![]() ![]() Similarly any $200+ fancy RGB USB gamer mic will also sound about the same. If you have less money, pretty much any $50+ USB condenser mic kit will sound as good as a Yeti (Sometimes a little better), while being smaller. You could also use a lav mic, but any affordable (as in below $200) lav mic you find is not really going to sound much better than a decent gaming headset (preferably plugged into an audio interface to avoid PC noise) Because any < $100 SDC or shotgun mic isn't good enough to be worth it. If you want to hide the microphone out of the video, you'll want a Small Diaphragm Condenser microphone like a pencil mic or a shotgun mic, and the microphone itself will cost more like $200. They can sound amazing in a treated sound booth, but they will just pick up every little flaw in your room.įor most people sitting at a computer, (who don't mind seeing the microphone in the video) you want to be using a dynamic microphone about 1 inch from your mouth, and do not spend over $300 for the entire setup ($100 microphone with $200 for interface, cable, stand) Studio style condenser microphones have been the popular choice in streaming for awhile, but they are usually a pretty bad choice in a home office gaming setup. If it’s a multi-person podcast in the same room, you either want a cardioid mic each or a bidirectional mic for two of you, or an omnidirectional mic for multiple people gathered around a table.įor just streaming your games on YouTube or Twitch, the cheapest option could be to go for an all-in-one gaming headset, and if you have the cash-to-splash, then opt for a more professional separate microphone (USB or XLR) and your choice of audio mixer and DAC combination. To summarise, your decision on what equipment to use should be based on how deep you want to go with your budget - as the price can skyrocket quickly - and what you want it to do. SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless $349.Some of our favorite gaming headsets are: I can also say the same about my son’s HyperX Cloud Alpha wireless headphones which sound really great on Discord and offer clear comms when he’s playing with either myself or his online buddies. I’ve personally found that the quality of gaming headsets has improved exponentially over the last decade and although gaming audiophiles will always opt for a decent pair of headphones and a desktop mic - however, if you’re not too enthusiastic about the ultimate sound setup, then opting for a gaming headset is a perfectly acceptable compromise.Īs I mentioned earlier, I use a Corsair Virtuoso SE headset that in my opinion has a really clean and clear microphone quality, and to be honest, I think it sounds perfectly serviceable whenever I’ve listened back to any of my streams or recordings, and have had friends often remark on how clear it sounds on Discord. There are many more options for USB microphones, XLR mics, mixers, and DACs and you will need to research and see what fits the best use-case scenario for you and of course how much you’re willing to spend. Some of our favorite XLR microphones are: The advantage of having a hardware setup like this though is that you are able to configure and change settings more easily and on the fly whilst live streaming, instead of having to stop and start your recording/streaming software to implement changes and test new settings. Unlike the plug-and-play ease of USB, if you want to use the XLR interface you will need to connect a sound card or an audio mixer with an XLR jack to your PC to get things up and running. For an idea of cost, the TC-Helicon GoXLR is hovering around the $400 mark, and I’ve only seen the price dip substantially during the Black Friday sales. If you want to upgrade your setup from USB to XLR and maybe add in some mixing hardware such as a GoXLR or similar then you might need to spend a little more. Some great examples of USB microphones are: The Yeti I use is a desktop USB microphone that I’ve owned for many years and has several different polar patterns that include Cardioid, Bidirectional, and Omnidirectional patterns which can be changed with the turn of a small switch - making this microphone capable of being used for individual audio pickup for streaming to picking up multiple people in a room for a podcast or conference call. Also, a microphone boom arm and pop filter are must-have items and luckily these can be picked up quite cheaply. ![]() To use my desktop Yeti mic I find the need to make software filters, as the Yeti microphone can be so sensitive that it will pick up any and all vibrations and background noises if not configured correctly. ![]()
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