Blue enCORE 300 Condenser Handheld Cardioid Microphone

Comments about Blue enCORE 300 Condenser Handheld Cardioid Microphone:

Got this for on-location recording when my shotgun mic isn't the right choice. Also considered the Rode NT-3 but decided to go with this instead. It might not be the intended purpose of this mic, but it worked great. Sounds great, well built, and has a very hot output.

Comments about Blue enCORE 300 Condenser Handheld Cardioid Microphone:

From the first time our church used the Encore 300 microphone, the clarity and crispness it provided was far beyond any other mic we've ever used.

Comments about Blue enCORE 300 Condenser Handheld Cardioid Microphone:

i engineer for young live bands (and the occasional festival), and provide most of the stage equipment.

this mic is perfect for acoustic guitar / lute / piano etc - crystal clear, very hot and reasonable rejection. you can keep the mic back from the instrument and get a very detailed sound. perfect for vocals. i really really like the sound from it, compared to the beta 58 / sm58s that people usually like to use on stage.

it can take a hammering, too... so for artists with less sense than volume, (and a good compressor), i can still capture those quiet passages and deal with them screaming into the mic at point blank range.

i've not used them on a drum set yet, but from monitoring the vocal mic during a show, it picks up them very well too!

Comments about Blue enCORE 300 Condenser Handheld Cardioid Microphone:

I have used a Shure Beta58 for long time but I wanted to try something different and active. Price and reviews led me to this flagship of the encore mics and B&H Photo Video gave me the best price[...]This mic is so much clearer and detailed than even my Beta58. At fist I was disappointed because I was having a hard time controlling feedback but then ah-ha, duh! back off on the gain and the problem was gone. I haven't had this long enough to say how rugged it is but I will definitely take care of it! I have received several compliments on the improvement in my sound. We play from The Cure to Megadeth and everything in between and it performs...period! If you are serious about your vocals GET THIS MIC!

Comments about Blue enCORE 300 Condenser Handheld Cardioid Microphone:

I'd been looking for a sample of this mic for about a year, but none of my local music stores would carry it. They opted for something "they could sell." So I took a chance and bought the enCORE 300 [...]. I was interested in this because I wanted to give my guitarist and lead singer the ability to play guitar while not having to "eat the mic" during our worship services. As soon as we got it out of the box, hooked up, and powered up ... we were all blown away. Even the backup singers wanted to try it out. It is a hot mic that will pick up your voice easily while still giving a great tone and giving you lots of headroom. I've used Shure and EV condensers for years, but after this the Blue 300 will be the only condenser mic in my vault.

Comments about Blue enCORE 300 Condenser Handheld Cardioid Microphone:

I use my enCORE 300 in my home studio for practice and vocal recording. I can only compare it to a Sennheiser e845s because I only own two mics. The Sennheiser buzzes with any gain setting so I have to be right on it to make it work. The 300 is crystal clear and noise free no matter how hard I push it with high gain and volume settings. I love it. It also looks very cool to my eye.

Comments about Blue enCORE 300 Condenser Handheld Cardioid Microphone:

Ok I was at a convention in LA and Blue, which is known for their wide array of nice studio mics was there with their brand new line of encore live mics. So I asked the rep how does their condenser live mic stack up to something like a Beta 87 or KMS105 and he said, it makes the Neumann sound like a toy. Hmm, thems is fightin words. hehe. OK a bold statement especially for a mic that lists at about a third the cost. So what does it sound like. First thing I noticed when bringing up the 300 is that it is LOUD. Had to turn the gain way down. Interesting. Very different than the Neumann condenser. Has a low end but a tighter low end so less of an even smooth blanket sound but a narrower low end bump that gives the voice some bottom without sacrificing any clarity. There is definitely more mid hype than the Neumann or Beta 87. Less flat. Lots of clarity. I still think the Neumann has a tad more air on the very top that would be nice in a lower volume setting. In a live situation with a loud band the mic cuts through nicely with clarity but still has some fullness. Might be ideal in a situation where you need a full clear condenser sound but need some bite to cut through. I can see how the tighter low and and mid bite might work better cutting through a loud mix better than the flatter evener Neumann but still give you that condenser detailed nuance and air. Two very different mics. But then I realize I am making a comparison between the $600 Neumann and the $199 Blue. And the Blue is holding it's own and may even be better in certain situations. Didn't have issues with stage bleed, or feedback rejeciton. For [$] at B&H an awsome bang for your buck mic. Wow cheaper than a Beta 58 $30 more than a SM58 and at least comparable to some of the best live mics at triple the price. Blue may be giving these other mics a run for their money. Definitely a great bang for your buck live mic at B&H's [$] which is cheaper than most sites at $199. I did a more in depth review of this along with several other mics here [@]

Comments about Blue enCORE 300 Condenser Handheld Cardioid Microphone:

I am a musician and had heard a lot about these micas. Did quite a bit of research before purchasing. I found one at a really good price from B&H so decided to give it a try. I usually use a Neuman or Electro Voice. This mic has a nice warm sound. At times it can get a little too warm on the lows close up.

Some of the pros are: The price is right. It looks cool. It will thicken and warm up your voice. But if you already have those qualities in your voice go with a different mic. I'm thinking now that the 200 would have been a better choice for live performance.

The cons are: it's built like a tank and a little heavy, (good & bad I suppose?) Loses a little clarity when close up as the lows really take over.

Overall it's a keeper for my collection and rates well among any mic in this price category.

Comments about Blue enCORE 300 Condenser Handheld Cardioid Microphone:

Records very well, clean and transparent sound and no background noise, even if you crank up the preamps. Suitable for studio vocals and acoustic instruments. Very little leakage from the environment.