I just bought myself a Blue Snowball Microphone, the one with 3 settings, and was hoping someone here had some expertise to share on the item!
I've set it up, i've changed the volume in control panel, I've made it the default device and it's set to setting 1(cardioid), but for some reason it's picking up lots of background noise, and it sounds like I'm far away, and just sounds very Omni-directional. Can somebody PLEASE help me!
I don't know much about that particular mic. However, as a rule of thumb, cardioids aren't particularly directional; they're still gonna pick up noise to the side and a very little bit of splash to the rear.
0 deg being right in front of the mic, 180 being right behind it.
They get used for stuff like singing, where you can place the band in front of the mic and the audience behind it.
To an extent this background noise shouldn't be an issue unless you're in a fairly loud environment where there are a lot of noises you don't want. However, if you've got it sitting on a desk, and your desk is against the wall or something like that, it's likely to pick up near enough everything in the room - especially if you're blowing the sensitivity through the roof in order to pick your voice up. If you've got a lot of noise coming through the window and reflecting off a rear wall - like if you had roadworks going on in the street for instance - they're still going to pick that sort of thing up.
If you are having a lot of problems with your signal to noise ratio, then I'd suggest getting closer to the microphone and turning its sensitivity down. Try and point it away from sources of background noise and don't project your voice directly into the mic but still have it close to you. If you're getting a lot of reflected noise, try putting something soft between you and any hard flat surfaces in the direction the mic is pointing. If you are in a loud environment though, there are limits to how far you can diminish the noise as compared to the signal you actually want to pick out.
Really if your main concern is eliminating background noises, the best thing to do is take shotgun mic, stick it on a boom and angle it down almost directly over your head. Shotgun mics pick up a great deal directly in front of them, a great deal to the rear, and almost nothing in any other direction. So unless you have something loud under your feet or something loud in the air above you they tend to be quite good for picking out dialogue.
"Slippery slopes can be fun - kind of like a water slide."
- Larry, Burn Notice
Alright, thanks for the reply! I will try some things out and hopefully get the results I intend!
As you may know I was having a few problems with my newly purchsed microphone. I was messing around and this was one of the samples I got, and I'd love some peoples opinion on how it sounds, just to get an idea.
You think the only people who are people, are the people who look and think like you.
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger,
You'll learn things you never knew, you never knew.
Last edited by Adrian Ţepeş; February 4th, 2013 at 09:54 AM.
Well, to be honest, I think the quality is pretty good even considering I'm using an older pair of headphones. Nice and clear.
You think the only people who are people, are the people who look and think like you.
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger,
You'll learn things you never knew, you never knew.
I've seen many famous youtuber's plug this mic as a cheaper yet quality product. You made a good choice with this one.
Yeah! After 5-6 hours of testing, playing around with it and getting frustrated I finally found a setup that worked for me and it now sounds brilliant! Really happy with it and would recommend it to anyone who needs a microphone for similar reasons, but only if you can be bothered with the frustration on the first day of use!
I just wanna start off by saying this is NOT my way of getting views, I simply want feedback. That is all.
So as some of you may know I bought a Blue Snowball microphone recently, and after setting it up after about 6 hours of frustration, I finally achieved a decent sound.
Can you give me some quick feedback on the commentary of this video please? Would be greatly appreciated!
(I do think it's a teeeeny bit too quiet, and will probably amplify the commentary a lil bit for future videos, thoughts?)
Last edited by Red Menace; February 7th, 2013 at 10:40 PM.
Reason: Merged
Actually, I thought it to be quite adequate. maybe a bit too loud, but definitely tolerable. I would suggest leaving the volume like it is, just maybe improve the sound quality itself.
The best serving of video game culture, since 2001. Whether you're looking for news, reviews, walkthroughs, or the biggest collection of PC gaming files on the planet, Game Front has you covered. We also make no illusions about gaming: it's supposed to be fun. Browse gaming galleries, humor lists, and honest, short-form reporting. Game on!
BLUE SNOWBALL MICROPHONE 
Linear Mode
