Blue Snowball Mic

Blue Microphones

Owned by Logitech, the famous brand that makes many peripherals. Blue Microphones are easy to use quality devices that connect via a USB in place of an XLR. The vocal reproduction quality is almost at par with professional audio. Their known USB microphones include Snowball and Yeti.

The Blue Snowball

A sturdy ball-like microphone from Blue, the Snowball is a great microphone for someone who is just starting out a podcast, streaming or recording voice. It has 3 selectable capture patterns, this includes cardioid, omnidirectional and cardioid with -10Db. The latter works for loud situations, helping get a clearer soundscape that doesn't have any clipping. In comparison, the Blue Yeti has 4 capture patterns but it also costs a fair amount due to other features as well.

The Snowball comes with a mini tabletop stand for it and one can also buy shock mounts that are made specifically for this microphone. In case an audiophile wants to add on more.

Sound quality

The sample rate is at 44.1 kHz/16-bit, this is standard for non-professional microphones and is also known as 'CD Quality'. It is more than ample for streaming and is a lot more than what one would get from a headphone microphone or something similar. 

Comments

Compared to the Blue Yeti this is a solid contender given the price and sound quality. It may lack some features in comparison but within this price, it is a good buy. It connects using a USB Mini-B connector, the one odd feature as this is not a common cable so if one loses theirs they may not have one lying around.

The price is lower-midrange and one can choose between a brushed aluminium or black model.