Whether you're recording your newest podcast, talking business on the web, or just narrating your latest great family movie, the Snowflake can capture it with amazing clarity and depth that's head and shoulders above any comparable portable USB on the market!

The Snowflake works on both Mac and PC with no complicated drivers to install: just connect it to your computer's USB port, follow the prompts and you'll have high-fidelity sound in no time. It's perfect for podcasting, voice recognition software, iChat, and VoIP software such as Skype and Vonage. Or use it for dictation, field recording, lecture recording, and narration for slideshows and PowerPoint presentations. The sky's the limit. It's even great for recording music via GarageBand and other multitrack recording software.

System Requirements

PC: Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, XP Home Edition or XP Professional
USB 1.0 or 2.0; 64MB RAM (minimum)

Macintosh: Mac OSX
USB 1.0 or 2.0; 64MB RAM (minimum)

• Professional recording quality - on the go!
• Mac and PC compatible
• Plug 'n play - no complicated drivers required
• Unique design fits on your desktop or laptop
• Blue's superior proprietary capsule and circuit design
• Includes USB cable

Tips for use:

Perfect for dictation, field recording, lecture recording, narration, presentations, Vocals, Music Instruments, Podcasting, VOIP (such as Skype and Vonage), Voice Recognition Software, Multimedia; ideal for AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, iChat, ooVoo and Google Talk.

Macintosh, iMovie, PhotoBooth and iChat are registered trademarks of Apple, Inc. Windows Vista, Windows XP and Windows Live Messenger are registered trademarks of Microsoft, Inc. Skype is a registered trademark of Skype Limited. AOL is a registered trademark of America Online, Inc. Yahoo! is a registered trademark of Yahoo! Inc. Google Talk is a trademark of Google Inc. ooVoo is a registered trademark of ooVoo, LLC. Audacity is a registered trademark of the Audacity development team.

What exactly is this Snowflake all about?

The Snowflake has the performance of the Snowball but in a more compact package.

Is The Snowflake a dynamic microphone like the Blue Ball, or a condenser like the Blue 8Ball or Kiwi?

The Snowflake is a condenser, which, according to the audio wonks we know, has a smooth open sound with a nice, natural high-end.

I've heard that condenser microphones require something called phantom power. Do I need to concern myself with this? Does The Snowflake need batteries?

No. The Snowflake derives its operating voltage from something called bus voltage, which is always present on your USB port. The Snowflake does not require batteries.

Is the Snowflake compatible with Windows 7 and Vista?

Yes!

Do I need any special software to use The Snowflake? Do I need any drivers?

Technically, no. Depending on your application, your OS may have sufficient features to utilize the capabilities of the Snowflake. But, to get the most out of your Snowflake, you'll want to have some kind of software that allows for digital signal processing and non-linear editing that will accept audio from the USB port. Some examples of these programs are listed below.

Can I use The Snowflake with a traditional analog audio mixer?

No. The Snowflake features digital output only. It must be connected to a USB port in order to function.

What sample rate and word length does the Snowflake use?

The Snowflake's digital output is set to 44.1 kHz / 16-bit, just like an audio CD. But this is something that only audio geeks really need to worry about.

How can I select a different sample rate?

Because the Snowflake is designed for the greatest ease of operation and setup, sample rate / word length are not user-definable. Sorry, geeks.

Can I use more than one Snowflake at a time?

Some audio editing software allows for multiple USB connections. Check with your software vendor-- they should have technical support staff who can answer all of your questions about their product.

Skip To: Software Setup | Hardware Setup | Troubleshooting

Please note: as there are so many different software packages that are compatible with the Snowflake, we are compiling a list of software we've tested and assured compatibility. We will publish that list shortly along with detailed instructions explaining how to use the Snowflake with each package because, as you can imagine, they are all different! In the meantime, we suggest consulting your software's manual, user forums and technical help lines. Here are a few to get you started:

How to get audio from my Snowflake with...

Garage Band

• Go to Preferences->Audio and select the Blue mic as the input device (it will only show up when The Snowflake is plugged in).
• Create a vocal track and select the Blue mic as the input device for that track.
• You may need to adjust the Snowflake's input level in the control panel if you experience any distortion (crackling).

Logic 7 and Logic Pro 8

• Open the Audio and MIDI setup program in your Apps->Utilities folder.
• Create an Aggregate Audio Source (Audio menu - open Aggregate device editor).
• Add the devices you want to use to the aggregate device (Built in audio and Blue mic).
• Change the audio device in Logic's audio preferences from Default to Aggregate. (To use an aggregate device with Logic)
• Open Logic Pro or Logic Express.
• Choose Logic Pro > Preferences > Audio or Logic Express > Preferences > Audio and select the Devices tab.
• Select the Device drop down menu and choose the aggregate device from the list.
• Click Apply Changes at the bottom-right of the window.

Sonar

• Select "USB Audio Device" ( 1, in, 0 out) from an audio track.
• From within that subcategory, there are 3 selections: Left USB Audio Device, Right USB Audio Device, and Stereo USB Audio Device.
• Select Left or Right for mono audio tracks.
• Press "R" to arm the track for recording.
• Roll disk.

Adobe Premiere Elements 4 (Windows Vista/XP)

• If you should experience any problems getting the program to recognize the mic, Adobe recommends the following: If the device does not allow you to record, then your microphone is not being detected as a valid input device in Premiere Elements. You can use an open source program called ASIO4ALL, which is a device driver that essentially wraps existing WDM devices, like USB microphones, as ASIO-compatible sound devices. Use the following steps to utilize this tool:
• Quit Premiere Elements.
• Visit the following web page and download the latest available version of ASIO4ALL: www.asio4all.com/
• Install the software, and restart the system if asked to do so by the installer.
• Make certain that your microphone is plugged in.
• Launch Premiere Elements. Go to the 'Edit->Preferences..>Audio Hardware' menu option. For the Default Device, choose the ASIO4ALL option. Click the ASIO Settings button, then select your microphone from the list of devices, click Exit, and then click OK on the Preferences dialog. Close and then restart Premiere Elements.

Windows 7 Setup Procedure

• Under START MENU open Control Panel, then select Hardware/Sound.
• On Hardware/Sound page click Sound, then choose Recording tab.
• Insure that the Blue mic selected as the Default input device.
• Set your volume in the Levels menu.

Windows Vista Setup Procedure

• Under START MENU open Control Panel, then select Sound.
• Select Recording tab; insure the Blue mic is selected as Working with check mark next to the icon. (Disable alternate mic if necessary)
• Click on Properties; select the Levels tab, set your input level, click Apply, then OK.
• Exit control panel.

Windows XP Setup Procedure

• Under START MENU open SOUNDS AND AUDIO DEVICES control panel.
• Select AUDIO tab; ensure the Blue mic is selected as DEFAULT DEVICE.
• Click on VOLUME; select appropriate volume level.
• Exit control panel.

Macintosh Setup Procedure

• Open Apple menu -> SYSTEM PREFERENCES.
• Double-click SOUND preference file.
• Click INPUT tab.
• Double-click the Blue mic under CHOOSE A DEVICE FOR SOUND INPUT dialog box.
• Set input volume to the appropriate level.
• Exit SYSTEM PREFERENCES.

My microphone doesn't seem to be working.

Ensure your USB cable is properly connected directly to your computer's USB port. Open your computer's audio menu and verify that Blue Microphones Snowflake is the selected sound source.

My recording is distorting.

Decrease the gain by adjusting the input volume or try increasing the distance between your Snowflake and your sound source.

Read what people have been saying about the Snowflake.

All reviews are in PDF format.

XLR  Review   ::   Snowflake Microphone

Keyboard   ::   Snowflake Microphone

All manuals are downloadable in Acrobat PDF format.

Snowflake Manual   ::   English

Snowflake Manual   ::   French

Kina Grannis 
Les Camacho 
Stevie Vai

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