Snowball vs. Nady USB-1C

Skottoman

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Hi,
I'm an audio professional by trade, and have seen and heard a lot of mics.

Today I had a voice talent in who was looking to get a USB mic. She had purchased a Snowball, and a Nady USB-1C. I said I'd do some tests with her.

We recorded on both mics, in the same setting, and the NADY just blew the sound of the Snowball away.

There were some midrange phase problems with the Snowball, causing the voice to sound nasally and midrange heavy, where as the NADY USB-1C was clean and fuller sounding.

Now, granted, neither of these mics sound like a good high-end mic with preamp.

No, I didn't have a ukulele to test these with, but I'm mainly posting this for people looking for a sub $100 USB mic.

If I had to choose one, I'd pic the NADY USB-1C no question.
Cheers,
Skottoman
 
Although I've already got a Snowball, that's good to know! I wasn't even aware that the Nady existed. :eek: But I'll file the recommendation away in case I need another mic. (Hmmmm... I wonder if I can run both at the same time?)

It might be worth mentioning that the Nady is unidirectional, whereas the Snowball has a selectable omni/cartioid pattern.

JJ
 
Thanks for the tip! I was going to pick up a Snowball, but after reading your post, I will do some further research on the NADY.
 
Uni-directional means it picks up sound in front of the mic only, rejects sound coming from behind or around.

Omni directional (option on Snowball) means it can pick up sound from front and behind, or around.

For example, you could put the Snowball in "OMNI" mode, and have two people sitting in front and behind the mic, it would pick up both of them.

The NADY does not have this option, but for solo use, I feel it's the much better sounding mic. In fact, with the Snowball in uni-directional mode, I was not happy with the sound. Honestly I think the plastic "orb" has something to do with the phase cancellation in midrange sounds. Looks nice, but the NADY is better for sound.

I know a lot of people love their Snowball mics, and they will record well and easily, but in a back to back comparison in "uni-directional" mode, the NADY is hands down winner.

Hope that helps,
Cheers,
Skottoman
 
Last edited:
Yeti

Blue also has another USB mic coming out in a couple weeks called the Yeti. It looks pretty nice and affordable.
 
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