Blue’s Tiny New Microphone Wants to Be Good at Everything

Blue has long been known for excellent USB microphones — namely the Yeti and its younger brother the Snowball , both of which function intuitively for mass outside the audiophile community , while providing dependable recordings with little bicker . That attention to item has been shrunken down even further with the new , $ 200 Raspberry . But what indigence does it fill just ?

The Raspberry works with USB or lightning , meaning it can be plugged directly into an iPhone . At about 4.5 inch longsighted and 1.5 in square it ’s not quite pouch - sized , but it has the potential to be the most painless - to - enjoyment portable beginner mic . According to Blue , the Raspberry is about capturing sound outside the screen background environment and is , “ ideal for podcasts , on - localisation interviews , unrecorded stream , voice - over , audio for YouTube , and music . ” So countenance address those use case .

In spitefulness of a robust , highly portable plan , the Raspberry is not a hand - hold back mic . Sure , it agree in your mitt , but I found that moving it around create quite a bit of rattling in recordings that — for a troupe largely aimed at taking piece of work out of transcription — would require quite a lot of redaction to pillage out . Other Blue microphone allow you to select a specific icy pattern that determine how focused their “ hearing ” is , and the Raspberry does n’t . So it ’s forced to split the difference , and it ca n’t quite capture everything you need . For example , it ’s not a focus - enough to entrance an consultation in a noisy surround . healthy transportation from movement rules out its viability for field recording as well .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

trail music with an iPhone and the lightning - quick Raspberry is theoretically possible with the right computer software . I ’d immensely prefer the comfort of a laptop . ( Again , a reasonably less portable pick . ) In testing the Raspberry against Blue ’s equally - price ( non - USB ) Spark , the Spark won by a nautical mile , with majuscule clarity and noticeably less noise . Of course , the Spark requires additional gear to convert its signaling to digital , so it ’s not an on the button tantamount comparison , but I would trust the Spark ( and have ! ) for get across demos . The Raspberry seems substantially suit for jot down down ideas where the on - board iPhone mic would do . After all , it ’s less about sound quality and more about don’t - forget - how - this part - goes - until - you -can - track record - it - for - real number in those sorts of example .

As for podcasts , streams , and VO , those are all mainly background activity , which defeats the Raspberry ’s stated purpose somewhat . The Raspberry sounds much , much well than any mic its sizing that I ’ve tested , but it ’s also markedly more expensive than the Yeti whichremains our top pickfor USB podcasting microphones . The Yeti sounds better and has more rich features , like variable opposite patterns .

We can all appreciate what Blue has done for democratizing recording here — and like its other products , the Raspberry is beautifully designed . The stand fold up nicely into the body ( which feel like it can take a few drops ) for maximal portability , it ’s USB or lightning compatible , and provides great sound for its size of it .

William Duplessie

I ’m just stuck wondering who want it . Field recordists and interviewers would be well served by a Zoom ( or standardized digital recording machine ) and shotgun mic with the tight glacial pattern the Raspberry lacks . Podcasters and streamers already favor the Yeti and the Raspberry feels like a downgrade . But for someone who absolutely , positively require a go - anywhere mic with better - than - average sound quality , Blue ’s piddling pill might just be worth the investment .