Blue Snowball mic into iPad: Clipping easily; help?

[silky smoove]

- Using the -10dB setting on the mic? I tried that with the mic a mere few inches from the amp and the whole recording was quieter than the iPad's built-in mic, even. I can try that again and maybe turn the amp up a little to try to compensate, but I'm then in danger of just being too loud for the apartment.

Again, this is 100% about amplitude. You have limited controls in that you can record at 0db on the mic preamp or -10db. Such is the limitation of these “all-in-one” solutions. Since you can only control the mic preamp by a factor of 10db at a time you need more control. You can achieve that with that amp and either leave the mic preamp at 0db and turn your amp down, or you can put it at -10db and turn your amp up (presumably in both cases). If it’s too loud for your apartment environment than no amount of gear or gear tweaking with the equipment at hand will change that.

EDIT: Regarding the iPad’s built-in mic. For loud sound sources the iPad has a built-in limiter that reduces the dynamic range. As I mentioned previously, louder is really just a less accurate way of saying less dynamic range. It is not surprising at all that the iPad’s mic would be louder on a source that was clipping a large diaphragm condenser USB mic.

 

[DDXdesign]

Again, this is 100% about amplitude....

Oh absolutely - conceptually I know all the things going on; I just don't know how to use the iPad to adjust what is happening - that's why I posted this thread.

Maybe I should have asked specifically: "Does an iPad have a place to do any adjusting at all of a microphone plugged in for use with the video camera app? Cause if not, then I can safely just hang it up."

... It is not surprising at all that the iPad’s mic would be louder on a source that was clipping a large diaphragm condenser USB mic.

Point of clarification, though: The iPad's mic alone from the position I'm shooting from was already unusably quiet (part of why I bought a mic), and the -10dB on the mic was even quieter than that, though I'm assuming with better audio quality. I did not experiment with using that setting and cranking the amp up a little higher, but I will try.

 

[silky smoove]

To your question about the iPad handling gain: It can only handle gain once it’s passed the converter and therefore beyond the mic preamp. Some interfaces, like Apogee models, allow the iPad to control the preamp, but to my knowledge the Blue is not such a device. Is there a corresponding audio app that you use on the iPad with the Blue?

 

[DDXdesign]

Is there a corresponding audio app that you use on the iPad with the Blue?

No, I was just hoping to use the mic to replace the internal mic for the Camera app. Literally the only reason I even bought the microphone. I just assumed (foolishly) that the device would have something - anything - built into it for adjusting things like that. If you plug any ol' microphone into a PC, for example, you at least have a generic audio device handler that can control the gain on said mic. Even if you're using just the 1/8" audio jack and not anything fancy like USB.

 

[silky smoove]

If you’re just using an aux in jack (per your example) the computer has control of the preamp and converter, so it makes sense that you’d have controls to tweak. With an iPad you’re dealing with a closed operating system. To further confound things your mic has limited controls. A dedicated mobile interface like an Apogee unit or any of the other iPad specific models paired with a conventional mic would provide you with more control. Still I think you have enough control via the 0 and -10 options paired with your amp that has an analog control (i.e. a literally infinite level of control) but your apartment restricts that control by not allowing you to record loudly at -10, and has too high a noise floor (background noise) to record quietly at 0.

 

[DDXdesign]

If you’re just using an aux in jack (per your example) the computer has control of the preamp and converter, so it makes sense that you’d have controls to tweak. With an iPad you’re dealing with a closed operating system. To further confound things your mic has limited controls. A dedicated mobile interface like an Apogee unit or any of the other iPad specific models paired with a conventional mic would provide you with more control. Still I think you have enough control via the 0 and -10 options paired with your amp that has an analog control (i.e. a literally infinite level of control) but your apartment restricts that control by not allowing you to record loudly at -10, and has too high a noise floor (background noise) to record quietly at 0.

Well, the first mic I bought actually used the headphone jack on the iPad, strangely enough, but still that closed system.

Apartment isn't too bad - the guy above me is also a bass player, and the whole building is apparently just Barking Dog Central - but I haven't explored the limits at all of Too Loud.

I dunno offhand if it's even worth it to do pedal demos; I just know that plenty of pedals - or pedal combinations - that I personally really like, or am curious to hear, have NO bass demos at all in the wild. Only reason i even started trying it, and I got a Pedal Genie rental subscription to boot.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

I just took a quick peak at the manual. Looks like if you want to access the full set of features, you need to connect it to a Mac of a PC. It doesn't appear they have an app for iOS. Though I havn't looked to see if there is iOS app in the App Store. You might want to see if there is recent addition, not mention in the manual.

BTW, if it's a USB mic, how'd you connect to the iPad?

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

No, I was just hoping to use the mic to replace the internal mic for the Camera app. Literally the only reason I even bought the microphone. I just assumed (foolishly) that the device would have something - anything - built into it for adjusting things like that. If you plug any ol' microphone into a PC, for example, you at least have a generic audio device handler that can control the gain on said mic. Even if you're using just the 1/8" audio jack and not anything fancy like USB.

I don't think iPads work that way. I beleive there is a need to perform a little electronic trickery with a resistor added at the mic/headphone connector that tells the iPad it has a mic connected to it. A three conductor 1/8" plug will work normally for headphones on an iPad. But I has a fourth contact on the iPad Jack for a mic. So a standard mic on an 1/8" Jack probably won't work.

 

[DDXdesign]

BTW, if it's a USB mic, how'd you connect to the iPad?

Oh, just grabbed the "Camera Kit 3" i think it's called, from apple. It's a USB to Lightning adaptor that also has a Lightning passthrough, so that a wall charger can supply enough power for the mic while still keeping the ipad topped up. Specifically mentioned in several videos I watched regarding connecting a mic to the ipad.