Blue has a reputation for making some of the best and most popular USB microphones for use with PCs. You’ll find Blue microphones on the desks of many of your favourite podcasters and video bloggers. I’ve owned a few of them myself. You’ll also find that Blue microphones are popular among the gaming crowd, used for in-game chat as well as streaming. Blue is making the most of this popularity by partnering with one of the most popular MMOGs of all time. Here’s everything you need to know about the Best Buy exclusive, Blue Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition USB microphone.
Unboxing the Blue Yeti X World of Warcraft edition USB microphone
The box this microphone comes in sets the stage for what to expect. Yes, it’s emblazoned with the World of Warcraft logo and graphics. But it’s heavy. Almost 1.3 kg. This is not some hollow plastic tube style mic, or a basic microphone mounted on the end of a bendy gooseneck. This is a serious piece of audio equipment. It comes packed securely in precision-cut foam. Pull the microphone out of the box, and it has an impressive heft.
There’s a very solid, heavy base to prevent tipping and to minimize vibration. A metal stand is mounted on the base, holding the microphone securely while allowing it the freedom to tilt. You can remove it and use the bottom thread mount to attach to your own stand if you have something more professional. The bottom of the mic has a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microUSB port. USB-C would have been nice, but maybe in the next version …
The front has a multifunction knob surrounded by a ring of LEDs. Look very closely and you’ll see these aren’t just dots, each is a tiny rune. The back has a button to cycle through four different mic pickup patterns (each indicated by an LED).
It’s painted to reflect the World of Warcraft theme. The primary colour is a bronzy-brown and there is plenty of gold trim. The World of Warcraft logo is displayed prominently. The base is even ringed by laser-etched runes. There’s no mistaking who this microphone is aimed at.
Hey, this looks familiar …
Despite the paint job, this mic may look familiar. That’s because beneath the World of Warcraft regalia, this is Blue’s excellent Yeti X USB microphone.
The same one that Darren Blakeborough reviewed a little more than a year ago. I also own the Blue Yeti X and it’s the microphone I’ve been using in my own setup for the past six months. I have to say that it’s not only great for voiceover and video work, it is also excellent for Zoom videoconferencing.
Easy setup, software delivers more
In my opinion, one of the appeals of Blue microphones is their multi-level approach. The Yeti X (regular or World of Warcraft) is plug-and-play for both Windows PCs and Macs. No drivers are required. Plug in to a USB-A port and whatever application you might be using, you simply select the Yeti X as your microphone and that’s it. The mic pickup pattern selector and gain levels are right there on the microphone, so you can get solid results without going any further.
However, you can go a lot further by downloading and installing Blue’s (free) software for Windows and macOS. That would be Logitech G HUB (Blue is a Logitech brand). This is where you find the extras like Blue VO!CE that let you customize and fine tune the output from the microphone.
This is also where you take that World of Warcraft association into the gaming experience. Blue has included a number of voices specific to World of Warcraft (such as Demon, Gnome, and Lich King). So your chat or streaming narration can match your character. You can also customize the LED lights on the microphone, and access a library of game sound effects (such as spells and atmospheric effects) that can be incorporated. Everything can be tweaked pretty much endlessly by playing with voice modulation and other effects.
Jon’s take on the Yeti X World of Warcraft microphone
I haven’t played World of Warcraft. I’m seriously dating myself here, but I was a big Warcraft fan back in the day. The original game and its successors, starting with Warcraft: Orcs & Humans. Those were RTS games, which were more my speed. However, I have three avid gamers in the house who live for online gaming and Jon (one of my 18 year-old twins) agreed to take the World of Warcraft microphone. He tried it with several online games, although he said that in World of Warcraft he’s not at a raiding level, so doesn’t use chat. Here are his thoughts on how the experience went:
When I was testing out the microphone playing online games, my teammates said my voice was crystal clean and perfect—they were very surprised. I then went on a Discord call with my friends using various sound effects from the Logitech app and completely freaked them out. Finally, I tested out the sound effects while playing the online game Phasmaphobia and made a lot of people mad. They thought it wasn’t funny to be using cool sounds like a gnome. Generally speaking, when online gaming I’d use this mic over a headset any day because of its amazing sound quality.
To paraphrase, the Blue Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition is an excellent gaming mic, and its capabilities aren’t limited to use with World of Warcraft. You can use it with any game. And the many voice customization options are undoubtedly going to be abused by any teenagers until they get tired of driving people crazy by talking like a gnome …
A great microphone for gamers, streamers, and content creators
At the end of the day, the Blue Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition USB microphone is a great all-round microphone. It’s equipped with a condenser mic array that delivers high quality audio. The ability to choose from four mic pickup patterns makes it adaptable to a number of different uses, including chat and voice work, interviews, and streaming. Blue’s software makes the hardware even better and greatly expands the mic’s capabilities.
For fans of World of Warcraft, this is the microphone to have sitting on your desk. And if you like what this microphone is capable of but maybe want a more discrete look, don’t forget the Blue Yeti X USB microphone is functionally identical.
