The Blue Yeti and Rode NT USB are two popular choices among content creators. Both are quality mics, but both are different in features, and deciding which one works best depends on what you intend to do with them.
This article will look at Blue Yeti and Rode NT and see how these mics are similar and different from each other. Let’s first review each mic in detail.
Blue Yeti
It’s one of the most popular mics for studio recording. It’s a USB mic with a simple setup. The mic comes with a decent look, typical broadcast quality sound, and multiple polar patterns that make this mic very versatile. It offers plenty of onboard controls. It features a headphone jack to monitor the audio in real time, a gain setting button, and a mute button. The audio output is clear and very detailed.
Rode NT USB
Rode is a reliable name for microphones and other accessories. Rode NT USB is another USB mic that offers an effortless setup. It’s a cardioid pattern mic that makes it an excellent choice for the directional mic. It allows real-time monitoring and mixing with a headphone jack and a mix button. The mic is compatible with both Windows, Mac, and smartphones.
Let’s compare each feature in detail.
Blue Yeti VS Rode NT USB
Structure
Blue Yeti has a sturdy look and gives an excellent feel in hand. It features a rugged build and a retro-style look. Its heavy weight makes it a less portable option.
It’s all-metallic body is designed to last and handle the abuse of daily use in the studio. The mic is available in several colors that blend in your studio’s interior and makes your mic stand out in video recordings.
The Rode NT has no less build quality and stands out as one of the most secure and stable studio mics. It also has a rugged build and has some weight to it as well. It also has a metal body and a metallic grill that cancels the noise and helps you get clear and detailed audio.
Sound Quality
Rode NT features a 0.50″ capsule for picking up audio. It is capable of recording clear and detailed audio. The audio captured is high quality and among the best for USB microphones.
The Blue Yeti also provides good quality in terms of audio output. It features three array capsules that are no less capable than half an inch capsule of Rode NT. The audio here is also clear and detailed. It gives broadcast-quality audio with its three array capsules that seem very professional and a great choice for gaming, live streaming, podcasting, and different content creation types.
Polar Patterns
Polar patterns make these two mics very different from each other.
Rode NT USB provides only one polar pattern. It is a cardioid microphone that picks up audio right from the front and little from the sides but rejects the rear’s audio. Cardioid patterns can be used as directional mics as they cancel audio from the side and rear and focus on where they are directed.
Blue Yeti is versatile in terms of polar patterns. It’s a multi-pattern mic that offers four polar patterns.
- Cardioid: Cardioid pattern picks up audio from the front and cancels sides and rear. It is excellent for single speakers.
- Omnidirectional: This one picks up audio from all around. The pattern fits in situations where it is placed inside a group of people, and everyone is speaking. Its pattern picks up audio from all sides equally well.
- Bi-directional: This pattern picks up audio from front and the back. It fits in situations when there are speakers on both sides of the mic.
- Stereo: The stereo pattern picks up audio from both sides from left and right.
Real-Time Monitoring
Both the Rode NT USB and Blue Yeti come with a headphone jack that allows real-time monitoring.
In the Blue Yeti, you have a headphone jack on the bottom of the mic, and there is also a knob to adjust the recording volume.
In the Rode NT, you get a 3.5 headphone that is used for zero-latency monitoring.
An advantage that Rode NT has over Blue Yeti is a mix knob. Rode NT has a mix knob that allows you to mix the output from DAW, your computer, or smartphone in the audio recording. Yeti provides gain control and real-time monitoring, but there is no mix knob in it.
Gain Control
Having a mix knob is excellent and like a dream come true for many podcasters who love to include pre-recorded tracks in the live transmission without latency, but what we miss in Rode NT is gain control.
The Yeti allows a gain control up to 20 dB. The gain control keeps your high notes smooth. It also eliminates the noise from the background.
Stand
Both Blue Yeti and Rode NT come with a desk to hold the mic in an optimal position.
The Blue Yeti comes with a decent stand that keeps the mic stable and in the optimal position. It holds the mic secure and allows movability as you like to change its direction or position.
Rode NT comes with a good quality stand as well. It features a tripod stand that keeps the microphone in its exact position. As it is not a multi pattern mic, you can easily fix the mic on one position, and the mic holds its position well due to its stable tripod stand.
But when we compare the two mics, the Yeti offers better maneuverability. It needs an extra boom arm to provide maneuverability like the Yeti.
A boom arm may not appear great in videos, and you may have to edit or avoid it while recording.
Pop Filter
Rode NT comes with a pop filter that is one of the essential accessories while using a microphone. A pop filter ensures the clarity in voice and removes the plosive sounds of ts, ps, and bs. The filter gives detail and clear audio without compromising its quality. The pop filter also eliminates the effect of wind and cancel external noise from
The Blue Yeti, on the other hand, does not come with a pop filter. If you want a professional audio recording, you must use a pop filter, so you have to buy a pop filter separately.
Mic Stand
Both Blue Yeti and Rode NT USB come with their sturdy mics. Both mics are adjustable, and you can set the mic to an optimal position with its adjustable stand.
AS Blue Yeti is significantly bigger and heavier, it’s stand is stronger than the Rode NT. The mic stand can hold the bulky mic in the right position without needing any other accessories.
Rode NT comes with a mic stand as well, which serves the purpose and is adjustable enough to allow the mic to your required angle.
Advantages of Blue Yeti
Multi-Pattern Audio Recording
Yeti Comes with multi-patterns. As we have already mentioned, it offers four polar patterns: omnidirectional, bidirectional, stereo, cardioid patterns. The mic becomes a very versatile use due to its multiple patterns. You can record interviews, discussions, and other programs conveniently. The mic becomes a comprehensive solution to your studio recording. And if you are looking for recording multiple people at a time, nothing beats Blue Yeti.
On-Board Control
The Blue Yeti provides all control on the mic itself. You can select the pattern, audio control, and gain control right from the mic.
Mute
The mute button is very handy on Blue Yeti. It allows you to stop recording in an instant with the touch of a button. You can mute the transmission whenever you don’t want the mic to pick up the audio. The features seem unimportant, but it becomes essential, especially when you are recording the live transmission. You can cough, sneeze and the mic can be turned off or on instantly.
A red indicator light lets you know when the mute button is off or on. That eliminates any confusion regarding when the mic is working or not.
Gain Control
An advantage of Yeti is that I provide a gain control up to 20 dB. You can adjust the gain button, and that makes even loud sounds smooth and less shrill.
Detail Audio Recording
Blue Yeti works well in recording detailed audio. The audio clarity is unmistakable to notice, and the same feature becomes a bit disadvantage as it may pick up little background noise as well.
Simple Setup
Like all other USB mics, Yeti comes with a simple setup. It is simple to connect and get all the microphone options that make it a very simple mic to use.
Headphone Jack
The mic features a headphone jack so you can connect it with your headphone and listen to the recorded audio in real-time with zero latency.
Disadvantages of Blue Yeti
Bulky Mic
As compared to Rode NT, Blue Yeti is bulky in size. It weighs more and is also larger. Its large size and heavyweight make it a bit uncomfortable to travel with.
No Mix Control
Unlike Rode NT USB, the Yeti does not come with a mix button that allows you to mix the pre-recorded audio or other tracks into your live transmission with zero latency.
No Pop Filter
The mic does not come with a pop filter. Sure, you can use one with the mic, but you have to buy it separately. It does not come as a complete setup.
No Shock Mount
Same as a pop filter, you don’t get one with Yeti. You need to buy one with the Blue Yeti.
Advantages of Rode NT USB
Smaller Size
The mic comes in a compact form. It is portable and easy to carry when you are on the go. The mic weighs less than Yeti, so that makes it easy to handle as well.
Excellent Audio
Like Yeti, Rode NT offers excellent audio quality as well. The mic gives particularly clean and crisp audio. The broadcast-quality audio makes it a perfect fit for studio recordings.
Cardioid Pattern
The mic features a cardioid pattern. This makes it a directional mic. The capsules in the mic pick up audio from the front, ignoring the sides and rear. This type of mics works best in an environment where you want to cancel the background noises.
Real-Time Monitoring
The mic features a headphone jack for real-time monitoring of your audio. The headphone provides zero-latency monitoring that means you don’t have to bear the latency, which is the delay in audio and video.
Mix
An advantage of Rode NT USB is its mix button. The feature helps live streamers and other podcasters when they want to add pre recorded footage or tracks in a live recording.
Noise Cancelation
Being a cardioid pattern mic, Rode NT eliminates background noise from the audio resulting in more clear audio recording.
Disadvantages of Rode NT USB
Expensive
The Rode NT USB costs more than the Yeti, and despite all the rich features that Yeti offers, Rode NT is pricier and costs more.
No Gain Control
Although Rode NT gives Mix control and zero-latency monitoring, it does not give any gain control. You may not feel the difference for normal audio recording, but one certainly misses the button in a situation where you have to deal with loud noises.
Final Words
After reviewing both mics in detail, we have to admit both mics have their advantages. They offer good value, quality performance, and durability that one needs in studio mics.
Rode NT is suitable for recording instruments where you need to cancel the background noise. It does well for recording podcasts or live streaming when only one person is hosting the show.
Blue Yeti is certainly more versatile. The four polar patterns give it a clear edge over Rode NT. The only problem with the mic is that it does not provide a mix audio option and a bit less background noise cancellation.
Choosing one over the other is a matter of personal choice, but Blue Yeti certainly wins our hearts with its great value and multi-purpose use.
Jeremy has been running several online businesses behind his laptop for the past 5 years and he has worked as a freelance web developer previously. A trained marketer by profession, he also has Ruby on Rails and web development knowledge. His forte lies in eCommerce, SEO and content marketing. He’s been featured on Vice, Thrive Global, YFS Magazine, Forbes and several other publications. He prefers to connect with people on LinkedIn.
1 thought on “Blue Yeti VS Rode NT USB”
Blue yeti is a very good option for doing podcasts but for a new be podcaster it will be pricy. Your comparison with rode nt is very good and impressive. reading properly and get a clear idea about these two Best mics. Very good blog post no doubt.