About a month ago, I was provided with a review sample of the latest addition to Blue’s Yeti series, the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition. Now that I’ve had this microphone for about three weeks and have played a number of TTRPG sessions, it’s about time I wrote a review.
That’s wonderful.
I really love this equipment. Although it is a high-end microphone, it is user-friendly. Its outstanding sound quality single-handedly improved my group’s VTT experience.
I won’t lie, it’s not cheap. At $200, it’s definitely not an impulse buy, but it’s definitely worth every penny.
As the holiday season approaches, here are my thoughts on this great product to guide you in the direction of purchasing a high-end microphone like this one.
Easy to install and use
I’m a complete beginner when it comes to setting up audio equipment. Just connect all the cords and hope everything works. It’s got me this far in life, so it must be an effective strategy.
Amazingly, I did exactly that and Yeti worked perfectly.
Well, that’s why I read the instructions until I realized that you shouldn’t tilt the top of the microphone towards you. It was pretty easy to follow, so to speak. The instructions are one page of diagrams that show you exactly how to position the microphone for optimal use.
It took me three minutes to unpack and get the Yeti working. Optimizing the audio settings took some more time, but even so, initial installation of the microphone was much easier than expected.
product quality
It’s no secret that I’m not the type to buy super high quality gear for myself. I tend to get things that are affordable and keep using them until they break.
It’s no surprise that I’ve been using a $40 headset for about five years.
The mic itself is great. It’s quite heavy and comes with a sturdy stand, but it’s small enough that it fits between two monitors without any problems. The controls are easy to find and responsive, so you can quickly adjust gain or output volume if you have speakers or headphones connected.
Plus, it looks very smart. The gold accents are beautiful and match the overall black and orange pattern of the peripheral. The runes engraved on the bottom of the stand are a nice touch that shows off the brand’s flair. I get that it’s a WoW-flavored product, but it’s not “on the surface.”
That’s nice. I’m not saying it was enough branding to get my entire friend group into WoW again, but a friend of mine started a guild and there are about 15 people in it so far.
sound quality
Needless to say, my group really appreciates the difference in sound quality between the Yeti and my older headset. My voice is much clearer now. Thanks to the included software, I was able to fine-tune the settings to further enhance the voice quality.
Good sound quality is essential for anyone who only sends DMs or plays TTRPGs online. My group cannot rely on body language or visual cues to communicate, so we need to hear each other clearly throughout the session.
Since switching to using the Yeti, I have had fewer repeating sound issues. You no longer have to speak out loud to stay consistent. I think my fiancé also appreciates this. I can confidently say that Yeti has greatly improved the quality of my game nights.
Blue VO!CE software
Do my friends like how clear my voice can be heard thanks to my new microphone?Yes.
Do your friends find the preset audio effects interesting? Yes.
Do they still think the effect is funny even after I yelled “Hello!” 100 times? Hello! Hello! “Are you using Blinagtron voice effects? They say no, but they still laugh. Curious.
Honestly, the proprietary Blue VO!CE software has been a great tool for maximizing the Yeti’s potential. This software gives you full control over output settings, allowing you to adjust every aspect of your sound output.
This software is very user friendly. I had no idea what I was doing as I was tweaking various settings, but the sound quality improved significantly and it probably took me 15-30 minutes to get used to the software.
I wouldn’t say the sound quality is fully optimized, but it’s a noticeable improvement compared to the out-of-the-box default settings.
There are also many preset audio settings, so if you don’t want to experiment but want to adjust the sound quality, you can select it right away.
fun audio effects
Blue VO!CE also gives you the option to add audio effects to your output. More importantly, it provides ready-to-apply audio effects presets to maximize the humor of your props. More importantly, thanks to the collaboration between Blue and WoW, there are WoW-themed presets.
Yes, that’s right. Sometimes I sound like a mechanome when I’m talking to a friend. That’s amazing.
You can also create your own presets to suit your desired effect. I’m using this almost 100% for fun, but I’m going to try it out to create a preset effect for my Curse of Strahd campaign.
For example, you can switch to a creepy ghost voice when talking to a ghost. If done well, I think it helps players immerse themselves in the game.
Sound effects are great for jokes, but they also have a lot of potential to be used for role-playing purposes. Especially for those who are not blessed with voice acting skills.
conclusion
I love the microphone on the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition. It’s been my favorite toy for the past three weeks.
I’m having a lot of fun with it, and it’s also been a great addition to my DM equipment. A good microphone is extremely helpful when playing TTRPGs virtually, especially if you’re a DM. High sound quality allows your voice to be heard clearly throughout the table, preventing miscommunications from occurring.
Although $200 is a lot, the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition is 100% worth the price. This is a high quality microphone that is very easy to use.
