The Blue Dragon or Neumann u87?

[MicFlo]

which one you think i should get, when im older the blue dragon or neumann u87?

im going to build a studio, and one day learn to be a studio engineer at Full Sail..

 

[Henri Devill]

You at FullSail?You should try them out there..After all Full Sail has a mic locker the size of a convenence store..



Don

 

[Beezoboy]

Well look at it this way. If you tell someone about you studio and that you have a Neumann mic, they will think you have nice equipment. If you tell them you have a blue dragonfly mic, they will think you are a sissy and ask if they can use your pink barbie mic instead. (Drum roll . . . crash)

Beezoboy

 

[Michael Jones]

Well look at it this way. If you tell someone about you studio and that you have a Neumann mic, they will think you have nice equipment. If you tell them you have a blue dragonfly mic, they will think you are a sissy and ask if they can use your pink barbie mic instead. (Drum roll . . . crash)

Beezoboy

Doh!

You're just spoiled! Ruined forever on any other mics!!

 

[MicFlo]

so i guess its the nuemann..ight thanx..

anyone kno any good pre-amps?

 

[Michael Jones]

so i guess its the nuemann..ight thanx..

anyone kno any good pre-amps?

hehehe......
sure.
Go shopping here:
http://www.brentaverill.com/neve_eqp/

 

[Richard Monroe]

Frankly, the Dragonfly is a much better buy, bang for buck, than a new U87ai. The old U87's are bitchin' mics, but Ithink they've slipped a tooth or two on the gear. Consider B.L.U.E. Kiwi, Cactus, and Bottle. Those are all *great* mics, and the Dragonfly may well be the best LD FET mic for under $1000 for a large variety of applications. I extensively auditioned the U87ai, and bought the Kiwi and never looked back.
Yeah, the stud rockers in your commercial studio may demand the Neumann, but the tracking engineers will all want to play around with the B.L.U.E.!-Richie

 

[Richard Monroe]

And BTW, preamps? Neve,Brent Averill, D.W. Fearn, Pendulum, and Avalon are what *real* men use! Eveyone else pays less than the price of a new Harley. Of course, the 8 channel Grace Design can bleed the old credit card pretty well itself. LOL-Richie

 

[crawdad]

As stupid as it might sound, I'd buy the U87 on track record alone--even if the Blue IS a better mic. I'm not sure it is or isn't. Which one has produced more top music in its lifetime? I doubt you'd be making a wrong move.

 

[Beezoboy]

Thats what I have been thinking about a lot lately. I am slowly considering what I want to do with all this gear I am getting and the only decision I can come to is to record other people.

Unfortunately every "schmuck" thinks a Neumann is the way to go and will go to the studio that can provide him with that. How about these keywords for a studio:

Neumann
Pro Tools
Neve
Vintage Guitar Amps

NOW since you own a TLM103, a Digi001, an MP1NV, and a 62 Bassman everyone wants to record at your studio. Its lame but true. Put a 32 channel mackie in front of it all and they'll think you are the GOD of recording. Unfortunately the looks and bullshit keywords of a studio are half the appeal to the uneducated.

==My advice==
I say if you are serious go with the "tried and true" and learn to work with what every studio is going to have. Get the U87 only if you are capable other mics first. If you are really serious learn with an SM57 first.

But here is an idea. Maybe go least to greatest. Get a 2 or 3 Shure Sm57, some quality SD condesers, 2 or 3 Sennheiser 421, an AKG D112, and Shure SM7 first. A couple of each of those mics can be had for the price of 1 U87. With a few of those mics alone you can record an entire album. Learn with those mics and you'll then be ready for the U87 when you get it, and you'll know what to use it for too. You'll also have the other mics that will always be useful and are "classics" too.

I only give all of this advice because I get the impression that you are young and are just starting out. If you aren't and I offended you sorry, but what I said is still sound advice.

Beezoboy

 

[chessrock]

All I know is that I've gotten so comfortable with my dragonfy . . . so familiar with it and fond of it's sound that it would be very difficult to imagine not having it, even if someone wanted to trade me their U87 straight up.

Take that for what it's worth.

 

[Michael Jones]

Thats what I have been thinking about a lot lately. I am slowly considering what I want to do with all this gear I am getting and the only decision I can come to is to record other people.

Unfortunately every "schmuck" thinks a Neumann is the way to go and will go to the studio that can provide him with that. How about these keywords for a studio:

Neumann
Pro Tools
Neve
Vintage Guitar Amps

NOW since you own a TLM103, a Digi001, an MP1NV, and a 62 Bassman everyone wants to record at your studio. ... Unfortunately the looks and bullshit keywords of a studio are half the appeal to the uneducated...

Beezoboy

There's more than a grain of truth spoken there. If you're going to run a studio as a business, you have to drive traffic to it.
If you were "shopping" for a studio to recored in, and all other things being equal (ie. price, facilities) who are you going to go to? The guy with a rack full of API's, and Neve's with a mic locker full of Neumanns and RCA's or the guy with a rack full of RNC's and a locker full of Nady's?

I don't care who can get the better sound, we're talking marketing here, and looks and aires are important.

 

[CyanJaguar]

the neumann is a bentley and the blue is a lexus.

One is fit for kings and the other is a wannabe

 

[Richard Monroe]

Well, Cyan, I think you're off base. Yeah, the Dragonfly is an $800 mic, give or take, and should be compared to a TLM103. The Kiwi is a direct competitor with the U87ai, which are both in the $2000 range. Don't get me wrong, I like Neumanns just fine. Frankly, the U87 is a Rolls Royce, and the Kiwi is a Ferrari. It's a matter of whether you want to spent the money for name and prestige or actual performance. I'll take the Ferrari, thank you. I'm not a commercial studio, so I have no clueless clients to impress. I'm going to Le Mans, not to a state function.-Richie

 

[CyanJaguar]

my comment was regarding the u87 vs the dragonfly.

Please, be my guest: get a kiwi over a u87. The fewer people have the neumanns the better value overall for those of us who know what they can really do and dont buy into new product hype and cliche. It also helps us stand out better when someone comes into a u87 equipped studio and is blown away with the quality of the vocals.

 

[Rossi]

I think in a smaller mic collection the U87 will make more sense since it is a very versatile mic, you can use it on a lot of sources not just voices, and it has proven that versatility in zillions of studios. A lot of engineers, when they have to record an unfamiliar source, will reach for their U87 and point at it. In most cases it'll sound fine. Plus everybody knows Neumann mics, and you don't have to explain anybody what a U87 is. The Blue, mics, I'm sure are cool mics, and the design is great. I've never heard one, but from what I've been told they're not very linear. I'm sure they're great mics to add some color to your palette as you expand your collection.

 

[chessrock]

It also helps us stand out better when someone comes into a u87 equipped studio and is blown away with the quality of the vocals.

. . . or is totally bored by the fact that they sound "just like everyone else."

I can certainly respect someone not liking the sound of a particular mic, or prefering another. But anyone who doesn't think BLUEs are in the same league hasn't bothered experimenting with them enough, in my estimation. Or they just don't have the time.

It's easier to get a good sound out of certain mics. The BLUEs will make you work harder, but if you put forth the effort, you'll be rewarded with a rich and unique tone unlike anything else.

I can certainly understand where the BLUE detractors are coming from, though. Often, timing is of the essence if you don't want to disrupt the flow of the session and spoil the vibe by fiddling with the positioning of the mic.

 

[Richard Monroe]

C'mon, Cyan, "hype and cliche"? That's exactly what the Neumanns have. Hype and cliche. Have you even listened to the B.L.U.E. mics? Do you really have a clue what they sound like or what they do? Or, on the other hand, is it *you* who has been taken in by the hype? Second question- have you compared a 10 year old U87 to a brand new one and heard how *inferior* the sound of the new one is to the classic? Or would you rather own anything that looks like a classic Neumann and has a German logo on it?
Whatever you think, the B.L.U.E.'s are world class mics, and in the end, when the dust settles, they will be found to be in the same league as Royer, Beyer, Soundelux, and yes, Neumann. Thirty years from now, the top level of B.L.U.E. mics will be found in any major studio, and will be called a classic. But you're right about one thing- there will be a Neumann sitting right next to it, and it will have been made before about 1995, before they started wrapping a housing that said "Neumann" around anything they could sell.-Richie

 

[CyanJaguar]

. . . or is totally bored by the fact that they sound "just like everyone else."

or you could try to re-invent the wheel, but I doubt that you'll be successful.

as blue blear said :if it aint broke, dont break it.

 

[frist44]

who's to say that BLUE won't be as successful as neumann or you for that matter. You've had some pretty outlandish things to say about mics that many respectable engineers on this bbs seem to love. You are honestly the only person I've ever heard say something negative about the soundelux U195, and although i have not heard it personally, I haven't even seen a negative comment about it on rec.audio.pro. I guess I'll just have to figure it out for myself.

With your defense about the U87, it's as though you're more worried about impressing people with your ownership of mics with the name neumann scripted on them. Don't shut down other people for trying something new that may work for them, even if it didn't for you. I guess your generalizations about the mics you seem to dislike are somewhat biased. I think it's pretty obvious that almost all the mics you call *&%^(%$, work for alot of other people just on this board, not to mention the engineers that aren't associated with homerecording.com

I do appreciate your input on the matter though, even though it's not what i really wanted, it was an honest opinion and that will definitely help make my decision in the future. I don't mean to be negative in any way, I just think you need to be a little more reluctant to jump to conclusions by saying some $1000 mics that have obviously done well for others are *(&%^.

~Brandon

I don't mean for this to be personal at all, so email me at bigbluesound@hotmail.com if you feel some of my thoughts are off-base.