One of our most favorite brands in the market, Blue Microphones, has come out with a brand new small diaphragm condenser microphone for us to enjoy. The biggest facet of Blue mics is probably their overall builds and sound quality — we saw with their Yeti dominate the USB microphone world and for good reason, not to mention their snowball and even Mikey model which made an appearance in our top 10 best iOS microphones article. This particular mic is suited towards pianos, drum overheads and more. Let’s take a look at the Blue Hummingbird Microphone.
Main features\specs of the Blue Hummingbird
180 degree pivoting head- B1 cardioid condenser capsule
- Comes with: Carry case, mic clip, foam wind-screen
- Frequency response: 20HZ – 20KHZ
- Output Impedance: 50
- Maximum SPL: 130 dB
- Weight: 7.5 ounces
- Dimensions: 6.7” X 1.1” X 1.1”
180 degree pivoting headOverall build and features
It’s a “pencil mic” as you can see by the look, and what that gives us is a bit more of a versatile build it terms of positioning. You can fit in some odd places or get it snug with your current setup. But what’s especially great here is the fact that the head pivots 180 degrees. It’s perfect for those planning on buying a mic as an overhead for some drums (toms, snares), a piano, guitars, or merely any instrument you can think of with rich overtones (I’d even go as far as say you can do some vocals with it if you need an all-in-one). It’s super easy to adjust and doesn’t move around freely — once you find that sweet spot, you’re good to go. It’s super slim and will feel like a hammer in your hand.
The “B1 capsule” that we’re familiar with when it comes to Blue mics says that it’s great for high frequencies, so putting it above that snare (even hi-hats) is picture perfect. In terms of range, it’s relatively standard for condenser capsules: the 20 Hz to 20 kHz will be found in pretty much all popular studio microphones. Therefore, no worrying here in terms of what it’ll pick up or miss out on, you’re quite fine there.
Lastly, when it comes to additional accessories, the carry case (with foam lining) is solid for traveling, and the mic clip as well as foam wind-screen will never hurt. If you’re looking for a few accessories such as these, it makes the package more bang-for-your-buck.
Sound quality
The Blue Hummingbird‘s audio quality as stated previously is especially great for high sound pressure levels, but anything within the range it can pick up will do. Since it handles high SPL, a snare, hi-hat or any other sound that comes from a higher frequency won’t distort (as infamous in a lot of other microphones). This is especially great for performances, since at times we’ve even heard of some popular dynamic mics pop a bit when it came to drums.
In terms of actual audio, you have relatively standard (in terms of semi-pro and professional) quality, which is a good thing in our opinion. You get that touch of warmth all Blue microphones give you. You’re blowing out most sub $200 condenser microphones out of the water, not to mention the USB microphones that don’t even come close. Blue is always coming through in terms of audio quality.
The final word on the Hummingbird microphone
All in all, we’re really glad Blue added this model to their repertoire — it’s got a solid build, nice sound quality, and the 180 degree pivoting is great for those who need some versatility and custom positioning for what they’re recording. It’s pretty much good to go for any application, and we’d even go as far as to say vocals are quite fine if you may need to use it for that at one point or another. If you’re only recording vocals, we’d recommend going with a more traditional condenser microphone, particularly with a larger diaphragm, such as their Blue Spark microphone (around the same price point).
We have no complaints about this one, and think it’s perfect for those looking for an overhead microphone for drums, guitar, piano, or any other instrument that you need a high SPL tolerance for. The Blue Hummingbird Condenser Microphone is solid in terms of build and quality, and if it fits your needs, go for it.
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