I just purchased a Blue Yeti. I have seen this problem has happened with multiple people. I am wondering if my problem is different or the same. When I plug in the Yeti to my pc or my wife’s mac, it sounds fine in my headphones. There is a mild hum, but nothing overwhelming. However, when I open up audacity or any other recording software and start recording, there is a high pitched background noise which comes into my headphones and then becomes a part of the recording. Are there any solutions to this people have found? Has anyone tried an independently powered hub which worked to solve this issue? It is quite disheartening.
It is quite disheartening.
That wasn’t the word I used, but OK. Could you describe it as "frying mosquitoes?
http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/clips/FryingMosquitoes3.wav
Similar if not the same thing?
There is no permanent cure that we found short of taking the Yeti apart which would void the warrantee. The wall-powered hub idea only works for some performers because many hubs don’t offer good isolation between the wall power and the computer power. That and at least one wall-powered hub inserted wall power noise instead of computer noise.
We’re not gaining on it here.
As I posted under a different thread, if you change anything, the problem will change, but it never goes away. Flynwill got the problem to vanish, but he took his device apart to do it.
Post a WAV sound clip so we can hear it before we ride off in all directions.
http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/TestClip/Record_A_Clip.html
Also forward the machine type, operating system, Audacity version, etc. etc. Don’t abbreviate or gloss over any of the numbers.
Koz
The whine doesn’t lend itself to noise reduction to continue the good news. It’s like trying to sleep through a crying baby on a jet by putting a pillow over your head.
Koz
If it is yet another case of the mosquito-whine on the Blue-Yeti mic , there is a post-production fix, see … Low volume, high-pitched sound with every recording - #8 by Trebor
Thanks for the replies. 
. I have tried some software fixes and they have hurt the quality of the rest of the audio. More than that, I would like to use the microphone for other functions as well, and the noise is distracting enough during the actual recording I don’t want it. It is looking more like I may just get a new microphone. Will see. I am in contact with Blue. In case anyone is interested the following is my present conversation with a support person:
Me-
When I plug the Yeti into my computer, I can hear myself through the headphones and it sounds fantastic. However, when I open an audio recording program or start recording, there is a very evident ringing sound I cannot get rid of. Not only is it distracting, but it makes the recording very poor. I have tried using multiple USB ports. I have used two different computers (mac and pc) and had the same ringing noise. I have used three different recording programs: windows audio recorder, audacity, and garageband. In all of these scenarios, I have had the same problem. The mic sounds great when I plug it in to either computer, but when I open up the recording software, a ringing starts in my headphones. This makes the mic unusable. What is the issue? How can I solve it?
Blue-
Hi Jeremiah,
Sorry to hear about your Yeti.
Would it be possible to send me an audio sample of what you’re experiencing? An mp3 would be preferable if possible. Set all of your levels to 50% - both on the microphone itself, and also within the Control Panel/System Preferences of your operating system. If I can hear what you’re hearing, I may be able to pinpoint what specifically is going on here. Thanks so much!
Me-
Yes. Thanks for getting back to me. I have attached an audio file.
Blue-
Hi Jeremiah,
Thanks for the audio sample.
Would you be able to try a different USB cable to see if the problem persists?
Also, I know that you mentioned that you received this Yeti microphone as a gift. Would it be possible to see if you can contact this person for the proof of purchase? It would help me see if you are under our manufacturer’s 2 year warranty… in case we need to test your microphone here at our headquarters.
Let me know so that we can get your Yeti back to recording! Thanks!
Me-
I managed to find a different mini-usb cable and the problem persists.
I will figure out order # information or whatever you might need over the weekend. I know the product arrived on Tuesday May 19, so I’m sure it is under some sort of warranty. I just started trying to record on Monday but haven’t figured out how to get rid of the ringing, which has been present since the first use.
I forgot about my machine information: Audacity 2.1.0, HP Pavilion G7, Windows 7 home premium service pack 1, intel i3 M380 @ 3.53, I’m not sure what else is relevant? Here is sound stuff:
Name Audials Sound Capturing
Manufacturer RapidSolution Software
Status OK
PNP Device ID ROOT\MEDIA\0001
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\tbhsd.sys (6.0.4000.0, 47.16 KB (48,296 bytes), 3/17/2015 5:36 PM)
Name IDT High Definition Audio CODEC
Manufacturer IDT
Status OK
PNP Device ID HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_111D&DEV_7605&SUBSYS_103C166A&REV_1001\4&B9420E5&0&0001
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\stwrt64.sys (6.10.6365.0, 522.50 KB (535,040 bytes), 11/23/2011 10:46 AM)
USB:
Intel(R) 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller - 3B34 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_3B34&SUBSYS_166A103C&REV_05\3&11583659&0&E8
The multi-point comb filters required to get rid of it suck tiny portions of the sound out of the performance. So, no, I’m not shocked that the sound quality goes down a bit.
They’re going down the same path that we went down. Make the cable longer, make the cable shorter, change the type of cable. Add a hub. Take the hub out. Change the USB connection. Etc. etc.
Each change affects the noise juuust enough to give you hope, but not solve the problem.
It will be interesting to see what they have to say.
It will also be interesting if you send yours back if they send you one without the problem. That means they changed the design. The Automobile Recall thing. That’s why they want you to post a sample of the noise.
We are on the edges of our seats.
Koz
Yeah, that would be nice. It would be surprising if they changed the design however, since the product just shipped from Amazon a couple of weeks ago. Otherwise I’m debating between the Zoom H2n and a usb mixer with phantom power setup.
We don’t agree with the idea of posting MP3 samples. It would be really easy for ratty MP3 compression distortion to disguise the problem. MP3’s job is to delete sounds you can barely hear. If you have to do that again, send the highest possible MP3 quality, 250 or 320.
You should be in Audacity 2.1.0 for all this. The tools in 2.1.0 are much better than earlier versions.
http://web.audacityteam.org/download/
They could go completely corporate and tell you that you are not using the microphone as it is intended to be used and the problem is completely your own fault. That would be good for a couple of weeks of back and forth. They can get another week or two by sending you a replacement that does exactly the same thing.
What ringing? I don’t hear any ringing? " Am I being too Debby Downer?
I do production with an analog microphone and small sound mixer. In my case, I use the high quality stereo analog input on my Mac. Newer Macs don’t have that any more, so I would use my Behringer UCA202.
But, you may well object, you’re still going to a USB conversion. True, but I’m doing it with the powerful, stereo, line-level signal from the mixer, not the thousand times quieter, wimpy signal directly from a microphone. There are exceptions, but combining “microphone” and “USB” in the same sentence is usually poison.
Koz
Dueling posts.
It would be surprising if they changed the design however, since the product just shipped from Amazon a couple of weeks ago.
No, I mean the replacement they send you would be of the new design. The regular manufacturer supply line would still have the older one until they ran out.
a usb mixer with phantom power setup.
That’s one of the exceptions. If the device says “48 volt phantom power” on the label, it’s probably OK. Generating 48 volts to run the microphone requires power processing and those devices are usually immune to the whine. My Shure X2U, for example has other production problems, but it does not whine.
You are warned that one of the Behringer USB mixers has “Phantom Power” in big block letters, but never says “48 Volt.” Way down at the bottom of pages of information they admit they use 12 volt instead of 48 volt. That’s not my favorite mixer.
Koz
Post what you’re planing on doing before you write a check. We can save you a lot of work.
The ACX recording class recommends a Rode NT1-A microphone and the MBox Mini-2 Mic-Pre and digitizer. If you’re not depressed enough yet, you can watch their video, remembering that they’re playing to the broadcast and audiobook market, not casual recording.
http://www.acx.com/help/video-lessons-resources/200672590\
Play the first one: Setting up a home studio. I see the MBox Mini-2 has apparently been discontinued. Isn’t this the most fun you’ve had all day?
There are two anomalous tones at 1017Hz & 2823Hz which the notch-filter at 1000Hz intervals isn’t going to remove. Here’s the code I used for the “before-after” attached.
(setf s (notch2 s 1017 15)) ; apply 1017 Hz notch
(setf s (notch2 s 2823 15)) ; apply 2823 Hz notch
(let* ((q 15) ; set the base Q for the filter
(freq 1000) ; set base frequency
;set the number of iterations
(iter (truncate (/ *sound-srate* (* 2 freq)))))
(dotimes (i iter s) ; start the DO loop
(setf s (notch2 s (* freq (1+ i)) (* q (1+ i))))))
Where does the “every 1000Hz” stop? I can’t make it out from the code.
Koz
That is Steve’s code. The iterations stop at half of whatever the sample-rate of the track is …
(iter (truncate (/ *sound-srate* (* 2 freq)))))
[ aka Nyquist frequency ]
Thanks for all the replies folks. I really appreciate your contributions. I am not going to resort to fixing the audio in post for this particular problem, although it is really nice to know it can be done. It is too distracting to listen to in the headphones and I’d rather just get a mic without a constant ringing whenever I record. It is early enough I can simply return this microphone.
I will make a .WAV file next time. I obviously have not recorded much of anything yet. Just trying to get a decent functioning mic.
The primary use for the mic is to record podcasts. I may also want to record some Google Hangouts, but those will suffer from the quality of everyone else’s mic involved anyway. I am very confident the podcast will be quite unpopular, but I don’t want it to sound bad. I want it to sound clear. No need for perfection. From what I have read, it sounds like as long as the environment is good, the Zoom H2n should be a simple way to acquire the sound i want for the podcasts and can be used as a mic for google hangouts or skype chats if I would like.
No need for perfection.
So you need a clear voice with good volume and without distortion or noise. That’s pretty much what professional recordists want. I’d be happy with that and my clients would, too.
Recording on a stand-alone recorder without the computer is highly recommended. I did my last few field recordings on an H4. No computer noise or sound management problems and no wires.
The one oddity about the H2n is the older H2, which is still going for new equipment prices on eBay. That’s an older H2 on the rock there.
Josh did all of his earlier work on that H2.
Nobody is singing the praises of the NEW!! and IMPROVED!! H2n. Now with 5!!! Microphones!!! The marketing people got ahold of it and I have no performance comments other than the ones posted by Zoom. No, it will not cure cancer.
Also note that there is no mono setting. You can’t make it into one, single, mono microphone. I think the best I could do was set it for Mid-Side and not use the Side. Nobody thought about that when they were packing it with 5 microphones.
This is where I muddy the water. The H4 series has the ability to manage XLR microphones in its base. The H4 only had so-so XLR performance, but the H4n is supposed to be much better at that trick to include full 48v phantom power for higher end microphones.
People have had troubles connecting these things to computers, but it should not be a big deal for normal stereo work.
Attached is a chunk from their H2n instruction book. Bus Power is where you got into trouble with your Yeti.
Koz
The root cause of the noise is the USB data lines making it’s way into the audio circuits.
Your experiment with the gain knob seems to show that the noise is getting in downstream of the initial microphone preamp stage and that gain knob. (I say seems because the mp3 compression might well mess horribly with the spectrum and my analysis)
Things that MIGHT help:
- shorter, higher quality USB cable
- different computer
- Powered USB hub installed between the computer and the microphone, coupled with a really short cable between the hub and the microphone.
- A usb isolator such as this: http://www.amazon.com/HifimeDIY-Isolator-ADUM4160-signal-isolation/dp/B00F4SCCR2
There are lots of folks on this forum doing perfectly fine work with the Blue Yeti, so the open question is whether your example is particularly bad (or in bad circumstances of cable or computer) or if it is typical and the other folks are just running their Yetis with the main gain up higher such that the whine disappears into the rest of the background noise.
Question: Is there a volume control available to the software (ie the slider in the audacity window) as well as the knob on the back of the microphone? If the relative settings of those may also effect the noise level. (ie it might be that if you turn down the software knob and compensate by turning up the knob on the back of the microphone the whine might get lower).
It’s discouraging that Blue Support seems to be going down that same list.
Koz
Ha. Yeah. I suppose all I am asking for is everything an ideal recording is supposed to be.
I would avoid using the H2n as a usb mic while recording a podcast. Blue’s support is only m-f, so we will see what else they say. I am concerned about what they are going to do next as well. I don’t really want to send in a brand new mic to have them repair it or whatever.
Koz, you seem to be the most active and well-versed regarding this specific issue with the blue Yeti. Is there a thread about this which sticks out as one of the better ones? I would link to link the Blue support rep to a quality thread outlining the problem.
I was thinking that same thing. No. Not really. We just have collections of anecdotes and comments and complaints. Startlingly, we know exactly how to get rid of it. Rip your microphone to pieces and change the wiring so the 5 volts comes from your own well-behaved, external, lab power supply instead of the supply inside the USB connection.
I know everybody will be wanting to do that.
That’s how flynwill got rid of his much smaller problem inside his Behringer USB adapter. He analyzed the problem and his engineering change made the problem go to zero. Not suppressed or changed it. To zero. That’s why I’m saying: That whole list of improvements will change the problem. None will make it go away. There is no Get Out Of Jail card.
That’s also why we said likely nothing short of a redesign of the microphone is going to be a permanent, global cure. Also highly unlikely because it’s an insanely popular microphone.
The high popularity pretty much doomed everyone who can’t get it to work. In My Opinion there are no good options that don’t involve a soldering iron or return post.
You can do a forum search for “frying mosquitoes”. That’s a phrase I made up that’s unique to this problem. I get roughly 40 hits and that’s only searching for that one phrase.
…if you’ve been reading the mail, you know that past that frying mosquitoes thing, the most frequent complaint…
…and etc.
Koz