The Blue Yeti microphone itself is one of the bestselling streaming and podcast microphones on the market thanks to its intuitive and easy to use design, as well as offering USB connectivity so there’s no need for extra gear or an external interface or sound card. The Yeticaster bundle contains a Yeti microphone that can handle and record at up to 16-bit/48kHz as well as the Compass Premium boom arm to be mounted either temporarily or permanently to your desk, and the Radius III Custom Shockmount to keep your signal solid and consistent.
The Compass Premium boom arm has a maximum each of about 80cm, and has handy cable management trenches all along its length. The included C-clamp can securely and quickly fasten to your podcasting or streaming desk or wherever you do choose to stream from. The Radius III shock mount is designed specifically for the Yeti series of microphones (of which there’s a Yeti, Yeti Studio and Yeti Pro), and stops your microphone taking nasty bumps to itself or the desk that often end up on record. The Yeti has four switchable microphone patterns, all designed specifically for streaming, spoken word and/or podcasting. First off, cardioid is a standard microphone pattern that picks up sound directly in front of the microphone and a little around the sides. Secondly, a bi-directional option, effectively a figure-8 pattern, and would work well for two speakers facing each other and being recorded simultaneously. There’s also an omnidirectional option that picks up sound in a perfect circle around the entire microphone, and finally stereo, which acts similar to a figure-8 but with a tighter circle and less rejection on the sides. The Yeti microphone will pick up and reproduce sounds from 20Hz – 20kHz, but remember it’s a USB mic so it doesn’t need an interface or other sound card. It does however require Windows 7 or higher/ Mac 10.10 or higher, and is simply plug-and-play.
In use, the Yeticaster broadcasting bundle also looks sleek. Its cosmetics are professional and inspires the user to follow its lead. The boom arm is glossy but inconspicuous and hides away any cabling you have while staying sturdily clamped to your desk. The shock mount keeps audio consistent and your microphone safe. The varying microphone patterns are great in practice, and could easily have the Yeti situated in the centre of a table with multiple speakers, or even multiple Yetis all clamped to a desk for an interactive and organic podcast. You can use different mic patterns to add some room to the recordings, so voices don’t sound too directional and jarring. An upgrade to a Yeti Pro allows you to record at up to 24 bit/192kHz and also be used as a more conventional microphone for other recordings. However, the Yeti and Yeti Studio suit podcasting and streaming perfectly.
The Yeticaster really is a bundle that contains everything you need. While any of the Yeti microphones are a great buy on their own, the addition of the Compass boom arm and Radius III shock mount are a no brainer, and at a great price. This is a package of products that integrate and improve on one another, all in the name of making podcasting and streaming as easy as possible, so you can focus on creating the most entertaining content you can.
