The Razer Seiren and Blue Yeti both use the USB Mini-B style connector, and it seems like these microphones are the only devices currently using them, for some reason.

I'm not confident it will hold up to repeated use without wearing out and sagging.Another thing I didn't like on the Snowball is its USB Mini-B connector. It is not a smooth feeling though, and when I moved it back and forth it felt like the metal of the threaded piece was grinding on the plastic. The threaded section of the Snowball pivots slightly, so you can adjust it forward or backward. There are even Snowball-specific shock mounts available, so you can soothe your inner audiophile. Three sturdy legs fold out from the base to keep it steady on any hard, flat surface. The Snowball includes a desktop mic stand of its own, and it's surprisingly well-built and even has adjustable height. Kevin Lee + 1 moreDespite being completely spherical, there's still threading on the base to accept a standard microphone mount. If you tend to scream your way through streams, this pattern will keep your voice from coming across as a clipped mess. The Cardioid with -10db pad has reduced sensitivity, and level peaks are diminished or eliminated, making it useful for overly loud situations where you want to capture the best possible sound. Omni captures sounds from all directions, such as roundtable discussions or a live-music session with multiple instruments. Cardioid is best for speaking directly into the mic, so it's for podcasts, Twitch streams, and voice-overs. A simple 3-position slider on the back changes the Snowball to either cardioid, omni, or cardioid with -10db pad. The Snowball is a pretty basic microphone that offers three selectable patterns for sound capture (that's one less than its more-expensive sibling, the Yeti offers). There's also a cheaper model, the Snowball iCE, that lacks the capture patterns of the standard Snowball, but otherwise the two are identical.

The main difference between the Snowball and a more expensive microphone is the number of capture patterns, and the fact that it comes in a desktop mount. The Snowball (See it on Amazon) / (See it on Amazon UK) is the company's entry-level USB microphone, and at $70 it's aimed at people just getting into streaming, podcasting, or recording voice-over for video.

Its offerings range from the entry-level to professional, and each mic is well-made and excellent at capturing accurate, natural sound. For more, read our Terms of Use.īlue is a respected name in the world of microphones, and for good reason. Note that if you click on one of these links to buy the product, IGN may get a share of the sale. Be sure to visit IGN Tech for all the latest comprehensive hands-on reviews and best-of roundups.

Blue snowball mic switch settings