Digital Home Thoughts: Easy Instant Recording with Microphone to USB LightSnake

Sometimes the simplest things can also be the most effective: the LightSnake cable from SoundTech falls into this category. The concept is delightfully simple: it was created to allow a quick and easy way to connect an XLR-based microphone to a Mac or PC. If you haven't read the words "XLR" before, it probably means you're not a musician - XLR is the cable connector that high-quality microphones use. It's a solid, sturdy connection that's the industry standard. A sound tech or serious musician gear head could explain it better than that, but that will do for the purposes of this review.

The LightSnake is, essentially, a sound card built into a USB cable. It features an embedded 16 Bit Analog to Digital Converter with "audio signal boost" to ensure extremely low audio loss. The 48/44.1 KHz sampling rate provides excellent quality for audio recording, and it also features something called HSDL (Host Side Data Loss) Noise Reduction function which prevents unwanted noise when going from an analog to digital signal. It also lights up when connected, giving you a visual indicator that it's connected and functioning.

I tested it under both Windows XP and Windows Vista, and the results are wonderfully simple: you connect the cable, Windows will identify and install it, and it will be selected as the default recording device ("USB Microphone" under Vista). You connect your microphone, and you record in whatever program you wish. Yes, it's really that easy. No drivers are required - I connected it to a Vista machine today for the first time and after five seconds of an auto-install, I fired up Skype and was chatting using the attached Shure Beta 58a instantly. I wish every piece of technology worked as great as this did!

There's really no down side to the LightSnake hardware - about the only thing I wish was that it included some sort of full-version software. There's a CD that includes demo versions of Sony's Acid and Soundforge, but it would be nice if the LightSnake were a complete package from end to end and included a full version of Soundforge (even if it were a "lite" version). That one tiny niggle aside, I have nothing but positive things to say about the LightSnake - it's simple to use, works flawlessly, and is affordable at only $39.95 USD (presumably - I can't find the product online to confirm the price). If we had an Editor's Choice Award, this product would definitely warrant it.

UPDATE: The biggest problem with the LightSnake may very well be actually finding it. SoundTech lists five online resellers for the product on their Web site, but I searched all five and none of them have the microphone to USB LightSnake cable. It's really disappointing that SoundTech can't get this excellent product into more online stores for easy ordering.

Jason Dunn owns and operates Thoughts Media Inc., a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys mobile devices, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. Sometimes he dreams he's a rock star.