Customer Reviews

Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone (Brushed Aluminum)

5 star:		(195)
4 star:		(57)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

Length:: 1:36 Mins

Always hold it close to your mouth to eliminate echo and get that deep, rich satin voice you're looking for!

Length:: 2:49 Mins

Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone Bundle

This video demonstrates how the Blue Snowball microphone sounds and its different modes.

I have read some reviews that stated that the microphone had problems working with Vista. I did this review on a Vista PC. There is a product FAQ for this mic on www.bluemic.com that states that after a certain serial number (starting in 2007) the mic was updated and now supports Vista. I can attest to that as I had no problems setting it up. I just plugged it in and it worked.

Okay, I own a lot of microphones. I am very picky when it comes to sound and I would gladly waste $40 in gas to return a microphone that just didn't have the sound I expect. I was delighted to hear the quality of this USB mic! It has a great clarity to it, without being "tinny" or "crispy", and without sacrificing on the lows either. No "boomy" or "hollow" sound, just a nice clean and full-range quality that I expect from my $500-range microphones (but thankfully, without having to fool with an audio interface or goofy proprietary driver software!) What a great find... plug it in and it is ready to record!!

If you are looking for an intelligent, clean, affordable microphone for voice-over projects, podcasts, quick-and-easy live recording (with your laptop, of course), or open-mic music composition before dragging all the gear out to record a full-blown multitrack, this is the best money can buy in this category. Not to mention, it looks great sitting on your desk! BLUE has definitely convinced me to buy again, solid construction and solid sound (and no stupid drivers like Samson's USB garbage). Maybe next I'll get a Bluebird or Baby Bottle, this company is worth a closer look now that I've heard the very smooth sound of their entry level -- BLUE has got my attention!!

I've been using this Mic a little over a month and am very impressed with it. What I want to do is add some value to the many reviews that have already been posted. But first, let's get past the obvious good points:

This thing looks way cool. It's a nice techno-retro mix that I really like. It sounds great (with one caveat mentioned below. The price is very reasonable. The build quality is solid. They evey provide a heavy duty USB cable. If you need a mic and are looking for tremendous value this will fit the bill.

The audio issue I had, and I'm not alone, is that while the quality is outstanding the output level is a tad low. I contacted Blue support and learned that a fix will be released soon. Until then it's a matter of speaking up a bit or turning up the gain on whatever audio processing software you're using.

Now, to address some issues raised by other reviewers... My mic was new stock, serial number 092xxx. I plugged it into my Windows 7 (64 bit) system and it "played" right away. The stand is fine. (If you want to replace it then the On Stage DS7200B Adjustable Desk Microphone Stand, Black seems like a nice option. However, I like being able to keep a pad of post-its on my desk below the stand :)

Finally, some suggestions. I've been using audacity, a free, feature rich audio editor. Windows recorder is fine and I can't see any reason not to use audacity instead. Also, while a replacement stand is a possible add-on to consider, you should first look into a pop filter. I use the Nady MPF-6 6-Inch Clamp On Microphone Pop Filter If you check out my audio/video review which accompanies the product listing (it's somewhere near the top) you can hear a comparison of the Snowball with and without the filter. You even get a chance to guess which is which before I tell you.

Another small issue besides the slightly attenuated output is the selector switch. There's a three position switch that allows you to select cardioid (directional), -10db cardioid, or omni-directional. Unfortunately it's labeled 1, 2, and 3. I wish the manufacture had done a better job of labeling that switch.

One final comment is it would have been nice to have an analog output available. I'm no engineer (actually, I am but not that kind) and don't know if it's possible. However, if it was it would be nice to have.

Those minor issues and my hallucination about the analog output aside, this is one fine mic and you would have to spend lots more to get something even approaching this level of quality.

UPDATE: I've been using this mic for several months and continue to be impressed. One "enhancement" I've used and suggest you consider is to replace the really nice looking stand with one that I've found works a bit better: On Stage DS7200B Adjustable Desk Microphone Stand, Black. It allows the mic to be raised a bit higher and also locks in place much more firmly.

UPDATE 2: I've also started using a Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone. My review for it, a few down from the top, provides a comparison between the Snowball and the more-expensive Yeti.

BTW, I feel that honest, effective reviews can take the place of first-hand experiences that are lacking in online shopping. I've always appreciated the help I've received from other reviewers and work hard to return the favor as best as I can. I hope you found this review helpful and if there was anything you thought was lacking or unclear leave a comment and I'll do what I can to fix it.

I'm not a professional.

Up to now, I've been using a cheap $20 non-usb mic to record podcasts. I was having all sorts of problems with background noise. My biggest problem, though was that you could hear each and every sound my mouth made when I was talking. Also sounded tinny, shallow, and overall not good, which made it difficult to edit in Audacity as well.

In comparison, the Snowball is a freakin' miracle mic. It's not even from the same planet of mics that my other one was. Completely amazing. My voice sounds deep and rich, and there are no more annoying squishy mouth noises messing everything up.

I've never recorded in a studio, never been in a sound-proof room, and never recorded with a real studio mic. So I don't know how it compares. But for normal people wanting a great sound from a relatively inexpensive mic, this will blow you away. Hats off to Blue Mic for putting this together!

I started a podcast series based on Shakespeare's works and on major works of English literature (SHAKESPodosphEARE) for my students in Cincinnati earlier this year, and I started with a cheap mic/headset. It did the trick for the early episodes; I was just exploring whether or not my students would find full-text readings and recorded lectures useful, and they did. As a result, I wanted to find a higher quality way to record both readings of his plays and my lectures, and the Snowball was the perfect solution. It's easy to use (plugs in to your USB port), can be transported from one locale to another easily, and is an economical way to get high quality audio recordings. I've used it mainly for voice, but I've since incorporated some music into the podcast, and it's done a nice job of picking up my acoustic guitar and students' vocals.

NB: I use Audacity (which is a free download), and an HP Tablet PC, and for some reason I needed to do a firmware upgrade because at first the Snowball wasn't picking up sound at a high enough volume. It is a pretty simple process if you're tech savvy. Go to Blue's website for details.

If you're interested in listening to the differences between a cheap headset and the Snowball, check out my podcast at http://www.bigcontact.com/shakespodospheare . Listen to one of the early episodes (early Sept. of 2006) on which I used the basic mic (what comes with most Desktops), and then listen to a later episode (in which I use the Snowball). I'd recommend listening to an early Othello episode (1.1) and then a later Julius Caesar episode. My shows on The Tempest (also recorded with the Snowball) include sound effects, which may make it hard to hear the difference.

I've liked the Snowball so much that the school itself purchased one to encourage our students to start creating their own podcasts.

Be sure to get the package with the USB cord and the tripod. When using the tripod, be sure to push the legs all the way down, or the mic will fall over a lot.

Have fun!

I bought this to replace my mBox (when they had not released drivers for Mac OS 10.4). The sound of the recordings from this mic are pretty good, especially from a USB microphone. It doesn't match up to a normal condensor microphone/phantom power source/pre-amp (such as the mbox + mic); but the setup of the Snowball is SO EASY. The sound quality is pretty good.

So if you're recording voice/podcasts, this should easily do the trick. If you're recording music, this is pretty good. If you want really good quality recordings, you may need to look elsewhere.

The Snowball microphone is a great input device for those interested in creating podcasts who wish to use a mike with more capabilities than simply a smaller, USB-type, hand-held unit. The "stand" for the Snowball is rather poorly designed, however... very rickety and the legs do not spread enough for true stabilization. Best utilization of the Snowball is to place on a true microphone stand and then place near your computer for voice-overs. The pricing is attractive, the design is attractive, and the results are more than attractive. Great product for pod'ers and vod'ers...

I wrote an earlier review of this product and panned it, titling my review "I Wish I Hadn't Bought It." This is an update. The Amazon site won't seem to let me change the star rating (I would now give it 4 stars), but I wanted to add my new comments.

NEW COMMENTS:

Shortly after writing the review I decided the "glitching" problem that occurred on two different computers, different versions of MacOS X, using different audio recording problems, and different destination drives just _had_ to be the microphone's fault. So I requested an RMA number from BLUE, giving them my long tale of woe. They accepted the return and turned it around quite quickly. In fact, although they said they could not reproduce the problem, they must have believed that I had tried everything reasonable to prove that the problem was in the mic, and sent me a new unit.

I'm happy to report that the new unit does not seem to exhibit the glitching problem at all. My first use for the new device was to record a violin concert put on by a friend of mine. I was not confident that the new mic would work, but I thought I would give it a shot anyway. I used the same battered PowerBook which had given me so much trouble with the previous mic. I am happy to say that the new mic performed beautifully. Not only was there no "glitching," but it seems to have a better noise floor. I think they did a slight redesign of the circuitry.

I tested it with both settings 1 and 3 (cardioid without a pad, and omni). The room was very "live" with polished wood paneling, giving a lot of reflection and reverb. Both settings sounded quite nice, just slightly different in the way they emphasized reflected sound arriving at the rear of the mic. In this particular case I liked hearing the extra room ambience, so I used the omni setting. The mic was several feet away, but the mic is very sensitive and gave me an extremely detailed and "up-close" reproduction of the instrument. You can close your eyes and, even with a mono recording, visualize the position of the bow, the hollow wooden sound of the instrument cavity, etc.

I would now recommend this mic, especially for the kind of application I just used it for. I applied a little compression and a peak limiter to the recording and the result was very musical and professional-sounding. That makes this mic actually quite a good deal as far as audio quality for the dollar.

I have not tested this unit for the same application that I used the original unit -- recording for podcasting. I suspect the lack of glitching and improved sound quality will give me greatly improved impression than the one I had before.

I am also quite pleased with BLUE's service and so I would consider buying other products in their line.

ORIGINAL COMMENTS

First off, this is a 16-bit, 44.1KHz device. 16 bit is considered "CD-quality," so that may not bother you, but that "CD-quality" sound is _after_ compression, mixing, and mastering. Trying to do good _tracking_ with a 16-bit audio stream as a is a challenge.

If you set the input level at full, if you talk or sing loudly, you'll get digital clipping earlier than you expect -- 16-bit audio doesn't give you a lot of headroom for peaks. Turn it down a bit, or use the omni or the cardioid capsule that includes a pad, and the overall level will be very low, and when you boost it to get an acceptable level for the final product, you'll get a lot of background noise too, unless you recorded in a dead-quiet studio.

Not background noise like the car honking outside your window, but background noise like the fluorescent light fixture, the air vent, or the hard drive of the computer you're recording to, even ten or fifteen feet away -- it's that sensitive, even in the lower-sensitivity cardioid setting, and picks up background noise very well. This is good for some applications -- it would work well for recording a choir where you want to hear the room reverb and the audience shifting in their seats and the person coughing in the back row -- but _not_ "perfect for podcasting," as it is being marketed.

In even a quiet office, to get a clean, loud voice recording with this microphone, you will have to immediately start working with compressors, noise gates or downward expanders, etc. This is fine if you're already an expert on that, but not so fine if you just want to record a podcast. Also, these tools are generally designed for 24-bit audio. The lack of headroom and reduced dynamic range of the 16-bit signal means that it is _considerably_ _harder_ to get a clean signal out of the plug-ins. I kept thinking "if only I tweaked the signal a little bit differently I could get a good voice signal," but the 16-bit signal just won't give you a professional-sounding result.

Now, the more debateable problem: glitches. Debateable because it is hard to conclusively pin these on the microphone; it could be that they would occur with a different USB audio device. But I mention it because I'm not doing anything very strange; my recording setup is about as simple as can be, and this is supposed to be a plug-and-play solution.

I originally bought this mic to use on a PowerBook G4/400 running Panther. I tried several different applications for recording, including Sound Studio and DSP Quattro. When recording on the PowerBook to an external FireWire drive, or USB drive, I inevitably got "glitches." The "glitched" audio would range from one word with bursts of noise in it to a three-minute segment completely decimated and unusable, sounding like it was a radio picking up tremendous static noise along with the signal. This meant after recording a 30-minute podcast, I would have to go back and do retakes on a dozen different sections. That suddenly turns a 30-minute recording project into a three-hour editing session.

I tried using a different external drive, a different FireWire cable, a different USB cable for the microphone -- same problem. I've seen the problem when trying to record at home, or at my office. I applied the firmware update available for the microphone -- it didn't help.

Recording to my PC worked, but I can't have the PC in the same room as the microphone; it is far too loud. Recording to the internal drive on my PowerBook G4 worked fine, but with a 10G drive, that isn't practical.

So, given that I had long wanted to replace my beat-up PowerBook G4/400, I _bought a new computer_ -- a Mac Mini G4/1.42. So far, I've tried recording only to the internal drive on that machine. I get the same problem. Out of a ten minute recording, I get three or four words which are "gliched." Zooming in on the bad audio with a sample editor, it is easy to see that a buffer was lost and repeated: a 512-sample region of audio is repeated, as if it were copied and pasted. This is because new audio did not arrive in time, so the previous contents of the buffer was used. You then get a "glitch" -- a burst of noise -- at the start and end of the buffer where the audio makes an instantaneous jump, something impossible for a speaker to do.

I can't _prove_ it is the microphone's fault, because it has recorded consistently to the internal drive of the PowerBook. But it is a big pain. At this point I wish I had not purchased it and had saved up for a conventional microphone and a separate audio interface. Working with this device has just been a distraction, source of frustration, and waste of my time. You might have better results -- but then again, you might not. I wish I had a solution that actually _worked_ reliably in the same price range, but I don't. I'm intending to save up for a full-blown "pro" recording interface, even though it will cost many times more. I give it two stars because if you absolutely can't afford anything else, you an probably get some kind of sound out of it.

I am a pianist. Recording piano is one of the hardest assignments you could ask of a recording engineer. Snowball, by Blue, does just that. The dynamics, spaciousness, nuances, and warmth of the piano are all there. And to top it all, this microphone can be directly plugged into a laptop. In principle, you should have your audio interface outside your computer, to avoid interferences from disk writing being recorded as noise. But these solutions are more expensive. They typically triple the initial expense. For musicians on a budget, like me, look no further.
The microphone has three recording modes: cardioid, omnidirectional, and -10db for really loud sound. I recommend the cardioid configuration, with the mic on the right side, slightly toward the bass end of the piano. Coupled with an impulse response reverb, you basically have a steinway in your bedroom.
PS: I use this microphone several times a day. You plug it, it's ready to use. I'm very impressed.