Customer Reviews

Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone

5 star:		(165)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Length:: 6:34 Mins

NOTE: I used the Blue Yeti Microphone to record this Video Review

Blue Yeti Review Summary
The Blue Yeti is an excellent plug and record USB microphone that has dramatically increased the quality of my voice recordings. It has a solid & sleek build, is easy to use, and most importantly clearly records my voice.

Introduction - Who I am and how do I use this product
My name is Antonio and I own and operate ATailoredSuit.com; I have been using the Blue Yeti since February to speak with clients on Skype and to record podcasts and videos about men's style and custom clothing. Prior to owning the Blue Yeti I used the Blue Snowflake for one year; before that I used the built in microphone on my computer and headsets. For the last 6 months I have been looking at purchasing the Blue Snowball; when this microphone came out I decided to make this purchase instead.

Pros - Things I Love
1. Sound Recording Quality - The most important quality in a microphone; from my limited 30 day use and when compared to the past types of microphones I am used to (Blue Snowflake, Logitech Webcam 9000 Microphone, Various Headset microphones, Built in Computer Microphones) this Microphone beat them all.
2. Plug and Play - I have seamlessly used this microphone on 3 separate computers, one running XP, the other Vista, and on a Windows 7 machine. In each case it was immediately recognized and clearly marked as the Blue Yeti
3. Simple Knobs and Design - Mute, Mode, Headphone Volume and MIC Gain Control. Stand can be tightened and microphone removed.
4. Solid Build - Overall, Solid (One small complaint below). The 10 foot USB cord was a nice touch.
5. Playful Approach - Blue has decided to present the Yeti in a playful manner. They appeal to the creative and make the manual much more approachable for those of us not technically inclined.

Cons - Things I am not happy with
1. Size - It weight 3.5 pounds and stands 1 foot high - I am used to this now, but be prepared for a big footprint!
2. Looseness of Volume & Gain Controls - A small complaint, but for an overall solid device these feel like they will be the first things to break.

Final Recommendation
The Blue Yeti is an amazing microphone that was well worth the investment. It has already dramatically increased the quality of my voice recordings and I recommend it to any podcaster. I give this product 9 out of 10 stars (5 out of 5 for Amazon!), my only knock that the price maybe too high for some.

Blue has become famous for its striking microphone designs, and the retro-modern Yeti is a worthy addition to the company's product lineup.

The first thing you'll notice is what a beautiful, well-designed object this is. The Yeti has a solid custom desk stand that provides a bit of built-in cable management for headphone and USB cords. Despite its outdoorsy name, the Yeti is not the ideal choice for recording in the wild -- it's really big and heavy. That said, the swivel-stand arrangement allows you to rotate the body of the mic upside down into the base if you do need portability. (Unlike Blue's higher end studio mics, no travel box or road case is included, but at this price point, that's not a surprise.)

On the front: a mic mute button and headphone volume dial. On the rear, mic level control and a pickup pattern selector. The dials are just a bit jiggly and plasticky for such an otherwise elegant design. On the bottom are the zero-latency headphone jack and mini-USB connector. The swiveling body makes accessing the USB and headphone ports a snap. Another thoughtful addition down-under is a 5/8 inch threaded hole that allows you to remove the base and mount the Yeti on a standard microphone floor stand.

The Yeti houses a trio mic elements to offer stereo, omnidirectional, cardioid, and figure-eight pickup patterns. The selections give the mic a versatile bag of sound tricks, whether you're recording a solo podcast, taping an interview or meeting, or laying down some vocals in GarageBand. The headphone amp doesn't exactly go to 11, but the mic delivers a pretty respectable output level. We're talking 16-bit USB audio, so the Yeti doesn't have quite the full warmth and sonic detail of a "real" large-diaphragm condenser like Blue's pro studio models, but the sound is surprisingly good for a USB mic, with much less noise than similarly-featured competitors like the Samson G-Track.

No drivers needed -- just plug in the included USB cable. On a Mac, select "Yeti Stereo Microphone" for both input and output in the Sound control panel of System Preferences. Configuring Yeti in GarageBand's Audio preferences is a snap, too.

To avoid P-pops and breath sounds when working up-close, you might want to invest in a pop screen of some kind, though it seems a shame to put a big foam hat on top of such a beautiful head.

Did we mention how cool The Yeti looks sitting on your desk? The streamlined aluminum styling matches the finish of Apple's current product lineup quite well.

The Yeti's sound quality and multiple pickup patterns raise the bar for USB mics, and leave even Blue's much-beloved Snowball playing catchup. For the price, a product that looks and sounds this good is going to be pretty hard to beat. Highly recommended.

The latest addition to my desktop is the most flexible recording device I've yet found: The Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone. Long known for their line of high-end condenser microphones, Blue is increasingly known for their computer-ready USB microphones, like the Snowflake and the Snowball, and the Yeti is their latest and certainly greatest computer-ready microphone yet.


Advertised as the first fully THX-compliant (a standard devised by Lucasfilms) microphone, the Yeti is a large (12" tall on its removable stand), hefty, multi-pattern microphone suitable for recording, podcasting, or any other computer-related audio activity. It features four switchable patterns- omni, carodid, figure eight, and stereo- a built in headphone amplifier, gain control, headpohone volume, and a mute button. For even more flexibility you can remove it from its desk stand and mount it on a standard 5/8"microphone stand or boom.


And it sounds great, too- even better than their well-regarded Snowball series. I've been using it for recording music practice, building tracks with Audacity on my Windows and linux boxes, and with Apple's GarageBand, and making calls with Skype. The ability to record in full stereo or mono is a real plus. Up to now I've been using a variety of microphones together with various microphone preamps and an A/D converters- a mass of cables and power supplies that bad enough on the desk, but a real hassle when trying to use with a laptop away from home. The Yeti has it all in one package. It may not sound quite as good as a multi-thousand dollar condenser microphone and vacuum tube preamp, but for the money it simply can't be beat.

Length:: 2:11 Mins

Bottom line: Outstanding value for a great sounding mic!

What I liked:

- Superior sound (watch, and more important listen to, the video)
- Solidly built with a sturdy stand
- It looks cooler than a Snowball (imho)
- It worked immediately with my 64-bit Win7 system. No downloads, additional drivers, or other confusion. True plug and play.
- Has a gain control
- The pattern select switch is clearly marked with the mic pattern
- Uses a standard USB to Mini cable. The Yeti comes with one that's about 6' long.
- Very reasonable price given the quality

What might have been better

- It would have been really, really nice if there was a place to securely connect the pop filter to the Yeti stand. After living with my duct tape and cable tie solution for a little while, I like it better than even if the champ had worked. It provides a rock solid connection between the filter and the mic and nothing sticks out/up as it would with the clamp. You can, if you like, go back to the beginning of this point and remove one or two of the "really's".

To watch for:

- The Yeti couldn't get enough power to run when I connected it to an unpowered hub in place of the Snowball. (Blue says you should always connect their mics to a USB port directly attached to your computer, not a hub. I got lucky with the Snowball.) After I switched to a different (powered) hub it works fine. The Plugable USB 2.0 10 Port Hub (with Power Adapter) is the hub that worked with the Yeti and it's excellent in many respects.

Other notes:

- In the video I used Scotch Transparent Duct Tape, 2 Inches x 20 Yards, Clear (2120-A). It comes in handy for a great many things besides connecting a pop filter to a microphone.

And finally, if you're still uncertain, here's my recommendation. If you already have a Snowball then there may not be a reason to upgrade. The sound is better but maybe not better enough to justify buying a whole new mic. However, if it's a choice between the two, I would recommend the Yeti, both for sound quality, features, and (yes) appearance.

BTW, I feel that honest, effective reviews, accompanied by detailed videos, can take the place of first-hand experiences that are often lacking in online shopping. I've always appreciated the help I've gotten from other reviewers and try to return the favor as best as I can. I hope you found this review helpful and the video at least entertaining. If there was anything you thought was lacking or unclear leave a comment and I'll do what I can to fix it.

Length:: 2:07 Mins

Hello, guys!

I purchased this mic from Amazon recently and am absolutely impressed with the sound quality. The package came in way faster than expected under the free shipping arrangement plus Amazon had a great price on it. :-)

The mic at first looks big and kinda heavy - once you get over that - you connect it to your favorite laptop or desktop and start your trials.

I tried several different combos - from close to the mic to singing from a distance of about 2-3 feet - using the 4 polar patterns - and in each case could hear the difference in the sound output in crispness and depth. For the first time ever, I liked my own voice from a mic!

Ease-of-use : The desktop stand provided with the mic is ideal only for podcasts or speech based recordings. For singing vocals, I'd recommend getting a mic stand along with shock mount. The mic itself has very easy controls and the convenience of a headphone jack from the mic itself is a big advantage (plus the huge advantage of 0 latency of output to the headphones). The mute button is just a click away. Once you set the gain level and polar pattern in the back side of the mic, you are set. I prefer using either the cardioid mode or the stereo mode for singing vocals.

Sound quality : At 48khz sampling rate 16 bit mode, this is fairly high quality - studio recording mics typically range in the 96 Khz sampling at 32 bit mode but in the end what matters is the audio playback equipment's ablities - most receivers run at 48Khz. The frequency response range is impressive - 20 hz to 20 khz - most cardioid mics in this price range have a smaller range between 50hz and 15Khz - makes a big difference in the crispness, depth and quality of sound capture. The sensitivity of the mic is another measure of its quality - 4.5mV/Pa at 1 Khz is another indication of high sensitivity at 1 Pa (pascal) - it has a high ratio of sound waves at the diaphragm converting to electrical signals. The Max Sound Pressure Level (SPL) at 120db refers to the pressure the mic can take at less than 1 inch from the mic to the performer's mic before it distorts and at a THD (total harmonic distortion) ratio of 0.5% at 1 Khz this mic is a great bargain. Most other mics in this range have standard 74 to 94 db max SPL. Many manufacturers use different measures to depict sensitivity and this is often very confusing.

Ease of thread mount to a stand - I had trouble finding a mic stand that can handle the wider thread mount (typically found in European mics) - most thread mounts are smaller so I needed to get an adapter from Guitar Center.

Hope you find this review helpful - [...]

This is my 2nd Blue product. My first was a snowflake for Skype use. I had a couple of minor issues with the snowflake but Blue stepped up and took care of it right away - the replacement has been flawless and made me quite loyal to Blue Mics.

I have been drooling for the yeti since early November when I saw a quick review on geekbrief. I purchased from Amazon a few weeks ago and it has been in use for about a week.

Its a solid piece of equipment and as others have said...its HUGE. I am currently using it at work as my Skype mic and it is behaving as expected. I am running windows 7 ultimate and it installed effortlessly.

Once installed, I began testing the four different modes and gain settings with a free but feature-rich piece of recording software. I spent a few hours at various distances from the mic; various gain settings in each of the four modes. I can say the yeti works as described. There are subtle differences/nuances to each of the modes and gain settings. I plugged in my headphones to REALLY be able to hears the pluses and minuses of each mode setting.

I should also say I am not a musician but purchased it for my extremely heavy Skype use (business and personal) and I am planning to make a foray into podcasting at some point in 2010.

Perhaps I bought into all the hype? I am not sure and perhaps I had extremely high expectations. The mic is very very good - but i was expecting it to be incredible.

My snowflake sounds really good and I was expecting the yeti to just blow it out of the water - don't get me wrong, the yeti is a better mic - no doubt about it - just not to the degree I was expecting. I have relegated the snowflake as my Skype mic at home and the yeti stays at the office.

I am looking forward to using it more and will update my experiences as necessary.

You just cant go wrong with Blue!

I have used many microphones, from expensive Neumanns, Sennheisers, Sure, AKG to the less expensive Berringer B2 Pro and Sony. I spent over 8 years in professional radio and 30 plus years doing voice over recording and sound mixing, so I have heard and used all types of mics and I have to rate the Blue Yeti at the top of my list for many reasons. First is sound quality, all the patterns have a smooth, open sound, the cardioid pattern has added richness for voice over work, comparable dare I say to a Sennheiser or Sure. The sound in all the patterns was not colored or muted at any frequency level, which what is I was expecting in the stereo mode, but in that pattern, voices sound great and an acoustic guitar sounded rich, plucky and natural. Next is the construction of the mic and stand, from the pictures I was expecting plastic, nope, it is made of very solid metal , except the buttons and switches. Third is the versatility, you can record almost anything in any type of circumstance not just adequately, but with excellence, try that with a $2,000.00 Neumann! The set up could not be easier, just plug it into your USB jack and let her rip. I only paid $100.00 on Amazon,a true bargain, for what is a top notch piece of gear, where the engineers of this product really took their time to design something of real quality and looks like a piece of art. The Yeti also stands up to audio processing, where I have to say all of the other mics I have used for under $200.00 show their weaknesses. The only thing I would like to see is a shock mount made for this mic, it is just too big for all of my other mounts, but the Yeti does not seem to pick up as much vibration from the table as other mics do (I also use a slab of 1/4" neoprene padding to absorb some table shock), and the Yeti has no real audible self noise. If you want a great microphone at an incredible price, the Blue Yeti is the one for you!

Addendum 9-30-2011

My complaint about the shock mount has been resolved, with the Blue Radius, which I received a week ago from Amazon, which I love. Makes this great, and I mean great microphone even better. I have done side by side comparisons to the Neumann U87, the Sennhieser D421, the Lawson L47, all top notch and very expensive studio mics. The Yeti sounds as good. Of course you have to learn how to work a microphone properly to get the right sound. I cringe at some YouTube demos of this mic, some of the folks are not using this, and I'm sure other mike's correctly to get the best sound. Also the more I use the Yeti, the more seasoned it becomes, in comparison recordings done a year ago, the Yeti seems to get a smoother sound, as time goes by.

The quality control at Blue must be horrendous because I have gotten two of these microphones and both are broken in the exact same way. It appears that there is a large batch of Yeti microphones out there with faulty gain knobs. The first microphone I ordered would only record sound when the gain knob was set in a very precise position at about 10 o-clock. Any deviation to the left or to the right would cause the sound to cut out completely. Amazon sent me a replacement microphone and it has the exact same problem as the first.

Hey Blue! A THX certification is only great if the microphone can actually pickup sounds!

I have the AT2020 and the Blue Yeti does a much better job. I have recorded the hammer dulcimer and 4 / 12 string guitar and the sound is truly amazing. If you are looking for a professional mic with a low cost don't mess around this is the one to get. Yes the knobs are a bit on the cheap side, but if you treat it with care there is no issue with them. They also give you a nice long USB cable as well. I use it with Garageband and actually bought another Yeti as well both work flawlessly in Garageband.