Blue’s Snowball iCE mic brings better quality sound to the table because it’s fitted with a cardioid compressor that far outperforms your average built-in mic. Although a Blue Snowball iCE mic isn’t as powerful as the Blue Yeti microphones, there is a way to enhance its 16-bit 48kHz high-quality digital signal into an even better-sounding signal with Voicemeeter.
The best Voicemeeter settings for a Blue Snowball iCE can be achieved by balancing the different audio frequencies through the inbuilt equalizer. Most of these EQ settings vary due to peoples’ unique voices. Your Snowball mic can capture clear, accurate, and perfect sound by balancing the EQ.
This article will cover the best EQ settings on Voicemeeter that can up your recordings and streaming audio quality. We’ll also see how pros get the best EQ settings on Voicemeeter.
Make Your Blue Snowball iCE Sound Better With Voicemeeter
Blue Snowball iCE mics bring a whole new definition to sound quality for your videos and recordings. They’re cheaper and more advanced than in-built laptop mics, but unfortunately, they lack essential gain controls and an onboard mic monitoring feature that’s crucial to audio quality.
With Voicemeeter, all these issues can be addressed.
Voicemeeter is a simple yet powerful audio mixer for mixing audio from multiple inputs. The software provides a 15-band EQ controller to make your mic sound better.
Get the EQ settings right, and your Snowball might just offer excellent results that compete with the voice quality from a more advanced USB mic.
Here are two of the most common issues that can downgrade the quality of sound from Blue Snowball iCE mics:
- They lack essential gain controls. Gain controls boost the signal strength from your mic for better audio quality and professional mixing.
- They lack onboard mic monitoring. With Blue Snowball iCE, the infrastructure to listen to your own voice as you speak does not exist on the same circuit. So, issues such as latency and feedback can present a real challenge when mixing.
It’s also possible to improve audio quality with the correct EQ settings. So, let’s look into how to set up Voicemeeter and tweak the EQ settings to get more decent quality sound from your mic.
Voicemeeter Setup
If you don’t already have Voicemeeter installed on your laptop, click this link
and visit the official VB-Audio Software page. You’ll find the different Voicemeeter basic, banana, and potato versions here.
Unless you’re going full pro, we recommend downloading the basic or banana versions. In our case, we’ll be using the most basic Voicemeeter version.
Download and Install Voicemeeter
Click the Voicemeeter tab right before “Banana” on the page and navigate to the Voicemeeter 1.0.8.1 (EXE file). Click install. Once the software has been downloaded onto your computer, head to the file location in your downloads and double click to install it.
You also need to download a VB cable driver for your mic.
Go to the Virtual Audio Cable tab and download the appropriate driver for your pc or mac. After installing Voicemeeter and VB cable drivers, reboot your computer to configure them.
Select the Input and Output Devices on Voicemeeter
Next, you’re going to select your input and output devices.
On the top left corner of the Voicemeeter Window, click HARDWARE INPUT and select your mic from the dropdown list. Next, head to the HARDWARE OUT to the far right corner and choose your output device (the device that will be playing your audio – it could be your headphones or speakers.)
You’re done with the first major step. If you find any issues with the installation on Windows, read this guide.
Getting the Best EQ Settings for Your Blue Snowball Mic
Before we go any deeper, it is essential to mention that getting the correct EQ is a matter of trial and error. We all have a unique voice with a unique blend of frequencies. Some people speak in high pitched tones, others speak in low tones, while the rest speak in middle-range frequencies.
Check out this video for a detailed explanation of equalizing your voice with Voicemeeter. Skip to 6:25, or watch the whole thing to see how to set up Voicemeeter from the start:
Striking a perfect balance between all these frequencies is what the equalizer does.
Unfortunately, as seen in dedicated equalizer software, Voicemeeter doesn’t provide a very flexible EQ. However, you can still access 15 frequency bands with its 15-band Graphic EQ.
Here’s how:
Open the 15 Band Graphic EQ
To access Voicemeeter’s frequency band navigate to the Menu icon.
Click it and scroll down to “Run Other Voicemeeter Tools.” It should bring you to a dropdown list. Click “Run 15 Bands Graphic EQ” from the list.
Run a Spectrum Analyzer Program To Check on Frequencies That Need an Upgrade
You’re going to need a spectrum analyzer to get a full view of the different frequencies that make up your voice. A spectrum analyzer provides a detailed overview of the frequency ranges in your voice. This helps you pinpoint the ones that need improvement.
You can download a free spectrum analyzer like Voxengo SPAN, which offers many features such as k-level metering, phase cancellation detection, and a scalable GUI that analyzes specific frequencies in ranges.
Optionally, download Spectralissime, a product by VB-Audio Software.
Remember, the more precise the analyzer, the more accurate your settings. Get the analyzer with the most useful tools to help you paint a clear picture of the frequency bands that need a boost or a cut.
Run Some Sound Checks on Your Mic
As mentioned earlier, eq-ing your voice will require tests to determine what works for you and what doesn’t.
Run your spectrum analyzer, put your Blue Snowball mic 3 to 5 inches (7.62 to 12.7 cm) from your chin, and start speaking. Sing a song or talk as you normally would. Watch how the frequency bands vary on the spectrum analyzer.
You can also try talking in different voices or ask someone else to speak into the mic. This gives you an overall picture of how the mic performs across various frequency bands.
Tweak Your EQ Settings
While doing your experiments, you want to look at the Y-axis on the spectrum analyzer, which shows the strength (loudness) of the frequency.
The higher the value, the louder the signal.
Note that the frequencies on the analyzer are not balanced. Some are incredibly high, while others fall below average. Here’s where the EQ comes in.
Different experts have different opinions on where high, low, and mid-range frequency bands begin, but the bottom line is:
- 25 – 250 Hz represent the lowest frequencies in a person’s voice
- 250 – 2500Hz represent the mid-range frequencies
- 2500 – 16kHz represent the highest frequencies
If your Snowball mic is good at picking up high frequencies, the bars/graph between 2500Hz – 16kHz on your spectrum analyzer will be at the peak when you speak. If it’s only good at picking up bassy sounds, then the bars between 25-250Hz will be at the peak. Mid-range frequencies often show a good balance though they too can be equalized to match other frequencies in the spectrum.
On your Graphic EQ window, head over to the flat 25-250Hz vertical sliders and slightly increase them.
Bumping up the lows enables the microphone to pick up low frequencies better than it usually would. Do the opposite and bring the vertical sliders down just a bit if your mic is only good at picking up low frequencies.
And if it’s only good with the high frequencies? Turn down the vertical sliders in the 4-16kHz range.
Remember to listen carefully to how your voice sounds after tweaking each setting. This prevents abnormal or “fake” voices. Boost or cut the frequencies to your taste and be careful not to overdo it.
Lastly, save your EQ settings for future reuse by going to Menu – Save Settings. You can access them in the future by going to Menu – Load Settings.
For more Blue Snowball issues, check out some of my other articles:
Final Thoughts
A balanced EQ presents the best Voicemeeter settings for a Blue Snowball iCE. You might not get it right the first time, but all it takes is a few hours of practice, trial, and error. After all, balancing the frequencies in your voice for your mic helps produce high-quality audio for your podcasts and YouTube videos.
Sources
- Forbes: Blue’s Cool Snowball Ice Mic Is A Clear Winner All Round
- Gamersnavy: Guide – How to improve your microphone quality by using an app called Voicemeeter
- Militaria Agent: How to Make Your Blue Snowball Sound Like a Professional Studio Mic [BEST SETTINGS
- YouTube: VOICEMEETER SETUP and VOCAL EQ guide: DJ-quality for streaming, OBS, Discord & Zoom
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