Has anyone had trouble listening while recording using the Blue Yeti and Audacity?
I’ve gone the rounds with Blue Microphones support on the Blue Yeti and using Audacity. They’ve reviewed screenshots of all my Sound settings in Windows 7 and certified that they are 100% correct. They’ve reviewed my Audacity settings and they assure me that those are 100% correct. Yet I’m still not hearing in my headphones what I’m recording.
The only way I can hear anything when recording in Audacity is if I enable Software Playthrough. But then, even when plugged directly into the Blue Yeti for output, I get a 1/2 second delay. Their recommendation is to disable Software Playthrough, but when I do I get nothing.
Attached are screenshots of my audio driver settings. Everything is completely disabled except for Blue Yeti. Yet, I’m not hearing anything for playback when I record.
My headphones are Sony Noise Canceling MDR-NC7 (noise canceling is turned off, btw).
I’m not hearing anything for playback when I record.
I’m getting two contradictory things. At the beginning you said you couldn’t hear yourself when you recorded and that suggests you can’t hear the rhythm or guide track while you overdub. Both?
I’m discouraged that you seem to need to control the Yeti headphone mix by using Windows controls and not knobs on the microphone. This suggests that you will never be able to reduce live sound delay. The pass through the computer is what causes the delays.
Conveniently enough, the download Blue instructions resist copy and paste…!@#$%
I would so remove completely any USB audio devices except the Yeti. Windows has a nasty habit of unpredictably scrambling USB audio services. Close Skype – really close it, not just put it to sleep. After you do that, close Audacity and restart the machine from power off. After it all comes back up again and settles down (and Skype is still gone), start Audacity, make sure Edit > Preferences > Devices are set for Yeti Record and Play, and Record > Overdub is selected, not Playthrough.
There is one other oddity. The Yeti can create stereo sound. Most microphones are mono – full stop. You should be using the cardioid pattern for the Yeti and I think that produces a mono show. Try switching Audacity > Devices > Recording between stereo and mono.
I’m getting two contradictory things. At the beginning you said you couldn’t hear yourself when you recorded and that suggests you can’t hear the rhythm or guide track while you overdub. Both?
Yeah, sorry. What I mean is that I’m doing a voiceover, so at the moment I don’t have any rhythm or guide tracks. When I hit Record in Audacity, with the settings you see in my screenshot and the headphones plugged directly into the Yeti, no sound comes through the headphones at all.
I’m discouraged that you seem to need to control the Yeti headphone mix by using Windows controls and not knobs on the microphone. This suggests that you will never be able to reduce live sound delay. The pass through the computer is what causes the delays.
What I’m getting from Yeti support is that the mic was built specifically to remove live sound delay because you’re plugging the headphones into the mic itself, not through the computer. My plugging it into the computer was merely a troubleshooting step to compare results, but it definitely should produce monitoring sound straight from the mic headphone jack.
I’ll give a try to your suggestions. I did buy a Samson to try before returning it and getting the Yeti, but the Samson had a bad cardiod switch that seemed to be shorting out and sending static through the output.
Yes, as a matter of fact, the sound is really nice. I built a mini sound shield from pool noodles and old packing foam blocks I had lying around, put the mic inside it, and got some really sweet, rich audio from it. Now if I could just hear myself as I record myself, all would be dandy!
I built a mini sound shield from pool noodles and old packing foam blocks I had lying around, put the mic inside it, and got some really sweet, rich audio from it.
While I agree with the techies that plugging the headphones into the mic is a good thing, controlling it from the computer is not. I think that’s where your problem is. You haven’t found the right Windows spells yet to turn the monitoring on.
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Oh. Look at that. There’s a special driver you may need to install.
Please note the folded moving pad under the microphones. That prevents comb filter effects by sound reflecting from the desk. That’s hard to explain, but it has the effect of talking across the tops of three or four partially – and differently – filled Coke bottles.
Been meaning to come back here and mark the thread as RESOLVED. Blue got back to me with what should have been an obvious fix, were not the Sound menu so obfuscated.
Start > Control Panel > Sound > Speakers - 3- USB Advanced Audio Device > Properties > Levels > Microphone > Turn off Mute.
Duh.
Photo of my sound shield is attached. It ain’t purdy, but it does the job.
Nobody listening to the music is going to see that unless you show them. Having a very “busy” room behind the microphone helps, too. Hell is an empty room with no carpets. You will never get a good recording in that room.
I wouldn’t have thought planks of light-duty (designed for cheap shipping) packing foam would work very well, but if you’re happy with it…
