Blue Yeti Review

The Blue Yeti microphone produces great sound quality, with recordings that sound natural, clear yet also has good depth.

It is common for budget microphones to have decent audio volume yet still sounds tinny and hollow. This is not the case with the Blue Yeti. Audio detail is preserved and does not sound harsh. The timbre of the sound source is also captured well, making the resulting audio sound much more natural compared to recordings achieved from lesser microphones.

Under Yeti's metal grill are 3 mic capsules arranged in an offset triangular pattern. These capsules can be activated in different combinations, giving the Yeti 4 mic modes which vary according to the direction that the mic focuses its audio capture.

This can be set by turning the knob at the back of the mic according to the preferred microphone mode setting.

If you need to record audio in an interview situation where you and another person are face to face, talking to one another then the Yeti is a great mic to use. Setting it to interview mode, the microphone captures audio from the front and back of it, recording your conversation with clarity yet without the hassle of using multiple mics or manually setting mic direction when one of you speaks.

When the Yeti is set to cardioid mode, it will focus audio capture in front of the mic while reducing reception from audio sources from the back side. This Yeti mode is ideal for game streaming as it allows for clear capture of your voice yet also minimizes sound from your keyboard and/or mouse button presses for example.

If natural sounding audio captures are your priority instead of canceling out unwanted sound then you can set the Yeti to omni-directional mode. This makes the mic record sound from around it, resulting in the most natural sounding audio capture.

If space on your desk is an issue and you can only set your mic to the sides, then you still record great audio by setting the mic to stereo mode. In this setting, the mic will focus capturing sound coming from its sides, so you will still be able to get clear audio even when placing the mic to your right or left side.

The mic's sensitivity can be adjusted by simply turning the Gain knob found at the back of the mic. This makes it easy for a user to increase or decrease mic volume on the fly.

If sound from the mic needs to be cut, all a user needs to do is to press the Mute button on the front of the mic. This button lights up red to signify that the audio is muted. To un-mute, the user will only have to press the button again and the red light turns off, indicating that the mic is recording audio again.

With this mic, you do not have to use mic pre-amps, audio interfaces and the like. Simply connect the mic to your computer via USB cable, customize settings according to your computer's OS and the mic is ready to record.

With the Yeti, you do not need to have a separate setup for monitoring audio. Simply set the Yeti as the primary recording and playback device on your computer then connect earphones or headphones to the mic's 3.5mm port. With this setup, you will be able to hear audio from your computer (game audio or background music for example) and at the same time, you can hear your voice from the mic with zero latency.

The mic is primarily made of metal which makes the mic look premium and also gives the mic a reassuring heft. Fit and finish is also great with virtually no unnecessary creaks or wobble from the different parts of the mic.

The mic can securely stand on its own when placed on a flat surface. It features a weighted base which helps keep the mic stable. Also, the base allows for mic angle adjustment which users can secure by tightening the base's knobs beside the mic.

At the bottom of the Yeti is a standard mic mount which makes the mic compatible with aftermarket boom mounts, tripods and other mic mounting solutions.