Kevin Whitman's Blog

As some people know I have wanted to start a tech podcast. Its something I talked about. So I decided to stop talking about it and start working towards getting it started. I’m starting a tech podcast called iGeekable. One of the things I needed was a great quality microphone, so I will sound like a professional and not just another kid starting a podcast. I started by asking some of my friends and got recommendations for Microphones. I already knew about Blue and was going to get a Snowball, but the Yeti also stood out. I then went to YouTube and searched for “Blue Yeti audio test”. I stumbleupon a video by tldtoday which has tech reviews. The video compared the Blue Yeti, Snowball and an Audio Technica AT2020. I also found other videos comparing mics. The Yeti sounds like a true winner compared to other mics. I then said “I gotta have that Mic!”.

The Blue Yeti MSRP is $149.99. I then started looking online to see where I can get the best deal. I checked Best Buy’s website and found it as I normally check the website and go to the store to get it the same day, but also not sure if a local store would have it as some stuff they don’t even carry. I checked Amazon and seen that it was $98.99 and ordered it. That’s like 50 bucks off! I don’t normally buy online and I hate waiting, I used the super saver shipping. I put my order in on August 15 and got in on August 18. So by waiting and not buying it at Best Buy and getting it same day I saved 50 bucks plus I didn’t need it right away as Chris’s MacBook Pro is having over heating issues and is in the shop so we could not start right away anyways. So I think I will shop using Amazon over Best Buy for now when I can save money, I still might go to Best Buy to check out a gadget before I go home to buy it on Amazon.

1. Legendary ape-like creature who roams the Himalayas.
2. An incredibly versatile USB microphone found worldwide.

I like how its a professional and serious microphone, yet they can have so much fun and creative with it! So I then unboxed it. I plugged it in to my laptop and adjusted some of the audio levels in Windows and put it in the Cardioid mode. I plugged in the headphones I ordered also. I could hear my computer and my voice! It was really simple to set up. I then made some Skype calls to people to ask them what they think of the Yeti audio and one person told me with my old mic i sounded like a 12 year old and with my Yeti i sound 48. That put a smile on my face. Below is a before and after comparing my old mic and new mic. I originally recorded theses are a test for iGeekable, was testing the audio player on that site.

I can tell right away that the Blue Yeti sounds way clearer!

Another thing about the Yeti is that it’s really sensitive. If I turn up my volume to 100% and the Mic is not even at 100% I can hear the television upstairs, I can’t really make it out but I can hear it. On my desk each time i type in the keyboard you can hear like lite hitting sound on the desk it picks up. Not going to blame that on the Yeti. I think i need to put the mic on another surface other than my desk, get a stand or find a workaround. Not sure what to do about that television that’s on all the time since I live with other people and can’t really kick them out. I live downstairs and there is stairs to the upstairs, not really a door between them to cut off sound. I am an audio noob that wants to sound professional. I don’t have a studio like the record companies have and I don’t want to go crazy spending money. I want to do it on the budget, so I need to find a way to isolate the other sounds. Not really sure how, if you have any tips leave them in the comments?

I give this Microphone a 5 out of 5. You can check it out at Amazon here.