Blue Baby Bottle vs. Rode NTK: Opinions?

[baritoneharry]

Tired of subpar results, I must buy a quality mic. It will be used primarily for vocals (male voice, slightly nasal -- got to work with what you've got!!!). I may also attempt to use it in order to record electric/acoustic guitars. My budget is within the $500-600 range. It seems as if I've gravitated toward BLUE's Baby Bottle and Rode's NTK. Anyone prefer one over the other? Any other suggestions? To tell you the truth, I have a hard time deciding on microphone choices without spending a couple of hours in real-time usage. Thanks in advance for your insight.

[rcj]

I have an NTK and love it on my voice (male) most of the time. On my cheap nylon string acoustic guitar, it records so much bass that I have to severely cut the lows no matter where I position the mic within say 3 feet/1 meter. If I record myself playing and singing at the same time I can only use that as a rough track because, once I cut the lows to fix the guitar, the vocal is trashed.

The vocal rarely sounds too bassey though. Only rich and silky!

I have no regrets about this mic although I'd love to add some others types to my "arsenal" of 1 mic.

BTW, I use a mackie 1204 for preamp.

[baritoneharry]

Thanks a lot for your insight. I guess the 'all in one' solution that us 'budget folks' are looking for is a little unrealistic. I'll most likely take the plunge on the NTK. Eventually, I'd like to own a BLUE Dragonfly -- I have heard a lot of positive things about its potential to recreate electric guitar amplifier output. As far as acoustic guitars, it seems as if many people go for stereo or ribbon mics. I have a Focusrite Trekmaster -- sounds very good -- but, it only has one input. Does anyone know if stereo mics require two line inputs? Obviously, I'm still a novice.

[Robert D]

Hi - Yes, you need two preamp channels to have a stereo mic be stereo. On the NTK/Babybottle...I have an NTK, but have never heard the Blue. I like the NTK very much, and am running it primarily through the same Focusrite you have. That combo is smoooth for days, but I'm gonna have to try it through my Meek to see if I can get a little edge on it. I went with the NTK over the TLM103 I had planned on getting, but I'm not going to be completely happy till I have both. Sometimes the NTK is missing the presence I'm looking for on a particular track. Anyway, I've heard very good things about the Baby bottle too, so check it out too. I don't think you can go wrong with either one.
Regards, RD

[Sugarbaker]

to be honest, I think the baby bottle sounds better with the right Mic pre, but it is so cheap in its construction I would go with the NTK. The problem with the Baby bottle is that the ends are not screwed on, they are just pressed on. If they get loose, (which half of them are right out of the box) the capsle with lean and the ends will spin, causeing the risk of damaging the mic. NTK is like an SM58 in construction quality... you could drive nails with it. Plus, it sounds great. Another consideration might be going with a solid state Mic and tube mic pre... Neuman TLM 103 is a great mic and very quiet. Best of luck to you.

[baritoneharry]

Thanks for the tip on the Baby Bottle's flimsy construction (is this true of all BLUE mics?) . . . I'd love to own a quality tube mic pre amp -- but, it isn't in the budget. Since I'm 'stuck' with the solid-state Focusrite, I guess I should attain balance via a tube mic . . . yes? I'm going with the NTK.

[Larry Blevins]

I do not agree on the flimsy construction of the Baby Bottle. Mine is built like a tank. It is used at least 5 days a week in my studio, has been dropped in the floor, fell over on the mic stand, etc, many times. All the BLUE mics I have seen are the highest quality construction. The Baby Bottle sounds fantastic on all my mic pres, which include ART, Mackie, Neve 9098, Demeter Tube, AMR tube and my Soundcraft console pre's. It is the best acoustic guitar microphone I've ever used. It sounds great on vocals and has a pecularity. It sounds like a ribbon mic in that it reduces pick noise, and has a smoothness I have heard in no other mic. It has extremely low noise and is very hot, so much that I have to kick in the 20db pad on some of the pres. Its one fantastic microphone.

[Sonic Valley]

I've got a Babby Bottle and a Dragonfly coming this week for tests. I'm looking a picking up a pair of new condensors for xmas. It''ll be interesting to check out I'm sure.

[baritoneharry]

Conflicting opinions, which are always expected, are certainly confusing. I won't be making a purchase until the end of January. Having the option to take the Baby Bottle, and the NTK, home for a week of testing would be great -- but, I don't have that option. PLEASE, post your opinion on the Baby Bottle once you've tested and drawn conclusions. I know that it sounds cliche, but I'm a big fan of the sonic qualities found on albums like Stevie Wonder's Innervisions, and Pick Floyd's Wish You Were Here. Being an owner of a solidstate preamp, is it possible to get a smooth (warmer -- another cliche -- sorry) sound . . . without a tube mic? I've been using an AT4040 condenser and a Seinheiser dynamic mic (i forget the model#), and both sound a little on the brittle, crispy side.
The AT4040 being sharper -- in an annoying way if that makes sense.

[baritoneharry]

sorry, I meant PINK Floyd . . . by the way, I've only been involved in this stuff for 5 months. Having said that, whats a 20db pad?

[Robert D]

Hi again - Yes, the AT series mics have an upper mid presence boost that may people love, but goes a little over the top for me in a lot of situations. Oh, a 20 db pad is commonly found on mics, mixer inputs, channel strips, etc. It is a switch that "pads" the signal by 20 db, so that it's not too hot for subsequent circuits. Actually, I think 10 db pads are more common.
RD

[Sugarbaker]

Hello again, I need to defend my post, I realize that the Baby bottle sounds great, as I have used it for several projects, and I don't argue that some of them are very solid, but working at a studio supply shop I see these mics go through the office on a weekly bases... and I see them come back. So to conclude, it would be important to really examine the specific mic you bought to make sure the ends are tight. The other thing that can happen is the ends will turn and the wiring to the diaphram will twist. Just be aware. Some mics you might want to look at are the new Blue Tube series solid state mics. I haven't used them yet, but a lot of people are asking about them. They will be a little more expensive, but thought you might want to look into it. Also, the Rode NT2 is a great mic in my opinion. I use it for overheads, acoustic guitar, vocals... the works. Hope this clarifies the construction issue. Later.


[This message has been edited by Sugarbaker (edited 12-03-2002).]

[baritoneharry]

thank you all for the additional clarity . . . Blue TUBE solid state mics . . . hmm, sounds like an oxymoron . . . are they solid state mics that emulate the sound of a tube mic?

[Sugarbaker]

Hi again,
I wrote completely the wrong Mic down... it's not BLUE Tube, it's Groove Tube. Mics like the GT55 and GT57 are very popular at the moment. They are in the 400 to 500 dollar price range. The solid state models are not designed to emulate a tube mic (to my knowledge. One of the big magazines... Recording or Sound on Sound... one of those just did a review on it and I can't remember which, you might go check the library for current issues of magazines. GT mics are now distributed by M-Audio which I think is a plus. While M-Audio is not really a professional market, they are big enough that they could give proper support and I believe they would only start shipping products they had the most confidence in. Again, I don't have any studio experiance with them, but several of my co workers have been using them in their studios. Later

[baritoneharry]

Hello,

Sonic -- did you ever receive the Baby Bottle for Christmas?

Just curious as to what your impression is if you did.