snowball USB microphone User guide
The Snowball USB condenser microphone from Blue Microphones is the number one selling USB wired condenser microphone on the planet. Its unique design and proprietary condenser capsule developed by Blue deliver legendary sound for everything from podcasting to recording instruments. The Snowball benefits from Blue’s legendary professional audio heritage to record at a level unmatched in the market.
1, 2, 3 … position setting applications First position activates cardioid capsule speech, vocals, podcasting Second position activates the cardioid capsule with a -10dB PAD live music, loud sound sources Third position activates the omni capsule conferences, interviews, environmental recordings
how to set up The Snowball features a unique swivel mount located on the bottom center of the mic body. Be sure to mount the Snowball on the Blue Snowball desktop tripod or on a standard-thread counter-weighted tripod mic stand. For reduction of low-frequency rumble and additional positioning options, mount the Snowball in the Blue Ringer, available from your authorized Blue dealer. Be sure to position the Snowball over the center leg of the tripod to further prevent tipping.
System Requirements Macintosh Windows Mac OSX USB 1.0 or 2.0 64 MB RAM (minimum) Vista, XP Home Edition or XP Professional USB 1.0 or 2.0 64 MB RAM (minimum) Macintosh Setup Procedure • In system OSX: in the Apple menu, open System Preferences. • Double-click the Sound preference file. • Click on the Input tab. • Double click Blue Usb Ball Mic under Choose A Device For Sound Input dialog box. • Set input volume to the appropriate level. The mic is sensitive and may require a very low volume setting.
suggested applications podcasting home video voiceover instant messaging music vocals, guitars, drums, strings, brass, woodwinds Optional Accessories The Ringer: Universal shockmount for the Snowball— or any mic with a standard thread mount.
software setups how to get audio from my snowball with... Garage Band • Go to Preferences->Audio and select the Blue mic as the input device (it will only show up when The Snowball is plugged in). • Create a vocal track and select the Blue mic as the input device for that track. • You may need to adjust the Snowball’s input level in the control panel if you experience any distortion (crackling). Logic 7 • Open the Audio and MIDI setup program in your Apps->Utilities folder.
snowball faq My Snowball sounds like it’s really far away from me. I’m hearing lots of room noise. • This sounds like your onboard mic is in use. Check both System and Software Preferences to ensure that Snowball is the Default input device. Do I need any special software to use The Snowball? Do I need any drivers? • Technically, no. Depending on your application, your OS may have sufficient features to utilize the capabilities of the Snowball.
Can I use more than one Snowball at a time? • Some audio editing software allows for multiple USB connections. Check with your software vendor— they should have technical support staff who can answer all of your questions about their product. What does cardioid and omnidirectional mean? Why should I care? • These are the two polar patterns The Snowball is capable of producing.
©2009 Blue Microphones. All rights reserved. Blue oval logo, Snowball and The Ringer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blue Microphones, Inc. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. In keeping with our policy of continued product improvement, Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics (BLUE) reserves the right to alter specifications without prior notice.
