Finally, I also put Blue’s Icicle – a USB preamp that lets you plug whatever mic you want into your computer, even ones requiring phantom power – through its paces. I first spent some time with Blue’s Snowflake – a small USB condenser mic that comes in its own sturdy case/stand – and then with Blue’s Snowball, a versatile USB condenser mic with dual elements. (I don’t use a PC and can’t comment on that experience, but the Blue stuff is compatible with both platforms and should work for whichever computer and software you prefer.)
On the Mac, setup effort is minimal – just choose the Blue mic in GarageBand’s preferences menu and tweak the mic’s level in System Preferences. When I received three moderately-priced pieces of computer recording gear from Blue to review, I upgraded my software to GarageBand ’09 and got to work.
I thought GarageBand had potential as a recording tool, but wasn’t sure if musicians were taking it seriously. I was encouraged when Premier Guitar’s March 2009 issue mentioned that Nashville songwriters have been turning to the MacBook, Apple’s GarageBand recording software, and Blue Microphones’ Snowball mic for recording demos and working out arrangements.
