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Logitech Is Acquiring Blue Microphones For $117 Million In Cash (theverge.com)
Logitech announced late Monday night that it is acquiring Blue Microphones for $117 million. The company known for USB condenser microphones, such as the Snowball and Yeti, will join Logitech's existing portfolio of brands. The Verge reports: Founded in 1995, Blue sells microphones that range in price from $60 to over $4,000 (for studio-grade hardware), and they're used by podcasters, musicians, and any other consumers who need higher-fidelity audio than what they get from the built-in microphones on their devices. Now, after dropping a heap of cash on the company, Logitech will do its best to make sure Blue's devices become just as essential as its own wireless keyboards and mice. "For Logitech, this is a new space," the company wrote in a blog post. "But, at the same time, it's not at all. Gamers are already using our Logitech G webcams to stream. People are video calling with friends and family thanks to Logitech every day. And in business, our audio and video know-how is apparent every time a video meeting takes place at the office. Joining up with Blue and their microphone lines is a logical adjacent opportunity with great synergies."
Get a dictionary. Cash doesn't need to be in physical form on order to be paid to someone. cash NOUN 1Money in coins or notes, as distinct from cheques, money orders, or credit. ‘the staff were paid in cash’ ‘a discount for cash’ 1.1 Money in any form. ‘she was always short of cash’
"Joining up with Blue and their microphone lines is a logical adjacent opportunity with great synergies."
So, doomed to failure, then... ;-)
Garry Knight
They are known for the Blue Yeti, one of the best value for money microphones out there for streamers. Also have other quality ones.
"In cash" here means that they're not paying it with stocks, like some acquisitions are done.
captcha: currency
They're making pretty damned good microphones e.g the Yeti is very popular among serious streamers.
I'd suggest if anyone is interested in getting one, do it before the deal takes serious effect, Logitech isn't what it once was.
Blue is kind of like Beats: stylish, easy to use, popular, but never the top quality in its price range.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
If anything, Blue mics were nice because they didn't look like they came out of a 13 year old's "cool robots" art book.
They're making pretty damned good microphones e.g the Yeti is very popular among serious streamers.
Video blogging is not exactly what you need a "pretty damned good" microphone for. You want a reliable USB interface, that's all (and that basically precludes using more than one microphone at the time, anyway). The microphone capsule shouldn't suck too bad, but you don't need to worry about excellent SNR ratio or off-axis coloring or extended frequency range or transient response.
Basically it's a small step up from budget headset quality. Which indeed puts it into Logitech ballpark.
More than the customer base.
Logitech is a consumer brand, driven by volume. Higher quality items don’t bring the same revenue, it’s N units X $P. 50 units / mo at $2000 doesn’t excite Logitech, but a few such products are a nice stable way to fund a meaningful part of the burn rate of an SME.
10kpcs/mo of a $79 product is more like what they are interested in.
Everything seemed okay/meh till the end, when:
"synergies"
Uh oh. This is the digital canary for: "Y'all about to get so fucked."
The synergy is the parent takes everything, and as the acquired you give it all to them. There will be no reciprocity. Heads will roll due to "consolation" and new idiotic quarterly projections which some executive fucker promised without even consulting how much time said promise would take.
You must have reading comprehension in issues. That definition states that cash is coins and bills like a dime and 100 dollar bill, and NOT checks, IOUs, or contractual agreements to pay etc. So IOW all cash transactions involve cash. Who'd a thunk it!?
Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
We use Blue mics. They are just tools, not saviors. We know what we are doing, that's why we are booked for the next three years. Not because of what we have, but because of what we do.
Go back to blogging from your moms basement, son, and leave the real work to the professionals.
I've got a Yeti myself, and so does a friend of mine that runs his own business. He bought his after hearing how mine sounded, it can provide that rich "radio announcer" voice that people like to listen to. (in addition to the audio clarity, I also really appreciate its directivity and noise-cancelling selectable sampling patterns) He ended up re-dubbing all his existing instructional videos for his product line with the Yeit because of how much better it sounded.
I really don't know why you'd describe them (all?) as "crap mics", without anything to back up what you say, you don't sound very convincing. Cheap webcam mics are my idea of crap because that's what they sound like. And I'm speaking with over a dozen years of radio experience under my belt.
And no, you don't see them in hardly any big studios, because that's not what they are. They're high end consumer mics, not professional recording studio mics, at least not ones like what I got. The Yeti is one of their best values / most affordable small-studio-grade mics and is a great choice for smaller outfits like podcasters, streamers, and small businesses.
I get the impression you've never spent any time with a Blue mic and are just kicking the brand for some hidden agenda, or just snobbing it because "that's not what my friend the PRO uses".
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
Unlike TV, you need a big microphone if you are going to make a YouTube video, everybody knows that. And it should be placed directly in the middle of FOV.
Of course that is after you have placed your musical instruments and apple products casually in the background.
L'Idiot
Its unfortunate that the medium market for video streaming is owned by this low end company.
Complete nonsense. You don't need a "pretty damned good" microphone, but when the majority of value you provide to your viewers is your appearance and voice, you want a "good" microphone.
Blue happens to make "good" microphones at reasonable prices. Not whatsoever "small steps upward from budget headset".
On the other hand, pretty much any USB interface these days is "reliable", in that it doesn't cut out mid-stream. "Reliable USB interface" is an irrelevant concern unless you are paying less than $10.
People here sure seem clueless. Is Blue the absolute top-of-the-range recording studio quality? Far from it. But they are far above "budget".
Yes, you will not usually find Blue microphones in a "REAL professional recording environment".
Because in a REAL professional recording environment, a single channel runs $1-2k+ for the microphone, $1-2k for the preamp, $1-2k for the equalizer, $1-2k for the compressor, $1-2k+ for the AD converter.
No sh*t a $100 microphone isn't there. It's still good enough for a good-quality podcast, which a $10 stick isn't.
You're getting it wrong.
They are making pretty damned good microphones for what they are. I'm sure they are not suited for recording everything, but I'm pretty sure if you want something better it will cost you a substantial amount more.
I'm also pretty sure Logitech doesn't sell anything which reaches that standard, as they have turned into peddlers of diverse cheap crap rather than actually making quality products.
Blue has been making very decent studio-quality mics for over 20 years. No, they are not up there with Neumann, but the large-diaphragm condensers have a very acceptable sound and that's a good alternative to other studio mics for those who want that sound. I like AKG in that price range and have always liked Shure and Audio Technica in the lower price ranges. I have not used their USB mics and don't have a need. For those who really like the studio mics, this could end up being like CBS purchasing Fender in 1965. It will take a while, but commoditization will drive out the things that made the products what they are.
I used to use a Blue Yeti for screencasting but got rid of it. They tend to perform horribly in untreated rooms because they pick up everything.
You can usually get a much better result with a dynamic mic for any type of recording where you're not moving around and it's just you talking. Not only will you reduce background noise, but you'll also get a great tone. A $70 AT2005 dynamic mic (which has both USB and XLR connections) outperformed the standard Blue Yeti in my case by a huge amount.
They should use bitcoin. It uses a block chain. Much stronger than wrapping your cash in rubber bands (which can break).
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If it picked up everything, you probably had it in omni. Rookie mistake.
I've got a Yeti myself, and so does a friend of mine that runs his own business. He bought his after hearing how mine sounded, it can provide that rich "radio announcer" voice that people like to listen to. (in addition to the audio clarity, I also really appreciate its directivity and noise-cancelling selectable sampling patterns) He ended up re-dubbing all his existing instructional videos for his product line with the Yeit because of how much better it sounded.
How much better than what? A built-in cam mic? I doubt that his original takes were using something as "sophisticated" as, say, Samson C02 (pretty cheap budget mics with somewhat more consistent quality than Behringer), let alone reasonable mics (somewhat in rising price order) from ATG, beyerdynamics, Oktava or Røde. Which still aren't in the "professional" ballpark of brands like Schoeps or Neumann. The professional mic brands do not offer something like a built-in USB interface which blocks multi-channel setups and severely limits the lifetime of the product (a good microphone will easily last you 30 years or more while something like USB tends to die from the hardware equivalent of bitrot within a decade).
Welcome to the world of professional recording microphones. It's a large diaphragm condenser. Those pick up everything by design. There's a reason why real recording studios have isolation booths for recording vocals.
Got a bunch of rabid fans that want the Marble FX Trackball brought back Logitech! Please bring it back newer and better (well just add USB connectivity, it was pretty much perfect the way it was): https://www.facebook.com/Bring...
Maybe they'll do what they did with the Logitech MX 518... figure out which microphone everyone loves the most and then quit making it.
It's not the same usage case. This case is more akin to your first example. It means they are giving the current owners money as opposed to doing a stock trade.
whoooosh!!
I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
I was surprised at the amount being so low. The company I worked for was acquired for $147MM+. We didn't make anything...just a slight fintech marketing shop.
I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
Bought a samson directional mic years ago with a USB interface. Perfect for pod casts and videos.
[Disclaimer: I am not Creimer.]
I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
Jake: You traded the Bluesmobile for this?
Elwood: No, for a microphone.
Jake: A microphone? Okay, I can see that.