Blue Yeti Pro
USB Microphone
Buy from Amazon $249
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Best USB Microphone
Blue Yeti Pro
- Don Makoviney
- Last Updated: August 17, 2020
If you need a great USB microphone, I'd definitely recommend the Blue Yeti Pro. For around $250 you get 4 different microphone patterns in one, including a great stereo configuration for recording acoustic guitars and other instruments. It has a preamp built in so you can monitor your sound, with zero latency, right from the mic itself. You also get a 192 kHZ sample rate, which basically means you are recording at a rate better than many devices triple the price. If you want quick, easy, and great sound at a reasonable price, the Blue Yeti Pro is the one to get.
Who Should Get This Mic?
If you are looking for a reliable mic you can plug in to your computer or device directly via USB, this is the one to get.
If you are looking for something cheap and simple to use, USB mics are what you should get.
Many legendary songwriters like Jeff Tweedy are using digital capture tools as a sketchbook of sorts with their songwriting process – often even exporting sounds from their iPhone directly into their DAW.
Our Pick
Most our music gear recommendations revolve around one goal: that you will be able to get up and running quickly. We don’t like spending all our time testing gear – we want to get to making music.
This is why we recommend the Blue Yeti Pro. It has a remarkably high sampling rate – 192kHz. If you don’t know what that means, don’t worry – it’s really good!
Most people want to have a couple of different options when recording music.
What’s great about the Blue Yeti Pro is they combine all of these patterns into one microphone.
The Mobile Option
If we were going to be live recording shows or events from an audience perspective, we would get the Apogee Mic 96k.
You can plug the Apogee directly into your iPad, iPhone or other device. No need for any other external gear.
If you are a songwriter that likes using field recordings, or even the bare bits of demo recordings you might have on your devices, this is the mic for you. Jeff Tweedy does something similar with his iPhone:
A lot of my iPhone acoustic demos became the basic tracks we overdubbed to, and they’re still there in the finished record. (That’s why we listed the iPhone as an instrument in the track notes.)
Recording Magazine agrees, saying:
Over all, this is a USB/iOS mic that will do great service in tight spaces, recording high-resolution audio to any Mac, iPod, iPad, or iPhone. I see it as a better-than-the-usual way to capture song ideas, demos, interviews, podcast vocals, and more.
The Podcaster Option
Any of our recommendations above will work great for podcasting. However, if price is an option you can get something less expensive that works well in the spoken voice range.
We like the standard Blue Yeti. It’s only around $100 and does a great job. If you get to watch many podcasters in their home studios you’ll see lots of Blue Yetis. They are kind of the unofficial standard podcasting microphone.
Conclusion
Audio enthusiasts who obsess about tone will tell you not to bother with USB mics because they won’t sound as great as a pure analog mic. Don’t listen to them.
Again, you need to think about what your needs are. If the most important thing is getting a great sounding recording into your computer quickly at a reasonable price, these USB mics will work great.
If it’s good enough for Jeff Tweedy, it’s good enough for you!
Happy recording!
Tell Me If There's A Deal For This
Best USB Microphone
Blue Yeti Pro
Important Specs
| Polar Patterns | (4): stereo, cardioid, omni, bidirectional |
| Analog Output | Stereo XLR analog |
| USB Output | up to 192kHz sampling |
| Monitoring | Zero-latency headphone output with volume control |
| Sample Rate | 192khz |
| Bit Rate | 24 bit |
| Power | USB powered |
| Accessories | Cable and tabletop stand |
| more specs |
Synopsis:
If you need a great USB microphone, I'd definitely recommend the Yeti Pro. For around $100 you get 4 different microphone patterns with one microphone, including a great stereo configuration for recording acoustic guitars and other instruments. You also get a 192 kHZ sample rate. If that doesn't make sense to you, it's okay. Just trust us - it's very good. :-)
For iPads & iPhones
Apogee Mic 96k
Designed to work by simply plugging it into your iPad or iPhone. Lightning and Mac USB cables included. Powered by connection to iPad, iPhone or Mac (no batteries or external power required). Great reviews and reliable.
Sources
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Joe Fassler, The Atlantic, 20140916
Jeff Tweedy's Subconscious Songwriting“A lot of my iPhone acoustic demos became the basic tracks we overdubbed to, and they’re still there in the finished record. (That’s why we listed the iPhone as an instrument in the track notes.) ”
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Trent Wolbe, Engadget, 20110218
Blue Microphones Yeti Pro review“So. How does it it sound? It sounds awesome. In a variety of settings. Vocals with the cardioid: smooth, full-range, accurate, more Neumann than Shure. Instruments gathered loosely around the mic and captured in omni mode sounded great, and we can imagine this becoming a popular tool for documenting casual performances. The heavy stand not only makes for a great visual effect -- it also does a good job dampening vibration (thick foam insulation coats the bottom).”
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Mike Metlay, Recording Magazine, 20140501
Apogee Mic 96k“Over all, this is a USB/iOS mic that will do great service in tight spaces, recording high-resolution audio to any Mac, iPod, iPad, or iPhone. I see it as a better-than-the-usual way to capture song ideas, demos, interviews, podcast vocals, and more.”
Important Specs
| Polar Patterns | (4): stereo, cardioid, omni, bidirectional |
| Analog Output | Stereo XLR analog |
| USB Output | up to 192kHz sampling |
| Monitoring | Zero-latency headphone output with volume control |
| Sample Rate | 192khz |
| Bit Rate | 24 bit |
| Power | USB powered |
| Accessories | Cable and tabletop stand |
| more specs |
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