Begin by finding the USB cable that came with the Snowball mic the cable will attach to the rear of the microphone with the other end ending in a USB port that can be plugged into the computer. The mic should be plug and play with the computer recognizing the device. If this is not the case see the troubleshooting section of this manual.
Open Audacity. The main panel should be blank. Close out any audio timeline that maybe open.
Navigate to the top bar where the microphone symbol is.
Drop the Navigation bar down and find the input Labeled “Blue Snowball”
This can also be accomplished in the menu through Audacity>Preferences>Devices to verify the blue snowball is active.
To begin recording click the red record button. This will automatically create a track for every time the recording is stopped and started. Best practice is to let the record continue through all takes, rather than individual clips.
Begin speaking into the microphone. A waveform will begin to appear as the recording continues. If the levels look low, stand closer to the microphone.
When Finished click the stop button
To export click File>Export, and select either an AIFF or WAV File.
If the snowball mic fails to register as a plug and play device, the first step in troubleshooting will be to unplug and re-plug in the USB connection.
On a Mac
Under “System Preferences” select Sound
The Blue Snowball should be visible. Verify the input level is bouncing when speaking into the mic. Double check input level. If the Snowball mic is not visible, unplug and replug the mic.
On a PC
When plugging in the Blue Snowball mic to the usb port of the PC the driver should install automatically. Prompting a “Device is Ready” pop-up notification when the mic is installed
If this does not work navigate to “Settings>system>sound.
In this pane the Blue Snowball mic can be tested, as well as the volume checked. If the Blue Snowball mic does not show up in the dropdown, unplug and replug the system.
