I’m a music professor and create videos for my online classes. I needed a voice friendly microphone and rolled the dice on Logitech's Blue Yeti X.
Blue Yeti X World of Warcraft | On mic stand with illuminated level meter
Why Are We Here?
Why buy a USB mic like the Yeti X instead of a standard vocal mic? Indeed, mics like the Neumann TLM 103 and Shure SM7B are great choices for voiceovers and podcasting, but to get their signal into your computer requires an outboard audio interface with XLR preamps and analog to digital conversion. Mics are sold ala carte, so an XLR cable and mic stand will be necessary as well.
USB mics simplify digital life by being an all-in-one solution at a lower outlay than component systems. Mic, stand, preamp and analog to digital conversion are housed in one unit. Plug in a USB cable and go. While USB mic quality can be very good, they're beat by dedicated hardware components in sound quality and flexibility. If you need the best possible audio quality, stick with high-end large diaphragm mics and outboard components. For mere mortals, myself included, a good USB mic is a great balance of quality, convenience and cost for podcasting, gaming, video conferencing and YouTube.
Construction & Appearance
I prefer the subdued appearance of the Yeti X Blackout model, but bought the World of Warcraft version due to a half price Lightning deal at Amazon. What's the difference between the Yeti X and Yeti X World of Warcraft mics? Save for cosmetics—gray speckled finish, gaudy gold trim and World of Warcraft logo and pictograms—they are the same mic. On the software side, there's a special edition Blue Voice effects app for Yeti X World of Warcraft users.
The exterior of the Yeti X is metal and feels sturdy. Buttons are soft touch, but on the flimsy side. Mounted on the desk stand, the Yeti X is a desk hog and too low for comfortable use.
There's a standard 5/8" mic thread on the bottom, so I removed the desk stand and mounted the Yeti X on a InnoGear Mic Boom Arm. Thus, I can position for optimal sound and posture, but swing out of the way when not in use.
Blue Yeti X | Desk stand with World of Warcraft pictographs.
Ports
A 3.5mm headphone jack and USB mini port adorn the bottom of this mic but no XLR socket or optical out. So it won't work with most mixing boards or audio interfaces. The Yeti X is designed for direct connection to computers via USB.
I'm surprised it wasn't outfitted with a more universal USB-C port instead of a USB mini. It's not a deal breaker for me but it might be for some.
Controls
The Yeti X was plug ’n play on my iMac Pro. Not needing a software driver is important to me. I merely plugged it into a USB port, selected Yeti X in the Sound Panel or audio app preferences, and hit record. I was immediately using it for crystal clear voiceovers with Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro.
Levels
Yeti levels are easy to manage with the 11-segment LED meter up front. And what a wonderful feature to have visible and adjustable levels on the mic! The front button—the multi-function smart knob—has three functions accessible by press and hold: mic gain, headphone gain, and mic and headphone balance.
Pickup Patterns
While the Yeti X looks like a large diaphragm mic, its diaphragms are petite 14mm condenser capsules similar to those in pencil mics. The Yeti X differs from most mics in that insomuch as it features a four-diaphragm array under the grill. These diaphragms are aimed to the front, sides, and back, thus allowing bidirectional, stereo, cardioid and omnidirectional patterns.
Stereo: Left and right channel pickup for a sense of space and direction.
Bidirectional: Picks up sound in front and behind the mic.
Omnidirectional: records sound equally from all directions.
Cardioid: Mainly picks up sound directly in front of the mic.
Press the rear button—the pickup pattern selector—to cycle through stereo, omni, cardioid and bidirectional patterns. The default is cardioid and the pattern I use for voiceovers.
Blue Yeti X | The rear panel with pickup pattern selector on cardioid.
Buttons and knobs are loose as a goose: be careful not to accidentally change the pickup pattern while adjusting mic position!
Software
Yeti X includes several software apps, all available via download. This software is not necessary unless you wish to use Logitech's special effects or integrate Yeti X functions with Logitech lights and other hardware.
Blue Sherpa
The app, Blue Sherpa, duplicates functions of the physical controls: gain, pickup patterns, etc. If you're live streaming and need an adjustment, doing it in the software avoids mic bump noise.
Blue VO!CE | Screenshot of Blue Voice functions.
Blue VO!CE
If you want to change the character of your voice—sound like a radio DJ—or apply EQ, compression, noise reduction, gate, de-esser or limiter, the Blue Voice app has it covered. Nevertheless, features are bare bones compared to even a simple DAW.
World of Warcraft Presets
Special effects presets were a major advertised feature for the World of Warcraft variant of the Yeti X, but were not available for Mac OS early in the product cycle. I wasn't interested in sounding like a gnome or demon so no biggie. However, Logitech eventually got around to porting the app to the Mac. Here's a message to my students using a World of Warcraft preset:
Other Software
I record voiceovers with Logic Pro, TwistedWave and Adobe Audition. Audio is then synchronized with video footage in post-production. To use the Yexi X as an audio source in these and similar programs, you must select the Blue Yeti X in the app's audio preferences (not just the Mac OS system panel).
If you don't own pro audio apps, no worries. GarageBand and iMovie apps that ship with Macs are great for editing and effects. If you make software tutorials, Yeti X works with Apple's Quicktime for adding voiceovers to screen videos.
Sound Quality
Yeti X sound quality shines in voiceovers: mic response is well optimized for human voice. At 4 to 8 inches it renders a smooth, full and sweet timbre. Plus, the integrated pop screen (built-in metal grill) did a good job at nixing pops from plosives.
I'm not a streamer but I use the Yeti X for Zoom meetings and tutoring. It is fully compatible with Zoom and gave my voice a commanding presence. For teaching music over Zoom, the Yeti X is a big sound upgrade over built-in computer mics.
Yeti X 48kHz and 24 bit analog to digital conversion is clean and pleasing in terms of timbre and detail. However, I would expect a 92kHz option in this price range but that feature was saved for the Yeti Pro.
How to hold and sit with the guitar | The opening "talking head" is done with a Canon shotgun mic on my camera. Voiceover sections use the Blue Yeti X in cardioid mode. No processing applied other than normalization.
Isolation
The cardioid pattern—my choice for speaking—has reasonable rejection of off axis sound. With that said, the Yeti X is not a mic for noisy environments. With the window in the next room open, the Blue Yeti X captures downtown Honolulu traffic and the neighbor's AC as a distant but ever present moan. The omnidirectional pattern captures a near roar! In contrast, my super-cardioid pattern shotgun mics, the Deity V-Mic D4 and Rode VideoMic Mic II, are nearly dead silent in the same situation due to their small capture angle. Of course, if I close the window and draw the drapes I can make clean recordings with the Blue Yeti X.
If sound purity is important to your work, get a shock mount. Even on a boom arm, the Yeti X picks up vibrations of external hard drives (my backup array) and keyboard taps. The YOUSHARES Blue Yeti X Shock Mount nixed the tapping for me.
Stereo
The stereo mode sounds surprisingly good for guitar and ukulele. Unlike cardioid, stereo sound is directional: I can hear the ambiance of the room and placement of instruments and voices. However, compared to a typical two-mic stereo setup on boom stands, sound stage imagery is somewhat narrow. I normally use a pair of Neumann KM-184 for stereo recording, but it's nice to have the stereo option on Blue Yeti X for casual use and streaming.
Incidentally, when any of the mono modes are used—omni and cardioid pickup patterns—the Yeti X outputs a dual mono signal, filling both the right and left channels. Thus, audio is heard in both the left and right sides of headphones and stereo speakers.
Gain
The physical controls and gain meter make use more pleasant than messing with software. For typical voiceover use, I set gain at about 50%, resulting in levels between -12 and -6 dB. Output is significantly hotter than my Rode PodMic USB, Rode V-Mic Go II and Deity VO-7U. Even after normalization hiss is not evident through headphones during playback.
RFI Resistance
I live in the inner city where RFI is a problem, but I encountered no static, clicks or rogue radio stations using the Blue Yeti X.
Sound Comparisons
Below are sound samples of the Yeti X and a few mics I use for voiceovers. All mics were on a boom arm in a partially treated room and recorded into TwistedWave at 48 kHz and 24 bits. I staged gain to hit at -12 to -6 dB. No processing was used, not even normalization. I was about 12 feet (4 meters) from an open window with the neighbor's AC rumbling and downtown Honolulu rush hour traffic at full clip. I'm speaking 4 or 5 inches from the mic.
Blue Yeti X
Cardioid mode with mic gain at 50%. The Yeti X is smooth and natural sounding. AC hum and noise from traffic is audible but can be easily removed with noise reduction software.
Deity VO-7U
The Deity VO-7U is a dynamic USB mic with a slight EQ bump in the lower highs. That boost in the lower highs gives it a tonal character somewhat reminiscent of Shure dynamic microphones such as the SM58, but with bass frequencies rolled off more. Rejection of off-axis sound is very good—better than the Blue Yeti X. For my voice, I found the VO-7U to be okay but underwhelming.
While there is no controlling software, the VO-7U has a limiter and powerful built-in preamp. The VO-7U is priced the same as the PodMic USB but comes with a cheap boom arm. It's also a looker if you care about mic fashion. The Deity VO-7U kit retails for $199 USD.
Rode PodMic USB
Processing is disabled. Just the unadorned bareback sound of the PodMic USB. Gain was set at 63 dB in Rode Central. Mic sound is smooth and full bodied. The PodMic USB is less sensitive to room noise and vocal artifacts than the Yeti X. The Rode PodMic USB retails for $199 USD.
Shure 849 with Shure MVX2U
I bought a pair of Shure 849 condenser mics in the late 1990s to record classical guitar. This is an instrument mic—looks and sounds similar to the current SM137—with small diaphragm and minimal windscreen protection. It was too bright in the lower highs for classical guitar and is better suited for miking guitar amps and percussion.
The 849 is flattering for my voice: smooth, warm, clear and very clean. With a foam windscreen or pop filter, it is surprisingly forgiving of plosives and small puffs of air. Because it was designed for isolating and miking stage instruments, off-axis rejection is excellent. Among the mics I tested, the 849, SM137 and the Beta 57A were the only mics that picked up no vibrations or hum from my hard drives and nearby AC units.
Rode VideoMic GO II
The Rode VideoMic Go II is a small aluminum shotgun mic designed for camera hot shoe use. Besides TRS analog output for cameras, it supports USB-C for computer and mobile devices. Unlike TRS output, USB-C is resistant to RFI. It is compatible with Rode Central for settings but I recorded without processing.
The Rode has a tight polar pattern, rendering excellent background sound rejection. Clarity is good and bests the slightly murky sound of the Deity V-Mic D4. Off-axis coloration is well controlled, so you can speak 25 or 30 degrees off-axis for plosive control if needed.
The USB output of this wee condenser mic is hot—gain was about 25% for -12 dB. It's also a tiny mic—size of a partially smoked cigar—and is at its best boomed just out of sight. The VideoMic Go II retails for $100 USD.
Deity V-Mic D4
Deity's V-Mic D4 is a camera shotgun microphone with similar features to the Rode VideoMic Go II and VideoMic NTG: shotgun mics optimized for close use such as desktop, interview and video blogging. Like the Rode mics, it has both analog and USB-C output for connectivity with cameras, audio recorders, mobile devices and computers. I used USB-C output for this audio sample. The D4 features a preamp with adjustable gain from -5 to +10 dB. For usable output, I needed to keep it cranked all the way to +10 dB, albeit gain was still on the low side.
Compared to the Rode VideoMic Go II, the Deity is more bass heavy, but also more rolled off in the highs. It's sensitive to off-axis coloration: at 30 degrees off-axis the Deity has considerably less high frequencies than speaking straight into the capsule. The same angle with the Rode VideoMic Go II made only a tiny difference. With that said, it sounds better than the V-Mic D4 Mini. Not a good choice for my voice but many YouTubers love it, albeit probably because they got it free.
Finally, the included foam windscreen dulls mic tone too much so I used a pop filter to nix plosives.
This mic retails for $100 USD.
How to Play Etude in A Minor | Voiceover using the Blue Yeti X in cardioid mode. I applied a small amount of room ambiance (about 15% wet) in Logic Pro, but no EQ or compression.
Cradle Mounting Screws
My Yeti X was mounted on a boom arm for several years and I lost the mount screws for the desk mount. Logitech doesn't sell replacements. The cradle attaches to the mic body via two 6mm metric sockets. I had a M6-10 screw but it was too short. I tried a M6-20 from Home Depot but it was too long to tighten snuggly. I guessed that the M6-12 would be the right length but couldn't find one in Honolulu with a T-head for hand tightening. Of course Amazon had them in abundance:
It tightens down perfectly. Plus, the black plastic t-head matches the mic design and is easier to turn than the original round heads.
Final Blurb
The hundreds of competitors that have appeared during the last few years bare witness to the success of the Blue Yeti series. Many of these new mics focus on specific sound niches—gaming, broadcast, streaming, ultra high audio quality, etc. While the Yeti X could use a few upgrades—especially USB-C connectivity and 96 khz sampling—it's still a good general purpose computer mic and does well for podcasting, voiceovers, casual music recording, Zoom and streaming.
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Construction & Appearance
Ports
Controls
Software 
Sound Quality
Sound Comparisons
Major Features
System Requirements
Reference