I have a Blue Yeti. I love how easy it makes things for recording directly into a PC or Mac. To be honest, I haven’t used it as much as I thought I would have, but it has been nice to have when I need it, like when Ben has his contests.
I’ve also been working on one of Ben’s Christmas tunes that I hope to record in the next couple of weeks, so I’ll be using it for that really soon.
Hey Joe, Amazon is having a 30% off sale on Blue Yeti mics today. If you’re on the fence, now’s the time to fall. 
I have 2 condensor mics, one is a valve mic and I also use an internal pickup sometimes, and a sennheiser e835s cardioid dynamic mic which goes into a focus rite Scarlett audio USB interface connected to my PC. The sennheiser works pretty good for recording.
Do you prefer the dynamic over the condenser?
The dynamic works pretty well and I can adjust the mix in Logic Pro. I wouldn’t say I prefer it, it’s just more convenient sometimes to just plug it in and go. Where as the condensor being more delicate I tend to pack it back in its case. If I’m planning to spend an afternoon or a day recording things, then I use the condensor. Don’t underestimate the dynamic as its a good mic and it all depends on how you set it up and what mixing software you have. Also mic placement plays a big role in capturing a good sound from any string instrument.
I picked up a blue yeti professional mic for $89.99 ($40 savings) from best buy. Mark, can this cable (3.5mm to 1/4") be used to connect computer to amplifier/speaker to send the output speakers? https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Housing-Theater-Devices-Amplifiers/dp/B00Y2LANUU/ref=asc_df_B00Y2LANUU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198091709182&hvpos=1o10&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12560203226258355326&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9014989&hvtargid=pla-392220473949&psc=1
I guess it depends on the computer and the speaker, but in general, yes, that cable should work for most cases. Also keep in mind that you’ll have to tweak the settings in the software you’re using so that it’s playing through your line out or speaker out, depending on what kind of speakers you have. IIRC, in GarageBand, you have to turn on “Monitor” to hear any single going out of the computer. Your mileage may vary.
Thanks Mark! Just wanted to make sure… I saw a video that said all it would require after connecting the Mic to the USB port was to make sure the control panel->Hardware Sound->Sound->Playback is setup to the correct audio device. In my case I’m assuming it would be the internal speakers so that the audio output can be sent out through the headphone jack. And then through this 3.5mm to 1/4" cable to the speakers. I have Acoustic AG15 monitor. I think if this direct plug-in connection works, it should also work with the analog speaker in the church. It is not a digital speaker to involve software. But I’ll play around and see when I buy the cable.
If you find you can’t connect try Radio Shack there may be a variety of cables and these guy’s are usually very knowledgeable on what goes where
Do you still have Radio Shacks in your area? All of the ones around me closed down years ago. 
Yes over here they are called RS. All our Maplin Stores closed earlier this year.
I bought the Blue Yeti. Should be here Monday or Tuesday. Prepare yourselves for lots of video uploads. Ben might have to buy more storage from AWS. LOL
@Mark_Rocka, do you use GarageBand for recording off the mic? I saw a video on how to loop and record during loop using a MIDI guitar in GarageBand. I assumed that would not be possible with a mic as it would not know when to start recording the next instrument for the loop. I tried looping with Audacity. There is a setting for starting the recording when it detects sound. There is a delay though and it does not sound quite right. Maybe if I play with the settings for the sensitivity on the sound detection.
I’ve never done looping in GarageBand but I’ve used it several times to record tracks, correct mistakes, and add effects. I’ve never noticed any kind of delay between the tracks.
I may be a bad person to answer this since I used to buy microphones like some folks buy hamburgers.
That said, you can purchase a condenser microphone and use it for live performances if you know what you are doing. The tricks to using a condenser microphone live is:
The main problem with using one microphone for recording and live performance is that you are asking one microphone to do completely different tasks. Live microphones are designed to reject sounds that are not in front of them. They also are designed to have an upper midrange bump so that the microphone sounds clearer and cuts through the mix. Also, these microphones do not need to have as wide a frequency response as their recording counterparts since they are used live in systems that are not necessarily meant to cover all frequencies from 20 to 20khz. Recording microphones are meant to be much flatter (less colored) in their frequency response and many are designed to to be used in a wide variety of recording set ups (with musicians circling the microphone “omni” or or either side “figure 8”). In addition, there are lots of different stereo recording set up meant for condensers including X/Y, A/B, Mid/Side and more. And in recording live concerts, sometimes you want the sound of the hall (use omnis or figure 8s) and sometimes you want the recording clean (close mic cardioids). Plus, a decent live microphone (like the SM58) would struggle to record an orchestra triangle or bass drum, or give you a decent recording of an entire string section…etc.
This is one reason I own dozens of microphones.
My suggestion is find a microphone you like and purchase a decent preamp (with lots of clean gain and headroom) for it. Learn how to get the best sound out of your mic and preamp in varying situations (experience is your best teacher here). I’ve recorded live concerts with crappy Radio Shack condensers, lousy preamp onto a cassette and got a pretty nice recording because I knew how to get the best out of each piece of equipment. Here is that recording (unfortunately compressed into an MP3… twice!)
Lots of good feedback, Jerry. I miss your families musical postings.
Jack
Back when I was in high school, I dated this girl who was inseparable from her best friend; they were always together. So when I asked her out, I called her Joanne since I over heard that name when she was hanging out in a group of people. After we dated, twice, her best friend came up to me and told me that she was Joanne and that the girl I was dating name was Charlene. I was mortified. Needless to say, we stopped dating soon after.
I mention this in case you think my name is Jerry. My name is actually Mike. However, feel free to call me anything you like, just don’t call me late for dinner… 
Here is my family a few years back singing “Baby Born in Bethlehem” while trying to corral our dog for a Christmas picture:
Archie, I thought Radio Shack went out of business long time ago. There are other shops in my area.
DrGuitar1, thanks for your suggestions… I do have a couple of DRI100 dynamic mics which I never really used except only once. I will use that for live performance if condenser mic would not be a good idea.
Your singing and music is cool!!
Well I been using the Yeti for a couple of days now. You can definitely tell a difference in the quality of your recordings. It sounds more life-like, whereas the internal mic of my laptop sounds muffled in comparison. The Yeti has a headphone jack on the bottom, which is where you can hear not only what is coming into the mic, but also output from the computer. So, I like to use this for practicing even when not recording. When I play along with Tef files, I find it best to use headphones because my banjo drowns out my laptop speakers. Well when you use headphones, you cannot hear your playing as well. So by using the Yeti with headphones, I am able to adjust the volume of both - the Tef output and my banjo volume coming into the headphones. Anyone else do something similar?
Beautiful! And you’re blessed beyond measure. Feel free to give me a virtual smack up side the head. I’m notorious for getting names wrong. No idea where I got Jerry from.
Sorry,
Jack