Accessory Spotlight: Blue Yeti USB microphone

Welcome to Accessory Spotlight, a weekly column where we highlight an accessory that we find to be incredibly useful, a fantastic value, or both. This week we’ve selected the Blue Yeti USB microphone. There are obviously hundreds of microphones in this space but we like the Yeti because it’s super easy to set up, it sounds great whether you are podcasting, streaming or recording music, and its price tag won’t break the bank.

What you need to know

  • Tri-capsule array – 3 condenser capsules can record almost any situation
  • Multiple pattern selection – cardioid, bidirectional, omnidirectional and stereo.
  • Frequency response – 20Hz – 20kHz
  • Other features – gain control, mute button and a zero latency headphone output. power output (RMS): 130mW
  • Perfect for – vocals, musical instruments, podcasting, voiceovers, interviews, field recordings, conference calls, and more
  • Compatible with – Windows XP and newer and Mac OS X and newer

I used the Blue Yeti for years to record our LTiOS podcast before upgrading to the Yeti X in December, so I can attest to it being a good purchase. I never experienced any type of reliability issues, despite taking it with me on a number of trips, and it produced warm and quality sound with little effort. I’m sure there are less expensive mics, with similar features, but for the reasons listed above the Yeti has become my go-to recommendation.

Buy for $130