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Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

Bad Reviews

Written by DW from Walnut Creek

Jun 18, 2006

Purchased after some humming and haaaing after reading the reviews here on apple. But asked questions and looked at some other mics. I decided to come back to this mic and figured I could return it if I faced problems. I have found this to be a fantastic mic. It eliminated the fan noise problems I was having with my other cheapo mic. I use it for voice in podcasting. Easier to use than easy. I use SnapX Pro, Quicktime Pro and works great. In short I could not have asked for more ...

427 of 586 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

Great mic - works as advertised

Written by BS from Bremen

Jul 13, 2006

I hesitated big time on buying this mic because of all the negative reviews. Although I don't do "pro" audio work, I needed a mic that didn't require an amp but also gave me excellent quality. I have only used this mic in Garage Band and I am very impressed with the quality.

I can't discount the other negative reviews because that is their experience. I will however share my positive experience with this mic and I recommend it. The only plug I'll make is, like with most things we buy, how about a lower price?

403 of 592 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

not easly impressed

Written by KB from Abbotsford

Nov 13, 2007

i wasn't quite sure if i should buy this mic or not, i've written a few songs of my own and i wanted to record but the built in mic just didn't do it for me. so i bought this one not knowing what to expect, but oh man, i'm not easly impressed but if you have the right settings on it and if you know how to work it. for 120 buck, this little mic kicks.

105 of 140 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

Solid Microphone for Recording Presentations

Written by CH from Calgary

Nov 9, 2007

I'm using it as a high quality recorder for lectures, podcasts, and presentations. The sound quality is good (much better than passive mics). It's easy to use, and it does look pretty cool.

The drawback is that it's bulky (I could theoretically use a handheld digital recorder). But it does give very nice sound for podcasts.

82 of 109 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

Tasty Product

Written by JM from Maywood

Jan 20, 2007

As you may know a microphone needs a pre amp to work or else it will sound too quiet, just like a record player. Using a USB microphone lets you work around this because the Snowball converts your voice to a digital signal right from the start. Therefore there is no need to clutter up your desk with a pre amp and the mic.
One user said this mic does not come with a stand and a cable. This is not true. Everything you need to record is in the box.
If you were to find the recording level is still not as loud as you like you can download an applet from the Blue Microphone website that will boost the gain and give you a loud clear recording.
I use this with my Intel iMac with no problem as it is plug and play and immediately recognized by Garageband and iMovie.
And it looks really cool too. Snowball matches the Mac perfectly.

65 of 75 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

Too Cute!

Written by RL from Seattle

Jan 18, 2008

I LOVE this microphone and I am a total sound snob.
You should know it's never going to record a high-quality album sound...unless you know how to mix and (recommended)use a wind screen to prevent popping - I pretty much stay on the 3rd setting for almost everything as the other two aren't that impressive.

This is a great microphone if you want to amplify a whipser-level voice directly into the computer but you do need to experiment with your mic-input settings on your mac.

88 of 126 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

its the only one

Written by RB from BLUFFDALE

Oct 13, 2005

This mic is awsome. i've been trying to find a plug and play mic for recording songs on my comp. and everyone told me they didnt exist, untill i found the snowball. I've been waiting for apple to carry it. i have one now and it does awsome with vocals and guitars in fact its the next best thing to pluging the instrument straight to the computer

thanks the snowball

56 of 62 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

Works Perfectly

Written by GP

Mar 10, 2006

I bought this mic to record my band's rehearsals. I needed a mic that was easy to use. I also wanted one that sounds better than the $20 USB mics you normally find.

My mac recognized the Snowball immediately - easy to use. I tried to record with setting number one, but had less than excellent results. When all else fails, read the manual.

I switched to setting number two and wow! My band has never sounded better! I called Blue tech support about the problem I had with setting number one. The guy was very cool and confirmed that this setting is very sensitive - for low volume recording only.

All in all, the mic works great! This mic probably doesn't sound like the $5000 mics that Blue makes, but it works perfectly for me. The cool looking stand is a nice plus.

53 of 58 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

Excellent Mic

Written by TH from Bellingham

Nov 11, 2005

Used the mic today to record a jam session consisting of several guitars, banjo, and vocals in Garageband. The final CD quality is very good. Obviously not a studio quality cd, but good enough to send to friends. I didn't get a stand with mine, and was told by the manufacturer that a stand is not part of the package. Maybe apple store is including one, but I didn't receive one, (it screws on to a standard mic stand), and you have to buy a GOOD USB cable.

53 of 58 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

Excellent for Simple Recording, Sound Quality Lacking Though

Written by VJ from Charlotte

Oct 14, 2005

I purchased this microphone in order to have a simple plug-in-and-play device for recording vocals in GarageBand. The mic works as advertised, but I found myself a bit disappointed in the sound quality. I know for $150 you cannot expect a great microphone, but this mic is from B.L.U.E., which is a world-renowned microphone and pro audio company that got its start restoring vintage Neumanns and Telefunkens. Also a bit irritating is the need to go into system preferences and change the sound input source back and forth from line-in to USB Snowball. But overall, this mic delivers on the promise of being a simple and easy to use mic for non-critical applications.

51 of 58 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

great mic for the money

Written by GH from Orlando

Jul 6, 2006

This mic is a great tool for the musician or podcaster looking to do good wuality home studio recording. The sound quality is great and has very little noise. When i first set it up the recording sounded aweful but i realized that it is best to plug it in after you have opened your Garage Band project. For some reason plugging it in before makes for a noisy track and low volume recordings.

49 of 57 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

Nothing but clean and successful recording

Written by CD from Homewood

Apr 12, 2006

Some pretty bad reviews here but I've had nothing but success with my Snowball, using it on an Intel iMac, a MacBook Pro, and a MDD G4 Power Mac with Garageband and Amadeus II. No, it's not a $5,000 broadcasting mic but of the 4 USB mics I've had, it's simply the best (and mine did come complete with Blue stand and USB cable!). Vocal sound, at least, with mic in position #1 is outstanding.

43 of 45 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

Love this product!

Written by RC from San Diego

Dec 2, 2006

I think this is a great microphone! I bought the Snowball last week and it works seamlessly with Final Cut Pro. I've read the negative reviews and I, too, don't understand why some folks are having audio issues with this wonderful mic. It's nice that it's a USB mic....you don't need an analog-digital interface! I'm a professional broadcaster and I wouldn't hesitate to use this mic for voice over and reporting work.

52 of 64 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

Amazing Fidelity!

Written by AK from Cape Carteret

Aug 15, 2009

I am a saxophone player, and I was searching for something that I could record with and listen back to my sound in order to critique myself. When I got it, it was definitely unique looking; when I plugged it in, the setup took less than 30 seconds, and the sound quality was simply amazing. My sister came into the room after I had recorded, and I played back the recording across a PA system, and she turned around thinking that I was playing. That's how great the quality is. I use the snowball to record with quicktime as well as garage band, both of which are very easy to use with this mic. The second position (-10db) is great for wind instruments such as trumpet and saxophone. Great buy!

41 of 43 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

Love the Blue Snowball :)

Written by GE from Harleysville

Mar 10, 2009

So, I'm feeling a bit foolish for all the money I spent over the years on expensive microphones and preamps...The Blue Snowball is really that great :) I'm sure there are subtle differences in sonic quality between the Blue Snowball and my other microphones and preamps (AKG 414 CTLII with D.W. Fearn VT-1 for vocals and stereo pair of Neumann KM184's with True Systems P2 Analog for acoustic guitar), however I must admit that to my untrained ears the Blue Snowball sounds pretty good for $100 (and much less fuss to setup and work with). I have to admit that I'm not a professional recording engineer (just a home studio singer/guitar player/song writer), but I think that most people in the home studio category would enjoy the simplicity and economy of the Blue Snowball.

44 of 49 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

This is a incredible mic!

Written by GG from Fresno

Jun 12, 2008

I just bought this microphone yesterday, and it has already proved its worth. I use to just use the built-in mic on my iMac for voiceovers for projects I do. This mic just made my projects so much easier and the quality of them are a lot better.

For anyone looking for a solid, excellent quality, microphone this is it.

49 of 59 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

Excellent

Written by PD from Madison

Nov 2, 2006

I had my doubts because of the many negative reviews, but I took a chance and I have no regrets. Yes, the signal isn't as loud as the built-in mic, but you just have to turn the input volume all the way up in the system settings panel. I recorded my cello with the Snowball and compared it to the $20 Radio Shack mic I was using. Wow! Compared to the Snowball, the Radio Shack made my cello sound like a crosscut saw. I added a touch of reverb in Garage Band for very satisfactory professional results, even in my acoustically dead basement office. This is a great product.

54 of 71 people found this useful

Blue Microphones Snowball Microphone

It gets the job done, and does it well.

Written by CG from Dimondale

Feb 17, 2006

Alright, so the snowball is not the perfect studio mic, however it does get the job done quite well. With the level of precision involved with (quality) audio electronics, you will be hard-pressed to find a USB mic compairable to a pro studio mic (at least for now). And though the snowball does bear some very agreable design features, one should not purchase this based on aesthetics alone. Do a little technical (non-opinion oriented) research to find out if this product is cost effective for your specific use.

I have been using my mic for a little over a month now and have been very pleased with the quality via GarageBand. The recordings are clear and crisp with little alteration to the "true" sound. Only ambient noise seems to be pressent on recorded tracks, meaning; only sounds such as the spin of my external hard drive, powerbook fan, etc. tend to create some white noise, but nothing electronic. I'm sure the shock mount and pop filter would help with some of that.

I am still messing around with settings 1 and 3 (the mode/capsule selection on the mic). The capsules tend to be relatively sesative and cause some sound distortion at moderate levels. Possition 2 is the unidirectional (cardioid) setting with a -10dB pad, and does an excellent job of preventing distortion with loud playing/singing.

Overall, the mic handles sound very well. Recordings do not come out quite as rich and full as even some relatively cheap ($600) studio mics I've used, however I am still very pleased. I feel the limitation can be attributed mostly to USB as well as computer system hardware and software. When I have power-hungry apps open along with GarageBand, I start to have issues. If someone were to develope audio drivers compatible with, or specific to the snowball, chances are the mic would have far greater potential.

38 of 39 people found this useful