Can you reduce blue yeti background noise? The Answers You Should Know

Blue Yeti seems to be quite a popular choice when it comes to entry-level microphones for podcasts or streaming and maybe some casual music recording. While it's affordable for most people, it also delivers decent quality audio.

Now, the only thing you have to deal with is the blue yeti background noise. It captures quite a lot of background noise when you are using it in the default settings. That's why here, I will go through everything that can help you reduce the background noise you get from a blue yeti microphone.

Other than that, blue yeti is an excellent microphone to have. So, why let that one thing stop you from using the microphone. Let's get going and see how you can solve the issue.

Why and how does the microphone get this much noise?

To understand why the microphone captures this much noise, you will have to know about sounds and how it works. Now, how much noise you get depends a lot on where you are recording your videos or audio. If you are in a noisy area, then you will surely end up with a lot of noise. Whether it's the traffic from the outside or the birds chirping.

On the other hand, if you are in a place where there isn't much noise surrounding you and comparatively quiet, you won't have that much noise in your audio either. Another factor is the reflection of sounds which ultimately results in echoes.

When you are recording audio in a large room with lots of space available for the sound to travel and reflect, you will have more echo. This can be a pretty big deal for someone who wants to record a professional quality song or podcast.

I am trying to say here that you can minimize the chances of getting noise in your audio by simply choosing a proper place for your recording. Now, let's get through some tips on using your blue yeti microphone and getting the least amount of noise from it.

Ways to reduce the background noise on a blue yeti microphone 

You can do several things to make sure you are not getting too much background noise when you are recording with your blue yeti microphone. Let's go through the different things you can do to ensure there isn't much noise on your recordings.

• Recording in a quiet environment 

Like I discussed above, where you are recording has a lot to play in getting any noise in your microphone. This is especially the case for the blue yeti microphone because of the higher sensitivity. With that level of sensitivity, the microphone tends to capture a lot of background sounds that you wouldn't usually expect.

To eliminate that noise capture, you can simply choose places with the least amount of noise. Such as in the closet or under the duvet. Try going for smaller spaces; this way; you can also get rid of the issue of echoes in your audio. You can also try acoustic foams to ensure there aren't any noises coming into your recording space.

• Proper recording mode 

A blue yeti microphone typically comes with four different types of recording modes for different scenarios. It has a stereo pattern, an omnidirectional pattern, a bi-directional pattern, and a cardioid mode.

If you are recording some guitar solos or other such instruments, you should opt for the stereo pattern. This gives you that left and right channel sound imaging feature that makes the audio sound realistic. It also helps in reducing the impact of the sounds coming from the front and back.

When you need sounds coming from the whole room and space, you will need to use the omnidirectional mode. Now, here's where you will get a lot of noise. Since the microphone captures sound from all directions, it will get more sounds and may even get the noises coming from a particular source.

Quite the opposite of the omnidirectional mode is the bi-directional pattern. Here, you get sounds from two ends only. It only captures sounds from the front and back direction. This works out great when you are using your microphone for recording interviews. Or maybe even duets where two people will sit on two sides of the microphone and sing.

As for the cardioid mode, you get the best possible noise prevention. In this mode, the microphone only captures sounds coming from the front of it. There is a specific area span for recording particular sounds. The microphone won't capture anything other than that particular spanning area. This is perfect for recording vocals and podcasts.

Now, you can choose the proper recording mode on your blue yeti, depending on your need. While omnidirectional will get you a lot of noise, it's sometimes essential, especially when you are shooting a video that needs to have sounds from all ends.

• Lowering the gain 

There is an adjustable gain on the blue yeti microphone as it comes with a converter that can go through an analog to digital signals along with a mic preamp for adjusting the gain. If you keep the gain of your blue yeti at high levels, you will surely end up getting a lot of noise.

The gain on the microphone amplifies the sounds it captures. As a result, even the noises get amplified and become much more prominent in the audio. So, you will need to lower the gain of the microphone to make sure it doesn't capture too much noise at a high volume.

Now, you will also need to make sure that you are not going down all the way. That may not even capture the sounds you want to record in proper volume. The best solution is to play around with the gain knob and see which one suits your needs most. Here's how you can find that out –

First, you have to plug your headphones onto the yeti microphone. Then, turn up the gain of the microphone all the way and see how that sounds. Then, you just have to keep lowering the gain until you find the perfect number. If you feel like you went too low, you can always increase the gain to crisp the sounds.

At the end of the day, it will come down to your personal preferences and what sounds right in your ears.So, you will need to go around the settings to find out your perfect gain level on the yeti.

• Positioning the microphone 

Similar to the placement of the microphone and recording, you will also need to consider how you position the microphone. This means the distance that you should keep between the sound source and the microphone. The angle you are using for positioning the microphone has a lot of impacts as well.

Like I said earlier, this is a very sensitive microphone. It can even capture the sounds of you breathing through your mouth. So, to eliminate that from happening, you will need to maintain a certain distance, so the microphone doesn't pick up all these irritating noises. The best distance you can keep between you and your microphone is around 2 inches.

Also, the angle you are using to position your microphone has a lot to play here. You will need to make sure that it's not pointing towards a probable noise source. Always try to point the front part of your microphone towards the source that you want to record in the first place.

Positioning the microphone correctly eliminates the chances of capturing noise by a lot. You may even avoid getting background noises completely on the blue yeti with proper placement and positioning.

Related: Noise Cancelling Vs Noise Isolating

• Using software and other tools 

Aside from all the basic stuff, you can always try out different hardware and software to cut off background noises. I recommend using a pop-filter for the hardware if you are recording anything up-close whenever you are recording vocals for a song or maybe for a podcast; having a pop-filter work out the best.

You can also try out equipment like noise gates that can bring a noticeable change in warding off all the noises that your microphone may capture. Having a microphone boom arm works out quite well compared to a microphone stand.

As for the software, there is plenty of high-quality software that you can find for noise reduction. They can make your life much easier with the post-processing of audio and video editing. They are also pretty easy to use for the most part unless there is a lot of noise in your audio.

You can try out any pop-filter and software of your choice to get a significant difference in the noise levels that your microphone captures. It's entirely up to you which one you get for meeting your needs.

These are some of the best ways to deal with the background noise capture of a blue yeti microphone. While you may not need to follow all of them, some of the basic ones indeed have a lot of impacts. Especially, the microphone's positioning, placement, and gain factor can significantly change the noise levels.

Related: Get Rid of Static Noise in Headphones and Speakers

Is getting a blue yeti still worth it?

Now, going through all these may make you wonder whether getting the blue yeti is a wise decision or not. To be very honest, the blue yeti is still a worthy deal you can get, especially if you are just beginning your journey. Whether it's podcasts streaming or gaming, the microphone surely provides value.

The major factor for this microphone to be so popular is the affordability factor. It doesn't cost too much compared to some other high-quality studio microphones. You can rely on this one for excellent sound quality throughout your usage. It surely delivers on the promise of keeping up the quality.

Along with that, it doesn't look that bad either. It has got a black and premium-looking finish that goes pretty well with a professional setup. This will not feel out of place at all if you are just beginning to create your audio setup.

Another factor to consider is the ease of connectivity. This USB microphone lets you connect it pretty easily to your devices. You won't have to bother with all those audio interfaces or mixers to use this one. It's a great option to have as a beginner.

This microphone is also quite versatile. It has got different types of recording modes based on your needs. For example, you can go for the omnidirectional mode when you are recording videos. Because most of the time, you would want to have sounds from all around the frame in the video.

At the same time, it comes with bi-directional and unidirectional usage. These modes work out pretty well when you use them for streaming, podcasts, and interviews. So, you can pretty much use the microphone for all sorts of different purposes and get quite a lot of value out of it.

Altogether, even with the slight drawback of being too sensitive and capturing background noises, the blue yeti is a good choice. Maybe not the best for professionals, but as a beginner, this is the perfect thing that you can ask for at a reasonable price.

Related: mic is static

Final words 

All in all, dealing with the blue yeti background noise isn't that difficult once you know what you have to do. The reason for getting this much noise on this microphone is the fact that it's a bit more sensitive than other microphones.

So, you are thriving for this microphone to tackle that sensitivity and control it as much as possible. Doing things that can keep the sensitivity to a minimum level should be your goal when you want to get rid of background noise in your recordings with this mic.

Now that I have given you how to do so, following them won't be a problem. Because most of them don't require too much work or anything technical that you can't do yourself. It's fairly simple to deal with the problem for almost anyone.