I’ve been playing with my Snowball and Snowflake this week.
No, we didn’t get puppies nor have I be-fanned some cheesy pop duo.
The Snowball and Snowflake are two USB mics, sent for review from Blue Microphones, that provide studio-quality audio from the relative comfort of your desktop.
And both mics are truly plug and play i.e. no funny software to download, batteries to charge or cables to complicate matters. They’ll even work on your iPad if you’ve got a camera connector kit for the USB.
Uniquely, the Snowball offers what’s known in the biz as both cardioid and omnidirectional capabilities – which means at the flick of a switch it will pick up sounds either filtered at close range or at equal volume from all angles.
Perfect for budding YouTube artistes or Garage Band stars.
But I’m not a musician, I hear you cry. Well neither am I – although I had hours of fun crooning into the Snowball while testing its powers versus my laptop’s inbuilt mic (the difference in sound quality is literally startling)!
As a blogger, I’m keen to experiment with podcasting and these mics are ideal for smooth broadcasting over the internet.
They’re also handy for hosting webinars, tidying up sound recordings on video blogs, narrating home movies, dictating your memoirs or just having a good old natter over Skype or AIM.
The Snowball is bombshell-curvy with a sleek, retro look that will appeal to lovers of vintage styling.
But it does take up space on my already crowded desk, so I’m partial to the dinky Snowflake.
Small enough to fit in your purse (but crucially won’t melt all over your valuables), the Snowflake clips onto your laptop, Mac or PC monitor or can perch on any stable surface for recording on the go.
And while it doesn’t have the Snowball’s three-pattern recording switch, it still captures audio as crisp and clear as ice, ice baby.
Blue Microphones’ Snowball is available from Apple.co.uk at £89.95
The Snowflake is available from Amazon.co.uk at £42.99
