Blue Microphones was founded in 1995 with the belief that technical innovation and cutting-edge design can combine to create a family of audio tools that not only look inspiring, but sound like nothing else on the planet. Building on years of repairing and improving classic Golden Age microphones, and recognizing advances in digital processing (extended frequency response, dynamic range, and project recording capability,) Blue fundamentally changed the way microphones are imagined, creating a line of mics with custom-designed sonic signatures that make each Blue microphone truly unique and perfectly situated to take advantage of today's increased digital bandwidths. Or to put it simply: the perfect analog devices for the digital age.
Starting with state-of-the-art technology that ensures the purest possible signal path, along with Class A fully discrete circuitry (no ICs, pads, or filters), each microphone is designed to fill a specific role in a recordist's repertoire. Every studio series mic contains its own propriety capsule that is hand-tested and approved to capture specific sonic signatures in specific ways. The first proprietary design, the Blueberry (Electronic Musician 2000 Editor's Choice Microphone of the Year) was designed and engineered at the behest of John Gass, a Grammy award-winning engineer/mixer, who asked if it was possible to create a contemporary pop vocal mic that also substantially eliminated the need to spend hours "EQing" or over-processing the signal source. The Blueberry's success led to future Blue designs that focused solely on delivering the best possible reproduction of specific vocal or instrument types. The result is a portfolio of professional microphones that create a full palette of sounds, enabling artists to realize the sonic landscape of their vision. And that portfolio is still growing, with the new additions of the Spark and Reactor mics to the Blue family.
At the turn of the millennium, after receiving an early version of Apple's GarageBand™, Blue realized that project studio recording presented the next revolution of the recording industry. Believing that the lack of a high-quality USB microphone to protect the signal source would slow down this revolution, Blue developed the Snowball, the world's first professional USB mic. Throughout the development process, the Snowball was designed specifically with musicians in mind; however, people very quickly began to adopt the product for consumer applications, such as podcasting, chat, and narration. Out of this, Blue's line of consumer audio products was born, and its audio DNA continues with Blue's newer consumer desktop mics, from Yeti Pro to Tiki, along with Mikey Digital, our portable recorder for iOS devices.
Blue is 100% committed to getting the very best microphones in the world into the hands of those who have a passion for high quality audio; this is our heritage and will always be the core focus of everything we do. From the uncompromising and revolutionary Bottle to the desktop/studio flexibility of the Yeti Pro, every product reflects Blue's rare expertise and inimitable design sense. We encourage you to audition each Blue microphone to discover the ideal sonic character for your audio needs.