B.L.U.E. Dragonfly

J

j-boy

New member
These seem to be a great mid-priced condenser based on the reviews, etc. I've read and I'm intrigued by the thought of some classic character at this price point. In this general price range, there are some solid contenders (AT-4050, KSM-44, Rode NT-2A) but they seem, I don't know... somewhat less than pulse quickening.

The application would primarily be vocals. Acoustic guitar would be a bonus but not necessary.
 
I've heard that it's excellent on acoustic guitar, and hit-or-miss on vocals. It either loves you or it don't. But I don't have first hand knowledge of it.
 
i'll start this with "i love my dragonfly".

i would not call the dragonfly a "classic" sound. in fact, i'd call it the opposite--a unique sound.

it's a mic that doesn't work on everything, but it seems to excel on stringed instruments. it's an *awesome* mandolin mic. but it's VERY picky in terms of placement. you really need to take the time to get it placed right. i'd love to try it on cello.

in terms of acoustic guitars, i find i have far beter success getting a great sound out of it when i'm recording someone else (and not myself).....making those "fine tuning" placement tweaks with that mic is paramount. and i can't do that too well when recording myself.

on vocals, it either works or it doesn't--there's really no inbetween. and when it works, it *works*. even if you don't like it once on a vocalist, try it again on another song--the mic's timbre might be right the next time.

i love it on guitar amps and on snare drum. due to it's large head, though, i'm usually resistant to use it on a drumset snare.....but in recording "concert snare" type work it's quite nice. it's also an excellent overhead in those cases where you don't need to downplay the cymbals (good room, good cymbals, good drummer).

i don't like it outside the kick. it's interesting on a bass amp and can provide a nice coupling with a "bass mic" (d112, beta52, etc).

given it's interesting aesthetics, it's got that "cool" factor, which sometimes helps raise the game of the performer. no one thinks an sm58 is "cool" looking, but everyone seems to want to sing into the dfly. the MXL V67 seems to have a bit of that going for it too.

if you're looking for an "all around" mid-price LDC to add to your collection, I'd direct you elsewhere......prolly towards the 4050 or KSM series. this would not be a mic i'd recommend to you in the event of you only having 1 or 2 mics.

but if you want a mic with a unique tone that you'll love once you get used to using it, or if you're looking to increase your sonic palate, or add another quality mic to your collection.....go for it!


cheers,
wade

PS--do a search around here for "dragonfly" and you'll find a LOT of thoughts on it
 
Thanks for the feedback so far, everybody. I'm not really looking for an "all rounder", so maybe the 'fly will work. I guess I'll have to demo it to really see. I would be interested in using it as my primary vocal mic for my project studio. I don't need a mic for drums, keyboard, etc. since I use samples, likewise, my bass guitar is covered by DI. For mic'ing my electric guitar cabinet, I've been using a combination of Shure dynamic (Beta 58) and/or Audio-Technica AT-3035 condenser. The AT sounds pretty damn good about 4" off the grille cloth at the edge of the speaker cone. If the 'fly worked for acoustic guitar and vocals I'd be more than covered.

Up to now, I've been using the AT-3035 for vocals. It's okay, clean and all that, no self-noise or anything. But I'd like to have that *wow* factor. I don't know if the KSM-44, C-414, AT-4050, etc. have that or not. I've heard the 'fly is special. Special is good...
 
j-boy said:
Up to now, I've been using the AT-3035 for vocals. It's okay, clean and all that, no self-noise or anything. But I'd like to have that *wow* factor. I don't know if the KSM-44, C-414, AT-4050, etc. have that or not. I've heard the 'fly is special. Special is good...
Click to expand...

Did you hear that song I posted? It's a pretty good representation of what it does on two very different types of vocals.
 
j-boy said:
But I'd like to have that *wow* factor. I don't know if the KSM-44, C-414, AT-4050, etc. have that or not. I've heard the 'fly is special. Special is good...
Click to expand...

yes, the dfly is special. special is good.....and "wow" is good......but like i said (and steve says in the mojopie review), it either works or it doesn't. and there are times where it works on my voice for one song, but not another. the dfly is the mic equivalent of Jose Canseco--plenty of strikeouts, but home runs when contact is made. there's not much of that in-between "it sounds ok" middle ground here.

i would have concerns about it being my primary "go to" vocal mic. I would want another mic that complimented it as well--maybe something more "all around".....maybe an SM7 or RE20.

I would advise you to check out the 4050 along with the dfly, and possibly the KSM-32 and 44, as they sure get a lot of nice reviews too. buy the mic that works best and return the rest.


cheers,
wade
 
Wade gives wise counsel. The dfly has wonderful qualities that aren't always appropriate for the material or the range. It'd be a great mic to add later, for now you should look at sometyhing that'll sound good on lots of stuff. The AT 4050, Studio Projects T3, as high as you can get in CADland, and ADK has some real nice mics.
 
scarboro78 said:
Did you hear that song I posted? It's a pretty good representation of what it does on two very different types of vocals.
Click to expand...
Not yet... I'm at work right now and I have to wait until I get home tonight. Music blasting over the cubicle divider is frowned upon.
 
j-boy said:
Not yet... I'm at work right now and I have to wait until I get home tonight. Music blasting over the cubicle divider is frowned upon.
Click to expand...

lol.. same here.. one of these days I really have to bring in a pair of headphones :D But anyways, take a listen when u get a chance and let know what you think.
 
scarboro78, I got a chance to check out your tune... the 'fly suits your voice well, and the song was great, well done. This afternoon I went to Guitar Center and demoed four mic's just to get a better picture of what works for me.

I tried out the Dragonfly, an AKG C414XLS, a Rode NT-2A and a Shure KSM-32. The 'fly and the 414 were on the bright side, and didn't work well with my voice, which is more baritone I guess. The Rode was the strongest of the bunch but maybe too strong. It sounded great in isloation but might overpower other parts in a mix. The KSM-32 was best for my voice. More refined than the Rode, more full than the 'fly or the 414.

If you were to hear sound in *colors*, the Dragonfly and the C414 were yellow, the Rode was red and the Shure was green.

I was most disappointed in the 414. They have such a reputation but to me, this one was thin and kind of wimpy. No bottom end at all. Very unimpressive.

I will say I wish all manufacturers built their mics with the attention to detail that B.L.U.E. does. And the rotating cpsule housing is brilliant, simply brillant.
 
scarboro78, I got a chance to check out your tune... the 'fly suits your voice well, and the song was great, well done. This afternoon I went to Guitar Center and demoed four mic's just to get a better picture of what works for me.

I tried out the Dragonfly, an AKG C414XLS, a Rode NT-2A and a Shure KSM-32. The 'fly and the 414 were on the bright side, and didn't work well with my voice, which is more baritone I guess. The Rode was the strongest of the bunch but maybe too strong. It sounded great in isloation but might overpower other parts in a mix. The KSM-32 was best for my voice. More refined than the Rode, more full than the 'fly or the 414.

If you were to hear sound in *colors*, the Dragonfly and the C414 were yellow, the Rode was red and the Shure was green.

I was most disappointed in the AKG 414. They have such a reputation but to me, this one was thin and kind of wimpy. No bottom end at all. Very unimpressive.

I will say I wish all manufacturers built their mics with the attention to detail that B.L.U.E. does. And the rotating capsule housing is brilliant, simply brillant.
 
I used the Dragonfly on a session today. First, I put it about four and a half feet over the snare on a drum kit in a three mic drum set up. Second, I used it on an acoustic guitar track. Normally it's chimey in this application without any problems but for some reason the room or the technique for the guitarist or the instrument. I went over and tweaked the EQ on the tfpro Mighty Twin and there was the sound the band wanted.
 
ozraves said:
First, I put it about four and a half feet over the snare on a drum kit in a three mic drum set up.
Click to expand...

the dfly makes a nice, present OH, does it not? :D

give me a dfly, a kick mic and a 609 or 201 for snare in a decent room with a non-crapulent drummer, and in a lot of cases, that's all i'll need. that's not asking for a lot, is it?


cheers,
wade
 
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