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Published on 07/14/11 at 08:23
The Blue Snowball used to be that thing I always lusted after before I actually got into the world of serious recording, so even if I was inexperienced, my research and obsessive following of the Snowball had to mean it was good, right?
Well, yes. The Blue Snowball is quite a feat of design. Before anything else, it's striking with its shape, and in the case of the chrome one, its color, and its switchable patterns and a pad in the cardioid widened my eyes in amazement before I understood that this was a rather normal thing among microphones.
Once I met a friend who owned one for convenience and travel recording, I had to try it out. I was just getting into recording, but because I was dead serious, I ended up getting an entire audio chain which started with a Shure SM7b. So I had standards. And I immediately figured out how glad I was that I didn't spend $100 on the Snowball.
I can't say it's bad. It's a good microphone, but to be frank, even for a USB microphone, it's beginning to show its age. At this point in time, a Yeti with far superior quality and features can be had for just a little more, and for the same price, a Samson Meteor (which is a rather impressive piece of work) can be had instead. The Blue Snowball, even for a USB microphone now, sounds a bit shrill, and I could never bear to use this for anything more than idea capture.
OVERALL OPINION
So I find that the Blue Snowball, unless it gets a bit of a makeover, will lose its place in the traveling audio person market. There are a few better offerings coming out onto the market now, and if you YouTube the Snowball and watch it in comparisons with other USB microphones, it's getting blown away.
But I will say one thing. When your friends who know nothing about audio come over and see the Snowball, they'll get a bit confused. Because it still had complete control over the high-end consumer market, and maybe that's how I should have reviewed it.
Well, yes. The Blue Snowball is quite a feat of design. Before anything else, it's striking with its shape, and in the case of the chrome one, its color, and its switchable patterns and a pad in the cardioid widened my eyes in amazement before I understood that this was a rather normal thing among microphones.
Once I met a friend who owned one for convenience and travel recording, I had to try it out. I was just getting into recording, but because I was dead serious, I ended up getting an entire audio chain which started with a Shure SM7b. So I had standards. And I immediately figured out how glad I was that I didn't spend $100 on the Snowball.
I can't say it's bad. It's a good microphone, but to be frank, even for a USB microphone, it's beginning to show its age. At this point in time, a Yeti with far superior quality and features can be had for just a little more, and for the same price, a Samson Meteor (which is a rather impressive piece of work) can be had instead. The Blue Snowball, even for a USB microphone now, sounds a bit shrill, and I could never bear to use this for anything more than idea capture.
OVERALL OPINION
So I find that the Blue Snowball, unless it gets a bit of a makeover, will lose its place in the traveling audio person market. There are a few better offerings coming out onto the market now, and if you YouTube the Snowball and watch it in comparisons with other USB microphones, it's getting blown away.
But I will say one thing. When your friends who know nothing about audio come over and see the Snowball, they'll get a bit confused. Because it still had complete control over the high-end consumer market, and maybe that's how I should have reviewed it.