Bricks in Motion
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Well title says it all. I'm thinking of getting a Blue Snowball Microphone for having better quality voice recordings as the mic I have now has a lot of PFTT sounds to it as well as some background noise.
I saw it very cheaply on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones- … microphone
And thought that I should get it.
Also is the wind screen thingy that goes in front of the mic a good idea to get too? (separate purchase)
In a word, yes. Used it once. Wish I had one.
I'm so glad I got my Snowball. It's really nice.
Though it depends on how much you do record. I do all of my own sound effects and voice most of my characters, so almost everything that's heard is heard through that mic. But if you don't use custom sounds and you're not as confident of a voice actor then getting a snowball would be less of an improvement since it would affect less audio.
The Snowball, yes.
It's a great mic.The wind-screen/pop filter, no.
I don't use one, and if you need one, just jury-rig something cheap yourself.
Okay sounds good. I didn't think the wind-screen would be necessary but just wanted to make sure and not have to have two separate orders when they could be combined very easily.
I'm so glad I got my Snowball. It's really nice.
Though it depends on how much you do record. I do all of my own sound effects and voice most of my characters, so almost everything that's heard is heard through that mic. But if you don't use custom sounds and you're not as confident of a voice actor then getting a snowball would be less of an improvement since it would affect less audio.
Ok cool. I didn't know you could record sound effects with it as well. How much does it filter sound? Like can it pick up very subtle background noises or only noises that are loud and close to the mic?
There's basically always going to be a tiny bit of background noise. However, I've found that the Snowball has less than any other mic I've used. It's important to silence any noise in the background which will contribute to that. But if it's mostly silent, the fuzz should be barely there, and it's easy to remove in Audacity.
It records best things near it, but it still picks up things in the background if you don't deal with them. But those things tend to be muffled and altered by bouncing through the house. They can ruin a recording of course, one must simply eliminate those noises before recording even starts.
I'm so glad I got my Snowball. It's really nice.
I do all of my own sound effects and voice most of my characters, so almost everything that's heard is heard through that mic.
I record my own sound effects, too! It can be a lot of fun, and it saves your audience from the "I've heard that sound effect" moment. It's best to be all-original.
You probably won't know any of my films, because I haven't put a lot of my own work on the internet, but I've been a brickfilmer for 5 years. I have to put it on the back seat for a few years now, though, because college is keeping me too busy. I'm spending these years writing scripts and, hopefully, doing some voice acting.
That last paragraph was a little off-topic, but I had to explain myself for the rest to make sense.
Anywho, I'm hoping to get a blue snowball microphone soon. I've been looking for a better one, and it looks like it will be the best.
If you don't buy a pop filter I would recommend making one, some nylons stretched over a hoop or some thing. The nice thing about buying one is you can attach them to a mic stand which makes them easier to position.
I record through Audacity with the Blue Snowball and a cheap pop filter, it's worked well for me so far and I have no gripes with it. I would definitely suggest buying, or as Sloth said, making a pop filter. For me, I do hear a noticeable difference if I record with the pop filter or without, I bought one when I got the mic.
A pop filter helps a ton with eliminating those 'pops' that can really frustrate you. If you've got a great take but there's ugly-sounding pops during 'p' or 'b' that's totally not cool.
I record through Audacity with the Blue Snowball and a cheap pop filter, it's worked well for me so far and I have no gripes with it. I would definitely suggest buying, or as Sloth said, making a pop filter. For me, I do hear a noticeable difference if I record with the pop filter or without, I bought one when I got the mic.
A pop filter helps a ton with eliminating those 'pops' that can really frustrate you. If you've got a great take but there's ugly-sounding pops during 'p' or 'b' that's totally not cool.
Alright sounds good, it's only an extra $5 so I'll get it and see how it goes.
There's basically always going to be a tiny bit of background noise. However, I've found that the Snowball has less than any other mic I've used. It's important to silence any noise in the background which will contribute to that. But if it's mostly silent, the fuzz should be barely there, and it's easy to remove in Audacity.
It records best things near it, but it still picks up things in the background if you don't deal with them. But those things tend to be muffled and altered by bouncing through the house. They can ruin a recording of course, one must simply eliminate those noises before recording even starts.
Alright cool. This sounds like a great buy, I'll be ordering it soon.
Also does anyone know what's the best way to record sound effects outside of the house? Like walking, forest sounds, water in a river or stream... is there like a portable sound recorder that still records in good quality? Or would I have to haul a laptop around everywhere lol
I've never actually used a pop-filter. I just keep my head not too close to the mic and point my head just slightly to the side. That way the air just misses the mic. Of course, every now and then I make a slight error and get a pop, but only when I'm being obviously negligent, in which case I can easily re-do the line.
I've been really wanting to record sounds outside, but the problem with that is I don't really have a very portable way to record. I can sometimes get my sister to help with her laptop if it's something that can't be done at my computer, though.
But there's a great problem in recording stuff outside since there is so much background noise out there. Unless you're recording that ambient sound of the world around you, getting a certain isolated sound is very difficult. It's especially so for my since a lot of planes fly over me.
I usually just try to fake certain outside sounds instead of getting the real thing. In Leprechauns in France I poured water into a container several times and then overlayed that several times atop itself to get the impression of a larger water flow. I also did most of the birds myself by recording my whistling and then speeding it up to make it sound slightly less human.
But there's a great problem in recording stuff outside since there is so much background noise out there. Unless you're recording that ambient sound of the world around you, getting a certain isolated sound is very difficult. It's especially so for my since a lot of planes fly over me.
I usually just try to fake certain outside sounds instead of getting the real thing. In Leprechauns in France I poured water into a container several times and then overlayed that several times atop itself to get the impression of a larger water flow. I also did most of the birds myself by recording my whistling and then speeding it up to make it sound slightly less human.
I've experienced that, too... where I live, there are a lot of cicadas and crickets. It's awful.
I have made water sounds by sloshing my hand around in the bathtub before, and footsteps in the grass by squeezing a crumpled piece of notebook paper.
It's nice to see that I'm not the only person who has to go through all of this. 
I've never actually used a pop-filter. I just keep my head not too close to the mic and point my head just slightly to the side. That way the air just misses the mic. Of course, every now and then I make a slight error and get a pop, but only when I'm being obviously negligent, in which case I can easily re-do the line.
I've been really wanting to record sounds outside, but the problem with that is I don't really have a very portable way to record. I can sometimes get my sister to help with her laptop if it's something that can't be done at my computer, though.
But there's a great problem in recording stuff outside since there is so much background noise out there. Unless you're recording that ambient sound of the world around you, getting a certain isolated sound is very difficult. It's especially so for my since a lot of planes fly over me.
I usually just try to fake certain outside sounds instead of getting the real thing. In Leprechauns in France I poured water into a container several times and then overlayed that several times atop itself to get the impression of a larger water flow. I also did most of the birds myself by recording my whistling and then speeding it up to make it sound slightly less human.
Great ideas. I guess you don't have to go outside to make nature sounds haha.
I've experienced that, too... where I live, there are a lot of cicadas and crickets. It's awful.
I have made water sounds by sloshing my hand around in the bathtub before, and footsteps in the grass by squeezing a crumpled piece of notebook paper.
It's nice to see that I'm not the only person who has to go through all of this.
Yeah there's a lot of crickets here too... Guess I never noticed stuff like that till I paid attention lol. Also great idea with the walking on grass.
A sock works great as a pop filter. Just make sure its clean. 
A sock works great as a pop filter. Just make sure its clean.
Yeah, because otherwise your film will wind up full of dirty language. 
Just as important is the space where you'll record. If you just sit at your computer desk with no alterations to the room, you'll get a lot of reflections and reverberations (bad). You want to dampen your vocal sound waves so they aren't bouncing all over the place, which can be done for free using available materials. I record in my closet with blankets surrounding the walls and clothes hanging on the rack. This pretty much deadens the space so I can get clean audio. Even putting a pillow behind the microphone will make a big difference.
Oh and yeah the Snowball is great. Been using mine for years. Love it.
CyberCom wrote:A sock works great as a pop filter. Just make sure its clean.
Yeah, because otherwise your film will wind up full of dirty language.
@Top Hat Indeed. ;D
Another way to ensure good recording is to speak a foot away from the mic. Breathe deeply, and really put passion into your voice over.
Last edited by CyberCom (October 2, 2014 (03:56pm))
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