Exploring Tom's Computing Essentials
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Quick List
The list in brief
1. Best Overall
2. For Streaming
3. For Talking
4. For Saving
5. For Music
6. For Podcasting
7. Shopping Tips
8. Savings
Thebest gaming headsets have some pretty impressive built-in mics these days, but they’re built to multi-task — they won’t deliver that professional-grade clarity you hear on the radio. A standalone mic will not only make your voice sound better and clearer to your teammates, coworkers, and viewers, it can also be used for other things (such as podcasting or recording music).
You don’t need to go full-onaudio nerd and get an XLR mic (though you can) to upgrade your voice comms. A spare USB port or mic jack is usually all you need for an interface. If you’ve already upgraded to one of thebest gaming keyboards and one of thebest gaming mice , it’s time to pick up a standalone gaming mic.
The Quick List
Best Gaming Microphones Best Overall Best Overall ](https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-microphones,6247.html#section-best-gaming-microphone-for-most )
1. Rode NT-USB+
Best Gaming Microphone for Most
A sturdy, professional mic with upgraded circuitry that produces full, warm, broadcast-quality vocals in a plug-and-play package.
Best Gaming Microphones For Streaming For Streaming ](https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-microphones,6247.html#section-best-gaming-microphone-for-streaming )
2. Blue Yeti USB
Best Gaming Microphone for Streaming
A stylish, weighty, and iconic gaming mic with four polar patterns and easy-to-use on-mic controls.
Best Gaming Microphones For Talking For Talking ](https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-microphones,6247.html#section-best-gaming-microphone-for-talking )
3. HyperX QuadCast S
Best Gaming Microphone for Talking
A long-standing favorite mic with bright, colorful RGB, four polar patterns, and the best tap-to-mute implementation around.
Logitech Yeti Orb For Saving For Saving ](https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-microphones,6247.html#section-best-budget-gaming-microphone )
4. Logitech Yeti Orb
Best Budget Gaming Microphone
The new, darker, $60 snowball that sounds awesome out of the box.
Best Gaming Microphones For Music For Music ](https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-microphones,6247.html#section-best-gaming-microphone-for-music-recording )
5. Beyerdynamic FOX
Best Gaming Microphone for Music Recording
A hi-res mic with 96 kHz/24-bit recording, on-mic controls, and a sturdy pop filter.
Best Gaming Microphones For Podcasting For Podcasting ](https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-microphones,6247.html#section-best-gaming-microphone-for-podcasting )
6. Audio-Technica AT2020USB+
Best Gaming Microphone for Podcasting
A premium mic with warm, detailed vocals and a pleasant high-end — perfect for speaking.
The Best Gaming Microphones You Can Buy Today
Why you can trust Tom’s Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test .
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1. Rode NT-USB+
Best Gaming Mic
Specifications
Sample rate: 48 KHz
Bit rate: 24-bit
Frequency response: 20 Hz-20 KHz
Condenser Type: -
Polar Patterns: Cardioid
Cable length: 9.8 feet (3m)
Connectivity: USB-C
Today’s Best Deals
Reasons to buy
Sturdy, well-built
Comes with detachable pop filter
Sounds fantastic
Reasons to avoid
-
No on-mic gain control
-
Louder audio sources still clip
Rode’s NT-USB+ retains the sturdy, professional design of its predecessor — the NT-USB — but adds some pretty impressive upgrades, including enhanced circuitry, Rode’s Revolution Preamp technology, and an internal DSP (as well as USB-C connectivity). This condenser microphone produces excellent vocals with a solid low end and very little self noise — giving you broadcast-quality sound in an easy-to-use, plug-and-play package.
The NT-USB+ comes with a 9.8-foot (3m) USB-C to USB-C cable, a plastic tripod desktop stand, a detachable metal mesh pop shield, and a detachable ring mount that can be easily mounted on a boom arm (or a different stand). It features a 3.5mm high-power headphone output for zero-latency monitoring on the mic, as well as two dials to control mix and headphone volume level. It does not have a gain dial or a mute button. The NT-USB+’s internal DSP allows for advanced audio processing, which can be activated using one of Rode’s apps — Rode Central, Rode Connect, or the new Rode X Unify software.
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The NT-USB+ improves upon the NT-USB — already an impressive USB microphone — to deliver fantastic-sounding, clean audio with a low noise floor. If you’re looking for a mic that will make you sound great while you’re chatting with teammates or streaming over Twitch, look no further.
Read: Rode NT-USB+ Review
Best Gaming Microphone for Streaming
Clear vocals and stability make the Blue Yeti USB the best streaming microphone.
2. Blue Yeti USB
Best Gaming Microphone for Streaming
Our expert review:
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Specifications
Sample rate: 44 KHz
Bit rate: 16-bit
Frequency response: 20 Hz-20 KHz
Condenser Type: Back electret
Polar patterns: Cardioid, bidirectional, omnidirectional, stereo
Cable length: 3.3 feet (1m)
Connectivity: USB Type-A
Today’s Best Deals
Reasons to buy
Stable stand
Crystal clear vocals
Easy control layout
Reasons to avoid
-
Outmatched for sound quality by rivals
-
No hi-res recording options
-
Crunchy audio characteristics
The Blue Yeti was there at the birth of the streaming boom, and it’s still a ubiquitous desktop feature on Twitch — and with good reason. It’s just about the easiest mic to use on the market and it excels at picking up a single vocal signal.
Logitech’s Blue Yeti is built to a very high standard and will stay where you angle it on its weighty desktop stand. The design of that stand, along with the understated, retro aesthetic of the mic capsule itself, makes this the an iconic and stylish USB microphone — and that’s important when you’re streaming yourself for an audience of judging eyes. It doesn’t have RGB lighting to sync to your stream, however — you’ll need Logitech’s newYeti Orb or one ofHyperX’s mics for a lightshow.
The Blue Yeti’s controls couldn’t be easier to use while you’re streaming. A single volume control and a mute button on the front of the mic are all you get, and for the intended purpose that’s all you really need. — you’re never going to accidentally hit the wrong thing mid-stream.
While the Blue Yeti does best when it’s picking up just one person’s voice, it does have four polar patterns for versatility. While everyone will tell you that you should have a separate mic for each individual speaker (and you should), the Yeti can be used to pick up multiple speakers or spatial sounds in a pinch.
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3. HyperX QuadCast S
Best Gaming Microphone for Talking
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Specifications
Sample rate: 48 KHz
Bit rate: 16-bit
Frequency response: 20 Hz-20 KHz
Condenser Type: not disclosed
Polar Patterns: Stereo, omnidirectional, cardioid, bidirectional
Cable length: not disclosed
Connectivity: USB-A to USB-C cable
Today’s Best Deals
Reasons to buy
Very useful shock mount
Superior build quality
Sounds as good as similarly priced competitors
Four polar patterns
Reasons to avoid
-
Not much different from original QuadCast
-
Software needed to turn RGB off
-
Not quite a studio mic
The HyperX QuadCast S is another gamer-oriented USB mic that’s been around for a while (the QuadCast S is a refreshed version of the originalQuadCast ). The QuadCast S will work for a variety of situations, thanks to its large capsule, which features an internal pop filter and four polar patterns. It comes with an attached shock mount and a desktop stand, and — as of the most recent refresh — in black and white colorways.
It has on-mic gain control and a surprisingly unique touch-sensitive mute button that eliminates the audible pop you get when muting mics with mechanical buttons/switches. The mic’s capsule is fully-lit with bright, colorful RGB lighting (which might be a tad ostentatious for some); this goes red when the mic is muted, leaving no ambiguity as to whether people can hear you. (In other words, it’s perfect for conference calls.)
The QuadCast S’s main downside is that it’s limited to 48 kHz/16-bit recording — which is fine for voice chats and streaming, but not great for podcasting or recording music. If you don’t need four polar patterns, theHyperX DuoCast records audio in 96 kHz/24-bit format, and is smaller and less flashy than the QuadCast S (same tap-to-mute, though).
Read: HyperX QuadCast S Review
Best Budget Gaming Microphone
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
4. Logitech Yeti Orb
Best Budget Gaming Microphone
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Specifications
Sample rate: 48 kHz
Bit rate: 24-bit
Frequency response: 70 Hz - 20 KHz
Condenser Type: Condenser
Polar patterns: Cardioid
Cable length: -
Connectivity: USB-C
Today’s Best Deals
Reasons to buy
Sounds great
Light changes color when recording
Budget-friendly
SO EASY TO USE
Reasons to avoid
-
No on-mic controls
-
Stand is not adjustable
-
Need to be close for the best sound
Logitech’s Yeti Orb is the soft successor to the classic Blue Snowball: a round, ball-shaped USB condenser microphone with a cardioid polar pattern and a frequency response rate of 70 - 20,000 Hz. Featuring customizable RGB lighting, a removable desktop stand, and a softer, more modern-looking design, this perfect plug-and-play mic sounds fantastic for its budget-friendly $60 MSRP.
The Yeti Orb is simple by design. It only has one polar pattern (cardioid), but it records audio at 24-bit / 48 kHz and has a relatively wide frequency response range. It comes with a sturdy (if slightly short) plastic tripod stand and has two mounting points that let you mount the mic either straight on or at an angle. It works very well out of the box, offering up full, relatively warm vocals and keeping plosives at bay, but it does do best when it’s optimally positioned (i.e., not behind your keyboard). It works with Logitech’s Blue Vo!ce software, which features real-time voice modulation as well as a 3-band EQ, a high-pass filter, noise reduction/noise gate, a compressor, a de-esser, and a de-popper, as well as vocal effects and a sound sampler library for streamers.
The Yeti Orb doesn’t have any on-mic controls, but it does have customizable RGB lighting that can be set to change color when the mic is active/idle. The RGB lights up the Logitech G logo on the mic’s band, but it features a hood that lets you see the color even if the logo is facing away from you (toward your camera, I guess).
Read: Logitech Yeti Orb Review
Best Gaming Microphone for Music Recording
If your focus is music recording, the Beyerdynamic FOX is the best gaming microphone.
5. Beyerdynamic FOX
Best Gaming Microphone for Recording Music
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Specifications
Sample rate: 96 KHz
Bit rate: 24-bit
Frequency response: 20 Hz-20 KHz
Condenser Type: Back electret
Polar patterns: Cardioid
Cable length: 3.3 feet (1m)
Connectivity: USB Type-A
Today’s Best Deals
Reasons to buy
96 KHz/24-bit quality
Great pop shield design
Studio mic capability
Reasons to avoid
-
Headphone preamp breaks up easily
-
Only cardioid polar pattern available
-
Higher quality bit/sample rate is irrelevant for streaming platforms
If you like to break out into song during your Twitch stream, this music-centric microphone is a great choice. Beyerdynamic is a respected name in pro audio, and the company’s expertise in the studio carries over beautifully in this compact, no-fuss USB mic.
Unlike most USB gaming mics, the FOX offers hi-res 96 KHz/24-bit recording quality, which is impressive for a mic you can simply plug in via USB and hit record on. This won’t make much of a difference if you’re on a platform that compresses audio and video, such as YouTube or Twitch, but if you’re into podcasting or music production you’ll probably want the option to go beyond CD-quality 44 KHz/16-bit.
The mic features on-mic controls for mix and volume, as well as a headphone input for zero-latency inline monitoring. The preamp that outputs this monitoring signal ran a little hot in our testing, distorting well before the mic itself did, but it’s still a useful feature when the gain’s rolled off.
There’s also a mute button at the top, and a high-low gain toggle (essentially a pad) at the rear of the mic. Beyerdynamic throws in a sturdy metallic pop shield that clips on without the need to unscrew anything, and you can angle the mic on its stand.
The Beyerdynamic FOX is loaded with features, but ultimately it’s the sheer recording quality and usability that wins out and makes the FOX our pick for home studios.
Read: Beyerdynamic FOX review
Best Gaming Microphone for Podcasting
The Audio-Technica AT2020USB+’s soundscape make it perfect for podcasts.
6. Audio-Technica AT2020USB+
Best Gaming Microphone for Podcasts
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Specifications
Sample rate: 44 KHz
Bit rate: 16-bit
Frequency response: 20 Hz-20 KHz
Condenser Type: Fixed-charge plate, permanently polarized
Polar Patterns: Cardioid
Cable length: 10.2 feet (3.1m)
Connectivity: USB Type-A
Today’s Best Deals
Reasons to buy
Close to the best USB mic we’ve heard
Handy lag-free monitoring
Brings in pleasant room sound at distance
Reasons to avoid
-
Tripod stand is a balancing act
-
Not quite up to the Beyerdynamic FOX’s sound quality
-
Picks up keyboard clicks
Like Beyerdynamic, Audio-Technica is a well-respected name in the pro audio industry, and it brings decades of expertise to the table with the AT2020USB+. This is a medium-diaphragm condenser with a cardioid polar pattern, which makes it somewhat specialized to lone vocal recording — but luckily it’s brilliant at that very thing.
In a straight shootout with the Beyerdynamic FOX, the AT2020UBS+ comes incredibly close to matching the FOX’s warmth and detail but falls slightly short. Yet, the particular characteristics of the Audio-Technica — a breathiness, and a really pleasant high end — make it perfect for spoken vocals.
We recommend a couple of additional purchases for this mic, though: a pop shield and a boom arm. We’re surprised a pop shield isn’t included, but it’s an inexpensive separate purchase. As for that boom arm, the tripod design felt a little wobbly during our testing. We preferred mounting it up above us on a nice, sturdy boom before hitting record, so we could relax and not spend our session worrying about knocking into the desk and picking up bumps and scratches on the waveform.
Read: Audio-Technica AT2020USB review
Quick Shopping Tips
🎙Polar Pattern: The polar pattern describes the area around a mic where it picks up noise. Some gaming mics offer more than one polar pattern.
🎙Cardioid: The most common polar pattern; best suited for recording one person’s vocals. Cardioid mics create a narrow cone around one side — the mic only picks up sound from that cone, blocking out the rest. Variations such as supercardioid or the more extreme hypercardioid pick up sound using even narrower cones.
🎙Bidirectional: Has two fields of polarity — one on either side of the mic. This is better for recording two voices simultaneously, though it’s always better to use separate mics to record multiple voices, if possible.
🎙Omnidirectional: The opposite of cardioid — this polar pattern picks up sound from all directions, and is best for capturing room noise and ambient sounds such as reverb from a loud instrument. This isn’t the best polar pattern for a gaming mic, but it can be used to record multiple voices in close proximity, if you’re in a pinch.
🎙USB Mic or XLR Mic: USB-based gaming mics are not the only option for the streamer, competitive gamer, or home recording enthusiast who happens to play some_Fortnite_ on the side. The other option is an XLR-based studio mic, which requires an audio interface. When used properly, studio mics offer higher quality and more versatile recordings, but don’t have an ADC, a built-in digital-to-analog converter (DAC), or built-in noise suppression.
🎙Inline Monitoring: Many gaming microphones offer inline monitoring via a built-in headphone jack, which lets you hear the raw audio, lag-free, directly from the mic. Inline monitoring lets you hear exactly how you sound, so you don’t end up accidentally shouting to be heard over background noise that’s only on your end.
🎙Frequency Response Range: This tells you the lowest- and highest-pitched sounds the microphone membrane is capable of picking up. The baseline range for a decent mic is 20 Hz - 20,000 Hz — the limits of human hearing. Some mics go beyond this, and while this may seem unnecessary because you can’t hear the extra details they pick up, you can “feel” subharmonics within the low-end frequencies. (The same goes for the other end of the spectrum — you can’t hear 22,000 Hz unless you’re a Pomeranian, but you can “feel” the extra harmonic details in the high-end tones your ear does pick up.)
Savings on the Best Gaming Microphones
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- Title: Exploring Tom's Computing Essentials
- Author: George
- Created at : 2024-08-19 03:27:59
- Updated at : 2024-08-20 03:27:59
- Link: https://hardware-tips.techidaily.com/exploring-toms-computing-essentials/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.