Blue Yeti Nano USB Microphone Review
Reviewed by David Savage
When I was a child, communication was face-to-face, by telephone (landline) or writing a letter, console games were for one or two players, bands played in pubs and clubs to get their music known and music videos weren’t really around.
Now lots of people communicate by mobile phone, messaging services and video calling programs such as Skype. Console games can be played worldwide, music is recorded at home and uploaded to the internet in seconds and videos hit YouTube before you know it. With all this technology, which is getting better and more affordable all the time, amateurs want more professional equipment to record their sounds, communicate with other game players and speak to their friends & family, abroad and at home.
In an age of gamers, vloggers and YouTubers good equipment is a must, but without the studio price tag. The Yeti Nano USB Microphone from Blue Designs is perfect for broadcast-quality podcasting, YouTube productions, online gaming & streaming and Skype/VoIP.
The Yeti Nano USB Microphone is available in several colour options; Shadow Grey, Vivid Blue, Red Onyx, and Cubano Gold. It weighs approx. 0.63kg, stands approx. 8.31” (21.1cm) tall, is powered by USB (5V 150mA) and is plug-and-play compatible with Windows and Mac OS.
I received mine in Vivid Blue and in the box was the Yeti USB microphone (including desktop stand), USB cable and 3/8” to 5/8” adapter (for if you wanted to fit it to a standard studio microphone stand).
If features 2 Blue-proprietary 14mm condenser capsules, which support sample rates up to 24-bit/48KHz. It has Cardioid (recording sound in front of the microphone) and Omnidirectional (recording sounds from all around the microphone) modes – the different modes can be selected by pressing the button on the rear.
On the front of the microphone is a button that controls the volume and also mutes the microphone – turn to control the volume, press once for green (mic is live) and press again for red (mic is muted).
On the base of the mic is a 3.5mm no-latency headphone port, along with the micro USB port and microphone stand mount.
There is very little setup required to start using the microphone, you just need to change the recording device on your system setup. You can also download the free Blue Sherpa app to control the microphone easier and do firmware updates.
This is a very powerful little microphone. It not only looks like a premium quality microphone, more importantly it also sounds like one. Recording is clear and crisp and playback is excellent, it picks up sound very well in both cardioid and omnidirectional modes very well
It has a small footprint on the desktop, so takes up very little space. It is made of metal rather than plastic and looks professional.
It doesn’t matter what you are using it for; Skype or VoIP, gaming, creating your own YouTube videos, podcasts or voiceovers, the quality of the recording is excellent (as long as you record front on and not speak into the top of the microphone). A vastly superior step up from the in-built microphone on my laptop.
The Blue Yeti Nano USB microphone is perfect for beginners and more advanced users that want a better-quality sound to their recordings, there is nothing worse than a graining or sun-standard recording.
The Yeti Nano is small and neat, but packs a punch and delivers great audio.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £89.99
For more information visit www.bluedesigns.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.
