The Blue Yeti microphone is a podcasting legend. The original plug-and-play USB microphone is affordable, straightforward to use, and reassuringly hefty. It’s the 17-year-old the mic that launched a thousand pods.
Now Logitech – after a few spin-off models down the years – is launching the sequel. The Blue Yeti 2. The new model adds a few new features befitting of the modern age, which will help with cleaner and more consistent audio, but perhaps reduce the charm of the sound. They additions include a 3D proximity sensor, AI noise reduction and a 1.5-inch display.
Logitech says the proximity sensor can help “creators maintain consistent, broadcast-quality sound without manual adjustment. Logitech Blue Yeti 2 introduces an intelligent voice proximity sensor that tracks the speaker’s position in 3 dimensions and dynamically adjusts gain, EQ, and pickup patterns in real time.”
The AI “de-noiser” will help creators to isolate voices from background distractions. That new colour LED screen features a Yeti brought to life within the UI. Users can control settings, voice profiles and more. The Yeti’s character alters his expression in line with the audio settings, from ‘mute on’ to ‘clipping audio’.
“When I first started sketching the Yeti character, I knew right off the bat that I didn’t want to just design a character but make a function that goes along with it. So the Yeti is not just playful, but gives purpose to that character,” said Suguru Ogata, Lead UX Designer for Yeti 2. “The goal then became clear: How can we change the Yeti’s facial expression to show the audio state?”
The Yeti 2 retains that iconic shape and the stand looks very familiar. It’s already available now in both black and white and costs $160/£140.
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