Despite the World of Warcraft: Shadowlands release date being pushed back, today the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition officially launches around the world and Blue were nice enough to provide one for us to review. The new microphone from Blue is their best yet, with licensed World of Warcraft effects and fully customisable voice modulation which is sure to shake up your online experience and put you in a tier above the rest, so get ready to ‘Choose your Voice’ with the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition.
The best part about Logitech’s acquisition of Blue back in 2018 is that all Blue products moving forward are fully supported by the Logitech G Hub, meaning it’s as simple as plugging the microphone into your PC and letting the Hub do the rest (Note: this mic is not available on Blue’s ‘Sherpa’ companion app). Once the firmware installs, the Hub is where you control all the unique features of this special microphone by using the Blue VO!CE audio software for Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition. This suite of broadcast vocal tools and effects allows you to have the utmost control over your raid or your stream of any game, with effects from the World of Warcraft games as well as voice modulation.
Yes, that’s right, the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition has voice modulation allowing you to sound like some of the Warcraft races, as well as other typical modulations like a chipmunk or a robot. Throughout the pre-launch, we only had access to a few races such as Orc, Demon, Gnome and ‘Extreme Gnome’ however Blue have assured us that other races will be added at launch or soon after, including elves and undead. Each one of these preset modulations are fully customisable to your own voice, and it’s worthwhile spending a bit of time with each of the presets that you are wanting to use before you go live, and then saving them to your own custom list.
The wide range of effects will bring thrills and hilarity to your raids and streams, allowing you to troll people as well as adding atmosphere to what can otherwise sometimes be a dull audio experience. There are plenty of World of Warcraft sounds, and yes you can spam the sound of a murloc if you wish, but you can also have licensed WoW ambience playing which we think is a really nice touch to any stream as long as you don’t go overboard.
“This is an exciting collaboration with Blizzard that brings the World of Warcraft universe to life with Yeti X,” said Doug Sharp, Sr. Product Manager of Gaming at Blue Microphones. “Players not only get broadcast-quality audio, but can transform their voice to bring their personal creativity to their gameplay or stream. We’re excited to see how gamers and streamers will use the new voice modulation effect and the Blizzard HD sample library to entertain audiences and create epic streams.”
One of the coolest features of the Logitech G Hub compatibility is that you can use your Logitech G devices to control your Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition microphone, meaning all those extra G buttons on your G903 or your G910 Orion Spectrum should finally get a decent workout. Whether you want to quickly switch from Gnome to Orc on the fly or hit some of the different effects at precise moments during gameplay, the Logitech G Hub allows you to utilise your hardware to its maximum potential.
There’s also the option to import your own sound samples and then mess around with the modulation and/or bind it to a hotkey. There are plenty of both innocent and sinister ways to take advantage of this, but we’ll leave that up to your imagination the next time you’re in a zoom/skype meeting with your parents or your boss.
We had zero issues plugging and playing with the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition. It was super easy to set up in various video conferencing and streaming apps, and fully compatible with everything that we tried to use it for, including audio editors that we use to record music. This microphone is a universal one-stop-shop for all your USB recording needs, and unless you’re needing a multi-mic setup, you may never need to purchase another USB microphone again.
The microphone and stand come in a slick matte ‘Battle Grey’ finish with a gold trim below the grill and around the base. Also located around the base are special World of Warcraft runes which we were hoping would light up but still look great reflecting off the various RGB lights that are already on a typical battlestation. The microphone itself is easy to take off the stand and comes with a screw-mount base for easy compatibility with your microphone stands. It’s important to remember that it’s purely a USB microphone though, connecting with a (included) micro-usb cable. The only other plug you’ll find on the microphone is a 3mm headphone jack which we recommend using if you want to take advantage of everything the mic has to offer.
For the audiophile, here’s the full technical specs of the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition:
Microphone
Power required/consumption:
62 mA – 203 mA
Sample/bit rate: 48 kHz, 24-bit
Capsules: 4 Blue-proprietary 14 mm condenser capsules
Dimensions (extended in stand):
11 cm x 12.2 cm x 28.9 cm (4.33″ x 4.80″ x 11.38″)
Weight (microphone and stand):
1.28 kg (2.8 lb)
Weight (microphone only):
0.519 kg (1.14 lb)
System Requirements
Windows 7, 8.1, 10
USB 1.1/2.0/3.0*
macOS (10.10 or higher)
USB 1.1/2.0/3.0
Possibly the coolest part about this microphone is its smart knob which itself has World of Warcraft runes on it that light up and can be customised to whatever colour suits your battlestation. This knob gives you immediate control over things like mic gain, mute, headphone volume and your microphone/pc sound blend. The four-capsule condenser produces amazingly clear sound which your viewers and listeners are sure to notice. The microphone also has four pick-up patterns you can change via the G Hub or directly on the microphone via a button on the back. This gives you the flexibility for the microphone to focus entirely on your voice, or on multiple sources at once. The four pattern modes are Cardioid, omni, bidirectional, and stereo and instead of us explaining each of them to you, here’s the official technical wording:
Cardioid mode captures sound sources that are directly in front of the microphone
Omni mode picks up sound equally from all around the mic
Bidirectional mode records from both the front and the rear of the microphone while rejecting the sides
Stereo mode uses both the left and right channels for capturing immersive audio experiences.
In summary, the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition is the be-all end-all microphone for people who play and enjoy World of Warcraft. We struggled to find any negatives for this mic and can’t recommend it enough for any serious streamer or end-game player. Blue Yeti continue to dominate the USB microphone market, and this edition is the pinnacle of their products. While World of Warcraft Shadowlands is delayed until later in the year, the pre-expansion patch launches today which will get you ready for Shadowlands, so if you want to have the best loot this expansion, you’re going to want the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition.
Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition retails for MSRP $199.99 ($349.95 AUD) and will be available at all leading microphone retailers on Wednesday, 28th of October. Learn more at http://www.bluemic.com/yetixwow.
Positives:
- An absolute beast of a microphone
- Full Logitech G Hub compatibility
- Everything a streamer could want in a mic.
Negatives:
- The runes on the base don’t light up
- Doesn’t come with a pop filter.
