If you’ve came to this article because you have just bought a Blue Yeti and want to get set up as quick as possible you’re in the right place. Let’s jump and show you how to setup a blue yeti microphone for streaming.
If you do not want to follow the written guide you can check out the video tutorial here:
How To Setup A Blue Yeti For Streaming
Step 1 – Plug Your Blue Yeti In
The first step is getting your new microphone out of the box and plugged into your computer. The Blue Yeti is a USB microphone. Just take your USB cable and plug the USB into the computer and the other end into the bottom of your microphone.
I would recommend routing your cables in a manner that won’t get in your way while working or streaming.
Once you plug the mic in, it should pop up on your computer that your microphone has been identified and is ready to use.
Step 2 – Set The Blue Yeti As A Default Microphone
Once you have plugged you microphone in we want to set the Blue Yeti as the default Input device on our computer.
Go to Settings –> Sound –> Input –> Microphone (Yeti Stereo Microphone)
This will allow you to use this microphone as the default for any program you may use requiring a mic.
Step 3 – How To Position A Blue Yeti Microphone
When positioning the Blue Yeti Microphone on your desk you want to position it in an upright position and speak into the side of the microphone. Blue Yeti have the diagram below from their website showing you how to position it.
When setting your microphone up for your stream setup make sure it’s in the upright position.
Step 4 – Best Blue Yeti Microphone Settings
On the Blue Yeti Microphone itself there is a few different options we have to get the optimal sound for our situation.
Pattern – For the pattern setting we have 4 different options outlined below by the Blue Yeti guide. For Twitch and Youtube streaming we want to set our microphone to the Cardiod mode which is a heart like symbol.
This option captures sound directly in front of the microphone giving a great audio experience for streamers.
Gain – Gain adjusts the sound level of our voice sent to the computer. I keep my gain around the 12 Oclock mark however depending on your stream room you may want to adjust this up or down.
Volume – If you have headphones plugged into your Microphone this volume knob adjusts the sound coming from your computer.
Mute – This button toggles the mute on your mic. When clicked no signal will be sent through to your computer and no sound recorded.
Step 5 – Best Streamlabs/OBS Settings For Blue Yeti Microphone
This is one of the most important parts of the whole tutorial. I spent a long time figuring out why my Blue Yeti didn’t sound good. I thought I had spent all this money and it still sound terrible however these 3 filters completely change the quality of your audio.
DO NOT FORGET TO ADD THESE IN YOUR STREAMING SOFTWARE
I am going to be using OBS Studio for this example but it’s essentially the same process for Streamlabs OBS.
We want to add Audio filters to our microphone in OBS to filter out background noise, key clicks etc.
To do this open your OBS Studio select your audio Input Device (Yeti Microphone) in your mixer. Click on the COG wheel and select filters.
An options page will appear with lots of options for different audio filters. We want to add the three below.
1. Noise Gate
A noise gate allows us to cut out some of the background noise you may be experiencing. It will not let any signal pass until the volume is above a specified level. How high or low you set these thresholds determines how much gets passed.
I would recommend setting up your noise gate with the exact same settings I have below. Then you can run some tests to figure out if you need to make any adjustments. This is great for removing stuff like the hum from your computer or typing noise from your keyboard.
2. Noise Suppression
Noise suppression helps to remove background noise. I would recommend setting this at -40db to start and running some tests. If it starts to cut off your voice you will want to decrease the suppression level.
3. Compressor
A compressor helps to level out the volumes on your stream. It tends to make loud sounds a little quieter. So if you get excited on stream and start to shout and scream you won’t deafen the ears of your streamers. I would recommend starting with these exact settings for your stream.
You should now have amazing audio quality from your Blue Yeti Microphone. Having great audio is one of the most important parts of streaming, your audience will be grateful you have went the extra mile.
This is the main setup I would recommend running but there is also a few bonus tips below to step your audio game to the next level.
Bonus Tips To Improve Blue Yeti Audio
Add A Pop Filter to Your Mic
A pop filter is a noise protection filter which helps to reduce or eliminate popping sounds from your voice giving you smoother audio on stream. It’s a great cheap addition to your microphone to up the quality.
We recommend checking out this cheap pop filter on amazon:
Add A Microphone Arm Stand To Your Setup
Adding a Microphone Arm stand can be a great addition to your stream if your moving positions or want to move your mic around while working/playing. It allows you to get your blue yeti exactly where you need it without taking up valuable desk space.
We recommend this Microphone Arm below:
Add A Shock Mount To Your Microphone
Adding a shock mount to your microphone will help to remove unwanted vibrations and give you a crisp audio experience.
We recommend checking out this Shock mount made for Blue Yeti Microphones:
Other Tips
We have also put together a full article breaking down how to soundproof your room for streaming. There is a ton of great tips here to help you get the best audio possible on your stream.
Blue Yeti Frequently Asked Questions
My Blue Yeti Is Picking Up Background Noise?
If your microphone is picking up background noise the best thing to do is add a shock mount as well as adding the filters recommend above in OBS Studio or Streamlabs.
My Blue Yeti Sounds Bad (Crackling or Broken Audio)
If you are getting completely distorted crackly audio the first thing to check is your USB connection. Check both ends, one connected to your microphone and the other your computer. If a connection is lose it could cause the audio to sound poor. It may also be a damaged cable, you should test a second USB Mini cable to see if that solves the problem.
My Blue Yeti Sounds Muffled
If your blue yeti is sounding muffled make sure you have it on the correct setting. As stated above for streaming we would recommend the cardioid mode (Heart shaped). This is when you are sitting directly in front of your microphone. If you are using the microphone in a different setting check the table above to see which mode you should be using.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully this article has helped you get your blue yeti microphone set up for streaming and by now your microphone quality should sound amazing. If this article helped you at all we would greatly appreciate a share with someone else who could use it.
Read More From Get On Stream:
