You know how you can set a point-and-shoot camera to Auto Mode and it’ll do a lot of the tweaking for you to get the best shot possible? Wouldn’t it be cool if you could do that for audio? Well, the new Nessie is Blue’s first shot at a mic with Auto Mode.
Nessie, which does indeed look a lot like the silhouette of the Loch Ness Monster, is a USB mic aimed at consumers who want better-sounding recordings, but may not have the time/patience/skillz for post-production tweaking. It has a built-in pop filter so your plosives don’t cause your audio to peak, it has an internal shock-mount to minimize vibration from the table it’s on. On the software side, it automatically adjusts the EQ, de-esser and level controls to keep everything sounding nice and even. That’s all stuff you’d normally have to do in your mixing/editing software, which can be pretty intimidating to newbies.
The mic itself is a cardioid-pattern condenser and it has a built-in sound-card with a headphone jack. This can be used for zero-latency monitoring (i.e. no echo in your ears). There are three settings: vocals, instruments, and raw, which doesn’t apply any of the effects and let’s you do the mixing yourself later. It’s plug-and-play with PCs and Macs, and is compatible with iPads if you have an adaptor. Like the auto-mode on a point-and-shoot camera isn’t going to satisfy a professional photographer, this mic isn’t going to satisfy a professional musician, but that’s not really who it’s made for. It’s for people who want their fast recordings to sound better and they want it idiot-proofed. Blue’s mics typically sound terrific for the money, so we’ve got high-hopes for this adorable little guy. The Nessie will run you $US100 when it launches. [Blue]