So I just bought this Blue Yeti mic.....

DavidHojak

New member
..... and the idea is to use it to record my voice, via laptop, for the purpose of professional work (voiceovers, dictation, book readings, etc.....). Everyone's been telling me I need to for years now, and building an SEO'ed site for myself won't be a problem. SEO, multi-network occupation/participation, etc..... all that will be progressively covered.

A buddy of mine from England (I'm in Texas) is telling me to go ahead and purchase a hardware MIDI piece made by Berringer, for the purpose of being able to record MIDI tracks.

The buddy of mine that I live with, who has had "recreational" past band experience, both in-studio playing & remastering, says 'I already have everything I need with the Blue Yeti microphone I purchased, and will be able to fine tune *details* of the sound itself once it's recorded raw & ready to be remastered/"produced with the software I've got."'

Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What should I do, ladies & gentlemen? How do I handle it from here??
 
I'm betting most of us would have you undo your Yeti purchase and get a proper audio interface and separate microphone. You could get an interface that had MIDI I/O in case you needed to add that capability later (though I don't see why for voiceover work).

That said, the Yeti could be okay. It's just somewhat limiting. If you got the Yeti Pro, I think it has XLR so you could upgrade to a separate audio interface later.
 
The question should be - I will NEVER, EVER need to record with two microphones - is the Blue Yeti USB mic a good choice - the answer is yes, they're nice mics for that question. How many people never need two mics? Very few I'd suspect. Can you record me singing and playing my guitar? No. Can you record my 4 voice vocal group in stereo? NO. Can you record my grand piano? Well, yes, in mono.

That's the only real issue with USB mics now - there are lots of really nice ones. I've got a Chinese sample a factory built for me - large diaphragm, proper gain control and it sounds really nice - but apart from voice overs, what can I use it for? Not a lot really - I have interfaces and they're just so much more versatile and can become the hub of the system - everything plugs into them - ins, outs, even other digital gear if I want - and MIDI.
 
Why do you need MIDI for voiceover? Are you going to be adding sound effects or something? That makes no sense to me.

If you have the Blue Yeti (which most here would discourage, as noted), you should at least plug it in to a USB port on your computer and test recording in a DAW of your choice to learn how to set levels and see what it sounds like in your "recording space" (whatever that may be). Then you can start to work on what is working and what isn't, before buying a single thing more. My $.02.
 
I appreciate your input, replies & information on this topic.

I went with the Blue brand mic on the advice of another, and figured the interface would be of use, as well as that it'd be something diverse in digital environments. I don't really have any MIDI equipment, so I'm working with what I have. Granted, this new laptop I have is a freakin *BEAST*

With my mic, I've got a pop filter, a boom arm & a stand for it, if I need it. Should that be enough?.
 
Do you at least have the Yeti Pro with the XLR output? That would let you add an interface for more versatile use of the mic.
 
There doesn't appear to be an XLR connector on that mic. It's a closed system, unable to be used with a separate audio interface. It's probably okay for what you're doing, but it's limited.
 
The mic has replay capabilities via the headphones socket, so it's a kind of one-stop shop, but your computer sees it as a single device under windows, so if you want to connect loudspeakers, then your laptop would need to be able to use the input from the mic, but use a different usb device or the internal audio output to connect to other things - and few people have much luck with that. It's designed for simplicity - as in plug in and record, but then complicates it with the multiple patterns, which are things more advanced recordists use ..... sometimes. Most folk don't use fig-8 or omni patterns very much - so its a bit of an unusual microphone.
 
Are you exclusively doing voice over work and are you the producer or strictly the talent? If your intention is solely spoken word and especially if you’re just recording your voice, making edits and sending it off then the yeti should be just fine. I’ve never used that specific mic but I got the yeti nano for Christmas to use as a talk back mic for the iD44. Of course I have done exactly 1 voice over as a favor for a band mate who owned a studio with his dad which I literally did on a zoom. As far as midi, unless you already have sound modules that you want to hook up, you probably don’t need it. Most daws have plenty of sounds, loops and software instruments and there are also an abundance of third party products that can be played with a usb controller or even your laptop keyboard. Now, all that said, if you wake up tomorrow wanting to record your band…
 
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