Blue iOS and USB Microphones Spark Digital Review
It was all the way back in January, when Blue Microphones made its CES announcements, that the Spark Digital first broke cover alongside two other mobile recording devices. Our interest was immediately piqued thanks to the mic's USB 2.0 and iOS connectivity, which allows it to support the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch via the 30-pin jack. After a grueling wait that lasted until just a few weeks ago, Blue's latest offering finally arrived.
aking a tour around the rig, a combination volume and gain control rests on the front with four LED lights above it that serve as a level indicator. Turning that knob left or right makes this adjustment while pushing it in mutes the mic. There's another, larger LED on the dial itself that lets you know when you're on mute and when the mic is hot. All of those controls are great, but the plastic button / dial comes off way too easily. Its not attached with any sort of pin to hold it in place and it occasionally popped off while we were traveling. The only other on-board switch is an on / off toggle for the Focus Control around back. Last but not least, a jack is located on the bottom of the unit that accepts both the 30-pin cable for iOS devices and a USB option for connecting to a laptop or desktop.
aking a tour around the rig, a combination volume and gain control rests on the front with four LED lights above it that serve as a level indicator. Turning that knob left or right makes this adjustment while pushing it in mutes the mic. There's another, larger LED on the dial itself that lets you know when you're on mute and when the mic is hot. All of those controls are great, but the plastic button / dial comes off way too easily. Its not attached with any sort of pin to hold it in place and it occasionally popped off while we were traveling. The only other on-board switch is an on / off toggle for the Focus Control around back. Last but not least, a jack is located on the bottom of the unit that accepts both the 30-pin cable for iOS devices and a USB option for connecting to a laptop or desktop.
As we mentioned briefly before, the Spark Digital comes with some essential accessories in the box. First, a metal desktop stand similar to the one that cradles the Yeti is included to handle the peripheral during recording sessions. The holder swivels 180 degrees and can be locked into place once it's positioned just so. Our only complaint with the stand is that the platform that the mic attaches to is held in place by mini bungee cord / rubber band-type ropes, serving as a shockmount to keep the microphone safe from vibrations. This makes for a less-than-solid base when positioned at an angle due to the weight of the microphone despite the shockmount's intent, even if you won't be moving it mid-session. If you keep things vertical, though, you won't have any issues.
In addition to the stand, the requisite cables are included as well. Again, you can connect via a 30-pin connector or USB port. The Spark Digital doesn't have a built-in headphone jack for zero-latency monitoring like its bigger brother, the Yeti, but it does offer said connection along the cable that connects to your laptop or mobile device a pretty nice touch as far as we're concerned. A soft bag for carrying the mobile recording unit comes standard as well, complete with a second compartment on the inside to keep that duo of cables tidy. You may be asking:-30-pin connector unfortunately you read that correctly. In order to use this beast with the latest iPhone, iPad and iPad mini, you'll have to snag an extra adapter to get things up and running. Perhaps a third cable will be introduced soon for the Lightning connection, but for now, be sure you pick up that $30 adapter before you plan to record.
Continuing its pattern of churning out plug-and-play devices, Blue Microphones made the Spark Digital's setup process super simple. If you've already installed a bit of recording software such as GarageBand, StudioMini and the like you're a plug-in and a few clicks in the Settings menu away from being able to record. The entire process takes less than a minute, which keeps the focus on actually recording, and not getting the equipment set up and connected. Throughout our time with it, we didn't encounter any hiccups going through the process each time we relocated and the fact that GarageBand automatically detected the accessory made the chore even easier.
A painless setup routine goes a long way in making the Spark Digital a pleasure to use. The fact that it's iOS compatible and that it takes up less space than the Yeti makes it more likely you'll take it on the road for capturing a new instrumental or doing some podcasting from a hotel room. Thanks to the built-in mute control, we never had to worry about keystrokes, coughs or other noises creeping in mid-broadcast while we weren't speaking. The Spark Digital did pick up a bit of room noise while we were recording acoustic guitars, but it's nothing that can't be cured in postproduction.
During the course of our comparison tests, Blue's Spark Digital ultimately lived up to our expectations.The unit provided a depth of sound and overall clarity in the tracks that places it a notch above the Apogee MiC in this regard. Captures from the Spark weren't weighted to one end of the sound spectrum or the other and highs, mids and lows were all consistently represented. However, low-end and mids get most of the attention with the MiC on par with what we had seen in previous recordings for other reviews. The new Spark handled both instruments and vocals with the same gusto each time out.
In addition to the stand, the requisite cables are included as well. Again, you can connect via a 30-pin connector or USB port. The Spark Digital doesn't have a built-in headphone jack for zero-latency monitoring like its bigger brother, the Yeti, but it does offer said connection along the cable that connects to your laptop or mobile device a pretty nice touch as far as we're concerned. A soft bag for carrying the mobile recording unit comes standard as well, complete with a second compartment on the inside to keep that duo of cables tidy. You may be asking:-30-pin connector unfortunately you read that correctly. In order to use this beast with the latest iPhone, iPad and iPad mini, you'll have to snag an extra adapter to get things up and running. Perhaps a third cable will be introduced soon for the Lightning connection, but for now, be sure you pick up that $30 adapter before you plan to record.
Continuing its pattern of churning out plug-and-play devices, Blue Microphones made the Spark Digital's setup process super simple. If you've already installed a bit of recording software such as GarageBand, StudioMini and the like you're a plug-in and a few clicks in the Settings menu away from being able to record. The entire process takes less than a minute, which keeps the focus on actually recording, and not getting the equipment set up and connected. Throughout our time with it, we didn't encounter any hiccups going through the process each time we relocated and the fact that GarageBand automatically detected the accessory made the chore even easier.
The feature is said to enhance recordings for greater clarity and detail over the Normal mode, but there's more to it than that. Toggling the Focus Control on alters the voltage of the mic's internals and thus tweaks the dynamic frequency response. This offers a much more in-depth change than say, a filter would that doesn't adjust the unit's signal output. Instead, the input driver gets all of the changes. All of that boils down to this: the Focus Control offers two unique options for recording with the same sound quality for each. It's not really a matter of one working better than the other, but rather selecting which of the two works best in a given tracking scenario.
During the course of our comparison tests, Blue's Spark Digital ultimately lived up to our expectations.The unit provided a depth of sound and overall clarity in the tracks that places it a notch above the Apogee MiC in this regard. Captures from the Spark weren't weighted to one end of the sound spectrum or the other and highs, mids and lows were all consistently represented. However, low-end and mids get most of the attention with the MiC on par with what we had seen in previous recordings for other reviews. The new Spark handled both instruments and vocals with the same gusto each time out.
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