Best USB Microphone - Blue Yeti (2019)

When it comes to quality at an affordable price, Blue Yeti will surely come into your list of possible USB microphone options. For years, it has been considered the best USB microphone on the market, according to vloggers, podcasters and gamers.

Blue Yeti microphones are one of the most famous because of their simple design, pro function and crystal clear sound. The price-quality ratio makes this microphone a very tough rival to other brands.

Functions and Design

If this is your first studio microphone, it may seem huge and massive. The whole microphone and its holder are made out of sturdy metal and generally look and feel very good. 30 cm high and weighing about 1 kilogram. The only thing made of plastic are the buttons.

On the bottom of the microphone there are two ports. The first one is of course the mini USB power port. The microphone comes with a 1.80m USB cable that is compatible with both Mac and PC. It does not require drivers or software, just plug it in and it works. The other port is a 3.5mm headphone jack that lets you directly hear what you're recording. Between the two ports is the thread for mounting on a stand.

On the front of the microphone you can find the mute button and the volume control button. On its back is the sensitivity boost button and the pattern change button.

You can choose between cardioid, bidirectional, omnidirectional & stereo for recording.

Sound and Quality

Blue Yeti is a sensitive microphone, it means it will capture both desired and undesired sounds. However, with the correct recording pattern and proper positioning, minimal background noise can easily be achieved.

The microphone is THX certified, this ensures the sound quality and that the entire frequency range sounds right.

Condenser microphones are usually capricious when it comes to environmental noise. The problem is that the vibrations from the keyboard, for example, pass through the microphone stand and reach it. To eliminate these noises, a shock mount arm is usually used.

From the video review below, you can hear how the microphone sounds and how it sounds when writing on a keyboard.

https://youtu.be/ufordTE_19M

Summary

Blue Yeti is great for podcasting, voiceovers, singing, and playing instruments. You get a pretty good and professional sounding microphone for about 150€. In general, Blue Yeti is a great choice for any practicing singer, YouTuber or a gamer and is a perfect budget solution for home studios.