How To Fix a Blue Snowball Mic That’s Cutting Out

Blue Snowball microphones are renowned for their crisp and clear sound. However, like all equipment, they can experience functionality issues. A common problem encountered by Blue Snowball mics is cutting out. Learning how to fix this audio issue can help you have a better sound experience.

Here’s how you can fix a Blue Snowball Mic that’s cutting out:

1. Inspect the hardware thoroughly.
2. Ensure the volume settings are adjusted correctly.
3. Check your computer’s audio settings.
4. Reinstall/update your Blue Snowball mic drivers. 
5. Check your system settings.

A mic that’s cutting out cannot pick up, detect, or register your voice. While this may be nothing more than an annoyance for some people, if you’re streaming live or recording, this can be a major problem. In this article, you’ll find detailed step-by-step guidelines on how to fix such a problem for your Blue Snowball mic.

What Could Cause Your Blue Snowball Mic To Cut Out

Before we go to solving the problem, let’s first explore why your Blue Snowball mic could be failing to pick up sound in the first place. A microphone could start cutting out due to any of the following reasons:

• A driver error.
• Hardware issues.
• A problem with the microphone settings.
• Your computer might fail to recognize the Blue Snowball mic.

Here’s what you can do to restore a Blue Snowball Mic that’s cutting out: 

1. Inspect the Hardware Thoroughly

The most challenging part of fixing a Blue Snowball mic that’s cutting out is identifying the issue, so you’ll first need to inspect your equipment thoroughly. 

A hardware issue could cause your Blue Snowball mic to start cutting out or fail to pick up on your voice. Mics are delicate pieces of equipment, and if you keep moving yours around or handle it roughly, some components might break down over time.

To eliminate some of the common issues that could cause your microphone to stop working properly, look out for the following:

• A bent cord. If the mic’s cord is bent or warped, the connections inside could stall. Try and move the cable around and see whether it will resume working.  
• Mic buildup. Check the mic carefully to see whether there might be anything broken or if there’s buildup. If the mic is dirty, clean it using compressed air. Make sure to avoid penetrating the mesh.
• A faulty USB port. Try connecting your mic to a different USB port or computer to see whether it’ll work. If it does, then your computer’s port is probably faulty and can’t detect the microphone. Try using a different cable since the issue could also be due to a bad power connection. However, if the port works well with other devices, then you might need to check what else could be causing the problem at hand.

If the issue is poor power supply, you can resolve this by purchasing an external USB hub.

To rule out internal damage, connect your Blue Snowball mic with another system. If it works, then it’s in good working condition.  

2. Ensure the Volume Settings Are Adjusted Correctly

Another reason your Blue Snowball mic might be cutting out is that you haven’t adjusted the volume settings correctly. Check whether you accidentally turned down the mic volume, as this means you won’t be audible when using your microphone. 

If your volume level is okay and your mic has an external clip, confirm that it’s not pinched or pushed down in a way that could affect the volume. If the problem persists, move on to the next step.

3. Check Your Computer’s Audio Settings

The next step involves checking your computer’s audio settings. Your computer might fail to detect the connection if this is the first time you’re using your Blue Snowball mic, or if you haven’t used it in a while. Additionally, if you’ve recently updated your mic, something could’ve gone wrong during the updates.

For example, if you’re audible but sound somewhat muted or far away, Windows might be attempting to pull in your sound from elsewhere. To resolve this, set your Blue Snowball mic as the default device. But if doing so doesn’t solve the problem, proceed to the next step.

Here is a short YouTube video with great tips on how to improve the audio in your Blue Snowball microphone:

4. Reinstall/Update Your Blue Snowball Mic Drivers  

If your Blue Snowball mic continues to cut out, the mic drivers could be the problem. Mic drivers are essential for connecting your mic to the computer. If your drivers are out of date, the computer may fail to recognize the Blue Snowball mic.

The solution is simple – all you need to do is reinstall the mic drivers to the latest version or update all your driver settings. 

Try switching off your computer, remove all the external devices, and then restart the system. Next, reconnect your Blue Snowball microphone and check whether it works.

Your computer typically updates itself automatically, but you might need to do this manually as the update could have missed the mic driver settings. 

A quick way to reinstall the Blue Snowball microphone driver is to look for and expand the sound, video, and gaming section in your Device Manager. From the list, select your Blue Snowball mic driver, right-click, then click on update driver software. Restart your computer to check whether the problem is finally sorted

5. Check Your System Settings

If your microphone still has an issue, check whether your computer needs a Windows update. This might solve the problem. Run the update and ensure that the updated Windows program has access to your Blue Snowball mic. Remember that you might need to keep updating your system if the problem keeps recurring.

If you’re running Windows 10, you’re likely to experience issues because your computer might not detect the Blue Snowball microphone. Many Blue Snowball mic users have reported having compatibility issues because the program requires specific mic access. Fortunately, having the correct driver enables your Blue Snowball mic to work perfectly on Windows 10.

Windows 10 compatibility issues could arise from:

• Out-of-date drivers
• An incompatible or corrupt driver
• A configuration mismatch
• Windows privacy setting 

Other ways to get your Blue Snowball Mic to work on Windows 10 include:

• Reinstalling the microphone’s drivers.
• Checking whether the mic access is on. 
• Enabling your Blue Snowball microphone in Windows 10 Privacy Setting and set it as the default mic to resolve privacy settings.

Here are my tips and tricks on avoid picking up keyboard noise on a Blue Snowball Mic

Additional Ways To Fix Your Blue Snowball Mic 

Some other things you can try to fix your Blue Snowball mic include:

• Flattening out any visible kinks in the wire.
• Ensuring your Blue Snowball mic hasn’t suffered any external damage.
• Turning up the volume on the computer, mic, and app.
• Unplugging your Blue Snowball mic and plug it into a different port.

To ensure that your Blue Snowball microphone doesn’t develop audio issues, you should:

• Always keep your mic in a safe place.
• Perform periodic full scans of your system to avoid system file or driver malfunctions.
• Download Blue Snowball drivers and keep them up-to-date to prevent incompatibility issues.

Here’s my review article on recording music using a Blue Snowballs.

Final Thoughts

Blue Snowball microphones are quality products ideal for any serious YouTuber, podcaster, or anyone who enjoys streaming games or watching videos. This means that if you take good care of your mic, it’ll be effective for a long time. 

However, if the mic keeps cutting out midstream, make sure to follow the above steps to restore its performance. However, if all fails, the mic might be faulty, and you’ll need to reach out to the manufacturer for more help.

Sources

• Obsproject: Question/Help-Microphone (Blue Snowball) Keeps Cutting Out
• One Computer Guy: Blue Snowball Not Working: What To Do Now
• E-Methods Technologies: Blue Snowball Not Working: MICROPHONE FIXED
• Innovana Thinklabs: How to Download Blue Snowball Drives on Windows 10
• Music Radar: Blue Microphones Snowball Review
• YouTube: 5 Tips To Make Blue Snowball Sound Better
• Driver Easy: Blue Snowball Drivers Update on Windows
• The University of Iowa: Updating Your Windows Operating System