Blue Yeti X is the most preferred model among microphones. What distinguishes Blue Yeti X from its competitors? Here is Blue Yeti X Review.
Polar pattern
One of the great features of the Yeti is the ability to change directional characteristics.
Blue uses a proprietary three-capsule microphone array that allows you to toggle between 4 different polar patterns to customize the way the Yeti picks up the sound.
They are available as cardioids, omnidirectional, bidirectional, and stereo:
Cardioid mode
Cardioid mode is the one that most people will be using. It’s perfect for podcasting, gaming, streaming, webinars, or calls – and focuses the recording pattern on the front.
Omnidirectional mode
The omnidirectional mode picks up sound equally from all directions. While it sounds from a distance, it is great for conference calls or other situations where sound quality is not critical but you need to record several people.
Bidirectional
Bidirectional is great for interviews, although using a microphone won’t be the best option.
If you do regular face-to-face interviews, I recommend taking a look at the 2+ person kit here.
Stereo
The stereo mode can be a good choice when you need clear separation of left and right channels – and will work well for recording devices as well, although Cardioid is usually a better choice.
Other features
Headphone jack and volume control
No matter which USB microphone you end up getting, make sure it has a headphone jack.
So you can monitor your recording or streaming without any delays.
One nice thing about Blue Yeti X is that it has a headphone volume control right on the front.
Control of the reinforcement
Gain controls how sensitive the microphone is. This is controlled by a rotary control on the back.
Most USB microphones don’t include this and require you to adjust the gain levels with software, which can be tricky while recording.
When people start getting loud, it’s nice if you can turn the gain down quickly so you don’t peak and don’t overload the microphone. When that happens, software can’t fix it later.
Mute button
The mute button is another nice feature that isn’t found on many other USB microphones.
It also has a red LED that starts to flash from solid color when not muted to flashing when muted so you know at a glance what position it is in.
USB connector
You don’t need any software or drivers to use the Blue Yeti X. Simply connect the supplied cable to a USB port, select it in your audio settings, and start recording.
Blue recently came out with software that lets you get updates and adjust settings (see Blue Sherpa below), but that’s optional.
Take a look at the accessories at the end of this overview.
Blue Sherpa software
Blue Sherpa is free desktop software that allows you to update any of your USB microphones and control settings such as gain and pickup patterns.
With the Yeti microphone I was able to update the firmware, adjust the gain, monitor volume, headphone volume, and mute:
Blue Sherpa software with Yeti settings
Final thoughts
While Blue Yetieher is popular with beginners (it was the first external microphone I bought), I find that it works much better in the hands of someone with a little more experience with audio recording.
For one, you’ll see a ton talking into the wrong part of the microphone, so Blue Microphones actually provides this graphic to show you how to use it:
If you want the flexibility to record in different polar patterns, have gain control onboard, and want a quiet room to record, the Yeti is a good choice.
