Blue Baby Bottle SL XLR Cardioid Condenser Microphone for Pro Recording, Streaming, Podcasting, Gaming, with Large Diaphragm, Shockmount, Low Cut Switch, Warm Vintage Sound, Protective Case - Black

The media could not be loaded. This is genuinely an amazing piece of kit. The build quality, the standard of all the materials used is genuinely second to none. The design of the mic follows a retro style with a copper-mesh lollypop condensor head, brushed aluminium collar and a dark matt blue cylinder. The Blue logo looks great in raised copper relief and there are two hardware switches on the mic itself; a High-Pass Filter which will eliminate low rumble or background noise in your recordings, and a -20dB pad which will provide a useful top end buffer against distortion due to very loud sounds. The brushed aluminium custom shock cage is again a thing of beauty and the whole package feels like having a piece of art attached to your desk.Moving beyond the physical, the sound achieved by the Blue Baby Bottle SL is just gorgeous. Having moved from a USB condensor mic, I was absolutely blown away by the difference in sound quality - immediately I was greeted by a warm, rich sound with real depth and presence, instead of the shallow, tinny sound of my old USB mic. Important to note this is a mic which requires an XLR cable connection - If you're using this alongside standard audio amps etc it'll likely plug straight in, if however you're planning to use it on your PC you will need to pick up a USB Audio Interface to act as the middle-man between the Baby Bottle SL and your PC. I chose the Behringer U-Phoria UMC22 and it was simplicity itself to get up and running.This mic is genuinely a next-level product for anyone seeking to really elevate the quality of their audio.

Had to return as the low cut and attenuator switches were missing

The microphone I received was well packaged but one of the gold knob was broken and missing :(.I tested the microphone with a rodecaster and it wasworking great but aesthetically the missing switcher was horrible. decided to return it

I’m reviewing the Baby Bottle version here, and there’s something inherently lovely about this microphone, spanning from its decidedly old-timey stylings to the vocal tone that you get out of it.The richness of quality is the full five stars without doubt. I’ve tested it with both sung vocals and calm voiceover and am quietly blown away by the quality of the result. When the description says broadcast quality, it really means it. There is that middle-of-EQ warmth that pushes through the roominess of a limited recording space, and allows you to tweak away the room and get something really clean but which still sounds original, organic and unfiltered. It’s a sonic joy. It’s one of those mics where you feel guilty that the vocal doesn’t live up to the quality of the microphone, rather than the other way around.It’s a surprisingly forgiving microphone in terms of placement, and the results retain their quality even when the performer’s mouth keeps changing distance or direction relative to the mic. I’ve used pro mics before that have been much, much fussier. The two switches above the logo are lightweight and quiet. They’re so lightweight in fact that it’s quite easy to knock them by accident when handling the microphone, so handle it with there. But this is a microphone that deserves to be handled with care already, and that just adds to it.Though it’s not the largest of microphones, it’s still got a lot of eye-catching power. In a live gig or podcast, if your vocalist is using one of these or it’s in-vision as a presenter mic, it’s going to get noticed and commented on. The branding of it seems to lean towards that classic Americana and country vibe, which come through also in the really-rather-nice dark red wooden box, but to me the slightly glam and gold-and-silver-cross trim on the microphone itself also lends itself towards a steampunk aesthetic.The unboxing is fairly satisfying, it’s a nicely presented mic. The wood box is certainly the best bit but the other packaging is a demonstration of quality here, and it comes with a good dollop of that “posh new kit that sounds better than the old kit” joy. It’s also quite weighty.Yes, this is an expensive microphone, and yes vloggers and podcasters who are only doing hobby videos for Y’Tube will get decent results from something far cheaper. But this is an absolutely top-notch mic for people with quality vocals that need recording in the best way possible. It’s an investment, but a good one.