Have you ever thought about starting your own podcast, making YouTube videos, or even streaming your video game skills (or lack of) via a website like Twitch? If the answer is yes to any of those, then you’ve no doubt wondered what equipment you would need to do it, or if you’re already in the know you’ve started researching the tech and hopefully started to research some of the deals on the best microphones.
The Various Types of Streaming Mics
One of the most important items that you need to make content is a microphone, because you want viewers and listeners to take note of your voice and what you’re trying to convey. Mics come in all shapes and sizes and you will have multiple choices of whether to opt for a desktop USB microphone or maybe something a little more technical that uses XLR connections.
The easiest option is to just use the built-in microphone on one of the best gaming headsets, as some of these microphones have really improved over the years as more companies cater to streamers and the use of communications software like Discord and put more emphasis on quality and clarity of microphone audio.
So, what do you go for? In my case, I like to do a little casual streaming on Twitch and record the odd bit of audio for videos, and I have several options at hand to be able to facilitate this. Budget is a large constraint for me, as I don’t want to be spending huge amounts of money on something that I would barely make use of, or could be replicated or cleaned up by some third-party software.
My Streaming Setup
For my own setup, I use OBS and Streamlabs software for streaming and recording, and Audacity to edit and clean up audio files, hardware wise I have a Blue Yeti microphone, but also use the microphone on my Corsair Virtuoso SE gaming headset as it has excellent audio quality and is much more convenient to setup.
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. Also, a microphone boom arm and pop filter are must-have items and luckily these can be picked up quite cheaply.
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.
Some great examples of USB microphones are:
- Rode NT-USB+ $147
- Blue Yeti USB $103
- Blue Yeti X $129
- Elgato Wave:3 $149
Getting More Professional
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. 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. 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. 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.
Some of our favorite XLR microphones are:
- Elgato Wave DX XLR $89
- Shure SM7B XLR Studio Mic $399
- King Bee II $119
The All-in-One Solution
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. 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.
As 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. 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.
Some of our favorite gaming headsets are:
- Corsair Virtuoso SE Wireless $229
- SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless $349
- Audeze LCD-GX $899
- Razer Kraken V3 Pro $179
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. 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.
For 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.
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