Baby Bottle over a year ago - along with a Studio Projects C-1, and a Joe Meek 127 condenser, I can produce vocal and acoustic guitar tracks that pay the bills.

MacBook Pro, Duet, Logic Pro, Robbie Pre, Blue Baby Bottle - game, set, match.

Matthew King
from Springdale, AR USA
November 2, 2010Music Background:
Recording Engineer, Live Sound Engineer, Hobbyist Musician

I'm now a BLUE fan!

OK, I took the jump from hobbyist to "professional" mobile recording engineer. My large diaphragm mic was a Shure KSM27. I asked my Sweetwater Sales Engineer, Mike Baldonado, what mic I should start out with since all I knew was the 27 and the first words out of his mouth was "Baby Bottle." He told me that for the price, it's hard to beat. My comment to him after I got it at my house and tried it was "I love it when you are right." and, boy, was he ever.

After listening to the 27 I then switched to the Baby Bottle without moving the gain knob so I could see how it compared. I almost thought it was DOA because there was NO BACKGROUND NOISE AT ALL. This mic is really, REALLY quiet for the price. Yes, it is built in China, but what isn't nowadays. Plus it's very cool-looking and that has a definite effect on a vocalist. Grab one of these with a BLUE Quad cable and you'll be set to go for a while. I'm already looking forward to the day I can pick up the rest of the BLUE line, including the infamous "Bottle."

The half-star is for the popscreen that comes with the mic. It's a bit flimsy and doesn't seem to give enough pop protection compared to my other filter, but it looks cool with the logo on it.

If you are starting out, then you should really consider this mic. You won't be too disappointed, considering the price you paid.

Fred Grande
from NY, NY USA
January 13, 2010Music Background:
ONLY THING I DIDNT DO WAS BUILD THE FACILITY !!!

DONT SLEEP ON $500 PRICE TAG

Having two of these in two seperate locations, explains the love for this mic. The babybottle is not a cheap mic, and out performs alotta mics in this price range. Blue dropped it to $400, which is a bigger steal. If u want some warm vocals, pair this up with a tube pre and u will capture that fuzzy sound. This mic is so warm, turn off the 48v and you will see the mic still picksup. Worked great on Vox. Again with the right Tube Pre u cant go wrong with this mic as far as vocals go. Color does come into play but its Blue Microphones, their mics add good color. FOR the price u wont regret coppin this mic, especially the new price sweetwaters pushing them for. NEXT STOP BLUE KIWI

Chris Henderson
from Sugar Land, TX. USA
October 7, 2007Music Background:
Worship Leader

Great Mic For the Price

i have owned the baby bottle for close to 9 months, and have been recording with it for most of that time. i have also recorded with other mics of varying quality...some nice, some not so much.

to my ears, the bottle does an overall better job than any mic in a less than $1,000 specifically price range for many things. things i did not like micing with the bottle:
- area drum mic - it sometimes pics up a little too much room noise, and i do not like the tone. you can make it work well though if you have a good gate and a good multiband compressor.
- electric guitars - again, pics up too much excess noise and is too harsh in the mids for electrics unless you eq a ton.

things i love recording with the bottle:
- vocals - i put it about eye level and and boominess goes away. i have to bring down the highs a bit, but when i do that it sounds amazing!
- highhat - dude!
- acoustic - when you use this mic with one more to add depth, it really shines. i really do not have to even eq the acoustic after i record it...it sounds that good.
- snare - crisp...clean

overall, i'd say this mic is rock solid and would put it up against anything under a thousand bucks. you will need some eq'ng, as with all mics, but you can get it to work on anything you want. and with acoustic guitar, no eq'in required!

Kevin
from Delphi, IN
March 1, 2013Music Background:
Musician/Teacher

This Baby does it all

Needed a mic for a home studio that I could afford and sounded great. Love It's presence on my vocal range and acoustic guitars. Recently messed around with it as an overhead on the drums. Wow. Not sure there"s anything it cannot do. OK, obviously it is what it is(compared to world-class mics) but for the money I'm very happy.

hisroyalsucculence
from Los Angeles, CA
January 13, 2010Music Background:
Producer/engineer, musician, student

Wasn't for my liking, may be for yours

I bought this mic because I really liked the Bluebird and was inspired to try out more Blue mics. I threw it up against my Bluebird and for almost every application I preferred the Bluebird. The Baby Bottle has less high end and is less focused (seems to be less up front, perhaps has a wider pickup pattern -- but I'm not sure what the cause is). Applications where I did prefer the Baby Bottle was with a female poet that I wanted less sibilance with, and on acoustic guitars. Most likely electric guitars would also sound better in the Baby Bottle. As a vocal mic and on several other applications I just found the Bluebird to be more pleasing to me ears. I tried to add high end using EQ to match the sound of the Baby Bottle with that of the Bluebird and still preferred the Bluebird.

That said, the Bluebird is a fantastic mic that I highly recommend. I had been using AT4033's for many years until I discovered the Bluebird which has since replaced them as my go to mic.

It's also worth noting that my production style leans more towards the slick "produced" sound. Don't let me dissuade you from trying out the Baby Bottle, it might be to your liking and fit your production style more then it did mine.

Eric Gay
from Trussville, AL
September 12, 2008Music Background:
Producer/Recording Engineer

Still nursing the Baby Bottle...

I purchased the Baby Bottle about 4 years ago, upgrading from a Shure KSM27. The mic was intended for use on guitar cabs, ride or room mic, but primarily vocals. For guitar cabs it sounds great, it has some low mid stuff going on that beefs up the signal. On acoustic guitar I found the low mid boost was a curse. I found it to be too boxy and boomy with my Taylor 410. The mic sounds great on lower register male singers, you can hear the character in their voice. It starts to thin out on higher ranges. But in my experience, the Baby Bottle excels as a room mic for drums. I just plug it in to my UA 2-610 and crank the tubes. It is 50% of my drum sound right now, it's too bad I don't have a pair to make my drums sound even bigger!

Alan
from New Orleans, LA USA
September 3, 2006Music Background:
Recording Engineer

Decent Mic, Not so much all around

This mic is fabulously well built. But like most of the Blue line of mics, it has specialties and pitfalls.

The Bad first:
Vocals have not been one of its strong suits. It seems to allways need quite a bit of eq to sound right at all. I'm sure though if you find that one type vocalist it will sound amazing on him/her. Also I've tried using it on some trumpets and saxes with less than stellar results.

The Good:
Best thing this mic has done for mis is electric guitar tracks. There is something about it that adds girth to an otherwise boring MD421 guitar track. As said in other reviews this mic is sort of an sm57 in that it will never sound terrible but there is probably something better.

That said I bought this as my first mic, which was a mistake because it is very picky. It would be better to pick something more allong the line of the Shure KSM series, or even better the studio essential 414.

Dave Green
from Nashville, TN
January 24, 2010Music Background:
Musician and engineer

Baby Bottle? Not so Great

This is a large diaphragm condenser mic. Capsule is from China. Sounds Ok but at this price point there are better sounding options from AKG, Shure and others. Some even have multi-pattern abilities at this price point. When I compared the one I bought to a friends BBottle, they both sounded OK but not the same. His had a little more bottom. Still just average sound to my ears. I returned my Baby Bottle for a Shure KSM32.

Ray
from Chicago, IL
April 15, 2010Music Background:
Working musician / studio, engineer / producer

Mediocre - misses the sweetspot

There are at least three better choices for the money - some even have multi-pattern at this price point. The AT2050, Rode NT2-A and the AKG Perception 420 all have multi-pattern are in the same price ballpark and IMO sound better ... what's "Better"? I get more "air" around the vocals and they sit better where I want them in the mix, there is more there both in the LF and HF ranges which I can then EQ to suit. The mids are NOT muddy which I find to be the case with the Baby Bottle.

michael
from portland
September 1, 2004

no_title

The Babybottle is, in my opinion, the perfect all purpose project studio mic (for less than 1,000 bucks). It takes your time and patience to get the sound that you want in any given application. However, you really can record almost anything with this one mic! Does it really do everything? No. It does _almost_ everything. Here are some things that it really doesn’t do: cymbals, tambourines and drum overheads, room mic, etc..

Here are some examples of what it does do:

The placement for acoustic instruments is quite finicky. If the guitarist moves a little with the music, you’ll hear it in the mic due to its exaggerated proximity effect, sensitivity and high output. If the guitarist grooves with the music, then the recording quickly become unusable. This mic lives and dies based upon mic placement, more than most directional mics. Still, be patient, you’ll get the sound that you’re looking for and without paying 3,000 bucks.

About the same is true for vocals. If what you have is time, energy and creativity, and not a lot of money, then this mic will serve you quite well. I’ve found that I can dial in a wide range of vocal ‘sounds’ with this mic. Keep in mind, however, that this mic has an exaggerated mid range. You’ll find reviews on this very topic from the pros and its true. This mic will easily ‘boom’ your vocals and add a lot of power. Tilt it at a hard angle, facing the vocalist’s belly button, and you’ll get a much sweeter sound.

Notice the patter? This mic can be an incredible asset, once you and your performer get to know it. But it takes time, patience and some creativity. You’ve heard of ‘working’ the mic? Well, the more control your performer has, the more you’ll be able to do with this mic. I know what you’re thinking: all directional mics are ‘workable’. Yeah, true, but with the Babybottle’s boosted mids, super hot output and sensitivity your options are either opened or closed based upon your performer. I’ve found that the time I’ve spent getting to know this mic has been time really well spent. I can do nearly everything with this one mic, and do it well given time and patience. It’s the perfect studio mic. Well, not really.

The perfect studio mic costs between 3,000 and 6,000 bucks. So, if you happen to have 3k burning a hole in your checking account, buy the Neumann. Otherwise, you can accomplish _nearly_ the same thing with the Babybottle, you’ll just need more time, more patience and creativity – as apposed to cash.

If you can only buy one mic right now, buy this one.

Michael

Alex Calvo
from CT
May 1, 2004

Smooth

I'm enjoying using this mic. I have to EQ my vocals a bit to get the sound I want...but overall...quality is excellent for the price...If you want to hear it, listen to my "Cloudy Blue Angel" tune, on ACIDPlanet.com...search for "Alex Calvo"

Blue Microphones Baby Bottle

Large-diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Microphone with Class A Discrete Circuitry and Hand-built Capsule