Blue Microphones Icicle XLR to USB Mic Converter/Mic Preamp

• Plug and record
• Studio Quality USB microphone preamp
• Supplies 48V phantom power for condenser microphones
• No special drivers required
• Fully balanced low noise analog front end

I've owned this product for about a year already and it is still working completely fine; although, there was a few technical issues I had to figure out myself. There's no problem with the Blue Icicle itself though. There would be a problem when trying to install this with Windows 7. There was no problem at all using it with Windows XP. It seemed like it would install a different driver instead of it being 'Blue Icicle'. Instead, it would show up as 'USB Multi-Channel Audio Device'. It just didn't sound the same when I was using it with Windows XP. It sounded more louder with some feedback in the background. What I did to fix this problem was to uninstall the 'USB Multi-Channel Audio Device' driver from Device Manager, then unplug the Icicle and plug it back in. When the 'Installing device driver software' notification pops up, click it and click 'Skip obtaining driver software from Windows Update'. It will now be installed as 'Blue Icicle' and work like how it should be! Make sure you raise the levels up in Sound in Control Panel if the mic sounds too low for you, even with the Gain Control Volume up; it shouldn't be up that high anyways as it would have some feedback in the background. I'm not sure if I'm the only one with this problem, but I hope this helps whoever does!

When I first got the Icicle, it sounded amazing and I had a lot of fun with it! I still do, too! I use this with my Audio-Technica AT2020. I use it almost everyday, whether if it's for music producing or online gaming with friends. And yes, this does work for the PS3 -not sure about the Xbox 360 though. I recommend this product for anyone who doesn't have a mixer for their microphone 'cause mixers are kind of expensive! Haha.

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I bought the Blue Icicle because I had to quickly record some trumpet lines and I didn't have an interface. Well, actually, I did pick up an open box unit that didn't work because they couldn't provide me with the external power supply, so I took it back and got the Icicle as a quick fix that would get me where I needed to go in a timely manner.

Hardware: iMac, dual core 2.0 GHz processor and 4 GB or RAM. OS 10.5.8.

Software: Garage Band.

Mic: Shure SM57.

Pros. For recording trumpet with an SM57 it was perfect. Clear sound, low noise, LOTS of signal. With the gain a little over half way on the Icicle and about 58% in Garage Band I got hot horn lines with gain to spare. Any hotter and they would have started clipping, so it definitely gave enough signal to get the job done.

Cons. The gain knob has no dial or indicators for how far you have turned it it has to be done by feel making it almost impossible to duplicate your settings exactly. This could be improved with a knob with an arrow and a marked dial so you can see where it's set. It also feels a bit cheap it's lightweight and feels almost fragile. Treated with care it's fine, but I doubt it would take much abuse before it would break and I have been ultra careful with it because it feels so lightweight and cheap. I also used it as recommended in the accompanying literature and didn't plug it directly into the back of the mic I used it with a mic cable.

For what I needed it was perfect simple plug and play that got good sound into my computer, and it worked well in a pinch. I just wish it was a little higher quality in terms of construction. A bit heavier and a better dial for the analog gain, and I would have rated it a full 5 stars but as it is, I can at best give it 4.

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This is all that I needed to make my condensor mic work! I have an MLX 990 and it works great with it! without this I was going to need to buy a preamp, and something that converted XLR to USB and a phantom power generator. This little thing does it all. It does exactly what it says it does, nothing more and nothing less.

I am not a professional recorder by any means I just wanted to set up a small studio in my room and be able to have my mic go straight to my laptop without having to buy a small soundboard. This might not work for someone who has a fancier setup than mine, but for my basic stuff it works amazing.

The only thing I was surprised about was the size. in the picture it looks like its really small, but its really like 1 1/2" round and as long as my hand. It in no way effects the performance or anything I just thought it was noteworthy.

If this was helpful please take a few seconds to hit the helpful button above. I would really appreciate it :)

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I have several of these converters in my home studio -the quality is amazing on both dynamics and condenser mics! I had an Icicle that initially had a low hum, contacted Blue, and they said that the first 500 units produced had a low hum but that has since been fixed. They sent me a replacement unit and it works perfectly now. BUY THIS PRODUCT if you have the need.

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Though this micpreamp has several weaknesses, I give this 5 stars because it's just perfect for what I do.

I've been finding ways to record vocal in convenient way with good quality. Everyone told me I'm suppose to get an audio interface for good vocal recording, but audio interfaces always ended up with frustration.

After seeing several negative reviews of Icicle, I was going to return this, but I don't think I want to return it anymore.

This preamp is way beyond my expectation. It give you a good tone and volume with very little noise.

However, like I mentioned above, it has weaknesses so this might not be a solution for many people

1) no headphone jack for direct monitoring

2) no asio driver

3) only one input

4) the body seems fragile; make sure you don't step on it!!

If you are a person like me who just to need to record vocal conveniently using easy software like cool edit or audacity, you won't regret.