Blue Yeti Picks Up Everything? (Here’s How to Control It!)

Many users are surprised to discover that the Blue Yeti picks up everything, capturing not just their voice but also every background sound as well. 

This usually happens because of the microphone’s sensitive condenser, the configuration of the gain settings, and the acoustics of the surrounding environment.

Proceed with the guide to discover solid solutions for the issue!

Blue Yeti Picks Up Everything – Effective Ways to Fix!

Note: Make sure you have applied the best recording settings for the Blue Yeti microphone before troubleshooting the background noises. 

1. Adjust the Placement of the Blue Yeti

The Blue Yeti microphone is designed to capture sound from all sides (omnidirectional), which can lead to poor audio if positioned incorrectly.

Proper placement ensures clear voice pickup and minimizes unwanted background noise from your setup.

• Recommended distance: 0,3–0,6 feet (5–10 cm) from your mouth
• Boom arm or a shock mount: Strongly recommended to add/install.
• Keyboard dampeners: Consider quieter switches for the keyboard. 

ZontSound recommends hanging the Blue Yeti in front of your face using a boom arm or stand, tilting it slightly toward your mouth to focus on your voice.

Point the microphone downward at a 180° angle to reduce keyboard or desk noise.

Tip: Test the audio after setup to confirm your voice is clear, and adjust the angle if the background noises persist.

2. Configure the Blue Yeti Pattern Mode

The Blue Yeti offers multiple audio input patterns, but choosing the right one ensures your voice is captured clearly while isolating all of the noises from the background.

This is especially helpful for streaming or podcasting and adjusting the mode is possible via the pattern knob. 

Cardioid Mode (Voice Recording):

Rotate the pattern selector knob on the back of the Blue Yeti to the Cardioid Mode (heart shape icon), which focuses on sound directly in front of the mic.

This makes the Blue Yeti microphone ideal for voice-focused tasks like streaming or talking. 

The pattern mode is designed to reject noise from the sides and rear, which ensures the picked-up audio is free of any background noises or interference. 

Stereo Mode (Specific Setups):

While cardioid is best for most streaming or talking scenarios, some users find Stereo Mode (accessed via the same knob) works better for a wider audio pickup.

Test both modes to see which suits your environment, but stick with cardioid for focused vocal clarity.

3. Reduce the Blue Yeti Gain Levels

The Blue Yeti can pick up too much background noise if the gain and Windows microphone levels are set too high.

Adjusting the Blue Yeti microphone gain settings properly ensures clear audio with minimal interference, especially for streaming or podcasting.

Step #1 Use the Blue Yeti Gain Knob:

Turn the physical gain knob on the back of the Blue Yeti almost all the way down to reduce the sensitivity and minimize all of the background noises dramatically.

This helps prevent distortion from loud sounds during recording and ensures your recording is free of muffling.

Step #2 Use Windows Microphone Level:

In Windows, right-click the speaker icon, select Sounds, go to the Recording tab, choose the Blue Yeti, click Properties, then Levels.

Now, lower the microphone level to 20–30% instead of the default 100% to reduce the noise pickup of the Blue Yeti.

Start a recording via a third-party recording software or the default Windows Sound Recorder app to check if there will be any difference.

Note: The gain levels could also be defined by the third-party recording software you use. 

4. Use Software Noise Reduction Filters

In most cases, the application you use for recording or streaming has definitive audio settings that could help eliminate the background noise.

With streaming software like OBS, Streamlabs, or REAPER, you can apply these filters to focus on the recording to eliminate unwanted sounds.

Noise Gate:

Set up a noise gate in OBS, Streamlabs OBS, or Voicemeeter Banana by assigning it to the active filters of your recording and adjusting the threshold to block sounds quieter than your voice. 

This ensures only your speech passes through while cutting out low-level noise, like most of the unwanted background noises your microphone picks up. 

Noise Suppression:

Apply noise suppression in OBS or Streamlabs by adding the filter to your mic input and tweaking the suppression level to reduce most of the background noise.

The feature is often called “Noise Suppression”, but it may go by a different name based on your recording software.

ReaFIR Plugin Noise Profile:

In REAPER or OBS (via VST plugins), add the ReaFIR plugin to your audio profile and record a few seconds of ambient noise to build a noise profile.

Then, enable Subtraction Mode to clean up all of the consistent background noise and ensure a clear audio recording. 

Note: Be careful, as some of these settings may prevent the Blue Yeti from picking up sound. 

5. Reduce All Environmental Noises

Ambient noise, like computer fans or room echo, can interfere with the audio that your Blue Yeti microphone picks up. 

Even with proper Blue Yeti microphone gain settings applied to minimize the pickup of background noise, it’s important to make sure the room or studio is quiet enough.

Devices:

Relocate devices that could potentially produce high-decibel sounds, like computer fans or air conditioners, farther from the Blue Yeti, ideally several feet away.

This reduces the impact of the device on the microphone recording and ensures the mic captures your voice more clearly.

Noise Sources:

Use physical barriers like bookshelves or foam panels to block sound from reaching the Blue Yeti, further isolating your voice.

Recording Space:

Choose a quieter room for recording, preferably a room with carpets and curtains, to isolate all of the background noise and allow the Blue Yeti to record without interference. 

Physical Alignment:

Based on the current pickup pattern of the microphone, position the Blue Yeti away from potential audio sources.

If you are using the cardioid pattern, then the microphone will not be picking up any sounds from the side and back, which could be to your advantage. 

6. Install a Windscreen or a Pop Filter

When recording with the Blue Yeti, “P” or “B” sounds can cause “plosives” and create an unwanted pop sound in your audio, especially if you are standing too close to the mic.

A pop filter can isolate unwanted background noise and make your recordings sound professional. 

Place a windscreen or pop filter 2–3 inches in front of the Blue Yeti to reduce plosives without affecting ambient noise.

Now, test your recording after setup to confirm the pops are minimized, adjusting the filter’s position if needed.

7. Disable the Blue Yeti “Exclusive Control”

Another reason why the Blue Yeti mic picks up everything is that you have allowed external applications to take exclusive control of the microphone’s settings.

Disabling the Exclusive Mode in the Windows settings ensures multiple apps can access the mic smoothly.

Follow these steps to adjust the Blue Yeti exclusive control:

• First, right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar and select Sounds.
• Now, scroll to the Input devices section and click the Blue Yeti below.
• Click Properties, then locate the Advanced page in the new window.
• Uncheck “Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device.”
• Click Apply, then OK, to save the audio changes and close the settings.

After re-adjusting the audio settings, reboot the streaming software and check if there are any changes to the recorded audio. 

8. Setup & Use Push-to-Talk (Workaround)

Using push-to-talk ensures your voice is only heard while a particular button on the keyboard or an input combination is pressed.

While there is no input command, your microphone will deactivate automatically, which could serve a purpose if you are in a meeting or a call.

In streaming software like Discord or OBS, access the audio settings and enable the push-to-talk feature.

Now, assign a key (like CTRL or the fourth/fifth mouse button) to activate the mic only when pressed.

Test the setup during a call or stream to ensure the mic activates only when you press the key, adjusting the keybind if needed for comfort.

9. Restore the Blue Yeti Microphone to Defaults

A factory reset might be extremely helpful if the Blue Yeti picks up everything or does not appear in your recording interface.

While there’s no official reset method, a user-shared technique can help despite the limited availability of action buttons on the Blue Yeti.

Follow these steps to factory reset the Blue Yeti microphone:

• Connect the Blue Yeti via USB and ensure it is powered on with the LED visible.
• Hold the Mute button and Gain knob together (treat the knob as a fixed position).
• Unplug the USB cable while holding, wait 5 seconds, and reconnect the USB cable.
• Next, test the recording clarity of the Blue Yeti and check for any background noise.

If the factory reset does not resolve the issue, there could be a firmware corruption, so consider getting in touch with YETI customer support.