The Blue Yeti as an Entry Level Microphone

I will admit that the Blue Yeti is not my favorite microphone. The downfalls I see are that it is a USB microphone, so it can’t be used with the majority of mixers on the market. It has a sound that, to me, is off a little. However, for the price and convenience, the Blue Yeti is an excellent entry level microphone, especially for a new podcaster.

Easy to Capture Decent Sound

The Blue Yeti is easy to use and captures decent sound. It doesn’t take a lot of work because it is a USB microphone. This means you can plug it directly into your computer and record right away…there is no need for an audio interface as you would require if you used an XLR microphone. It is a solid microphone that comes with a microphone stand that is made for the Blue Yeti. With the weight of the microphone and how solid the stand is, you won’t worry about knocking this over on your desk.

What Type of Microphone

The Blue Yeti is a condenser mic. This is the most common type of mic used for studio vocals. The other major type of mic is a dynamic microphone, which is more commonly used in live settings, or to record drums. One thing to note is that the microphone’s head is facing toward you. What I mean by that is that instead of speaking into the top of this mic, you need to angle it toward you and speak into the part of the mic that’s above the Blue logo. It’s a common mistake that I made, and the sound quality in some of my earlier recordings suffered because of it.

Setup Is Simple

To set up a Blue Yeti, just plug its included USB cable from the underside of the microphone to one of your computer’s USB ports. That’s all it takes. Whether you’re using a high-end program like Apple’s Logic or Adobe Audition, or basic recording software like Audacity, the Yeti works just the same. This eliminates the hassle of buying a mic and audio interface separately, and having to pack both of those and an XLR cable anywhere you want to record. In my opinion, the Yeti’s plug-and-play nature is its strongest feature.

Built-in Extras

Another great thing about the Blue Yeti is the built-in features like a headphone jack and volume control. It even has a mute button! These extra features really make this microphone a winner.

Conclusion

If you are looking for something simple that plugs directly into your computer, the Blue Yeti is the microphone for you. In my opinion, you sacrifice a bit of sound quality, but you make up for it with the ease of use this microphone provides. You can find the Blue Yeti on Amazon for $129.

Originally published at yogispodcastnetwork.com on August 9, 2018.