NAME: Blue Yeti Condenser Microphone

MAKER: Blue Microphones

PRICE: Rs 10,994 (Amazon)

A gamer and a voiceover enthusiast knows a good microphone can make all the difference. Lucky for me, I’m both! And once my headset began sputtering white noises, I knew it was the perfect time to invest in a condenser mic.

I wanted a mic that offered beyond the muffled “headset quality”. And with a bit of digging, I came away with one of the most popular choices — the Blue Yeti. I can safely say without a doubt that this mic is one of the best investments I made. I’ve had this mic since January 2020, and it still holds up surprisingly well.

The dome-like mic design and hefty frame are eye-strikingly appealing. To the touch, it feels well-built and hefty, almost as if it can withstand a drop. In fact, you could adjust your table with the Yeti on it, and the mic will stand its ground with little disturbance to its balance.

The plug-and-play mic comes with a headphone jack on the bottom, a 10-ft long USB cable and a few adjustable inputs. On the front are the volume control and the mute button; the gain control and the voice mode are on the back.

The voice mode offers different recording patterns for different needs —

Bidirectional: great for two-person interviews

Omnidirectional: picks audio from all directions, great for outdoor use and crowd-like interviews

Stereo: perfect for band practice and music jam sessions

Cardioid: this is the mode you want if you’re the sole speaker.

Plugging in your headphones lets you hear how you sound through the mic, with the volume control letting you adjust how loud you sound to yourself.

The gain control lets you adjust how loud your final tone is going to be. The higher the gain, the louder the tone. The downside is it’ll amplify the background noise as well.

Although a mid-budget mic, noise cancellation is almost absent. If the background noise where you live is loud enough, the mic will pick it up. So to the average streamer, podcaster, interviewer, and whoever else needs silky smooth recordings — take note.

The other bugbear is the flimsy USB cable prone to breakage. A spiral cable protector can stop that from happening.

Despite these quirks, the mic delivers solid audio. It’s almost always crisp and clear; folks listening often shot compliments or asked if I do voiceover work.

Saying that, how you set up the mic makes all the difference, with the gain control doing the most heavy lifting. You’ll need to use the metallic stand to set the distance, angle and height relative to your sitting position, as well as the right gain for your recording needs.

VERDICT: The Blue Yeti Condenser Microphone is the best audio recording
experience your money can buy on a budget. A close contender would be the
HyperX QuadCast. I rate it an 8.5 out of 10.