We received three mics from the Blue family in our lab. We're starting with the one that caught our attention the most, thanks to its rugged, solid look and how well thought out its design is for recording practically any situation, signal or context, both via XLR and digitally over USB at 24-bit/192 kHz. A multi-pattern condenser that can be positioned quickly in countless ways.
Unboxing
The mics we received were the Yeti (€127), the Snowball (€45.50) and the Yeti Pro (€227). All three share similar philosophies, although the Pro seems to us the one best suited to demanding needs. We'll talk about the other two soon, explaining their approach, since they are more affordable, and what their ideal applications might be. In all three cases the mics come in a very well-presented box, with the mic held perfectly in place. A good impression on opening. It may seem silly, but we like the details; they tell you about the care the manufacturer puts into making them and its interest in having them reach the user in perfect condition.
Versatility
Without a doubt, in my opinion the most interesting thing about this mic is its modern concept, designed for the real, present-day situations many users find themselves in. For example, recording with the mic on a desk, having it at hand to record conversations or voices on the computer, but also being able to use it to record almost any kind of signal or source in our "home studio" settings.
The Blue Yeti Pro comes mounted on a sturdy desktop stand that is super practical for any desk situation, even for recording an instrument from the desk (an acoustic guitar, etc.), since it swivels easily and can be positioned exactly as we need. It is also threaded underneath, with a female mount for moving it to more precise positions with stands, suspension, etc. There is a full range of accessories (not included) for positioning this mic in a thousand and one ways. It can be placed on a conventional mic stand or suspended via the Radius (suspension from above). Total versatility.
Polar patterns
Rounding out this multidisciplinary approach, we have a microphone with 4 selectable polar patterns. This is ideal for adapting the mic's pickup to the situation or type of signal we want to record: single sources, sources all around the mic, two sides, stereo, etc.
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Cardioid: Recording from the front on one plane, for a single source (instrument), for single-person voice-overs, etc. |
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Omnidirectional. 360 degrees around the mic. Ideal for recording a choir, conversations among several people, etc. |
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Stereo. That is, left and right sides. For creating open, natural stereo sound spaces (guitars, vocals, etc.) |
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Bidirectional. Figure 8. Recording from the front and back. For applications such as duets and interviews |
Analog and digital connection
As I hinted in the headline, this mic is an all-rounder. On the underside of the base it has a USB port for connecting it directly to our PC or Mac. Ideal for podcasts, conversations, voice-overs, etc. Quick and clean. It also has a 5-pin input to which we connect a cable (included) that provides two male XLRs. This way we can record our studio sessions in analog, in mono or even in stereo by selecting the appropriate polar patterns.
Controls
The Yeti Pro has two knobs on the back. The first controls the gain of the analog signal coming in via the XLR cable, that is, the microphone's sensitivity. The second selects among the four polar patterns I described a little earlier.
On the front we have a mute button to silence the mic and another knob that adjusts the headphone signal for the headphone jack I also mentioned in the previous section.
The sound
Blue Mics has a track record to back it up: studio mics that have delivered good results and are used in many studios around the world. The Yeti Pro inherits that reliability, with a patented capsule that gives us a clean, rich, detailed sound. On the digital side, its converter provides 24-bit at 192 kHz.
Conclusions
We really liked it a lot. Obviously there are very high-end mics, specific to each situation, that outclass the Yeti. But then we'd need a budget to match: a pro budget to buy a magnificent tailor-made collection of mics. The Yeti Pro makes serious, quality recordings possible and is highly versatile, thanks to its positioning options, its 4 polar patterns, analog and digital recording, headphone monitoring so you know exactly how it sounds while you're recording, practical desktop stand and solid finish.
If you don't have a massive budget and want something of quality that will serve you for a bit of everything (vocals, acoustic instruments, your YouTube videos, acoustic bands, voice-overs... and a long etc.), this is a super attractive option. I think that even if you have the super collection of dedicated professional mics, it may be worth having one of these little ones to get you out of all sorts of situations in no time.
