Blue Snowball USB Microphone for PC, Mac, Gaming, Recording, Streaming, Podcasting, Condenser Mic with Cardioid and Omnidirectional Pickup Patterns, Stylish Retro Design – Black

Don't write reviews very often, but I feel like I should for this. I personally think this is the best mic you can get at this price, the quality is absolutely great for the ~$60 range. I have convinced literally three people to buy this mic: my brother and two of my friends.This particular model has a three-way selector switch on the back. Pos. 1 is mainly good for commentating, podcasts, and Skype calls. Pos. 2 takes in audio from both sides of the mic, generally used for interviews or conferences. Pos. 3 dampens the amount of dB coming through, mainly used for recording things that are very loud and bassy, i.e. live music, so that there isn't any crackling and things like that. It also has a sturdy and plenty long USB cable.It is also worth noting that this is compatible with the NEEWER scissor arm (NEEWER Microphone Suspension Boom Scissor Arm Stand), but what you'll have to do is take the threaded part on the stand that you screw your Snowball onto off, thread it onto the scissor arm, and then screw the snowball onto that. I had to learn this from a video ([...]), so I thought I'd save someone some time by saying it here.And with recording instruments, it's great. As I said, the quality is plenty good especially for the price. But what you have to do is make sure the mic is nice and close up, otherwise the instrument sounds faint, and you just get a lot of reverberation from the room (but make sure it's not TOO close or your rumbling bass or piercing flute will make your audio go into the red) (duh).In conclusion, everyone I coaxed into getting this mic are also very pleased. My friend got his a week ago, and he's happy with the extra range of frequencies it picks up, unlike his old headset. My other friend and my brother got theirs about two or three months ago (my other friend got the iCE), and I, at the time of writing, have been running strong with my brushed aluminum Snowball for about 7 months with no issue, except that the connection between my Snowball and its cable has become kinda loose (it slides out easy). But it's really no big deal. So I guess my point is that it's great, and if you're looking for a mic in this price range, look no further, especially since it's probably the coolest looking one.

First off, let me say that I have used many high-end microphones in a studio environment. This mic arrived quickly, was packaged beautifully and was as simple as removing from the box, attaching tripod base and plugging in USB cable. Windows 7 recognized the microphone instantly and installed appropriate drivers.Please keep in mind that there are two versions of these mics. The Snowball (this one) and the Snowball Ice. They both look exactly the same, but they differ greatly. The Snowball Ice is less expensive because it has less features. I am not saying it is a lesser mic, just appropriate for different uses. The Snowball ICE is a condenser mic, so it records 360 degrees around the mic (omni-directional). This is a good feature if you are trying to record an entire band or conduct an interview. The Snowball differs in that it has a 3 position switch above the USB port on the back. Position 1 puts the mic in Dynamic mode. In this mode, the microphone only records from the front, ignoring sound from the back of the mic. Position 2 put the mic in Dynamic mode with a -10 dB cut. This is good for recording sources with High SPL (sound pressure levels), such as guitar amps, rock bands, etc. Position 3 puts the mic in Condenser mode and it records in a full 360 degrees around the mic.I purchased this microphone for my wife to use when she is playing Online games and would like to use voice chat. I have chatted with her using the C3 chat program with the mic in position 1 (Dynamic mode). Rearward sound rejection is excellent. With her previous mic, I could constantly hear the sound from her game being picked up from the speakers. The Snowball rejects this noise and all I hear is her voice, loud and clear over the chat. Mic is currently positioned about 2 feet away and to the right.I am looking forward to recording some vocals, guitar amps and acoustic instruments with this mic in my studio as well. I will revise this review when I have done so.In conclusion, if you are looking for a quality mic at a more than fair price, the Snowball is an excellent choice! The ability to switch between modes makes this mic very versatile. I was also impressed by the size of the Snowball. When looking at it online, I was thinking baseball size. When the package arrived, I quickly realized it is more appropriately a softball size. Amazon Prime also made this a no-brainer. Price difference between the two version is approximately twenty dollars at the time of this review.

The original Blue Snowball is a solid all-around microphone for everyday voice applications. It offers 3 polar patterns (2 cardioid; 1 omnidirectional), has a nice character that's tuned for VO/podcast work, and can be easily threaded onto any standard mic stand (it includes a modest tabletop stand).It's purely a USB microphone with no analog output. That said, it plays nice with just about any platform. I've used mine on a variety of Windows and iOS devices and have never encountered driver issues (it's a plug-and-play device).Considering its modest price tag, the Blue Snowball does have its limitations:- It has very limited adjustability beyond the three aforementioned pickup patterns, and the three-way toggle that switches between each pattern is poorly labeled (see image);- Its output level is generally a bit too low - I've found myself always having to apply a bit of gain in software;- Its only visual indicator, a static red LED, cannot be disabled short of unplugging the mic.Limitations aside, the Blue Snowball really is a nice microphone for the price. It's a definite upgrade over the cheaper Snowball ICE (which has a single polar pattern).