Logitech Is Killing Off the Blue Mic Brand (theverge.com) 34
Logitech is merging its gaming headset maker, Astro, and microphone manufacturer, Blue Microphones, into its Logitech G brand. While the Astro brand will continue as a premium console audio product series under Logitech G, the Blue brand will be phased out. The Verge reports: You can already see the transition playing out on Logitech's website, which still sells Yeti and even Snowball microphones that merely come "with Blue VO!CE" but no longer links to a distinct Blue website or product page. Astrogaming.com, however, still exists.
It's not clear why Logitech is minimizing its influential brands Astro and Blue, which defined the high-end gaming headset category and the microphone-for-streamers category, respectively, but I wonder if Logitech simply decided it had to choose between Blue and Yeti -- and Yeti was the name that rang out. However, Logitech's simply pitching it as a synergy play: you'll be able to control all your formerly Blue, Astro, and Logitech Creator products in the Logitech G software suite when all's said and done. Logitech bought gaming headset maker Astro for $85 million in 2017 and purchased mic manufacturer Blue Microphones for $177 million one year later.
It's not clear why Logitech is minimizing its influential brands Astro and Blue, which defined the high-end gaming headset category and the microphone-for-streamers category, respectively, but I wonder if Logitech simply decided it had to choose between Blue and Yeti -- and Yeti was the name that rang out. However, Logitech's simply pitching it as a synergy play: you'll be able to control all your formerly Blue, Astro, and Logitech Creator products in the Logitech G software suite when all's said and done. Logitech bought gaming headset maker Astro for $85 million in 2017 and purchased mic manufacturer Blue Microphones for $177 million one year later.
some MBA needed a project to justify being a VP (Score:4, Funny)
That's my guess. Destroying existing brand recognition seems like a dumb idea, and integrating the Blue and Astro hardware into G-suite software does not implicitly require a brand change, just some dev time.
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That's my guess. Destroying existing brand recognition seems like a dumb idea, and integrating the Blue and Astro hardware into G-suite software does not implicitly require a brand change, just some dev time.
Agreed. Blue has a reputation for being a semipro audio brand. Logitech has a reputation for building crappy webcams and mice. Nobody is going to want to buy a Logitech-branded USB microphone. They'll assume it is garbage.
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That's my guess. Destroying existing brand recognition seems like a dumb idea, and integrating the Blue and Astro hardware into G-suite software does not implicitly require a brand change, just some dev time.
The stupids already did it with Harmony Remotes.
Terrible Idea (Score:2)
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I doubt it's all about the software anyway, if you have
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Never heard of it (Score:1)
I have heard of Yeti, not really Blue. If anything I would associate it with Blu, the bottom-of-the-barrel smartphone, or Blu, the bottom-of-the-barrel disposable nicotine vape.
However, knowing now that Logitech makes it, and it's a "gaming brand", I will just associate it with bottom-of-the-barrel computer peripherals.
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That probably explains why I hadn't heard of them. Any time I look at audio gear it's something designed to work with a discrete audio interface, usually with XLR connector.
Waste of hard earned cash (Score:2)
TL;DR - read the last paragraph.
I used to love Logitech. They pioneered making wireless mice and keyboard work. That's it, just work. Out of the box. No double-key no bounce/debounce. Just work.
Then they started doing random other stuff but I stuck with them. I even bought a WOW Yeti-X microphone during the COVID-19 pandemic so I sounded "better" on teleconferences.
Sadly they don't support anything other than Mac and Windows. My Chromebook is great, but to it my expensive microphone is just a doorsto
Brand Recognition (Score:5, Insightful)
Brand recognition of Blue microphones: Used by many successful Youtube and Podcast creators, along with a line of high-quality studio microphones used on hit albums
Brand recognition of Logitech microphones: Cheap plastic garbage that came bundled with "multimedia" computers in the 1990's and 2000's.
I know which one I would kill off.
This is a shame (Score:3)
Blue made some pretty good mikes for live vocals. I guess those will be going byebye soon enough. I doubt Logitech even knows what an XLR cable is.
Re:This is a shame (Score:5, Informative)
Came here to make similar comment, although I think of Blue more as studio microphones. As in, pro audio, XLR, not USB.
As I've noticed the growth of USB microphones, I've wondered if the (real?) XLR models would be phased out.
For those who don't know, in the pro audio world most audio people have pre-amp and digitizer (ADC) preferences. With the USB mic, you can't really choose the pre-amp or ADC- you get what they baked in. That said, there might be "hotrod" upgrades / mods for them, but most would rather start with XLR and use the pre-amps and ADC they already have (or no ADC if you're doing analog recording).
USB might be annoying for live stuff (I don't mean podcast). Most mixers have XLR inputs, and I'm not sure how you'd get a USB signal into a mixer. I'm sure some mixers have USB inputs, but none of the many I use for live events.
I once repaired, and "hot-rodded" a Blue mic- it was either a Baby Bottle or Mouse- I forget. Owner is a Grammy-winner in recording engineering, and he couldn't get over how much better it sounded when I was done. Not sure if it was the repair, my mods, or both.
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There's no way XLR mics will go away - for one thing, you can't extend USB for 50 feet (at least not without expensive and custom extenders). Even if you could, there's a large installed base of XLR in things like cable snakes (both in installed and temporary setups) that aren't going to be replaced for a long time.
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I wasn't implying that. "Blue Microphones" is the context here, so I was just saying it seemed like their USB ones were the big sellers and I wasn't going to be surprised if they (Blue) went all USB.
It seems there are more and more microphone brands on the market (competing with Blue and everyone).
And yeah, I know all about audio- just ran a concert this evening. I own several snakes, lots of XLR cables, some mics, mixers, speakers, monitors, rack effects, etc.
We are getting away from analog snakes though
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Audio semipro here. Never owned a Blue mic, but my understanding from reviews and articles was that they were basically prosumer. A bit too bright, lots of "character," but lacking the clean, wide-range, warm sound of a Neumann or similar.
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Yeah, probably. The one (Blue) I fixed and hotrodded (not going to give away my secrets, sorry!) sounded really good after I worked on it, but I didn't hear it before my fix and mod.
As I'm sure you know, every mic is different, and it's nice to match a mic to the usage. That said, it's nice to be able to afford to own a nice assortment of mics. Wish I could. I don't have anything special, but one venue I mix at fairly regularly has some pretty good stuff.
Do you have any really good mics, or are there an
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In the studio, my goto for ribbon mikes is a pair of Cascade Audio Fatheads. I use an Ear Trumpet Labs Edwina for a good (not Neumann or Telefunken quality, but pretty good) LDC. I have more, but those are my gotos.
As far as dynamics go, I have a bunch - everything from the oddball (Shure SM-60's anyone?) to the mundane (Shure SM-57s and -58's, a few Sennheisers for miking guitar cabs).
I have a Blue dynamic mike that I use for live vocals, which I love dearly, but the last time I checked at Sweetwater, Blue
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Wow thanks. I'd never heard of Cascade Audio. I need to get out more!
A few months ago I saw "Darlingside" and for at least one number they group-sang into an Ear Trumpet Labs "Louise" and I was stunned at how well it worked, the clarity, no hint of ringing (feedback).
I didn't know Blue made a dynamic. Now I wanna hear one. I've liked some Audix, esp. dynamic vocal. I often use Shure beta 87A, but don't use one on someone with "ess" problem. I've used a 57 on a vocalist and it was amazing. I've used 4
Logitech peripherals (Score:2)
I own quite a few Logitech peripherals.
Several webcams (G910, G920), several mice (G502 Lightspeed, G602, etc), several keyboards and headphones.
The keyboards have, in time, become worse. The dreaded double-key affected all Logitech keyboards as time went by. The newest one, G910, barely lasted two years. It's now an expensive door stopper.
The headphones started to suck back in 2016-ish. The G935, which I bought about 18 months ago, started having on-off key issues, as well as integrated volume key. The on-
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Their M525 mice last me about 2 years. Then they have scroll or clicking problems. I took one apart attempting find what ails those damn things. I was not impressed.
Blur mics are nice (Score:2)
I have a blue mic. I use it quite a bit for videos and meetings.
The audio is plenty good enough for voice, but the real feature is that it's straight to USB and comes with a build in heavy base so it stays where you put it. It's convenient.
I have good (for some definition of good) mics with XLR and phantom power that I use for music recording, but they could hardly be accused of being convenient.
Clearly ignorant of what they have... (Score:5, Insightful)
Blue was a premium microphone company. The Yeti was just a low end consumer product -- though probably the one that convinced Logitech to buy them out. Its really too bad to see such a good audio company get destroyed by the consumer industry this way.
Logitech? (Score:2)
I thought they were called Logi now, for some reason.
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I think they were going to, but decided to define "Logi" as a sub-brand of Logitech.
BTW. They are called "Logicool" in Japan, because of a pre-existing computer/electronics company in Japan called "Logitec".
One common theory about the sub-brand is that Logitech would have wanted to avoid having to print a different logo on everything sold in Japan.
Weird Strategy (Score:2)
I think of Logitech mics as 'mediocre' and Blue as 'pretty good'.
So now they'll only sell 'mediocre' mics?
Weird strategy.
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At these kinds of business levels, it's all about profit. A small company, like Blue was, is more driven by someone's passion to make a good product and hit a niche market. It would have been nice if Blue had sold the marketing rights to the USB stuff and held on to the better XLR stuff. I don't know anything about it, but I'd bet the Blue owners just wanted to cash out. Who knows, maybe they're working on a new line for pro market?