Blue recently introduced a line of mics designed for stage use, one of which has a street price below $100. At first glance, the enCore 100 ($139.99 MSRP) resembles something in Shure’s Beta series (see Fig. 1). However, it features a newly designed dynamic element from Blue’s Aria line of capsules, which is meant to give its stage mics the timbre and frequency response of the company’s condensers—the Blue Bird in particular. Blue did this by matching parts (as best they could) from their studio microphone line, such as the magnetic materials, the weight of the coils, and the diaphragm.

Fig 1: The enCore 100 is suitable for stage and studio use. However, its textured handle can cause handling noise if you’re not careful.

The enCore 100 has a cardioid pattern, as you would expect from a stage vocal mic, and offers a frequency response of 50 Hz to 15 kHz (±5 dB). It can handle SPLs up to 147 dB, making it well suited not only for vocals but for louder instruments, such as guitar amplifiers, drums, brass, and reeds.

Weighing nearly a pound, the mic feels solid and roadworthy, yet its smart appearance sets it apart from your average live microphone. The enCore 100’s textured body is nearly 7.5 inches long and was designed to help you keep a grip on it while onstage. However, the small grooves can also cause audible handling noise—a low, ratcheting sound—if the mic moves in your hand. Around the middle of the grille is a ring that protects the basket against damage from the side.

The enCore 100’s accessories include a lined pouch and a rubberized clip (see Fig. 2). The mic fits snugly into the clip, requiring a bit of effort to set it in place. I imagine the clip will eventually loosen up enough to make it easier to use. However, the enCore 100 will also fit into a standard hard-plastic clip, which would be handier if you place and remove the mic a lot from its stand while onstage.

On The Road
The enCore 100 is well suited for concert use, offering a rich sound and high gain-to-feedback ratio. Vocals through it were big and full, allowing me to dial in a sound I really liked with minimal EQ. Using the enCore 100 on a singer with a full band on the same stage demonstrated how well the mic’s cardioid polar-pattern rejects off-axis sound.

Fig 2: The enCore 100 comes with this attractive pouch and a rubber “soft-clip.”

I used a pair of enCore 100s for two weeks as the main vocal mics on a tour with Miles Kurosky of the indie band Beulah. This gave me some insights into how they compare to the Shure SM58, which house engineers often use in mid-sized venues. The first thing every engineer noticed (aside from its striking physical appearance) is that the enCore 100 requires a little more gain than an SM58 to get up over the music. But once it has the proper gain, the mic’s low-mids are solid, and slightly beefier than what you’d get from an SM58.

Although the frequency response charts don’t bear this out, the enCore 100’s presence peak sounds like it is a bit higher than the SM58s, which helps with intelligibility. However, this can also give you an increase in sibilance. In addition, the enCore 100’s chart shows a 5 to 6 dB boost between 100 and 200 Hz, which helps account for the extra body the mic imparts to the voice.

Because most of the venues we played had been rung out for feedback using SM58s, the monitor EQ usually required some adjustment. Once everything was dialed in properly, the enCore 100s excellent gain-to-feedback ratio provided the singer with a clear monitor signal of their own voice. The pickup pattern is narrower than an SM58’s, which helps combat feedback but also means that singers shouldn’t stray far from the center of the capsule if they want to remain on-axis. Overall, most of the house engineers seemed impressed with the enCore 100, and a few of them expressed interest in picking up some of their own.

I also used the enCore 100 as a snare drum mic while recording a live performance. The mic gave the drum plenty of definition and weight, while maintaining the crack that defines the snare in a song—a combination of timbres that worked together well with the overhead and room mics.

On Track
Despite being designed for stage use, Blue says the enCore mics offer “studio-grade” sound. To see if that was true, I ran the enCore 100 through the gauntlet at New, Improved Recording, my studio in Oakland, CA. During the review, I also tested the enCore 200, a dynamic mic with active electronics. Remarkably, the enCore 100 only needed 3 dB more gain than its active sibling.

I began this section of tests by comparing the enCore 100 to a Shure SM57, a studio staple that has roughly the same street price. Holding both mics in my hands, and alternating between them for every other line of a song, I could certainly hear differences between the mics, but overall they sounded similar in this context. For example, the SM57 had a little more edge to it in the upper midrange, while the enCore 100 sounded a little rounder in the low-mids. It also had a more pronounced proximity effect, which made the low-end nice and juicy when I got right up on the grille. On the other hand, the off-axis rejection didn’t seem to be quite as extreme as that of the SM57. With a touch of EQ, I could comp a believable performance together from tracks recorded with the two mics.

Next, I wanted to hear how the enCore 100 compared to two dynamic mics often used on guitar amps—the SM57 and the Shure Beta 58. The enCore 100 was positioned as close to each Shure mic as possible on a single speaker, with the mics equidistant from the center of the cone. I then ran the mics through the same multi-channel preamp. I eschewed EQ and dynamics and used my Aurora Lynx A-to-D converters. It wasn’t a totally scientific test, but certainly an informative one.

Although the two mics sounded very similar, the enCore 100 offered beefier low-mids than the Beta 58 when recording a Fender Stratocaster through a small Fender combo amp. However, I noticed a bigger difference when the enCore 100 was compared to the SM57 while tracking a Telecaster through a larger Fender amp (with a bit of distortion dialed in). The guitarist on the session initially liked how the SM57 offered more bite in the upper mids, but he ultimately chose the enCore 100 for it’s broad, rich sound. We added a bit of EQ to the upper mids to help the guitar fit nicely into the mix.

Bravo, enCore!
Overall, the enCore 100 is a very solid and reasonably priced vocal mic, and I can see it becoming popular for both studio and stage use. With its sharp looks, great sound, excellent build quality, and reasonable price, the enCore 100 is worth serious consideration if you’re looking for a multipurpose transducer.

PROS: Excellent sound quality. Works for stage and studio. Well built. Roadworthy. Reasonably priced.
CONS: Difficult to get the mic in and out of the soft mic clip.

Eli Crews co-owns and operates New, Improved Recording in Oakland, CA. He has recorded and/or mixed records with the likes of Deerhoof, WHY? and Kyp Malone (of TV on the Radio). He is currently on tour as the bass player for Miles Kurosky (of Beulah).