Audacity Forum

Yes, I have the USB version of the Mackie (I think) ... the mic is attached to the mixer and also plugged into the USB port.

To the question 'Do you get at least half-way lights on the mixer right-hand bouncing sound meter?' YES

Also on Mic Line 1 (the only one I'm using) the GAIN dial is set at about 2 o'clock ... just before the green light comes on and it starts to squeal.

The other day I had Mackie Tech Support on line and we went over all the settings ... they thought there may be a problem with the drivers. That was an answer that was interesting but didn't help me much since the only driver I have is in my golf bag and I don't know squat about what to do about it (including the one in my golf bag)

just before the green light comes on and it starts to squeal.

Is there anybody around that can help you through this? I officially don't know which way to go.

It's possible you're going to buy a nice Yeti and live happily ever after. But maybe not. The forum has well over 1800 postings from people having trouble with their Yetis. There is no doubt we can talk you through getting either one to work (or know why not), but it's not going to be fast texting over multiple time zones. Weeks?

So it's up to you. I think if we got the mixer to work, it will sound better than the Yeti. I like that style of microphone for voice work. There have been problems with Yetis sounding sharp and harsh. It's important if you buy one, save the receipts and packing and make sure of a return policy.

Koz

Koz ... if the Yeti is not the answer, is there another USB mike that DOES do the trick ???

is there another USB mike that DOES do the trick

Not that I know of.

Most of those microphones are not necessarily evil. They're having trouble recording on a computer. You get Yeti Curse whine sound when the Yeti manufacturing shortcuts meet the computer manufacturing shortcuts. Most Ridiculously Overpriced Macs don't have this problem.

I've been carefully avoiding equipment recommendations because stuff I can make work won't necessarily work for my mum, for example, and I can't tell ahead of time.

We are pretty clear when something fails on the forum repeatedly because of actual product failure.

There is one microphone clearly designed as a scam and almost always produces bad sound. Stay away from the BM-800 Professional Broadcasting Studio Recording Condenser Microphone Kit. Or any strangely "affordable" microphone with the number "8" in the title.

The last good quality voice track I recorded was made on a Zoom sound recorder sitting on a roll of paper towels in my quiet bedroom. No computer anywhere near. I have trouble recommending that because it's not the easiest to use. The recorder, not the towels.

Have you tried recording on your computer built-in microphone? They can be pretty awful, but not always. Given your current lucky streak, that may actually be better.

Koz

I think it's worth noting that the Blue Yeti is one of the biggest selling USB mics for voice over / podcast type recording. Although we see relatively high numbers of people having problems with this mic, it's worth remembering that the vast majority of people that come to this forum do so because they have a problem. There's probably many thousands of Yeti user that don't have problems, and don't come to this forum.


The other thing worth noting is that the infamous "mosquito whistle" sound is probably cause by interference getting in through the USB power supply. The USB power is much more noisy on some computers than others. It's quite possible that a USB mic may work perfectly on one computer, and be noisy on another. Having said that, it does seem (based on user feedback on this forum), that Yeti mics are quite sensitive to noise, while some other mics may be better able to reject power supply noise.


More expensive "big brand" USB microphones (Shure, Audio-Technica, Rode, Sennheiser, ...) are "likely" to be better at rejecting USB noise, though if the computer's USB power is very noisy, then some noise may be picked up even by the best.


Although I've not used one myself, one USB microphone that always seems to get good reviews is the Audio-Technica AT2020 USB+ (not the USBi).


Personally I'm not a fan of USB microphones, other than cheap USB mics for Skype / Zoom / ... where convenience outweighs quality.

There is a fuzzy rule in addition to price. Any interface or mixer with 48V in its services is much less likely to have USB problems because to get the 48v to work, they have to process and clean the USB service.


That's from a random sound mixer, but my little USB interface has that, too.


Koz