Snowball USB Microphone Review 2 of 4

Over the next few reviews, I will go over four microphones that I have personally used as a teacher or technology coach.  This review series includes the Yeti USB Microphone, Snowball USB Microphone, Audio Technica AT2005 USB/XLR Microphone, and Heil PR40 Microphone.

Personal Experience

Over the past ten years, I have learned a lot about audio recording.  In 2009, I began recording my lessons for a student who had an IEP stating that the need for alternative methods for note-taking.  For this, I used the microphone on my computer. Though the audio was just “ok” this was sufficient for meeting the needs of the student.  

A few years later, I started to “Flip” my classroom.  Flipping your classroom, to me, means having your students learn the information at home so they can apply the content learned at school through labs, practice problems, and classroom projects.  To Flip my classroom, I used Screencast-o-matic to make a screencast of my PowerPoint Presentations. I used a Blue Yeti Microphone to record my audio and tried the Snowball microphone many years later.

In 2018, my buddy and co-host Nick and I started podcasting because of a graduate school and doctorate school assignment.  Through the recommendation of many podcasters, we purchased two Audio-Technica AT2005 USB/XLR microphones. Once we decided to continue our podcast past the requirements of our coursework, we purchased a pair of Heil PR40 microphones.  Below, find our review on the microphones we used on our educational journey.

Blue Snowball iCE USB Condenser Microphone

Cost:

$50

Snowball Specs

Analog Performance

Operating Principle Pressure Gradient

Transducer Condenser

Polar Pattern Cardioid

Frequency Range 40 Hz to 18 kHz

Digital Performance

Bit Depth 16-Bit

Sample Rate 44.1 kHz

Operating System Support Windows, macOS/OS X

RAM 64 MB Minimum

Available Port USB (Interface Unspecified)

Output Connectors 1 x USB (Type Unspecified)

Weight 1.01 lb / 460 g

Functionality:  

USB Microphone.  Easy plug-in and record feature.

Transfer:

This microphone is meant for easy set-up and tear down.  If you have an audio studio, I would purchase a higher-end microphone.

Recommended Use:

I recommend this microphone for the traveling educator.  I often found myself transporting my Yeti microphone back and forth to and from school. This was time-consuming and stressful.  Worrying about the safety of the Yeti in transit for quick recordings was unnecessary.  The Snowball microphone is the solution to this problem.  The Snowball microphone is an excellent solution to student-recording projects.  The light-weight microphone allows students to travel to quiet areas for recording.

Microphone Review Series (4 Total Reviews)

1. Yeti USB (Microphone Review 1 of 4)
2. Snowball USB (Microphone Review 2 of 4)
3. Audio-Technica AT2005 USB/XLR (Microphone Review 3 of 4)
4. Heil PR40 XLR (Microphone Review 4 of 4)