For that money, you’re getting a great condenser mic that’s ideal for picking up voices with excellent warmth and clarity in a quiet environment. Of course, you want the mic close to your face to ensure best results. Once you’ve picked up these best practices, the Yeti has a lot in its arsenal that makes it a great mic for nearly every application. There are four different pickup patterns to choose from if you so wish - cardioid mode (picks up sound from the front - ideal for voiceovers), omni-directional (picks up sound from all directions - great for recording multiple people with one mic), stereo (picks up sound from left and right channels - ideal for capturing atmospherics or instruments), and bi-directional (picks up sound from front and rear - great for a podcast or co-hosted show). All of these work well in their own ways, and helps the Yeti to be an especially versatile mic. As well as those pickup pattern options. there’s also a 3.5mm jack on the body of the mic so you can monitor inputs live through your headphones, and on-board gain control if you do want to turn yourself up on the fly. Given how long the mic has been around - and its popularity - it’s also unsurprising that there are a host of compatible boom arms and shock mounts that can allow you to raise the Yeti up off the desk away from any unwanted noise. Of course, you can go and pick up an XLR mic for a little bit more money, but you’ll need to grab an interface and power that before you can even think about getting started. For £86.50 though, the Yeti USB offers all the power and features of a premium condenser mic and the convenience of a plug and play USB connection in one handy package that I’m going to say you should go and buy right now. Don’t worry, I’ll wait…
