Blue Dragonflys

[Charles Dayton]

Has anyone had any experience with this mic as a drum overhead or vocal or....

Also, on a side note, I've read many posts here about people wanting to try mics before buying them. What about renting?
Of course, I just shot my own question in the foot, but I'd like to hear other peoples opinions as well.

Charles

 

[enferno]

the studio engineer where i intern at loves them to death for overheads. he swears by them most of the time.

 

[ozraves]

The Dragonfly has a reputation as an overhead mic.

However, I like it on acoustic guitar. And, I like it a lot on many vocals. Please note I didn't say all vocals. It's a great mic that I think is underappreciated.

Here's my review of the mic: http://mojopie.ipbhost.com/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=1&cmd=showentry&eid=71

 

[mrface2112]

i love my dragonfly on overheads. i wish i had a second!

it's very nice on some vocals. either it really works, or it really doesn't.

it's very fidgety on acoustic--placement is really hard to get right. however, once you've found a good spot for it, it's very nice on acoustic. i tend to use it with a combination of a couple mics.

i also like it on guitar amps and out in front of a kick drum.


it's a *very* particular mic.....you have to match it to the source and find the proper placement for it, but when all is said and done, you get fantastic results.


cheers,
wade

PS--yes, by all means, renting a mic is a very effective way of "demoing" one in your space.

 

[scarboro78]

I luv my dragonfly on vocals.. I find it especially nice on yellers for some odd reason.. only thing about it is that it's verrrry picky about placement. If the singer/rapper/whatever isn't singing directly into the heart of the mic.. it WILL make a big difference.

 

[chessrock]

I don't know if I'd necessarily say it has "shitty" off-axis response ...

Maybe a "complex" or "challenging" off-axis response? To put it mildly.

It's definitely a weird mic. Both in looks and in application. When it's happenin', it's really happenin. I've cut some vocal tracks with it where I just said to myself : "wow." And I've tested it on some stuff where it just sounded like there was a hole in it somewhere.

It's got the classic scoop. Exaggerated/enhanced top and bottom; not much going on in the mids, save for a healthy boost around 2-3 khz, which probably explains why people like them so much for overheads. Everything about it's frequency response would suggest an ideal overhead mic, in fact.

But without question it's a tailored response curve; and like a suit or a shoe size, it's either going to fit or it's not going to fit.

 

[EleKtriKaz]

I see them on Ebay all the time going for well under what they sell for in stores. I've seen a lot of them go for around $450. I've always been tempted but because of its reputation of being, as mrface said, "particular" about its source I've never chanced it. I can't afford to spend that much on a hit-or-miss type mic. They are cool looking though.

 

[mrface2112]

i think "hit or miss" is a little too harsh of a term to give to it......b/c the "hit" is like Sosa getting hold of a waist-high batting practice fastball.

at $450, it's almost a no-brainer. i scored mine for $400 at a GC blowout, and it's easily $400 of the best $$ i've thrown down this moneypit.

like i said, it won't work on everything. if you want something that'll give you a decent and dependable (but boring) representation of just about anything, go get an sm57 and stick it up close. but when you want that mandolin or those vocals to shine, get that 57 out the way. it just sounds SO good.......that the things it's "not good" on aren't even afterthoughts in my book.

and maybe you do have to fiddle with placement a tad more than some other mics.....but man it's worth it.


cheers,
wade