blue yeti low record volume

A

ariod

New member
I'm new to digital recording so it might just be me...

I bought a Blue Yeti to use with my MacBook, and the recording volume level always seems low. When I first got it I only had Garage Band, and I noticed the input levels low there but didn't worry much about it.

But then I got more serious about recording, got Ableton Live 9, but I still get what seems like a low input signal from this mic.
I have turned the mic's gain to max, and the input signal to the maximum in my Macbook's preferences. Still the recordings seem quiet - shouldn't I be able to force the signal "into the red" by shouting into the mic or tapping the head? No matter what I do, the signal never gets more than halfway towards the red. Recordings (vocals and electric guitar) are always made at what seem like very low volumes, and then i must raise these within the software in order to match the midi sounds in my mixes.

Am I missing something? Or does it sound like this mic isn't working right?

Any advice would be appreciated....
 
Hi there,
A few things to rule out.

Are you definitely recording with the yeti as input device? If the MBP built in mic was selected then you'd get a pretty low recording.
It doesn't matter what the system input device is; It's the selection in your recording software settings that matters.

Does the gain knob have effect? Set the mic to cardioid (third one over, beside figure-8).
Talk into the mic whilst turning the gain on the mic up and down. Gain - Not front headphone volume.
Does it make a difference?

Are you addressing the mic properly? The logo and HP volume knob should be facing you. You talk into that side, not the top.
Apologies if this is patronising. These things happen!

Let us know, please, and welcome to HR. :)
 
To what end?
The audio hardware choice within a DAW is independent of the system settings, and the OP already said he has ensured that system input level is turned up.
 
Heh. Sorry! :(
I'll hold my hands up and say that it may be DAW specific, but any that I've used have independent I/O device selection.
I'm not familiar with Garageband...
 
JefferySmith said:
Oh well, never mind. I guess I'm showing my ignorance. :-(
Click to expand...
No hard feelings here. I'm admittedly not a pro, so I'm just suggesting what worked for me (with my Blue Yeti, the Audio Midi on the Mac was set at -23 db without my having made any adjustments). I'm a biologist who makes podcasts for his students, so I'm really not in a position to dole out any advice on these forums.

Still learning here...
 
JefferySmith said:
No hard feelings here. I'm admittedly not a pro, so I'm just suggesting what worked for me (with my Blue Yeti, the Audio Midi on the Mac was set at -23 db without my having made any adjustments). I'm a biologist who makes podcasts for his students, so I'm really not in a position to dole out any advice on these forums.

Still learning here...
Click to expand...

Sorry - I may have sounded a bit quick to dismiss.

You're right, the input/output levels are available in the Audio/Midi Setup app and they would have effect over the hardware, even in your DAW.

However, those settings move in tandem with those in system preferences/sound, so the OP already has effectively already checked that.
 
Steenamaroo said:
Hi there,
A few things to rule out.

Are you definitely recording with the yeti as input device? If the MBP built in mic was selected then you'd get a pretty low recording.
It doesn't matter what the system input device is; It's the selection in your recording software settings that matters.

Does the gain knob have effect? Set the mic to cardioid (third one over, beside figure-8).
Talk into the mic whilst turning the gain on the mic up and down. Gain - Not front headphone volume.
Does it make a difference?

Are you addressing the mic properly? The logo and HP volume knob should be facing you. You talk into that side, not the top.
Apologies if this is patronising. These things happen!

Let us know, please, and welcome to HR. :)
Click to expand...


Hey thanks a lot for the responses and the welcome!

In answer to your questions - yes I did verify that the blue yeti is taking the input not the onboard mic, I had thought it might be that as well, initially. I did verify that the Mac's input level under System Preferences is maxed as well. The mic's gain knob does affect the incoming level - if I turn it down the input level gets even lower. But of course I've usually had it on the maximum gain while I've tried to work through this issue, and this is the level where I would expect that even just tapping the mic head should red-line the input level. But again, no matter how loud a sound I throw at the mic (even a blaring guitar amp right next to it), it still never gets above halfway or so towards the red, that seems to be my maximum signal, halfway between zero and overdriven.

I have tried the mic in just about every imaginable angle from me or my amp, still only getting about 50% of the volume I would expect with the mic's gain maxed, in each situation.

I'd love to hear any thoughts you have of anything else I may have set up wrong. And no worries about sounding patronising, etc - I am new to this so its best to verify even the basics :).

But it doesn't seem like this is a common problem with the blue yeti/macbook combination, so I'm beginning to think there is a problem either with the mic or my macbook input. I suppose at this point my best bet is to try another mic with my macbook, or hook up my mic to a friends computer, and try to isolate which side has the problem.

Thanks again for your responses!
 
ariod said:
Hey thanks a lot for the responses and the welcome!

In answer to your questions - yes I did verify that the blue yeti is taking the input not the onboard mic, I had thought it might be that as well, initially. I did verify that the Mac's input level under System Preferences is maxed as well. The mic's gain knob does affect the incoming level - if I turn it down the input level gets even lower. But of course I've usually had it on the maximum gain while I've tried to work through this issue, and this is the level where I would expect that even just tapping the mic head should red-line the input level. But again, no matter how loud a sound I throw at the mic (even a blaring guitar amp right next to it), it still never gets above halfway or so towards the red, that seems to be my maximum signal, halfway between zero and overdriven.

I have tried the mic in just about every imaginable angle from me or my amp, still only getting about 50% of the volume I would expect with the mic's gain maxed, in each situation.

I'd love to hear any thoughts you have of anything else I may have set up wrong. And no worries about sounding patronising, etc - I am new to this so its best to verify even the basics :).

But it doesn't seem like this is a common problem with the blue yeti/macbook combination, so I'm beginning to think there is a problem either with the mic or my macbook input. I suppose at this point my best bet is to try another mic with my macbook, or hook up my mic to a friends computer, and try to isolate which side has the problem.

Thanks again for your responses!
Click to expand...

Hi,
Thanks for meticulously checking through those suggestions.
As you say, they rule out almost everything that can be ruled out without trying another mic or your mic with a different computer.

If you can try either of those things, please do, although I'd recommend trying with a different DAW first.
Maybe download Audacity or Reaper for a quick comparison?
 
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