- [Michael] If you've watched even a few YouTube videos
featuring a host talking to the camera,
then you've probably laid eyes on a Blue Yeti microphone.
This iconic desktop capsule carried me through four years
of podcasts and voiceovers back at Pocketnow,
and about the only things I've found to complain about
where its extreme size and weight.
So when Blue Microphones announced its smaller
and lighter sequel just before the IFA 2018 trade show,
I knew what I was saving space for in my bag to Berlin.
I'm Michael Fisher, and this is the MrMobile review
of the Blue Yeti Nano.
(energetic dance music)
Let's kick it off with a word on sound quality,
the old Blue Yeti was perfectly serviceable
for podcasts and YouTube
and especially given the audience expectations
for those media back in 2012.
But it was the simplicity that really sold it.
No preamp, no separate shock mount.
You just dropped it on the table, plugged in the USB cable
and started recording.
Well, the Yeti Nano makes things even simpler.
The front mounted controls have been condensed
into a single knob.
If you've got headphones plugged
into the port on the bottom, you turn this
to adjust their volume.
You can also click it to temporarily mute your audio.
The ring light will switch from green to red
to tell you it's safe to cough.
Around back, there's a single button
to control the pickup pattern,
cardiod if you wanna focus on sound coming in
from the front, omni if you wanna record sound
from all directions, as in a podcast.
I had the opportunity to test both modes during IFA 2018.
Almost every video I shot there
featured a voiceover recorded on the Blue Yeti Nano
in cardiod, and episode 395 of the Android Central podcast
was recorded in omni.
(energetic dance music)
I tell you that so you can get a rough sense
of how the Yeti Nano sounds,
but please keep in mind that those recordings were done
in straight up bad recording environments.
The voiceover for this video was recorded
on a Blue Yeti Nano here in my sound booth back in Boston.
While it's not quite up to the level
of my regular studio microphone,
that's because it's about $900 cheaper.
Yeah, the Blue Yeti Nano costs 99 bucks,
and if you're using it for podcasting or voiceovers
from, say, an acoustically balanced bedroom,
well, its dual 14 millimeter condenser capsules
will probably give you more quality than you need.
In my case, I found the Yeti Nano did much the same
for my voice as the older Yeti.
It gives me a warmer and bassier tone
than some other mics with fairly good resistance
to pops from plosives even without a pop screen.
What's more, just like the previous Yeti,
you just take the USB cable, plug and play.
There's no setup required on Windows or Mac OS.
Do I have my complaints?
Sure.
Blue had to cut some corners to get under 100 bucks,
and yeah, it shows.
The tilt knobs on the side, they take a lot of turns
to tighten, and they never feel quite firm enough.
There's no rubber of any kind
to protect the mic from bashing against the legs
in the folded position,
so you gotta do something stupid
like stick a balled up sock in there.
Two recording modes from the big Blue Yeti were eliminated
in the Nano.
I never used those alternate modes,
but it's worth mentioning.
I'm not a big fan of Blue's decision
to remove the gain control knob though.
It's just simpler to use a knob
than it is to use an app.
Second to last ding is the obligatory complaint
about micro-USB in 2018 (grunting).
And finally, the Blue logo popped off of mine
right after I un-boxed it.
It just took some super glue to get it back in place,
but still, not an encouraging sign.
Oh, crap.
Are those shortcomings enough to get in the way
of a recommendation?
Heck no.
The Blue Yeti Nano is an easy to use microphone
that packs away nicely in a bag,
delivers very good audio quality for the price
and looks great doing it.
It comes in four colors,
includes everything you need in the box,
including a tripod mount and adapter for a mic stand,
and at $99, I expect it to dominate desktops
in the YouTube and podcast space just as thoroughly
as did its venerable predecessor.
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Fellow creators, what microphones do you use
to get your voice to the masses?
Lemme know in the comments, and be sure
to check my other videos from IFA 2018
and that Android Central podcast number 395
for more audio from the Blue Yeti Nano out in the field.
Until next time, thanks for watching,
and stay mobile, my friends.