Review: The Yeti Pro Desk Microphone

It'll make you feel like an old time radio man.

Feb 28 2011, 5:42pm CST | by Robert Evans

The Yeti Pro is a heavy-duty professional microphone that looks like it stepped out of the golden age of radio.

My father spent more than two decades as a radio host. I grew up spending an enormous amount of time in sound studios, recording booths and my dad's own personal studio. He always had big, beautiful microphones around him. Giant, heavy things made out of stainless steel and rough, stippled black metal. The microphones of my childhood around carried the same great weight that my father and his co-workers invested in their passion.

These days, I interact with more microphones than ever before. My laptop has one. There's a tiny one in my Bluetooth headset, and another in my smartphone. I even have a little directional mic I can plug into my laptop to record press briefings. But none of those microphones give me any sort of thrill. They're tools. Small, efficient, and effective while utterly lacking in any sort of soul.

And then there's the Yeti Pro.

Specifications

The Yeti Pro has a microUSB connection plug and a 5-pin XLR connector. It has a Gain knob for sensitivity control, and a triple capsule array for superior sound capture. This microphone gives you the option of four pick-up patterns: Stereo, Cardioid, Omnidirectional and Bidirectional.

In Use

Set-up was super simple. I downloaded the drivers from Blue (http://www.bluemic.com/yetipro/#/driver/) and my microphone was ready to go. All in all, the whole process took around two minutes. Definitely one of the most pain-free peripheral installations I've ever had.

Stereo: This mode delivers extremely rich sound pick-up. I had a lot of sound going on in my office at the time (a whining dog, two different speakers playing music, my own singing, and a speaker in the living room about twenty feet away) but my voice came through loudest every time.

Omnidirectional: This mode is great for capturing a whole room full of conversation, or a group of musicians playing in a studio. I had two different speakers playing, each about two feet away from the mic, and I sat the same distance away and talked into it. Upon playback, both audio tracks and my voice came in at about the same level of volume.

Bidirectional: This mode cuts out all noise from the side, recording only audio from in front and behind it. I played two speakers, front and back, and talked into the left side. Both audio tracks were clearly audible upon playback, but my voice was almost entirely absent.

Cardioid: This is the setting for skype or voice chatting of any kind. It cuts out a massive amount of noise from the side and rear. With music blaring from behind (the speakers were actually closer to the mic than I was) my voice picked up clearly. I was extremely impressed by the level of noise cancellation here. If you're looking for a mic to voice chat with while gaming in a house crowded with children, this is it.

Verdict

Pros

+Beautiful, solid design
+Four pattern choices offer significant variety in pick-up options
+Simple to set-up
+Voice recording quality is excellent

Cons

-This thing is huge. It is not at all portable.
-The option to detach the Yeti Pro from its base stand and use it as a hand microphone would be nice. You can take it apart right now, but it isn't comfortable for hand use at all.

Conclusion

The Yeti Pro is a great old-school microphone with a ton of capability and a enough pick-up options to satisfy even the pickiest professionals. Amazon.com has it selling for $249, which is about what you'd expect for an audiophile-grade microphone.

9.0

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Robert Evans
The excitement about new smartphones, tablets and anything mobile drive Robert to unearth the latest rumors and developments in this fast moving space. He adopted 4G as soon as it become available and knows where the mobile market is going.
Robert can be contacted directly at robert@i4u.com.