XLR Blue Icicle users?

HoneyPai

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I have a few questions about the blue icicle preamp, so if anyone uses an xlr mic and the blue icicle, please comment or pm me.
Also would you recommend the blue icicle? Or something else?
 

na4a4a

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The Behringer U‑Phoria UMC22 is a much more stable and well built unit. And if you can find one used a UR12 might fit in a similar price range and surpass it by huge leaps and bounds.

The icicle can overheat and distort which is an issue, also the cable it comes with is absolute garbage so you might need to buy a new one if you are having issues with the connection.
 

HoneyPai

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The Behringer U‑Phoria UMC22 is a much more stable and well built unit. And if you can find one used a UR12 might fit in a similar price range and surpass it by huge leaps and bounds.

The icicle can overheat and distort which is an issue, also the cable it comes with is absolute garbage so you might need to buy a new one if you are having issues with the connection.

I don't doubt it has better build quality, the overheating may be an issue but for the time being, I'm looking at sound quality.
Many tests I've heard comparing the behringer and the icicle sound the same
 

수연 <Suyeon>

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The Blue Icicle is... okay... if you have no other option available to you, but a UR12 is much better by comparison and I would suggest that for the same reasons @_caustic_ stated:

The Blue icicle...
- overheats: creates its own self noise the hotter it gets. You'll be taking several breaks just to take it out of the computer to cool down.
- has a crappy cable: I was lucky to have a cable that fit (from a micro tablet that I never use) to replace it. The one that ships with it barely registered a connection for me.

UR12 won't overheat, won't lose connection, and it's built pretty well to last. You will need to factor in the following costs in addition to the UR12: 1/2 to 1/4 jack adapters (for monitor input if you use a proper daw), an XLR cable or 2 (you only need 1, but never hurts to have a spare), a stand for your mic if you don't already have one.

Interfaces don't really make a difference as far as sound quality. What matters overall is the quality of the mic itself - that will sound the same, no matter what you use - but blue icicle's overheating problem will make a difference in quality over the course of recording a bank and you want to aim for consistency. I would only use the Blue Icicle for banks that can be done fast like CV, or CVVC (6-8 mora). The less you have to take the cord out and wait for the cool down, the faster you can get a bank done.
 
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HoneyPai

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The Blue Icicle is... okay... if you have no other option available to you, but a UR12 is much better by comparison and I would suggest that for the same reasons @_caustic_ stated:

The Blue icicle...
- overheats: creates its own self noise the hotter it gets. You'll be taking several breaks just to take it out of the computer to cool down.
- has a crappy cable: I was lucky to have a cable that fit (from a micro tablet that I never use) to replace it. The one that ships with it barely registered a connection for me.

UR12 won't overheat, won't lose connection, and it's built pretty well to last. You will need to factor in the following costs in addition to the UR12: 1/2 to 1/4 jack adapters (for monitor input if you use a proper daw), an XLR cable or 2 (you only need 1, but never hurts to have a spare), a stand for your mic if you don't already have one.

Interfaces don't really make a difference as far as sound quality. What matters overall is the quality of the mic itself - that will sound the same, no matter what you use - but blue icicle's overheating problem will make a difference in quality over the course of recording a bank and you want to aim for consistency.

What's wrong with the cable it comes with aside from not giving a good connection ? Or is that just it?
That part should not be a problem to me, as I have plenty of similar cables, so if the one that comes with it is just overall horrible, then that's alright I guess because of my backups.

But again, the over heating may be a big issue. But until I get my xlr cable, is it not a good idea to plug the icicle directly into my mic?
 

수연 <Suyeon>

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That's pretty much it: terrible connection. I got... maybe 2 connections out of it before it just gave up with the default cord - mind, this is supposed to be plug-n-play without additional drivers, so OS shouldn't matter. It's a mini-b to standard-a connector (not the most common, but not impossible to get). Use the blue icicle if that's your only option while you wait (that's what I did); just keep it around as an emergency interface where you won't expect long term use, but need something quick and easy.
 
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