Blue Microphones - Snowball iCE Wired Cardioid USB Plug 'n Play Microphone

Once upon a time, I had an interest in starting a YouTube channel. But, I wasn’t really sure about it and also wasn’t sure exactly what I could make videos about. But then, I came across podcasts, and I was immediately interested. Knowing my phone would have pretty bad quality, I knew from the start I would need a good microphone, because if I don’t like the audio on a podcast, I’m going to leave, because that’s the only feedback I get! When I started researching microphones, the first one I found was the blue yeti. I knew it wasn’t the financially best choice, but couldn’t resist the classy look of that mic. But then, after watching unboxing after unboxing if the blue yeti, I found this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZufYPL0XcVk And in it, I was totally convinced that in the blind audio test, the yeti was option 1. But surprise, surprise! It was this thing. So I immediately fell down the rabbit hole that is me and my over active sense of happiness that I got when I managed to convince myself I could get something from the screen. Anyways, I heard more audio, and immediately realized that this was a MUCH smarter choice financially. So before I did this review, I wanted to make sure I had decent experience. I’ve had this mic now for about 7 weeks, and it’s been great! The body is surprisingly durable. Even though it’s a hard plastic, every time it’s accidentally fallen over, I’ve seen no damage. The one thing that is meh about this is the stand. It’s very flimsy and essentially has two different positions. I am definitely planning on getting a boom arm to replace it. Also, I would recommend a pop filter to accompany it. I also want to mention to other mics you might prefer. First is the regular blue snowball, which has an Omni directional mode and a sound dampener setting, I would recommend this if you plan on using the one mic to record two voices. The other honor mention is the blue yeti, which is still probably the best beginner mic if you can afford it. It features a cardioid (in front), Omni directional (all around), as well as bi directional (in front and behind) and stereo (both sides). These extra settings would be beneficial for both music recording and interviews. Blue also offers the yeti nano, which sounds just as good but with half the polar patterns (only Omni and cardioid) Overall, I am very happy with my purchase and would definitely recommend to anyone just starting out in the industry of YouTube voiceover, podcasting, or music recording.

Went with Blue's Snowball microphone to raise the audio production level of virtual presenters who sit at their desks and speak information in a virtual classroom. Very pleased with audio quality, pick up and plug 'n play of the Snowball. Of course better mic placement meant better sound quality, but even those presenters who set the mic to their side were picked up and the sound of their voice was better than what a webcam or laptop speaker were producing. Attendees of the virtual classroom made comments of "professional" sounding presenters. Production team and presenters were all very happy with using them and the sound it produced. Falls short of 5 stars due to meh tripod and stiffness of adjust/tilt of Snowball itself. NOTE: If you go with your own tripod and/or ball head, Snowball is 5/8" Female.

Great microphone I still use it to today never failed always working and great quality.

It seems to work well for a plug n' play. its sounds good. only issue I have with it was when I first plugged it in it did not work and I had to restart my computer but it's been super easy ever since.

I've been using this for a little bit now and it's a huge improvement from what I was using. I use this to stream games on twitch and people can actually hear me now and I sound clear. I'd recommend this to anyone who doesnt need anything fancy and is on a budget. Twitch.tv/izzojackal

Good enough for most things. Great for budget podcasting, it would sometimes sound better than the more expensive Blue Yeti. Podcasting buddy uses Yeti to record and we'd notice that in certain settings the Snowball sounded superior. I'm not an audiophile so I'll say that it may have been room acoustics and the Yeti recording setting used in those sessions that caused the difference in quality. Still, not bad for a mic under $50. The tripod is built in sadly and recently a leg snapped off in less than a year of owning it. I remember remarking to my wife that the legs feel flimsy and I was not too bothered by it thinking I wasn't going to be packing it and unpacking it so often. I was wrong, I did need a more mobile friendly mic. Oh well. Buy it if you're on a budget. you won't regret it.

This is a great beginning microphone for YouTube. It has extremely good quality for the price. Paired with audacity (a free application) it has the same quality as an Audio Technica AT2020. Overall a great microphone!

It's unbelievable how clear the sound is with his microphone!I highly recommend it! It's a breeze to install, just plug it and that's all.