Note: I am not a microphone expert. If you are looking for highly experienced, informed recommendations, check out Hentai's microphone post. This is just a word of caution against the Blue Yeti and its price tag.
The formatting is bad because I wrote this on my phone.
Everywhere I go, I see people recommending this stupid mic to beginners. STOP! They’re overpriced, outdated, and low quality even for a USB mic. Clever PR and marketing towards gamers made it a staple for UTAU, but, trust me, you can practically smell it. Flat-sounding, gross recordings are the last thing you want for UTAU, and for a price tag of 100 bones you can get so much better.
This list will fluctuate in price a bit- some more expensive, some less- and is ranked from best to worst.
Always use Sweetwater to purchase expensive gear- they’ve got the best prices.
1. Just Get An XLR Setup, Dude
Average Cost: Around 200$ for Mic + Interface
Hear me out: XLR. I know, I know, it’s twice the price at first, but it’s 100 times easier to upgrade. USB mics all hit a pretty low quality ceiling eventually and just stop getting better after that ceiling, while for 100 bucks, the price of a Blue Yeti, you can get a Shure SM58, an AT2050, a Sennheiser 835, the list goes on. Even things as prestigious as an Electro-Voice RE20 (famously used and loved by Radiohead vocalist Thom Yorke) can be found used for around that price. Sometimes you can even pick up old Shures and Audio Technicas for 10-25 dollars if you look in the right place! It’s the most bang for your buck in the long run, even if it’s more expensive at first.
2. Audio Technica AT2020USB-X
Average Cost: 169.00$
Come on, it’s Audio Technica. Super bright and clear recordings and aimed at content creators, so you can easily use it for YouTubing and gaming alongside UTAU. The reason why it isn’t number 1 is because it’s the USB version of a 100 dollar mic and, at almost 200 dollars, you could get an XLR setup for the price of it.
3. Rode NT-USB Mini
Average Cost: 100$
You’ve probably heard of Rode. This guy is a little mini version of their Rode NT mic, which retails for about 150$. It sounds far better than the Blue Yeti and sits at about the same price, plus it’s smaller and cuter!
4. Shure MV5
Average Cost: Discontinued, but around 15-40$ used
Heads up: this mic is discontinued, but it’s super cute and ridiculously cheap used, which is unusual for USB mics. It’s also compatible with phones! The only con about it is that you’ll have to use Ebay to buy it.
5. Honorable Mention: Shure X2U
Average Cost: Discontinued, but around 70$ used
This isn’t a mic, but it adapts XLR mics to USB mics. Kinda cool- I’ve never used it, but it sounds pretty good and Kasane Teto’s voice provider used it. The downside is that it’s rare and at 70 bucks you could just get a refurbished Scarlett Solo.
TLDR: Don’t buy a Blue Yeti.
The formatting is bad because I wrote this on my phone.
Everywhere I go, I see people recommending this stupid mic to beginners. STOP! They’re overpriced, outdated, and low quality even for a USB mic. Clever PR and marketing towards gamers made it a staple for UTAU, but, trust me, you can practically smell it. Flat-sounding, gross recordings are the last thing you want for UTAU, and for a price tag of 100 bones you can get so much better.
This list will fluctuate in price a bit- some more expensive, some less- and is ranked from best to worst.
Always use Sweetwater to purchase expensive gear- they’ve got the best prices.
1. Just Get An XLR Setup, Dude
Average Cost: Around 200$ for Mic + Interface
Hear me out: XLR. I know, I know, it’s twice the price at first, but it’s 100 times easier to upgrade. USB mics all hit a pretty low quality ceiling eventually and just stop getting better after that ceiling, while for 100 bucks, the price of a Blue Yeti, you can get a Shure SM58, an AT2050, a Sennheiser 835, the list goes on. Even things as prestigious as an Electro-Voice RE20 (famously used and loved by Radiohead vocalist Thom Yorke) can be found used for around that price. Sometimes you can even pick up old Shures and Audio Technicas for 10-25 dollars if you look in the right place! It’s the most bang for your buck in the long run, even if it’s more expensive at first.
2. Audio Technica AT2020USB-X
Average Cost: 169.00$
Come on, it’s Audio Technica. Super bright and clear recordings and aimed at content creators, so you can easily use it for YouTubing and gaming alongside UTAU. The reason why it isn’t number 1 is because it’s the USB version of a 100 dollar mic and, at almost 200 dollars, you could get an XLR setup for the price of it.
3. Rode NT-USB Mini
Average Cost: 100$
You’ve probably heard of Rode. This guy is a little mini version of their Rode NT mic, which retails for about 150$. It sounds far better than the Blue Yeti and sits at about the same price, plus it’s smaller and cuter!
4. Shure MV5
Average Cost: Discontinued, but around 15-40$ used
Heads up: this mic is discontinued, but it’s super cute and ridiculously cheap used, which is unusual for USB mics. It’s also compatible with phones! The only con about it is that you’ll have to use Ebay to buy it.
5. Honorable Mention: Shure X2U
Average Cost: Discontinued, but around 70$ used
This isn’t a mic, but it adapts XLR mics to USB mics. Kinda cool- I’ve never used it, but it sounds pretty good and Kasane Teto’s voice provider used it. The downside is that it’s rare and at 70 bucks you could just get a refurbished Scarlett Solo.
TLDR: Don’t buy a Blue Yeti.