Gear Corner: Blue Snowball USB Mic

Want to turn your office or bedroom into a studio for $100?  Blue Microphones has developed a USB condenser microphone that is an all-in-one solution for a number of applications.  The mic is called the Snowball.  We got a couple of these for our studio here at the office.  The intent was to provide them for our writers so they could create quick demos in their writing sessions. Immediately, I realized how useful these little mics could be. They are so simple, and the cool factor is a 10!

Gunk & Gutie Gear Review: Blue Snowball USB Mic from Worship Together on Vimeo.

Listen to a demo of Matt Maher's "Lay It Down" that we made in 10 minutes using the Snowball:

How It Works
To start, there are no drivers or software to install. It is a true plug and play product.  Second, this is a studio grade condenser microphone.  The quality is far beyond anything else in this price range, costing just $100.  Third, there is nothing else to buy.  There are no XLR cables and no interface. Everything you need comes in the box.  The Snowball even comes with a sweet little desktop mic stand.

If you are a Mac user, plug in the USB cable, open up Garageband, and create a new “real instrument” track. Then go to preferences/Audio-midi, and select the Snowball as your audio input. That’s it; you are ready to go.  If you are a PC user, just plug in the USB cable, choose the Snowball as your sound recording device in the control panel, and open up your audio software of choice.

Potential uses for the Snowball
I would imagine a lot of you are worship leaders that have either written, or thought about writing songs.  You can use this mic to create quality recordings of your songs to burn to a CD or record ideas and melodies that are being developed.  My wife plays piano and sings, but she has trouble finishing songs simply because of time and unfinished lyrics.  While I have my studio set up in the next room, I don’t want to record her songs until they are finished.  Last night, I handed her the laptop and the Snowball and told her to demo her ideas.  At the end of the evening, she had 3 great sounding demos.  I can see the Snowball being used for a number of church applications as well.  It is perfect for podcasts, video voice-overs (for all those low budget church videos), as well as simply recording church services.

Get the Snowball, Recording Software & Headphones for $99
Now through the holidays Costco Online is offering the Snowball, Mackie Tracktion 3 Recording Software (a $100 value) and Koss UR40 headphones all for just $99! This deal won’t last forever.  It’s a $240 value, so we encourage you to go get it today!

Comments

[J.J. Merrick]

This is a great microphone. We use it to record presentations via Adobe Connect for the Nashville ColdFusion User Group and we always get compliments on how good the sound is. For $100 it is a great all around "speakerphone" type mic.

Other uses could be for Skype, iChat, Podcast roundtables etc.

[jeramy]

great video. thanks guys!

[StrobeAlific]

Guys, a couple of corrections. Switch mode 2 for a -10dB pad is for loud sources, it will not affect your noise ratio in the room you are in. Also, the mic is cardioid not figure-8...so to record two people it should not be facing one person with the back to the other person as shown in the video. The face of the mic should be forward toward the camera with mode 3 selected.

[Ron]

Just to clarify... the Microphone was used for the vocals only, and not the piano... or was it used for both?

[Gunk]

Yes, the mic was only used for Vocals. We went midi into garage band and used the standard piano. If you have any other questions about this just let me know.

Thanks for the extra clarification StroveAlific. The pad is for loud sources, we found that the snowball helped reduce room noise when the air was blowing and thought we would mention it for practical purposes. The 3rd position is for Omni mode and not a figure-8 patern.

[Samuel]

wow. . . Sounds really Good. I want to get it.

[Dave Beach]

Now that's a great practical review that enables people to take advantage of a great product at a great price. Thanks Guys! What an incredible resource! I ordered mine as soon as I read the email.

[John]

This combo product is not available for canada right ?

[Valerie]

Does anyone know what the system requirements are for the Tracktion 3 software that comes with the Blue Snowball offer from Costco? I can't find the details.

Operating System
Processor
RAM
Hard drive space
Thanks.

[John Donahue]

I have had a Snowball now for almost a year. It is an incredible microphone for almost any situation. Literally, my snowball, a MacBook and a decent room and you have an instant recording studio. It really is that simple.

I am looking forward to purchasing one or two more, when the tax return comes and I finally get to replace my dead iBook with a new MacBook Pro. Then I will be able to do cut down the number of sessions I am having to record in order to finish each track.

Though it is not necessary, and you have to purchase it through a third-party vendor like Sweetwater, Blue also makes a ring shock mount, called "The Ringer", that not only makes the Snowball look supercool, but may on the outside chance extend the life of this extremely incredible piece of technology.

But there were a few really important facts missing from your article: There are three individual types of microphones housed inside of the Snowball (a cardioid, a cardioid with -10dB pad and an omnidirectional), and those microphone standards are actually analog microphones whose units are individually wound, not microchip simulated.

This is not a microphone for just Generation X. It is a microphone that Soundtech purists of any age can truly wrap their head and their hearts around because it is not a digital microphone. It is a true war chest of analog mics backed up by a pretty powerful digital signal converter.

[John Donahue]

Now I am just looking for an Anvil or Anvil-like case to put my Snowballs and Ringers shock mounts (with stands) in so they won't get damaged when I haul them around from place to place.

Anybody got any suggestions?

[Kyle]

I'm kind of new to the recording gig, but this thing looks fantastic. How well will this thing pick up a guitar? Is there a easier/better way to input a guitar track into a computer?

[Jimi Williams]

Hi Kyle, our writers have used this mic for vocals and guitar and it really does an amazing job.

[Scooby]

CLARIFICATION:

Make no mistake – the mic is great…period…but…

The software that comes with this package is NOT the $100 version as shown in the Costco ad! It’s the cheap version which does NOT include the loops and other bells and whistles that make the software good to begin with. It’s a basic version that is given out for free with other Mackie products and their intention is that you’ll figure out you’re missing everything that makes the software great and then upgrade. Again the mic is great and it’s still a good deal because of the headphones; however, it’s not as good a deal as it sounds due to the missing software.

See for yourself at Mackie’s website which shows the software versions. Comes with the basic bundle as shown here …

http://www.mackie.com/products/tracktion3/index.html

[Scooby]

CLARIFICATION:

Make no mistake – the mic is great…period…but…

The software that comes with this package is NOT the $100 version as shown in the Costco ad! It’s the cheap version which does NOT include the loops and other bells and whistles that make the software good to begin with. It’s a basic version that is given out for free with other Mackie products and their intention is that you’ll figure out you’re missing everything that makes the software great and then upgrade. Again the mic is great and it’s still a good deal because of the headphones; however, it’s not as good a deal as it sounds due to the missing software.

See for yourself at Mackie’s website which shows the software versions. Comes with the basic bundle as shown here …

http://www.mackie.com/products/tracktion3/index.html

[Bubba]

Well...I appreciate you guys passing this deal along but it's a little misleading. It's not a $240 value! The software is just the basic entry level version, not the project version which you stated is about 100 bucks! That is incorrect. The mic is still good but the software is plainjane. However, keep letting us know if there are other good deals.
God bless!

[Fred]

Great mic. Maybe just one thing to mention. It will NOT work with Windows Vista. I've searched around to try to get upgraded drivers for VISTA, and cannot find them anywhere. If anyone knows of a fix to get the Snowball working on Vista, let me know. Thanks
Fred.

[Greg King]

Hi. I stumbled upon an Amp v simulator discussion -tried to post but would not accept it? I hope this helps with people considering this choice. Cheers, Greg ---cut------ I have played live and recorded a bit over time too and yes - there is a difference re sounds of amp vs all in one units. My first was a Korg A3 etc in about 1986? Things have come a long way since thankfully.
Re the Amp sounding better - please consider that:
1. When you listen to an amp live - it is a part of a chain. It will vary considerably due to room size/ construction/ interaction with people in the venue / amp location and angle. Add to this mic/ DI / Mixer (board)speakers/amps, engineers, cable choice etc etc.
2. When that amp is recorded (eg: a sound you hear on CD that you like) the amp is a product of all the above and various mic preamps, compression - broadband and multiband, eq, various analog and digital stages to eventually get to your ears via headphones or studio monitors / or other monitors etc. ALL these factors have their own sonic imprint on the sound.
3. Phsycoacoustic effects - and other intangibles ranging from phase annomalies to your perceptions linked to a time and place etc. I have had the luxury of recording amps and guitar amp simulators and then evaluating. If the client has lots of time and $ the amp/mic scenario can be rewarding - but - it can also be very frustrating as you chase your sonic nirvana. I have had a real big hassle with the X3live but have persisted (3rd or 4th fix / unit now - under warranty fixes thankfully) and there are some very usable sounds if you are patient and edit for days / weeks / months :) One big benefit with this is the downloads of presets - listen / save etc. I went through line6 presets the other night (56 pages of 50) and I will find about 30 from these that I will possibly modify and keep. Time or $ for all that firepower/ choice in real gear would be impossible for me in real time - let alone instant recall for clients. I have managed to be resonably happy with this unit in live settings (preferably NOT through an amp - rather through a clean un eqed monitor) and would almost always chose this setup as I can use tweaked sounds live and I know how good they sounded in the studio so if they are slightly different live - it must be the venue / mixer/ engineer / monitor / etc. At least the people listening will have the closest thing that I have approved of as a starting point :)
Hope this helps with your discussion,
Regards, Greg King