![]() Rounding out the package for the Yeti X is the Blue Sherpa software, which allows you to tweak the Yeti's settings. Of course, this is not necessarily a fair comparison, but the bump in quality over a headset microphone alone could be enough to justify the purchase for a lot of people. You can compare our Let's Play Co-Op videos from earlier in the year to our more recent ones and the sound quality coming from my end has drastically improved. Since I've added the Yeti X to my streaming and Discord setup, the bump in quality is enormous. ![]() My general-purpose gaming headset is the Astro A50, which is incredibly nice, but the built-in microphone doesn't quite live up to the rest of the kit. Obviously it's not the intended primary use of the device, but considering I play metal, it passed my test with flying colors. ![]() I'm not sure my office is truly the best recording environment, but I was able to cleanly record myself playing, even if I got a bit loud and heavy with effects. While I'm not normally in the business of recording music, I did put the Yeti X through a few tests to see how well it would handle recording the output from my electric bass. A gaming setup will probably be fine with the standard cardioid pattern but it's nice to have the extra modes should you want to record music or a podcast. The condenser array in the microphone has four capsules instead of three for an extra bit of clarity, and the now-expected four pickup patterns (cardioid, omnidirectional, bi-directional, and stereo) are selectable via a button on the rear of the unit. The Smart Knob isn't the only upgrade from a standard Yeti. It's a smart design and I always appreciate when I don't have to fall back to a software solution to make adjustments. Rounding out the Smart Knob is an 11-LED array that allows for at-a-glance visualization of your audio levels and peaks. Pressing and holding on the knob's button allows you toggle between adjustment modes, and a quick tap of it will mute the mic. Instead of a standard volume dial and mute button, the Yeti X includes the Smart Knob, which allows for adjustment of the microphone's gain, your headphone volume, and the blend of source audio and sidetone in your headphones. So what does the X get you over the standard Yeti? For starters, it's directly marketed for the streaming crowd. Over the years, Blue courted the in-home podcast market with updated Snowballs, culminating with the original Yeti, which became the gold standard for an affordable podcasting setup. Back in the days when we had a podcast (let's pour one out for The Co-Opticast, friends), we were all using the then-new Blue Snowball. ![]() The Yeti X is Blue's latest addition to the Yeti family of affordable USB microphones suitable for streaming, podcasting, or even recording instruments. There are quite a few products on the market for this particular niche, and Blue was kind enough to send us their new Yeti X for evaluation. While there are no shortage of quality headsets and microphones to use while gaming these days, it can be a daunting task to jump from the "general gamer" to "aspiring streamer" or in my case to "I have to professionally represent a website and sound somewhat respectable". ![]()
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