However, we call into question how well-equipped a newcomer might be to hitting on these rather finicky settings. That’s not a problem for streaming over compressed formats like Twitch, but outside of real-time broadcasting the keen-eared will hear a difference. That’s most evident up in the top-end of the EQ spectrum, where breathier details of the voice can get lost. In those conditions, you get mic quality comparable to other Blue mic models, though the reduced frequency response range of 40Hz –18 kHz (versus the full 20-20 on the rest of the Blue range) means you don’t capture quite the same fidelity. In fact, as has been discovered by several YouTubers who use the mic, placing the Snowball Ice at a jaunty 45 degree angle to your mouth and talking just above it from about 6-8 inches away provides the best results. The mic is also prone to popping plosives, so with no pop shield included you’ll need to aim your voice slightly above the mic. If you’re further out than about 8 inches, you lose the focussed sound and too much room reverb creeps in. But this seems to have a wider-than-average listening range for a cardioid mic, and unless you arrange it just right it can sound very roomy. With a cardioid and only cardioid polar pattern to work with, you should be able to point the mic in your vicinity and get something decent.

Getting a great vocal recording out of this spherical budget proposition is possible, but it requires a deft touch. That said, you will have to do some fiddling when it comes to sound.

The last thing you want before the first time broadcasting yourself is to spend half an hour googling what ‘cardioid’ means. While that stripped-down feature set might feel limiting to experienced streamers or home sound engineers looking for studio-quality instrumental recordings, the simplicity will feel welcome to newcomers.

You just get a mini-USB cable leading out to your PC. There’s no gain control, no polar pattern switch, no mute. This being at the budget end of Blue’s range, it’s not overflowing with features.

Blue snowball mic windows 10