Blue Microphones

Blue Microphones

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Audio equipment
Founded	1995 (1995)
Founder	Skipper Wise, Mārtiņš Saulespurēns
Fate	Brand discontinued by 2023
Successor	Logitech G and Yeti product lines
Headquarters	Westlake Village, California , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Microphones, headphones, signal processors, music accessories
Owner	Logitech (since 2018)
Parent	Logitech

Blue Microphones (officially known as Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics, LLC) was a U.S.-based audio manufacturer specializing in microphones, headphones, signal processors, and music accessories designed for both professional and consumer markets. After being acquired by Logitech in 2018, the "Blue" brand was gradually discontinued by 2023, although some legacy products continue to be sold.

History

Established in 1995 by session musician Skipper Wise alongside Latvian engineer Mārtiņš Saulespurēns, Blue Microphones—whose name is a backronym for Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics—was headquartered in Westlake Village, California. The company’s inaugural product was the Baby Bottle, an XLR microphone crafted for professional musicians.

During the early 2000s, Blue pivoted towards consumer audio technology, introducing the Snowball USB condenser microphone in the late 2000s. Designed for compatibility with recording applications such as GarageBand, the Snowball gained popularity among amateur musicians and hobbyists due to its compact form factor and budget-friendly price, serving as an accessible alternative to costly studio rentals.

The company's flagship offering, the Blue Yeti USB microphone, launched in 2009 and has since seen several updated models including the Yeti X and Yeti Pro. Production originally took place in Latvia but shifted primarily to China by 2005, with certain manufacturing operations maintained within the United States.

In 2008, founders Wise and Saulespurēns divested Blue Microphones to Transom Capital, a private equity firm based in California. Later, The Riverside Company acquired it from Transom Capital in 2013. Logitech completed its purchase of Blue Microphones in July 2018 for $117 million. By June 2023, Logitech declared plans to retire the Blue brand for microphones, integrating future product lines under the Logitech G and Yeti names.

Awards

• Electronic Musician Editor's Choice Microphone of the Year (2000) – Blueberry condenser microphone
• RetailVision Best Hardware Peripheral (2009) – Mikey and Eyeball 2.0
• BeatWeek Best in Show (2009, 2010) – Mikey 2
• CES Innovation Award (2020) – Blue Yeti X

See also

• C-Media – provider of chips for USB microphones
• List of microphone manufacturers

External links

• BLUE Designs Website
• Skipper Wise Interview at NAMM Oral History Library (2011)
• Martin Saulespurens Interview at NAMM Oral History Library (archived)