How to Make Blue Yeti Less Sensitive — 10 Possible Solutions to Reduce Background Noise

If your Blue Yeti picks up everything — background noises, ambient noise, mouth noises, hums, keyboard noise, other unwanted sounds — you’re not alone. Even though I’ve been recording in studios for decades now as an instructional designer creating eLearning modules, I’ve encountered the same challenges with the Blue Yeti.

It’s a fantastic microphone for its versatility and quality, but its sensitivity can sometimes be too much of a good thing, especially in less-than-ideal recording environments.

In this article, I’ll share some tried-and-true methods I’ve picked up over the years to tame the Yeti’s sensitivity. These tips will help you achieve clearer, more professional recordings, whether you’re working from a home studio, an office, or any space not specifically designed for audio recording.

To assemble these tips, I talked to other recording engineers, microphone manufacturers, and even designers like those types who could have worked on the Blue Yeti design team.

The Problem with Blue Yeti Sensitivity

The Blue Yeti mic has three condenser capsules that offer four different, switchable pickup patterns. The choice of pickup patterns includes cardioid (heart-shaped), omnidirectional and bidirectional.

The problem is the Blue Yeti mic is extremely sensitive even in a quiet recording space, especially when set on the omnidirectional pickup pattern. If your Blue Yeti picks up everything from ambient sounds to breathing noises, rest easy knowing it’s a common problem, but it’s one that’s solvable.

In my reviews of omnidirectional mics, the Blue Yeti was my top choice in this article. However, if not used properly, the mic will pick up many unwanted background noise and room noise.

Almost everyone will run into problems with the sensitivity of this microphone until they learn the best ways to reduce and eliminate the problems caused by mic sensitivity.

The Sources of the Problem and Possible Solutions

Let’s look at common problems, their causes, and solutions to adjust Blue Yeti mic sensitivity.

1. Loud Home Background Noise

When the background noise is louder than the speaker, you have a gain problem.

Solution: The way to fix this problem is to use the cardioid pickup pattern to help suppress background noise. Also, speak louder and speak closer to the mic from the correct side (not top) of the mic. Adjust the gain on the mic until it records the correct level of voice, and the background noises, which the mic captures, are reduced.

2. Proximity Effect

The proximity effect causes your voice to have more low-end than is desirable. Your voice sounds “boomy” if you speak too close to the mic.

Solution: The solution to fixing any unwanted proximity effect when recording is to back away from the mic. Try to stay about six inches away. Use a closed fist to estimate the proper distance. Put your fist between your mouth and the mic.

3. Mic Is Picking Up Wind Noise

This happens when using a mic outside in a windy environment.

Solution: Use a “dead cat” (also known as a wind muff) mic cover when recording in a windy environment.

4. Mic Gain

There is a gain knob on the Blue Yeti mic that may need adjustment. Too much gain will cause the audio levels to peak and the sound to distort. Too little gain will cause the mic not to pick up sounds well enough or cause a steady unwanted background hum.

In this video, produced by Burnt Rawe, the narrator shows how he dealt with a steady background hum that came from his gain setting on the Blue Yeti mic and his computer settings. He went into the properties settings of the microphone on his computer, set the volume to 20%, and turned the gain up on the mic to full.

He shows how he does this on his Windows computer by opening the recording devices, selecting the microphone, selecting properties, and then using the levels tab to find the place to reduce the microphone input volume to the computer to a setting of 20%. Then, he turned the gain knob on the Blue Yeti microphone up to full.

There are two opposite trains of thought regarding using the mic gain on the Blue Yeti microphone.

One says to turn the gain all the way down and use the computer mic input volume up. The other is the opposite and says to turn the gain all the way up on the mic and turn the computer input volume down.

The point is that the balance between these two settings, one on the mic and one on the computer, makes the vocals sound better. Try different settings with your voice until you find the ones that you like the best.

Solution: Gain is adjusted on the mic by a knob. The gain adjustment can be turned all the way down and then added a little at a time to find the correct amount. On the recording side (the input to the computer), the microphone volume input needs to be adjusted to control any volume added by the computer.

5. Input Level

If the input level is too high, the sound will peak and distort. If the input level is too low, the signal will not be strong enough, and adding gain to the signal will introduce more unwanted noise.

This video, produced by Hazelnuttygames, shows six tips for getting the best vocal sound out of a Blue Yeti mic.

She shows how to adjust the gain knob on the mic. She shows how to set the pickup pattern to cardioid.

She shows how to use good mic skills and to speak directly into the front of the mic from about six inches away.

She recommends putting the mic on a boom stand and not using the desk stand that comes with the mic. Alternatively, if you want to use a clamp arm, use a shockmount. Get a pop filter.