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OmnidirectionalCardioidBidirectionalBlue Microphones Cactus

MSRP: $3,295 Multi-Pattern Condenser Tube Microphone

Blue Microphones Cactus

Description

The Cactus is a high-end tube mic with 9 selectable pickup patterns, from omni to figure-of-8. The capsule is Blue’s B7 design (available separately for the Red Type B and Blue Bottle mics). The amplifier design is a transformer-balanced single vacuum tube sub-miniature pentode in a triode mode, along with the highest quality hand-selected electronic components to insure low noise and minimal distortion.

At a distance, The Cactus delivers every nuance in the room, with finely focused resolution and clear, musical frequency response to the extremes of the audible spectrum. Up close, with its detailed highs and smooth midrange, the nine-pattern Cactus excels at delivering a vocal or solo track right to the front of the mix where it belongs.

  • Nine-pattern condenser — cardioid, omnidirectional, figure-8 with variable settings in between
  • Vintage Class A discrete tube amplifier circuit
  • Blue’s B7 hand-built capsule tuned for multipatterns
  • Vintage sound, detailed midrange for the classic tube mic recording with nine different remote selectable patterns
  • Integrated capsule shockmounting; mic hand-tuned and tested
  • Includes the premium quality Cactus Tube Power Supply, Champagne tube mic cable, ATA flight case, Series 1 Shock/Pop integrated shock mount & pop filter
    • Suggested Applications
  • Male Vocals, Female Vocals, Classical Acoustic Piano & Horns

The Cactus, like several of Blue’s early products, was the subject of an intellectual property dispute in 2006, when the original manufacturer, SIA Scruples/Violet Design, attempted to register a lookalike microphone with the EU’s “Office for the Harmonization of the Internal Markets” — essentially the EU’s trademark office. The OHIM called Scruples’ registration invalid, awarding the IP rights to Martin Saulespurens of BLUE. For a time, this mic was known as the Violet JZ-5 or JZ5.

JJ Blair/EQ MagazineBLUE has the philosophy of having each of their mics have a really colored sound. Well, this one is colored really dark. I mean, woolly, even. It had a really fantastic low-end response, but this is not a mic to use if you want presence. With a peak at around 5kHz and a steady rolloff from there, this would be a great mic for horns or any application you might prefer a ribbon mic on. It worked OK on the male vocalist, but was not happening on the female. It was way too dark for my taste on acoustic… Forget about the piano… It also uses the lollipop system, so you could try other capsules on it.

The Blue Microphones Cactus is also known as: JZ5, JZ-5.

The mic was released in 1998.

Pickup Patterns Pads & Filters
  • Omnidirectional (20-20,000 Hz)
  • Cardioid (20-20,000 Hz)
  • Bidirectional (20-20,000 Hz)
Diaphragm size Impedance Max SPL
n/a 50 Ohms (Low (50-1000 Ohms)) 136 dB
Weight Length Max Diameter Interface(s)
800g (28.22oz) 230mm (9.06'') 50mm (1.97'')
  • 3-pin XLR male (1)
Power Specifications
  • Requires External Power Supply

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