Between online video calls, streaming, content creating, and messing with music, I really appreciate a good microphone for my PC setup. Once upon a time I'd be hard pressed to find a high-quality USB mic, but with many gamer brands stepping into the space great PC mics have become more commonplace.

What I haven't seen before is an exceptional quality PC mic that can also switch over to XLR interface for analogue use like Rode's NT1 5th generation release.

Rode may not be super familiar to gamers, but for those into music production and other content creation, the brand is a household name. Known for putting out excellent recording options, Rode has often been revered as delivering audiophile quality, often a bit cheaper than some of the other contending brands like Sony. The NT1 5th Generation microphone is yet another example of this, but in a mic that's so flexible you can use it for basically anything you can dream of.

Unboxing the mic is a neat experience as it's immediately obvious by the heft that this is a premium product, which you'd want for $259 USD. There's a lot more metal than I'm used to, including an aluminium body and full mesh over the actual mic portion.

The box also includes a shock mount, pop filter, and USB C and XLR cables that are thicker than the oceans (seven Cs) so it's usable straight out of the box. There's no stand, but it'll work with the standard threading for anything you already own. I've also had success on a box with a hole cut out for the cable and simply holding the mic.

The first thing I noticed when recording is how low the sound floor is on this microphone. Being a large-diaphragm cardioid condenser microphone, it is designed to pick up every little noise, but I also realised that my voice wasn't coming across as much louder than many ambient noises around me. Still I was impressed with the plug and playability across every device I tried it with. This noise gate issue isn't ideal for things like streaming but that's where Rode's free software comes in.

While there are no controls on the microphone itself, when plugged in via USB you get access to extra functionality through the free Rode Central app. This lets you set a gain input to raise the volume so your voice is crystal clear as well as manage the high pass filter to get rid of those background noises and it works a treat. Using it I managed to get my stream sounding like this in only a few tweaks.

Rode offers a few other apps to do even more, but for most this is probably all you'll need to play with. Though, after all this tampering I was worried about clipping, but that's another thing this mic handles wonderfully.

As low as the sound floor is, the ceiling appears to be just as high with a frequency range from 20Hz to 20kHz which outdoes our current fav mic the Shure MV6. Rode boasts that the NT1 5th Gen is an unclippable mic, and under the right circumstances they might be right. It's pretty hard to make this thing clip without the gain turned up a fair bit. If you're using Rode's suite of apps you can even recover sounds when this happens or alter them. The pop filter and mount also do a great job of keeping harsh sounds away, and the microphone itself is dead quiet which makes for very clean recordings.

This is partially because of high quality the recordings are, but also just thanks to the classic sound this mic offers. It really does have a lovely warm tone to it, which has been loved by singers since Rode started offering the NT1 mic. This same timbre applies to spoken voice, so if you're a streamer who values the tone of your talk, this will likely bring out the best in it. Though it's worth noting there's no native mute button on the physical mic, so you may need to setup a digital option.

The lack of on-mic controls seems odd, but it's because this isn't a mic designed for PC gaming, it just happens to be one that works excellently with it.

Instead, this mic is designed to be plugged into other things that control it which can take some setting up, but it also allows you to take this mic to different projects with different settings held to the computer, rather than accidentally layering things onto the microphone. It keeps it clean, so when you take this mic to a gig and plug it in via XLR you don't have to worry about your gamer settings getting in the way.

It does mean this isn't the right choice for many gamers. Most would be fine with something a fraction of the price like the budget friendly Amazon Basics USB Condenser Microphone or even a midrange option like NZXT's Capsule Elite.

But if you're a gamer who in any way dabbles in other content creation this could be the answer for you. It's a steep price difference, but the NT1 5th Gen almost feels like getting multiple mics in one package. By no means does it seem unfair for a studio quality mic with massive range, a fair bit of customisation, and the ability to use it wherever you want.

When I saw that Elgato's Wave Link audio mixing software now supports non-Elgato microphones, I got quite excited. I don't have an Elgato microphone, but I do care about my audio quality on my PC for a range of uses. So let's see whether it's worth an install.

The Wave Link is a mixer for microphones and output devices that can add effects and adjust sound on the fly from any source. Where you'd previously need a Wave microphone or XLR unit, it now accepts any input that your Windows or Mac device recognises.

The updated Wave Link app has up to five mix tabs and allows up to eight different sources. Effectively, this means if I want to stream, I can customise the mix of multiple outputs to be different to how they might sound when I'm offline or playing games.

This could be making a game lower volume on stream or making Discord sounds higher to more effectively hear chat. It's intuitive, easy-to-understand, and quite effective. 'Chrome' appears as 'Google Chat Download' for me, which is mildly confusing, but that's the only real hiccup I had setting everything up.

This in itself is a decent replacement for a full-on mixer, but it actually gets more interesting with the option to add effects. You can individually add compressors, de-essers, EQ, and more to outputs. Ones you've acquired some yourself, or downloaded through the Elgato marketplace. Not everything here is free, unfortunately, but there are some solid free effects that are easy to set up.

If you think the fluctuation in the dynamics between Spotify or Chrome is too jarring, throw a compressor and limiter on there to fix it yourself. This is neat, and swapping between different presets merely requires clicking on whichever mix you want to use.

There is a downside here, though. Effects are added at the beginning of a mixer stack, which means you can't set a de-esser on Chrome for just your personal mix and leave sound untreated in your stream mix. You can't even get around this limitation by adding two versions of Chrome to your stack. You can apply and unapply effects with the quickness of a button, though, so it's not a huge problem in my book

The eight total inputs are a small limitation, and you can add multiple outputs to the same track, but not multiple inputs. This means that a mixer stack can affect a wide variety of sounds, but those in the same section have to be treated the same way.

It's not just output that you can adjust with the Wave Link. You can add effects to microphone input, which you can then add to your output stack. With my Shure MV6, I can adjust some settings in Shure's Motiv app, or add them after the fact in Audacity, or skip both and do it all straight from the Wave Link.

As someone who spends a lot of time adjusting sound after recording when I make videos, I could see this majorly cutting down on recording time.

Again, though, it is held back somewhat by the fact that you can't add different effects for different mixes. I'd personally love the ability to up the bass in a streaming setup, and then flatten it for when I'm gaming with my pals. I don't necessarily want to hit the Discord group with a radio voice at 10 PM on a Friday.

What struck me in my time with Wave Link is that it being free, intuitive, and coming with pretty powerful stock effects makes it feel different to much of what is currently out there. I had a slight 'why aren't more people doing this?' moment as I used it. Rode's Unify is a solid mixer, with very limited output control that works with Rode's own devices.

Logitech's Mixline allows some mixing with non-Logitech devices, but it's not as intuitive and doesn't come with easy effects integration. The VB-Audio VoiceMeeter mixer is a tad dated in appearance, though still pretty powerful (and it will cost you after 30 days). The Wave Link works almost unencumbered with any device, is easy to use, and I think it would be a boon to any setup, regardless of whether you own a Corsair or Elgato device.

There's room for the app to grow in the future, too. There's one free voice changer effect in the Elgato marketplace, which could serve as a decent replacement for the likes of VoiceMod, but it will only get better as the marketplace does.

It could still benefit from some fine-tuning and a greater number of effects in the Elgato marketplace, but I'm sold on the app and could find myself using it from here on out. The fact that I can hook it up to my Stream Deck for quick mix swapping is just an extra cherry on top.

French publisher and hardware manufacturer Nacon has filed for insolvency, after Bigben Interactive, the majority shareholder in the company, failed to make a partial lone repayment. This appears to have caused a knock on effect that has led the company to declare that its "available assets do not allow it to meet its due liabilities." (via IGN).

While the news will be worrying for fans of games published under its umbrella, it's also concerning for its hardware wing. Nacon designs and manufactures a variety of hardware peripherals, including controllers, headsets, microphones, and more recently, racing wheels.

With debt organisation considerations now requested [PDF], it certainly seems likely that Nacon will be forced to look at what it can and cannot afford to keep. And while its game publishing endeavours look to have been reasonably successful, a question hangs over the viability of many of its wide-ranging hardware efforts.

For our part, we've reviewed a fair number of Nacon controllers (and various other accessories) in recent years, and haven't always been blown away by the results.

The Nacon Rig M2 Streamstar microphone and Rig 900 Max HS gaming headset failed to impress me personally, although other efforts, like the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited, have faired slightly better.

I also got a chance to test out a pre-release version of its recent Revosim RS racing efforts last year, and while there was plenty I liked about the direct drive wheel and pedal combo, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was a slightly-too-early demonstration of something that was a fair way from being ready to come to market.

It remains to be seen what happens next with the company, though it is trying to stay positive about the recent move. It says of the insolvency: "This procedure will enable the Company to continue its business, renegotiate its debts, and develop a credible and effective continuation plan."

While Nacon hasn't always knocked it out of the park, its hardware efforts have made for some interesting, and occasionally unique, additions to the hardware pot. So let's hope that continuation plan sticks.

I'm old enough to remember when plug-and-play USB microphones were rubbish. Your alternative, however, was the murky, audio nerd-inhabited world of XLR, which required the use of a separate interface to connect a microphone to your PC.

XLR is still the gold standard for professional recording gear, but the world of studio-style recording can be fraught with fiddly details. HyperX has decided that its latest microphone, the HyperX FlipCast, might as well have both connections at once. On the rear of the mic is both a USB Type-C and an XLR port, so it's suitable for both plug-and-play usage and most recording interfaces. Take your pick.

Not only that, but the XLR connection doesn't require 48 V phantom power, and can work in tandem with the USB version. That means any interface with an XLR socket should work if you so desire, or you can simply plug it in the back of your rig, or both—which makes for a pretty excellent start in the compatibility stakes.

The microphone itself is a large, dynamic unit, with a podcast-style form factor. It's got a sizeable foam filter, and comes attached to a substantial curved stand, suitable for attaching to a boom arm (both ⅜-inch & ⅝-inch threads are supported). What you don't get, however, is an included desktop stand—which is unfortunately pretty standard for this sort of microphone.

In fact, you'll also miss out on an included desktop stand if you opt for our best microphone pick for podcasting, the Shure MV7+. It's pretty much my favourite microphone right now, because it captures professional-grade audio over both XLR and USB interfaces, and comes with some very easy-to-use software.

It's a fair bit more expensive than the FlipCast at the time of writing, though, with the HyperX unit coming in at $261 to the Shure's $300. Still, the HyperX better be impressive if it wants to take the Shure's spot, even if it does manage to beat it on MSRP.

It's quite a good-looking mic in person, despite the product photos on the HyperX website making the large, shiny protrusion on the top look a little cheap.

Here you get a large, capacitive mute button and a sizable LED display that acts as a gain indicator. Towards the rear is a volume control dial, while on the back it's got those XLR and USB Type-C connections, alongside a 3.5 mm jack for on-mic monitoring. The FlipCast also has a streamer-friendly RGB ring, which spins through its colour wheel at quite an astonishing rate.

Yes, it can be adjusted. Anyway, an interesting extra feature is the addition of two small buttons on the rear of the mic, which control a built-in high-pass filter and presence boost function—which gives you an idea of the sound profile HyperX might be aiming for.

Clear and precise is definitely the order of the day. High-pass filters reduce low-frequency noises (which sounds a bit counterintuitive, I know), while the presence switch boosts the upper-midrange and treble audio frequencies. What you should end up with, then, with both enabled, is a decent whack of clarity, sacrificing a little richness for a more focused sound.

HyperX FlipCast - all software settings on, filters on

And lo, it comes to pass. The FlipCast captures a clear, if slightly thin, vocal tone with the filters enabled, although those switches are subtle enough that I can see many first-time users setting up the mic without realising they exist.

It's not a particularly wide-ranging sound at these settings, which will be a boon for focused voice chat cutting through the sound of gunfire, but not so great for vocal recording. Still, turn off the switches (or have a play with the EQ in Hyper X's Ngenuity software), and the FlipCast duly richens up—although it never quite reaches the crispy-yet-deep, radio-like quality of the Shure.

HyperX FlipCast - all software settings on, filters off

Speaking of the software EQ, I'd really like to see HyperX include some presets by default. I know my way around an equaliser, but most gamers would likely enjoy some basic pre-engineered settings to help them find the vocal sound they're after. Still, out of the box, the FlipCast appears to have been tuned well, and its default sound profile is actually pretty good.

The basic nature of the rest of the software, though, is disappointing to see. Noise cancelling, compression, and a limiter setting have been reduced to tickboxes, which means you can only turn them on and off—and when it comes to the noise cancelling, that's a real shame.

You'll want to turn it on, because the FlipCast is a rather sensitive beast. I'm used to setting up a microphone of this type for close vocal capture, which means keeping it a few inches away from my lips. However, the HyperX mic is sensitive enough to capture at a much further distance, which might seem like a good thing at first glance.

HyperX FlipCast - all software settings off, filters off

But with the noise cancelling off and the gain set to a reasonable 60%, it likes to pick up a lot of background noise, along with a little bit of hiss. Enable the noise cancelling, and most of the unwanted noise duly disappears—but it's quite particular about which noises it picks up and which it chooses to remove, leading to the odd audio quirk.

The softly-jingling zipper on my hoodie, for example (I didn't even realise it jingled until I started using this mic), gives it the odd issue. It'll duck the noise out very quickly, then cut back in in a way that suggests a rough audio edit.

Essentially, it's a bit of a blunt instrument, and you can hear it working a little too often for my liking. A simple slider adjustment would likely allow you to tune this sort of behaviour out, but no, on and off are your only options.

Turn on all the goodies, however, and the audio capture becomes a little forced. If I was using this microphone on the regular, I'd keep the noise cancelling and limiter turned on and the compressor left off, along with the filters. At these settings, you get a good balance of dynamic range, richness, and clarity.

HyperX FlipCast - noise cancelling on, limiter on, compression off, filters off

Very nice. This mic's tendency towards sensitivity also extends to the XLR connection, where you'll likely want to enable some VST plugins of your own to reign in its high-output ways. It's a good-sounding microphone nonetheless—just with a lot of lead in its pencil.

I'm not opposed to that in principle, but it's not the easiest thing to work with. And if you choose to go USB only with the HyperX software in tow, your sonic options are somewhat limited, even if what you end up with is a great tone overall.

So, it's not a bad showing for the HyperX FlipCast. But the combination of these caveats and its significant price tag is enough to give me pause. It's far cheaper in the UK right now (£195 at the time of writing), and if that price was translated into dollars, I'd be more inclined towards a heartier recommendation.

For $261, though, I'd rather spend a little extra and buy the Shure MV7+ instead. It's got much more impressive software, which allows for simplified, easy adjustments of its various filters and noise-cancelling options to find the right sound for you. It's also got a capsule that sounds genuinely studio-ready, and while the HyperX puts up a good fight in the audio stakes, it's still outclassed by the Shure offering.

And should you wish to save some cash, it's well worth considering some of the cheaper options in our best gaming microphone guide. They might not have the same feature set or audio-capturing capabilities as the FlipCast, but you can still save a boatload of money by picking up something very good (with better software) for less.

It's a great microphone, but for this sort of moolah, I want all of my whims accounted for. And while the FlipCast makes an admirable attempt, it's not quite the be-all and end-all mic it may appear to be at first glance. Lovely sound, though. I have to give it that.

Returning home one evening after a night of revelry, I discovered a mysterious Amazon box on my doorstep I had no memory of ordering. No, it wasn't the whiskey playing tricks on me, it was instead another gift from my mischievous editor-in-chief. This time he's sent me a $23 Amazon Basics USB condenser microphone to review. Goody.

Actually, I shouldn't be so quick to judge. Pulling the mic from its default cardboard packaging reveals a surprisingly weighty little chassis, and that's a promising start.

I've had the privilege of working with some roadworthy audio equipment over the years, and the little Amazon Basics mic has the same sort of heft I'd usually associate with something gig-proof, like a Shure SM58 or SM57. It's just in miniature, so you can easily integrate it into your desk setup.

The Basics mic also comes with an adorable little stand, which, for reasons I can't quite fathom, tilts from the bottom of the pole, not the top. I have no idea why the little mic loves a Dutch angle so, but it makes me giggle slightly every time I see it cocked to one side. A slightly bizarre design choice, perhaps, but I suppose a tilt is a tilt—and it's completely stable at a full drunken lean, regardless.

You also get a USB Type-A to Type-C cable, a brief quickstart leaflet and, err, nothing else. This is an Amazon Basics product after all, and realistically, this is about right for even some fairly high end desktop mics. A stand, a microphone to put on the stand, a cable to connect said microphone to your PC. All as it should be.

The mic itself actually has a couple of hidden features worth shouting about, though. Firstly, it's got an internal shockmount, which should help with table bumps and unwanted reverberation. And secondly, it has a tap to mute function, activated by… well, pressing a mute button on the front. I'm not sure that counts as a "tap", but that's how Amazon describes it, at least.

That's actually a feature our current favourite budget gaming mic, the Razer Seiren Mini, lacks. Score one for the little Amazon cheapo-beepo unit then. Good stuff. The Basics unit records at up to a 48 kHz 16 bit sample rate, and has a frequency response of 50 Hz - 20,000 Hz. These are completely acceptable specs for any mic, and combine to create an audio quality that I'd say is surprisingly good.

Again, I'd like to remind you this is a $23 mic. Sure, it doesn't provide the shiny, golden clarity and richness you'd associate with some of the best gaming microphones. But I'm going to call it here: it sounds downright good. Not just for the cash, but in general. I've tested many, many budget microphones over the years, and this one stands tall over anything I can think of for under $50.

Which again, is all it really needs to do. What dear Dave has sent me here is a budget bit of audio gear that genuinely works, with good build quality, perfectly decent sound, and no software fuss.

Really, my only complaint here is that you don't get any noise cancelling, which means this little condenser capsule is going to pick up noise from the room around you, and any of its inhabitants. Still, good luck finding a mic that provides comprehensive software features for anywhere near this price point, so I really can't grouse too loudly given the minimal spend.

And I suppose you don't get any RGB gamer flair, if that's your jam. But really, this microphone sets out to do one task, which is to record your voice well from a desktop position for a very reasonable outlay, and it accomplishes that task with aplomb.

All of which has me wiping my brow in relief. After the horrors of the Bengoo G9000, it feels like ultra-budget audio gear needed something of a win, and the Amazon Basics USB condenser microphone has achieved just that. It's weeny, it's well-built, it sounds good, and it costs you around half the price of a modern AAA game. That'll do nicely!

I'm a sucker for a cleverly-designed object. I'm also a sucker for a good budget gaming microphone, and the HyperX SoloCast 2 manages to be both of those things at once. At $60/£50, it's priced in the same sort of territory as some of the cheap and nasty models you'll find in the listings of many major retailers, but pulling it from the box reveals a surprisingly ingenious little gaming mic.

For a start, it's got such a neat integrated desktop stand, it's kind of astonishing to me that I haven't seen something like it before. Essentially, the SoloCast 2 comes as what appears to be one cylindrical unit with two boom arm screw mounts integrated into the bottom (⅜-inch and ⅝-inch, if you were wondering), making it seem like a standard, stand-less, microphone design. Break it apart like a shotgun breech, though, and it opens to reveal a hidden hinged base roughly one fifth of the way up its frame.

It's a robust hinge, too, which means it's weighted enough in its movement to stay at exactly the angle you set it at in a desktop position, with plenty of mass at the bottom to prevent it from accidentally tipping over. Combine that with some nice plastics, a vented grille, and an all-black aesthetic, and the SoloCast 2 really is a good-looking device to place on your desk.

Ports and controls-wise, it's as simple as it gets. There's a capacitive tap-to-mute button taking up the entire circular top of the mic itself, which means even the clumsiest among us (I'm including myself here) won't miss it. Around the back there's a USB Type-C port, and there's a good-sized LED indicator on the front that glows a subtle red with the mic on, and turns off when muted.

It's a relatively stealthy device, then, and I appreciate that. I've got enough RGB-lit doohickeys on my desk to bring a small aircraft in for landing, so testing something that makes an effort to integrate into my setup without drawing unnecessary attention is a welcome relief.

Although I will admit, assigning a red light to the 'on' configuration does seem more than a little counter-intuitive, and a terrible way for your boss to find out what you really think via a mute-based mistake.

Back to the controls. It's also got… oh wait, I'm finished. Yep, everything else is handled by the HyperX Ngenuity software, for which you currently have to install the beta, as it's a newly-released product that isn't recognised by the standard version. From here you can adjust the gain, configure equalizer settings, and add AI-enhanced noise reduction, compression, and a limiter with simple toggle switches—along with high pass, low pass, and presence boosting filters with similar on/off controls.

On the one hand, reducing all these options down to simple toggles for the most part (other than the EQ and the gain, where you can get surprisingly granular) is a win for sheer simplicity of usage. On the other, I'd like some form of slider adjustment for the noise reduction and the compressor at least, as both can be blunt instruments when implemented with a heavy hand.

In that regard, however, the default configurations are actually pretty usable. As you can hear in the clip below, with AI noise reduction, compression, and the limiter enabled, what you end up with is a fairly natural vocal tone, with a good dose of richness without the warbling horrors of noise cancelling-induced distortion. That being said, the SoloCast 2 is relatively quiet from a desktop position unless you boost the gain up (as I've done here), which results in some background hiss leaking in.

You can also just about hear my partner taking a meeting in the background (in a completely different room of the house) with a shut door between us. I'd appreciate being able to bump the noise cancelling up a notch or two to compensate, but alas, it's merely a take-it-or-leave-it option.

Where the SoloCast 2 is allowed to shine, though, is in close up. The built-in pop filter is remarkably effective, meaning you can absolutely mount one in a close-mic'd position for a more studio-like tone and less unwanted noise with the gain backed down. The capsule here has been well-tuned, and everything surrounding it is solid enough to reject most forms of interference without issue.

Other than that, there's… well, not much to talk about really. It seems very well-made, it's a handsome addition to your desk, and the software manages to tread the line between being simple enough for the everyday user, with just enough control left in the form of the toggles and the EQ settings to keep sound tweakers reasonably happy.

If I was being picky (and I am) I'd appreciate it if some EQ presets were installed by default, but the addition of an "add equaliser preset" option in the drop down menu suggests some may be coming once the software makes it out of the beta stage. As it stands, though, it's all very workable, and there's a lack of fuss to the design that endears me to both the software and the mic itself.

However, I think it's got a small but significant problem in the form of its major competition—the $25 Amazon Basics USB microphone. While the SoloCast 2 has a smarter design and adjustable sound settings (unlike the Basics, which has precisely zero software to fiddle with at all), it's difficult to argue with the Amazon mic for less than half the price.

Sticking the clips side by side, I'd say the HyperX unit sounds richer at a distance in a desktop position, likely due to the software compression and a higher-quality capsule. However, the weak noise cancelling lets the SoloCast 2 down, and while the Amazon Basics unit doesn't have any at all, it is significantly cheaper—which really matters at this end of the market.

Still, the SoloCast 2 is a good budget microphone, and if it weren't for the sheer affordability of the Amazon Basics mic, it'd probably be a candidate for our best budget gaming microphone spot by the virtue of its wider feature set as a whole. It sounds good, it's cleverly-designed, and it's well-priced. It's a shame it's been pipped to the post by an astonishingly-cheap pipsqueak, though, ey?

Should you wish to record your vocals for the purpose of gaming, meetings, or a podcast or two, there are a wealth of brilliant microphone options available to you. And, it must be said, quite a few of those brilliant microphones are made by Shure, a company so entrenched in the audio recording space it might as well have set up a tent. However, if content creation is your game, you might be considering upgrading from a regular USB-connected mic into the deep waters of XLR-based audio capture, and if so, Shure says it has you covered.

The Shure SM4 is the sort of microphone you might find in a home recording studio, aka your long-haired mate's garage which he's handily plastered with bits of egg crate and the odd spiky piece of foam. It's a condenser microphone with a cardioid polar pattern, which means it's designed to pick up both at close range and at a distance, and is appropriate not just for recording vocals, but also capturing instruments, ambient sounds, or really anything you might want to pick up in a small room.

It's also been heavily shielded to prevent unwanted RF noise from wireless devices, and comes with a 1-inch brass dual diaphragm capsule that, on paper at least, is a major upgrade over the units you'll find in most desktop mics. And, it must be said, it's not cheap.

The microphone alone will run you $219/£209 for the basic unit with a boom arm adapter clip, but Shure has provided me with the full $299/£275 Studio Kit, which includes an elastic-sprung shockmount, a detachable magnetic pop filter (designed to complement the built-in pop filter in the mic itself) and a handy-dandy carrying case for taking it on the move.

What it doesn't include is the +48 V DC phantom-powered XLR recording interface you'll need to connect it to your PC, the appropriate cable, or an appreciable amount of talent. The first two of those things, however, are available these days for sub-$100 sums, and as someone who's worked in content creation in some form or fashion for large parts of my career, I have a few of them knocking around. They represent a step above the plug and play, shake-and-bake audio of the casual user, and a bold move towards pushing your audio talents out towards the big wide world of content creation.

And, it must be said, when we edge towards semi-professional microphone territory, the prices have a tendency to shoot up rather rapidly—which means the Shure SM4 is actually fairly well-priced for its market segment. Still, it's a lot of moolah for a microphone, and whether you need one or not is something I'll be getting on to later.

For now, let's focus on the mic itself. It's a gloriously well-made bit of kit, with the sort of weight and dusky finish that I'd associate with studio-grade gear. This is going to sound like an odd thing to say, but it even smells professional. Off to the side of the shockmount is a 5/8 inch thread, with an included 3/8 inch brass adapter ring for different sizes of boom arm mounts, along with another 5/8 inch thread hidden in the base of the mic itself.

Nope, no desktop stand for you. This is a microphone designed to be used with an arm, and Shure will sell you one for $120. Here's a little tip, though—while the Shure model is likely to be pretty good, you can pick up a $40 unit that will probably do the job damn near as well. A fancy one is a nice thing to have, but I've been using a pair of these Tonor boom arms for years without incident. Every saving helps, right?

Attached to an appropriate boom arm and XLR cable, and plugged in to a $69 M-Audio XLR to USB interface I have lying around (I had to blow the dust off, but it does the job adequately), the Shure SM4 reveals itself to be a simply lovely-sounding microphone. With a 20 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response and the benefits of all that shielding, combined with its 1-inch brass capsule, it's got a tendency to reject unwanted noise and capture a warm, defined tone, with the sort of smooth-yet-edgy clarity I'd associate with some very expensive studio microphones.

Shure recommends placing it between one and six inches away from your mouth for vocal capture, which means the extra, magnetically-attached pop filter comes in handy for reducing plosives. The built-in version does an admirable job, but I'd say the extra unit takes away any worries about accidentally recording a "puh" and "buh"-filled vocal capture in a hurry. Plus, given the elasticated shock mount and the mics tendency to reject unwanted noise, capturing a studio-like vocal tone is about as easy as could be.

It's remarkable how well the noise-rejection is engineered into the physical microphone itself, which means for vocal work you could absolutely get away without software noise cancelling, and that's more than I can say for most cheaper models.

This is a creator microphone, though, which means I'd better dust off my guitar and have a little noodle to test its instrument-capturing chops. I don't have a front room stacked with valve amps anymore, so what you're listening to here is a raw recording of my rusty playing through a tiny Boss Katana practice amp with zero added compression, studio-trickery, EQ, or effects, beyond a bit of delay and chorus on the amplifier itself. Behold, dear reader—my diminishing talent:

Forgive the sloppy guitar work, it's been a while. Anyway, I'd say that's a pretty good instrument mic alright, especially as it's capturing a tiny budget amp in an un-treated room through a bargain-basement recording interface with no filters, noise gates, or tweaks. It pains me slightly to put up a musical recording without EQ-ing out the hiss of the amp and adjusting the sound, but this is as raw as it gets—and as raw signals go, the little Shure captures extremely well.

That being said, I'd perhaps shy away from putting it in front of anything capable of titanic amounts of volume, simply because it's a condenser model. The diaphragm inside that brass capsule will likely take more of a beating than most, but something dynamic like the classic Shure SM57 is the better choice if you're planning on close-micing something grunty. Condensers are more sensitive, fragile beasts in general, although this one feels like it's been specced highly enough to take more abuse than your average model, at least.

The question you should be asking yourself, though, is how invested you are in the idea of home recording. If you're already equipped with an XLR audio interface and the right cables and boom arms, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Shure SM4 as a brilliant all-round creator microphone. Should you just be starting out, however, then I think it'd be worth taking a look at your exact use case.

For those looking for a good desktop-based vocal microphone, we've got a whole best microphone for gaming guide that should have you covered. And if it's pure podcast-style vocal capture you're after, I think you'd be better served with the Shure MV7+. It doesn't have the same wide capture and versatility as the SM4, but it's a USB Type-C plug and play device that really takes the hassle out of recording your spoken-word vocals at home.

And if it's streaming audio you want, the SteelSeries Alias Pro goes as far as to provide you with a good audio interface, too, complete with some streamer-friendly programmable controls on the front, for similar money. It also neglects to provide you with an included boom arm, but bringing an interface into the equation for similar cash is difficult to argue with.

That being said, if you really are taking your first steps into building a home recording studio of your own, or perhaps upgrading an existing one beyond USB-connected gear, I'm sold on the idea of buying a Shure SM4 as a do-it-all solution. Its reliance on outside equipment is really only a reflection of the nature of high-end audio, and while USB-based all-in-one mics are fine for specific purposes, if you're looking to take a step towards, say, creating content for a living, you will likely want to consider buying a more capable setup.

The Shure SM4 would certainly make a worthy addition to that arsenal, and in that sense, I'm happy to recommend it. For your average user, however, it's likely more than you really need.

A good microphone doesn't need to have a million features to make an impact. Wrap a high-quality capsule in a sturdy frame, convert the output to a USB connection, and provide a stand. That's about all you get with our current favourite budget gaming microphone, the Amazon Basics USB condenser mic, and it works brilliantly.

It's also roughly what you got with the original HyperX SoloCast, and its replacement, the HyperX SoloCast 2, looks like much of the same—except with a redesigned chassis and some tilt functionality thrown into the mix. We were big fans of the original, but it's pretty hard to find now, so are we looking at the return of a budget gaming mic classic?

HyperX describes the SoloCast 2 as "an all-in-one mic that doesn't ask for more", and the keep-it-simple-stupid philosophy seems to be hard at work here. It's a cardioid-patterned condenser mic with a USB Type-C to USB Type-A connection, capturing up to 96 kHz 24-bit audio through its weeny little capsule.

The stand, however, tilts. Oh, and you get a foam pop-filter built in, which is pretty much a necessity if you want to get any microphone up close for a "hot-radio", podcast-like sound. It's also got mic arm threads underneath, which should make it a good candidate for attaching to a boom arm and getting up close and personal.

Should you wish for more, however, HyperX has also announced the FlipCast, a chonky affair that's more than a little reminiscent of our best podcast microphone pick, the Shure MV7+, except with a load of bells and whistles piled on top. HyperX says it's capable of "broadcast-quality" audio capture, with up to a 192 Hz, 32-bit sample rate.

It's also got a multifunctional wheel onboard for quick gain adjustments, monitor mixing, and headphone volume, complete with a tap-to-mute button and some rather shiny RGB lighting. There's also an onboard high-pass filter, which should cut out unwanted low-frequency background noises for a cleaner capture.

Both XLR and USB Type-C connections are supported, so this really seems like HyperX taking a swing at the ultra-premium microphone market. There are some big fish swimming in those waters, though, and it does make me question whether potential customers will go for a gaming-branded mic over something more established, like Shure's alternatives. It also looks a bit... fiddly. Unlike the SoloCast 2, simplicity doesn't appear to have been high on the priority list here.

Pricing is key, and HP has been in touch to confirm that the SoloCast 2 will retail for $60, while the FlipCast will be $230. That's a pretty good price for the SoloCast 2 at least, although the FlipCast will have to work pretty hard to justify all that moolah, in my opinion. Still, if it's a genuine competitor to the likes of Shure, perhaps that pricing will make sense under review.

The Amazon Basics mic is often available for a mere $25, and while the Shure MV7+ is even pricier than the HyperX at $279, it's also one of the best close-up mics I've ever heard. It looks like I'll have my hands full with new microphones to test in the coming months—and I'll be keen to see what both of these beasties are capable of when I hook them into my machine.

One of the joys of writing our Budget or bust feature is the possibility of stumbling across a diamond in the rough, and that's exactly what's happened to me recently. I've been testing the Amazon Basics USB Condenser Microphone of late, and I can now confirm that it's a brilliant little audio-grabber for a mere $26/£23.

That's right, $26. That makes the weeny Amazon unit less than the price of takeout for two, and after my time with it, I reckon it's worth at least twice as much. I've just added it in as our new pick for the best budget gaming microphone, and if you'll allow me to expound, I'll tell you exactly why.

For a start, it delivers everything you need, nothing you don't. I was expecting a flimsy chassis, nasty materials, and a stand that flops around like a dead fish for this sort of cash, and absolutely none of those expectations were met. The little Basics mic feels remarkably well-built, and I'd put good money on it lasting for years.

Then there's the sound. While I wouldn't go as far as to call the Basics a studio-grade mic, it's genuinely excellent at picking up and reproducing your voice at a distance. You don't get any gain controls here (just a well-placed mute button with an LED indicator), but in practice, you don't really need them.

Shove it on your desk at a reasonable distance, and the little Amazon unit will pick you up just fine. Which is just as well, really, as the cable's a bit short. Nothing's perfect, I'm afraid, so you'll need to go digging around in the cupboards for a spare one if your PC is a floor-dwelling machine.

But what's not "just fine" is the audio quality. Sure, it's not the sort of rich, super-shiny audio capture that'll have audiophiles falling head over heels, but the Amazon USB mic records a fantastically clear, surprisingly rounded tone, especially for a microphone this attractively priced.

I'm used to the idea that ultra-budget audio gear is rubbish, because let's face it, it often is. The Amazon mic has shown me the error of my ways, though, and manages to capture a tone so thoroughly decent-sounding, if you'd told me it came from an $80-$100 unit, I would have absolutely believed you.

Above: The Amazon Basics USB Condenser Microphone recorded in a desktop position, from a reasonable distance away.

Again, it's not the best thing I've ever heard. But for $26? That sound quality is remarkable, I think you'll agree.

There is one more drawback to make note of, and it's a fairly big one: you don't get any software to play with. That means no noise cancelling, and being a condenser mic, that's a bit of a shame. Condenser units will pick up unwanted noises in the immediate vicinity, although it must be said that the Basic's cardioid pattern does seem to have well-judged limits, so it's not particularly noise-prone overall.

Other than that? It's a bit of a superstar. While those of you looking for a more professional sound will be better suited by one of our other best gaming microphone picks below, if all you need are the basics, and the basics done well, then the, err, Amazon Basics is probably for you.

Quick list

• Best overall: Shure MV6 USB Gaming Microphone
• Best budget: Amazon Basics USB Condenser Microphone
• Best mid-range: NZXT Capsule Elite
• Best USB bundle: Sennheiser Profile Streaming Set
• Best looking: HyperX Quadcast S
• Best podcasting: Shure MV7+
• Best streaming: SteelSeries Alias Pro
• Best headset mic: Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS StreamSet

The best gaming microphone

There's a lot to be said for the simple things in life. For a start, they're often cheap—and hardware doesn't come much cheaper than this Amazon Basics USB condenser microphone. You can pick up one of these teeny-tiny little units for a mere $26/£23 at Amazon, although it must be said, that's the sort of price that makes me eye any piece of audio gear with suspicion.

Opening the packaging, however, reveals a surprisingly sturdy little microphone. While the chassis and stand might be plastic, it's of the thick, matte-textured variety that immediately makes me feel like I'm handling a well-built product. The grille is metal, the weight is reassuring, and the plastic ball joint in the base of the stand stays in position when you tilt it over.

Speaking of which, I find that design choice to be a little bizarre. Desktop microphones often tilt at the top of the pole, rather than the base, although I can't deny that the little Basics unit cocking its snoot at you from a jaunty angle makes for a cute addition to your desk. Still, even at its maximum angle, the Basics remains immune to falling over on a flat surface, despite the weight at the top of its frame.

Perhaps this explains the lower ball-joint dealio, and lends to the feeling that this mic has had much more thought put into its construction than you might expect for the price. Strap in here, folks: I think I sense a theme.

Being an Amazon Basics unit, you've probably deduced that you don't get many extras for your cash. Here you receive a microphone, a stand to screw it to, and a USB Type-C to Type-A cable that's ever so slightly too short—although for what it's worth, it did make it to the back of my desk-height PC.

If you keep your machine further away (or on the floor), you'll probably want to factor a longer cable into the equation to make it reach. This cable likes to kink, too, and isn't quite of the same quality as the rest of the setup.

The software features are… non-existent, actually. No software means no noise cancelling, and that always makes me raise an eyebrow when it comes to condenser microphones. Unlike dynamic mics, condenser models have a wider range of capture, which makes them prone to picking up a lot of unwanted noise. However, it also makes them well-suited to picking up vocals from a distance.

Which the little Amazon mic does admirably. I was genuinely impressed when I performed my first audio test with this mic, and it's been impressing me in a similar fashion ever since. It picks up well from a desktop position, and the vocal tone it captures is surprisingly rounded and clear for such a cheap capsule. It's not too noise-prone either, although you can definitely hear an ever-so-slight hiss from my laptop fans in the background.

Above: The Amazon Basics USB condenser microphone recorded from a desktop position.

Sure, the audio doesn't have the golden, "studio-like" quality you might expect from a really good (and likely, quite expensive) unit from the likes of Shure, but then this really isn't the little Basic's market. This is a mic designed to capture clear, rounded vocals from your desktop for an absolutely minimal outlay, and it's brilliant at it. It records at a 48 kHz 16-bit sample rate, which is realistically all you need to capture good sound. Sure, 24-bit would be nice, but it's really unnecessary for most users—and the Basics proves that principle in one fell swoop.

Like most condenser mics, it's going to capture more richness from your tone the closer you bring it to your lips. The Basics facilitates this by going one step further and allowing you to screw it into any boom arm with a 5/8-inch thread, which is pretty much all of them.

That means you can get it close up for podcast-like audio, and while it does get a little plosive if you bring it really close (a foam pop-filter would work wonders here), I'd say you could absolutely use this as a budget streaming mic. As long as you were careful with your distancing, of course.

Above: The Amazon Basics USB condenser microphone recorded close up, attached to a boom arm.

Plus, it's got a mute button on the front, which is downright handy if you plan on livestreaming your vocal musings to the internet. You'd be surprised how many budget mics omit this feature from the specs sheet (like the otherwise brilliant Razer Seiren Mini), but it's a positive, clicky affair with a little LED to tell you when you're on and when you're muted. Everything it needs to be, nothing less. Like the rest of this microphone, now I come to think of it.

The rubber base of the stand means it's fairly shock resistant, too, and unless you give it a right ol' bashing, the mic itself doesn't do that horribly-cheap thing of letting its outer frame ring through the capsule if you accidentally give it a tap. It'll capture a bump, sure, but it shouldn't have your listeners throwing their gaming headsets off in disgust.

So, I ask myself, what more do you need in a microphone than this? Well, the aforementioned noise-cancelling features would be nice. Perhaps some RGB-lit design touches would make it look nicer on a stream, and while the audio capture is excellent for the money, a more expensive microphone will make your vocals sound, well, more expensive, for lack of a better term.

I don't think the Amazon Basics mic is going to get much use in professional recording studios, naturally, but on your desk? I can't think of anything better for the cash.

Or anywhere near it, if I'm honest. It's genuinely remarkable that this $26 mic performs as well as it does, and it's a great example of the "keep it simple, stupid" design philosophy of which I am so fond. It's as plug-and-play as you like, feels like it will last for years, and sounds good enough to use pretty much anywhere you'd like to capture your vocal tones for all to hear.

Which makes it my new favourite budget gaming microphone, too. So if you'll excuse me, I've got the best gaming microphone guide to update. Join me over there to see all your other options, won't you?

Streaming is more popular than it's ever been, and that means manufacturers are clamouring to release streaming-suitable microphones into a market that's starting to feel rather crowded. From cheap and cheerful desktop condenser mics to close-up dynamic wonders, if you'd like to capture your gaming-induced yelps and squeals for the world to hear (or perhaps some sombre narration), you're somewhat spoilt for choice.

The Nacon Rig M2 Streamstar is the latest microphone addition vying for your hard-earned cash. It's presented as a desktop microphone complete with screw-on stand, but as a streaming mic you can attach it to a boom arm to get up close and personal. It's also got a magnetic rear backplate with R-I-G written on it in bold white letters, which Nacon says you can swap out with a custom plate if you get one printed with your particular logo.

Self-promotion is important in the streaming game, after all. Anyway, it's $130, and that puts it in the upper mid-range of the streaming microphone market—and only $19 cheaper than our best microphone for gaming pick, the Shure MV6. That's a seriously impressive mic, so the Nacon unit has its work cut out for it right from the start.

The Streamstar is a fairly innocuous-looking device, resembling an all-black deck of playing cards tilted up on its side when attached to the included stand. On paper it's also got some impressive specs, including 24-bit audio capture with a 192 Hz sampling rate. On the front are two dials, one for gain adjustment and one for monitor volume. Underneath is a 3.5 mm aux output for headphone monitoring, and a USB Type-C connection, with an included USB Type-A to Type-C cable.

You might think you'd need to install some included software before you get going with the Streamstar, but there isn't any. Nope, the quick start guide tells you to assemble the stand, plug the cable in, and then set the sample rate in the Windows audio settings. I appreciate simplicity, but there's something about the whole experience here that feels barebones right from the start.

That's not helped by the front-mounted controls. This is going to sound like a silly thing to point out, but while the microphone and stand feel of… passable quality, the front dials wobble like they're not quite connected properly. It's been a while since a dial made me grimace, but here we are.

Whether that matters to you largely depends on how often you'll use them, but as you'll see later on, the gain dial becomes rather important. Said gain dial is the lower of the two, and is ringed in white light when the microphone is live, and red when it's clicked in to mute. The click itself feels fairly sturdy, so plus points there.

A stand-out feature of the Streamstar is Bluetooth monitoring. In essence, you can pair a set of earbuds to the mic itself for live audio monitoring, free from the burden of cables, by long-pressing the top dial.

Or at least, that's how it's supposed to work. I tried connecting a pair of Sennheiser Bluetooth earbuds to the mic, but the instructions are very basic and it required a fair bit of fiddling around, pairing and unpairing, before I got a usable result.

Some software interjection would really help here. A simple app that allows you to see which devices are paired to the mic—and which inputs and outputs are being used at any one time—would make things a lot more straightforward, rather than relying on the arcane Windows audio settings page. Still, after much cursing, a reliable input and output was achieved.

Time to see whether those specs translate to great audio. I first recorded my voice with the Streamstar in a desktop position at a mere six inches away with a reasonable amount of gain, and immediately thought I'd screwed up a recording setting, as the Audacity waveform barely moved in response. Cranking the gain to maximum, however, resulted in this:

The vocal tone itself is perfectly decent, but the clip above is me speaking forcefully, at maximum gain, with the mic placed in front of my keyboard. A desktop mic would generally sit further back than this, but move it to a less obtrusive position and your voice disappears into the distance even with the gain cranked to high heaven. Back it down, and the Streamstar struggles to capture your voice at a decent volume over the background noise.

Speaking of which, what you'll also notice is a fair amount of hiss even though I recorded these clips in a dead quiet room. The Streamstar's 16 mm electret condenser has a tendency to highlight every sound it can pick up except your voice when used with the included stand, meaning that noise cancellation is near essential. Except it doesn't come with any, which strikes me as something of a fatal flaw.

Undeterred, I recorded a clip with the mic attached to a boom arm directly in front of me, but with my mouth slightly off to the side, (an old-school microphone technique that tends to work wonders), and managed a better result—at least in terms of gain:

While I'm certainly used to the idea of microphones sounding better the closer they are to your face, this is the first condenser mic I've used where I'd consider a close-mic position pretty much essential. Get the Streamstar up close, and it manages to capture a warm tone that would be perfectly usable for streaming.

However, it's still a little noisy. More than that, in a close position the Streamstar is quite plosive-prone, meaning "puh" and "buh" tones have a tendency to get blown out, even when speaking off to the side. You can hear this in the clip above, particularly as I say the "p" in "lockpick". Many streamers lack proper microphone technique and speak directly into the front of the mic at close range, and that's a recipe for audio disaster with this particular unit, given the lack of software help.

What this means in practice is you're likely going to be adjusting the gain on a regular basis to minimise unwanted audio nasties—which means wrestling with volume and background hiss/plosive issues until you force them into an uneasy standoff using a wobbly dial. That's the sort of compromise you'd normally have to make with a cheap microphone, but at $130, cheap this ain't.

I really can't get on with the Streamstar, much as I have tried. It looks like a streamer-worthy microphone on paper, and the Bluetooth monitoring feature is a lovely idea, but in practice, it's got far too many flaws. It's too quiet to use in a standard desktop position without excessive background noise, it's plosive-prone in a close-up position, and crucially, it's missing any software help to rectify either issue.

Plus, the materials are so-so, the dials feel wobbly, and there's nothing about it that suggests to me that it's a $100+ product. When you can pick up a Razer Seiren Mini for a mere $50 (or even less, as it regularly goes on sale) and it performs as well as it does for such a minimal sum, I really don't see why you'd pay more than double for the Streamstar.

The Razer also lacks noise cancellation, but it has no problem picking up vocals at a reasonable volume from a traditional desktop position without pegging the gain to the maximum.

Or you could spend $19 more than the Streamstar and opt for the Shure MV6. It's much more obtrusive, but it's an excellent mic that picks up well both close up and at a distance. It also comes with powerful noise cancelling software, meaning you can remove background noise with a single slider, and it's built like the proverbial tank to boot.

There are many USB microphones on the market for streamers to choose from, and while the Streamstar looks great on paper, in practice, it fails to deliver the smooth audio experience achieved by many of its rivals. It's a fiddly, fussy mic with questionable materials, and for $130, I really do expect more than this. A bit of a swing and a miss, I'm afraid.

It isn't just mice and keyboards that have received the Elite treatment with NZXT's latest run of peripherals, as the brand-new Capsule Elite microphone proves. This is another market sector that's seen quite the explosion in terms of products in the last couple of years with the likes of the Logitech Yeti GX and the SteelSeries Alias being competitive options in the USB sector in the $150/£150 price range.

Yet, with the new Capsule Elite, NZXT seems to be offering pretty much an identical feature set to the competition alongside a smart design, highly adjustable stand and higher bitrate recordings for just $90/£85/€100. That sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?

Well, I'm here to tell you that it isn't. The Capsule Elite is an excellent USB microphone. I could just end the review there, really, but my editor would likely kill me if I did, so let me explain why.

The fact is that NZXT's latest microphone offers rich and full-bodied pickup as you'll hear from the sample audio with pleasant depth and clarity. It's a surefire cut above a lot of headset microphones from options that are well into double figures, while also taking it to those more expensive choices from Logitech and SteelSeries. I'm mightily impressed with the Capsule Elite right out of the gate.

You don't get the flexibility of other polar patterns, as the likes of the Blue Yeti and HyperX Quadcast S provide, but for solo recordings, the Capsule Elite's cardioid option will definitely suffice.

It's not only ideal for voices, but it also means that the noise rejection is second to none. This is because the pickup pattern is designed to pick up audio from the front while rejecting it from the back and sides. In testing it with a series of recordings while playing music at a reasonable volume from speakers behind the Capsule Elite, it was only my voice that came through loud and clear. Of course, turning the music up too loud did allow some of AC/DC's Heatseeker to come through, but it wasn't much at all. Even picking out a deliberately loud mechanical keyboard and putting it a few inches from the microphone didn't phase it.

Listen to the microphone test below:

Connectivity is handled with a simple USB-C to USB-A cable, and I had no trouble plugging into either my main Windows gaming PC or my MacBook Pro (with a USB-A to USB-C adapter) and it was recognised instantly. From there on, select it as your main input device and you're good to go.

For the most part, the Capsule Elite is a doddle to set up, what with that plug-and-play connectivity and whatnot. The only trouble I had was in physically setting it up on the included stand in the box. It intriguingly uses a similar system to a lot of monitors with a base that screws into the shaft that the mic sits on, which proved to be a bit of a pain for a ham-fisted idiot like me. You have to line up a couple of nibs on the shaft and base, and then screw it in from the bottom. The problem for me was keeping both parts level so the microphone was straight and true when I turned it over and placed it on my desk.

The issue is that the stand isn't straight. I checked the product imagery against my best efforts, and the stand slants inwards. With this in mind, the stand is entirely metal and is sturdy once screwed into its threaded mount. I definitely didn't feel like the Capsule Elite was going to keel over at any given moment. You can also put the mic on a standard thread boom arm if you wish to avoid the stand shenanigans altogether.

While the stand is metal, the microphone body is plastic, which is perhaps where NZXT has been able to cut some costs down against rivals from Logitech and SteelSeries. It looks fetching in the white and silver colourway I have here, although you can also get it in black if you want something more conventional.

The actual body is also quite tall, reminding me of the Elgato Wave 3 with its flat, rectangular profile. The front portion comes with a large NZXT logo and a gain dial that also doubles up as a mute button when pressed. Above that is a small strip, which doubles as an indicator for both the microphone gain and the monitoring volume, as controlled by the wheel on the mic's right-hand side.

Handily, the indicator changes colour depending on what's being done—when the mic is muted, it's red; when the gain is changed, it's purple; and the monitoring volume is green. The gain wheel has some pleasant resistance to it, which is absent on the monitoring volume wheel, oddly.

On the rear, there are two ports—a USB-C for connectivity, and a 3.5mm audio jack for on-board monitoring. You also get a small light strip at the top, which is addressable in NZXT's CAM software. Here, you can also perform a mic test, adjust gain, EQ levels and sidetone, and fiddle with more advanced settings such as the compressor, noise suppression and high pass filter. It's all presented very cleanly and is simple to use.

For $90/£85/€100, the NZXT Capsule Elite certainly takes it to more expensive options from other manufacturers with its rich audio quality and excellent noise suppression. It also comes with convenient software control and handy on-board features. Where the other options come up trumps is with slightly better build quality, but the nuts and bolts of what's here prove just how excellent the Capsule Elite is for the price.

I'm forever espousing the benefits of a good microphone. It's one of those things that you don't think you need until you try one for yourself, or hear an awful one over voice chat and realise what a terrible curse bad audio is on the people that have to listen to you on the daily.

Many microphones have passed our desks this year, and many have failed to meet the mark. But a precious few have stood head and shoulders above the rest, so we've gathered together the top three, thrown them into the ring, and let them bash their little pop-filters against each other until a clear winner remains.

First across the ropes are two exceptionally good units from Shure, a tried and tested name in the audio world that's made serious inroads into gaming and streaming mics this year. The Shure MV6 is a desktop mic with a difference, thanks to its excellent capture at range, solid build quality, and a mini mic stand that looks like it came straight off the stage at your local venue.

Then there's the Shure MV7+, a refinement of a classic that leaves just about all other podcast microphones in the dust. It's a multi-talented marvel, however, and makes a compelling case for itself as a podcast mic, a streaming mic, or really any other vocal-capturing duties you can think of. Point it at its target and off it goes, swinging for the rafters.

But what's this? A SteelSeries usurper? Yep, the SteelSeries Alias Pro kit includes a great mic, but it's the whole package that makes this a worthy contender for the crown. It's got a powerful preamp hidden in its Stream Mixer interface, along with programmable dials and buttons that really do make capturing and streaming audio simple.

So who will triumph? Cast your eyes over our contenders below.

Best microphone 2024: the nominees

The winner of the PC Gamer Hardware Award for the best microphone of 2024 will be announced on New Year's Eve. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Make sure you check in with us then to find out the eventual result.

When I found out Shure was discontinuing the Shure MV7 Podcast microphone, I felt a genuine twinge in my stomach. Y'see, I've been using two of the big beasties for vocal audio capture for years, and they've become like old friends. Slightly unwieldy perhaps, but as plug and play microphones, they were unparalleled. 

It wasn't just me that thought so, either—until recently, the Shure MV7 topped our best microphone for gaming guide, only to be replaced by the excellent Shure MV6, thanks to its more gamer-friendly sizing and desktop placement options. Now the Shure MV7+ is here, and at first glance not a whole lot seems to have changed.

That's until you put it side by side with the original MV7. The MV7+ is longer, thanks to a more substantial foam filter. The slightly fiddly touch panel controls are also now reduced to a single LED strip acting as a touch to mute button by default. Other than that though, the Shure MV7+ looks and feels just as good as the original did.

It'd better feel like the bee's knees, given the price. You can get a lot of great gaming microphones for under the $200 mark, but Shure will sell you an MV7+ for $279/£269. That's chump change for studio grade vocal mics, but for your average buyer that's still a lot to pay for something that really only does one job.

That being said, given the MV6 has properly introduced Shure into the world of USB gaming microphones, the MV7+ now strikes as something more purposeful. This is a podcast and creator microphone through and through, with none of the MV6's gamer-friendly green accents. It's a subtle, handsome looking device, designed to look professional on a stream or in a recording studio.

Not that it doesn't have a certain RBG-lit charm of its own. The top-mounted light strip can be adjusted to a variety of colours, used as a gain indicator, or set to a subtle pulsing effect should you so wish. All of this is done through Shure's Motive Mix software, which instantly detects the mic via USB and activates all the software bells and whistles by default.

Ordinarily, I'd be against audio software leaping in and turning all the settings on before I'd had a chance to fiddle with them. Still, after my experiences reviewing the MV6, I already knew Shure's software was very good at finding a great default sound all by itself. So I booted up Audacity, and recorded a vocal test clip.

This is my first recording, out of the box, with absolutely no tweaking of the settings.

I am an interminable fiddler, particularly when it comes to audio. I'll spend hours tweaking EQ's, stacking VST plugins, and shaping sound backwards and forwards until I end up chasing my own tail and resigning to whatever Frankenstein's monster of a mix I've come up with. And listening to that first result, with zero tweaking on my part? I really don't think it needs much else. 

It captures exactly the sort of vocal you'll be looking for if you want a studio-style sound, without any of the headache-inducing back and forth with the audio settings.

Enabled by default is Auto Gain Levelling, which ensures the volume stays consistent, along with a Real-time Denoiser (noise reduction, for the rest of us). I found it a little over-aggressive on the MV6, but the MV7+ has much less of an issue picking up any background noise to be stamped on in the first place. There's also a Digital Popper Stopper to minimise plosives, which are unwanted distortions to percussive vocal noises like "puhs" and "buhs". Something, in fact, that the OG MV7 was quite prone to.

Not only is there a digital effect here to minimise it, but that longer foam tip creates a bit more distance between your mouth and the microphone itself. Basically, the plosives are gone, and that's about the only thing I'd really criticise the MV7 for.

That, and the fact it didn't come with a stand by default, which is also the case here. You can include a desktop unit for an extra $10, but really what the MV7+ is designed for is to be mounted to a boom arm and brought up close, which is how I recorded the clip above. If you watch professionally produced podcasts, or even streamers with a bit of budget to spare, you'll notice that they'll often have a really good microphone right up in their faces to capture the richest sounding audio—and that's exactly where the MV7+ likes to be.

Except it's just, well, better at it than anything else I could name south of $500—with the exception of one. That's the Shure SM7db, available for $499, which is the latest version of a mic that, over the years, has become one of the default recommendations for studio-grade vocal capture.

I'm not going to say the Shure MV7+ is better than the Shure SM7db, because it isn't. But it captures a genuinely comparable audio quality, with a similarly rich tone and crispy highlights, for near-enough half the price. And that, if you ask me, is a pretty impressive trick.

You can also use the included XLR connection to drive the MV7+ via a separate mixer, or plug it right into a suitably-powered console—but given the results here with a USB connection, I'd say most will never need to. Still, one of the best things about the MV7 was its flexibility, and it's still here in spades.

What this mic is, at its core, is an improvement on a classic. It's not revolutionary, or game-changing, because the game didn't really need to be changed. All Shure needed to do was fix the MV7's plosive problem, sharpen up the software suite, and double down on all the things that made that microphone brilliant. And that's exactly what it's done.

Would I recommend the MV7+ as the best microphone for gamers, full stop? Nope, that'd still be the MV6, by virtue of the fact that most won't want to get a substantial mic right in front of them to capture great audio. And the MV7+, while still capable of being used from a desktop position, isn't making the most of its strengths there. The MV6 is cheaper, less obtrusive, and doesn't need an arm to show it off at its best.

But if you want to elevate your audio to the next level, get serious about streaming, or record a podcast that sounds like you were sitting in a studio rather than your spare room, this is the microphone to buy. It makes studio-quality sound easy to achieve, looks good doing it, and will likely last a lifetime.

My MV7's have been dropped down stairs, thrown in the back of vans, drenched in beer and banged against walls. They still work as brilliantly as the day I got them out the box, and there's nothing about the build quality of the MV7+ that suggests anything's changed. Shure gear is known for its reliability, and this seems like yet another product destined to keep going, and going.

Yes, $279 is a lot of money for a mic. But given the results here, if you care about your audio, I'd say it was actually a reasonable price of entry. The MV6 might have the desktop audio chops covered, but if you want to take things to the next level, the MV7+ is where you want to be.

If there's a brand more associated with high-quality audio capture than Shure, I can't think of one. Should you find yourself in a recording studio, or watching a live band at a local venue, a quick look at the microphones will almost certainly reveal a Shure model or two somewhere in the lineup. We've been rating the Shure MV7 as our best microphone for gaming for some time now, and it's one that I've had several years of experience using for all sorts of vocal recording.

Now there's a new kid on the block. The Shure MV6 is the company's first attempt at a dedicated USB gaming microphone and, as if to prove it, they've festooned the outer chassis with a lime green ring underneath the foam and stuck a big green capacitive button on the top for quick muting. Yours for $149/£129, significantly cheaper than the $250 asking price for the MV7, which has sadly been discontinued in favour of the MV7+.

Other than the gamer-friendly green accents it's a pretty straightforward-looking device, and quite a bit smaller than the MV7 of old. That was a mic that required either a boom arm mount or a separately sold desk stand to hold it aloft. Here though, you get a proper desk stand as standard—and quite the chunky thing it is, too.

The footprint here is a little large for a desktop device, but at least that means it won't be going anywhere. It's properly weighty and overbuilt, so there's no wobbling to worry about on an even surface. It reminds me of a miniature live mic stand, the sort that Steven Tyler might attach scarves to and throw around if he was a mere foot tall. You can enjoy that mental image for free, if you like. I have.

Anyway, I digress. The real headline news here is Shure is claiming it's taken all of its microphone knowledge and shrunk it down into a USB gaming mic. This is a dynamic unit, which should give it more of a focused sound compared to traditional condenser microphones. The downside is that dynamic mics can be sensitive to poor mic technique, like shifting your speaking position or constantly adjusting your distance.

To address this, Shure makes use of an Auto Level Mode within its Motive Mix software suite. This intelligently adjusts the gain in real-time to give a consistent volume of sound, jumping in to lower the gain setting if you suddenly yell, and boosting it if you begin to drift away from the microphone or shift in your seat. While Auto Levelling is nothing new to those familiar with VST plugins, building a decent version of it into the software and activating it by default is a smart move when giving us unwashed gamers a dynamic mic to play with.

Upon plugging in the mic with an included USB Type-C cable and opening the software, you're greeted with a quick tutorial on how best to use it, with a suggestion to keep the capsule six to 12 inches from your mouth for best results. Good advice for most mics I'd say, to get the richest, most focussed sound—especially a dynamic one. Still, it's a little more difficult here to achieve than most, depending on your setup, as the cable is only 100 cm long.

Even if your PC is up on your desktop like mine, that's still not a lot of cable length for positioning options. A bit of a naughty niggle, that, although most of us will likely have a longer cable sitting in a desk drawer somewhere.

Thankfully, however, that Auto Level adjustment works brilliantly. While you'll always get the best vocal results with a mic like this close up, you can put it at a fair distance and still get a clear and distinctive sound. I tried to catch it out in a variety of ways, but it's pretty instantaneous to react—meaning you don't have to cosy up to the foam like a pro podcaster to get a good result out of it.

Speaking of close up, if you do choose to move the microphone nearer to your mouth to get a rich, warm result, you'll find it's much less prone to plosives than previous models. The MV7 is a glorious, wonderful microphone, but it does have a tendency to blow out "puh" and "buh" sounds when you put it near your lips. Here the MV6 employs another software trick, the charmingly-named Digital Popper Stopper. Again, it's enabled by default and does an excellent job of stopping percussive sounds from overpowering the rest of the audio.

There's also built-in noise reduction, something I'd suggest is a must-have for any desktop mic, even a dynamic one that's less prone to picking up background noise. It's very powerful, but I'd say that if anything it's a little too aggressive for my liking. Any noise reduction turned up to a sufficient level can introduce a slightly washy, warbly quality to certain vocal tones, and here it's occasionally perceptible.

There's no slider adjustment, just an on or off setting, which makes it a bit of a blunt instrument. That being said, it does cut down on ambient room noise considerably.

What does have a slider, however, is the tone adjustment. This is essentially an EQ setting that ranges from Dark, through to Natural, and then up to Bright. By default, it sits in the middle at Natural, which is where most will likely keep it, although as a fan of a "hot radio" kind of sound I like to edge it towards Dark to richen up the tone.

Speaking of tone, the quality of the vocal capture here is brilliant. While you'll still want something like the Shure MV7 up close if you're recording podcast audio, audiobook content or anything truly "professional sounding", the sound quality that the MV6 is capable of capturing from a desktop position is genuinely impressive. It'll definitely boost your audio quality at your next meeting compared to anything lesser, and as a gaming mic, I'd say it does a much better job of preserving your vocal tone while rejecting unwanted noises compared to most desktop units, thanks to that software help.

It's also a breeze to use. The Motiv Mix software is mercifully straightforward, with a built-in soundcheck feature to let you adjust gain levels and record a quick clip of yourself with the various settings to find the right sound for you. The mic itself is also pretty unobtrusive as an object on your desk, even with those lime green accents, so it should blend into the background as a good desktop mic should.

That sizable base at the bottom of the stand does give me pause, though. It's solid as a rock, and immune to being tipped over, but it does take up a fair bit of room if you want to get the mic as close as Shure suggests. Still, it doesn't wobble, and feels like it could be used as an impromptu weapon in a zombie-based emergency if needed, so plus points there.

The real question is, should you buy an MV6 over an MV7 if you're in the market for a USB gaming microphone? Well, if you're leaving it on your desktop, thanks to that included stand, the ease of use, and the less obtrusive form factor, I'd say yes. It's also cheaper, and the top-mounted capacitive mute button is a handy extra feature.

If you're really looking for the top-end of audio quality though, and don't mind getting a large mic up in your face to do so, I'd still go for the MV7 as the better pick overall. It's a clumsier, chunkier beast, but it's also got a slightly warmer, crispier quality to it that I couldn't quite replicate with the MV6, even getting it up close with a boom arm. The MV7 also has an XLR connection, making it just as at home in a professional studio as it is with a standard PC.

To be honest, though, that's me getting all audio nerdy and looking for things that others will likely never notice, and picking out details that most gamers really shouldn't care about. It's still fairly pricey, I suppose, and both the Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ and the Razer Seiren Mini are fine options for substantially less cash, but both pale in comparison to the quality—in terms of build, vocal capture and features—of the MV6. The SteelSeries Alias is also worth a look if you want a mic that really minimises desktop space with good distance capture, but it's more expensive than the Shure, and the sound quality can't quite match it.

The bottom line is this: What Shure has made here is a mic that's built like a tank, can be used comfortably at a reasonable distance, and is significantly cheaper than the MV7—all while minimising most of the issues you get with traditional desktop microphones. And that's quite an impressive thing. Just give us a longer cable next time, ey Shure?

The Elgato Wave Neo is the newest mic out of the streaming kit company, following a legacy of very good microphones like the much beloved Wave 3 and Wave DX. While the Wave brand has a strong rep of quality mics, the Neo lineup is aiming to deliver more affordable and simple solutions. 

In that vein, the Wave Neo costs $90 USD, making it the cheapest Wave mic to date, but it does make some sacrifices to get to that point.

With the Neo lineup we are greeted by the thoughtful recycled cardboard box that contains only what you need. In this package you get a braided USB Type-C  (device side) to Type-A cable, a mic stand complete with some cable management, and the Wave 3 itself. The mic is rocking a pop filter natively. 

It really is everything you need to get started and have solid spoken audio recording right out of the box.

The included stand is quite good, but admittedly a little weird. It has a solid circular base with an 8 cm diameter and standard ¼ screw connector accessible underneath. The first half of the pole screws in simply, and has a cable grip at the back to keep things inline. The second half is attached to the mic via another smaller screw connector, offset to the side. It slides straight into the first pole using a solid inner metal piece for strength and a tabbed connector. If it sounds confusing, it can actually only go together one way, so it's not so bad.

The stand brings it to a height that's perfect for talking into, but it doesn't lock in a way that stops it from being lifted out. You may learn this the hard way if, like me, you pick up your mic and have that solid base fall right on your foot. At least  there are a tonne of ways to mount this mic, whether or not you use the included kit. 

The Wave Neo mic can be pivoted backwards and forwards on various angles and will hold that position nicely. On the back you have an aux port for monitoring your audio and the recessed USB Type-C port which the braided cable is designed to fit into. You could use any Type-C cable if you prefer, though. The front is where the condenser mic is designed to be spoken into and it sports one of the largest and brightest capacitive touch mute LED I have ever seen—but we'll get to that in a bit.

Generally, and especially for the price, voice recording is quite good. If your environment is quiet enough you should be able to plug this mic in and straight away have really decent voice recording capabilities. The sound isn't quite as crisp and punchy as something like the Wave 3 but it's warm and clear, which is what many will likely be after for streams, gaming sessions, or meetings. 

It even works straight away plugged in to other devices like my phone, which is a nice surprise. With no controls other than mute on the mic itself, if you need anything dialled in or want to make changes you're out of luck without introducing some software, however.

The Neo works with the Wave link software, which is excellent. Because my room has a lot of low computer fan noise and these are reasonably sensitive mics, it can be a huge problem. Instead, I was able to go in here and just turn the gain down enough so it wouldn't pick that up. Of course you've also got plugins like Elgato's own noise removal, if you need more help there, and as a plus it will let you keep the gain up for louder recordings. This all works well with Elgato's Stream Deck too, which can help mitigate some of the lack of controls on the Neo itself.

So back to that blinding LED mute sensor. It's so big and bright that when Elgato's Wave Link Software gave me the option to turn down the brightness I was relieved. Yetthis ended up biting me in the aux. 

When dim, the button is a bit less noticeable, so I didn't realise I had been accidentally muting myself while recording until I thought I was done. I still didn't know how I was muting myself, so I did some tests on the sensor. Turns out, it's a fair bit larger than the LED panel so it's easy to touch and unknowingly set off even when you think you shouldn't be near it. 

In a later recording I kept my hands away from the mic and still got muted out of nowhere and I just couldn't figure out what I was doing. After a bit more testing I realised that braided cables with power running can set it off if they rub over it, including its own. Even after doing my best to remove hazards, I have had this device mute when I'm not really even sure of the cause. The sheer size of the mute sensor feels like an oversight but that it's so easy to set off is a bit devastating on this device. 

It's also the main reason I wouldn't really recommend this mic to streamers or content creators. Finding out you've accidentally muted yourself mid stream and no one noticed or just didn't bother to tell you is the worst. This mic treats me like I'm a 12 year old boy in an Xbox Live lobby at least once a day. Plus it just lacks some of the crispness and definition as well as the on-device controls of its older brother, the Wave 3.

The Wave 3 that goes on sale fairly regularly for around $120 USD, by the way.

The $90 Neo is much better positioned for meetings or calls thanks to its easy setup. You're also more likely to realise quickly that you're on mute during a meeting. 

Elgato's Wave Neo is a really solid sounding mic for the price that will bring a touch of warmth to your content, but in terms of recording quality it's not kicking out our top budget or even top mid range mic choices any time soon. If the convenience of the Neo has you sold, I'd just make sure to leave that mute LED nice and blinding.

The new Asus ROG Carnyx marks the company's entry into the hugely competitive streaming microphone industry. On paper, it has everything the discerning streamer needs; beautiful, all-metal design, USB connectivity, 24-bit audio, studio-grade 25mm condenser with a high-pass filter, internal pop filter, sidetone and of course, Aura Sync RGB lighting for the camera.

All these goodies will set you back $180 (£170, AU$311). That's a little more than the good old HyperX QuadCast S and the Blue Yeti GX that also boasts RGB. However, there's a lot more to a good mic than just specs and, after a couple of weeks of using the ROG Carnyx, I'm left feeling a little shortchanged.

Let's start with the design of the thing which is no doubt one of the most striking gaming microphones I've seen yet, and a perfect showpiece on any live stream. The solid metal tube sits in an interestingly angled desk stand with elastic suspension cables, and that isolates external vibrations to the mic. The top half has machined triangular grills that expose the RGB lighting and, of course, allow sound to pass through to the condenser. Behind that are foam and mesh layers to prevent unwanted plosives.

There's a single, multi-functional dial on the front that controls gain, headset volume, and can also be used to toggle the built-in high-pass filter. Around the back of the microphone, you'll find the USB Type-C port and 3.5mm headphone jack so you can listen to the mic as you speak. On the top of the mic is a touchpad to mute the mic, which then glows a warm red to let you know it's muted. Touch and hold it will turn the RGB lighting on or off, too.

The desk stand for the Carnyx is solid and rigid, keeping the mic exactly where you want it to be. It allows you to tilt the microphone maybe 30-degrees. I like the base of the stand which is a triangular metal piece with tasteful grooves that highlight the ROG logo depending on the angle you look at. 

You aren't beholden to the desk stand though; a single screw unlocks the triangle base so you can attach the rest of the mic to a boom arm. The Carnyx uses a 3/8-inch thread which is common to a variety of boom arms.

Inside the Carnyx is a studio-grade, 25mm condenser capsule designed to improve low-frequency performance and deliver richer, warmer vocal tones. Combined with a lossless audio bitrate of 24-bit and 192kHz, the Carnyx can sound really good.

The microphone also uses a cardioid polar pattern, so as long as it's in front of you, and preferably less than five inches from your mouth, you will sound hella sexy.

I've recorded a sample of the difference proximity makes to the mic's quality and it is obvious to me that despite the lovely desk stand, the intended use case is a boom arm to get the mic as close to your face and in the camera frame as possible. I messed around with the gain levels while using the desk stand but couldn't get anywhere near the warmth and depth of vocals as when the mic was close to my mouth.

Having the Carnyx in its desk stand positioned at a reasonable foot distance would result in much lower audio volume—that's just physics. However, pushing the gain higher to get things louder introduces significant background hiss as well as other unwanted ambient noises. The high-pass filter never fully helps things much. Whether I sat the microphone close to my gaming rig or closer to my mouth, it always picked up the fan hum from my PC.

Lowering the gain helps much more than the high-pass filter but further necessitates proximity to your mouth for solid audio. Thankfully, there's also a noise-gate but being a fairly soft-spoken fella with a relatively quiet home (most of the time), I didn't need it much.

Now, while you can adjust the basics directly on the mic using the dial, you'll need Armoury Crate to really dial things in. In here, you can adjust volume, bitrate, noise gate, Perfect voice and an equalizer with three presets; Natural, Dark and Bright. I prefer the natural and dark, but it all depends on your voice and your own preference.

One issue I have with the physical control on the Carnyx is that you don't get any sort of feedback to acknowledge your changes. Turning the dial doesn't use the RGB to indicate gain or volume levels, which can be frustrating.

At the end of the day, the ROG Carnyx is a good first attempt by Asus though not quite groundbreaking. It's a handsome microphone that any RGB-loving game streamer would be happy to have in their setup and it can sound good if you set it up correctly.

But at close to $200, the Carnyx is far from the best microphone money can buy. Simpler microphones without the fancy RGB can deliver the goods for less money. Unless you are particularly sold on the aesthetic or Asus Aura Sync ecosystem, this wouldn't be my first choice. That said, I look forward to future iterations of the ROG Carnyx.

Desktop condenser mics, if you think about it, have to do quite a difficult job. From a reasonable distance, a microphone is expected to sit on your desk—likely near to a PC with fan noise and other interference-emitting devices—and pick up a good vocal signal, while hopefully rejecting as much unwanted noise as is reasonable. And, let's face it, it'd be nice if it looked good while it was doing it, too.

The Razer Seiren V3 Chroma has the last part down at the very least. Pulling it from its packaging reveals a handsome, pill-shaped device with a screw-in base and a matte finish that looks suitably professional. It's tiltable on its stand thanks to two nicely knurled side mounted knobs, and features just the one solitary dial at first glance.

Oi, who's gone and nicked all me controls then, you may well think, or at least I did as a previous near-London resident.

A closer inspection reveals that at the very top of the device is a hidden touch control for muting and other functions. Besides that, there's just a small USB Type-C connector around the back and a 3.5mm jack for headphone output. Minimalist, this little mic, although it feels and looks rather good doing it.

All that minimalism, however, goes away the second you plug it in. The Seiren V3 treats you to a frankly blazing display of colours on first connection, all emitted from underneath the holes of its substantial grille.

This is likely going to be a love it or hate it affair from the off, but personally as a fan of a bit of RGB illumination I did enjoy the effect, although at default settings it is surprisingly bright. Time to install the Razer Synapse software then, and get to grips with the options.

After a bit of update wrangling (and a required reboot, I might add) to get Synapse to behave itself and log me in reliably—and this isn't my first rodeo, messing around with Synapse and its tendency to be fiddly—you are eventually greeted with a mic menu screen that at first glance is blissfully easy to use. 

There are sliders for microphone and headphone gain, dropdown menus to choose between two different functions for the front dial (microphone volume and headphone volume, if you were wondering) and options to configure that aforementioned top-mounted touch control.

Here you can configure the extra tap functions. One tap on the top mutes the mic and turns it an attractive shade of red, which should make it blissfully easy to tell if you've accidentally cut the audio on the mic itself on your next remote meeting. Two or three taps can be configured in a variety of ways, including cycling the Chroma RGB effects, turning them off entirely, or even using them as an audio meter.

I tried the latter, but disabled it very quickly. The RGB flashes on and off when it picks up a suitably loud signal, including the clacking of a mechanical keyboard, which means while writing this review I was subject to a series of eye-searing flashes with the setting on. A gradual flow of lighting from subtle green to stronger tones to indicate signal strength would be much easier on the eyes, but alas, I couldn't find an option for it

If you find the RGB LEDs in general to be on the strong side, flipping over to the lighting menu gives your a plethora of other options, including a much-needed slider to turn it down to something more reasonable, or even off entirely. Here I configured the Seiren V3 to deliver some pleasing, ever changing glows that would likely look good on your next stream cam. Ahhh. Much more soothing.

Anyway, enough about the pretty lights. Time for some audio tests, and for this I booted up Audacity, set the gain to something reasonable, and recorded some audio test clips you can find below:

You may notice that there's some background noise, including a distinct buzz with a little hiss, on a relatively low gain setting of 30 out of 100. I find it particularly obvious in 'dead air' sections like the two to three seconds at the end of the clip. I tried it in different USB ports and at different distances to try and figure out where it might be coming from on my otherwise quiet setup, but with no joy. I've recorded a fair few microphones from this system and in this room with no such issues, but it seems the Seiren V3 Chroma likes to add a bit of unwanted (and as best as I can tell, non-existent) background noise.

Searching around the settings for a software solution, again I thought I might be missing something. There's a high pass filter, which I had engaged, a digital gain limiter and auto gain control, but no actual noise suppression, reduction or noise gate option.

Not only that, but there's no adjustable EQ either. Luckily enough, as you can hear in the test clips, the little Razer does deliver a fairly warm, round rendition of your vocals on default settings, which is reasonably pleasant. It'd be nice to be able to tweak it, but in all honesty the depth of sound is pretty decent by default, so a mark in its favour there.

However, it did have a little bit of a low input at even a relatively close range, even when pushing my dull baritone up to volumes that I would consider slightly obnoxious. Of course, you can turn up the gain to compensate, but without a proper noise suppressor this only makes the background noise worse, so I ended up putting the mic closer to me than I normally would to minimise it.

Of course, the closer you have a microphone to you, the better it's able to pick up your vocals, but given the need to boost the gain here and the lack of ability to properly tame unwanted noise, I found this limited where I could place the mic on my desk in order to get acceptable audio.

You could mount it on a boom arm to get it away from unwanted audio sources and nearer to your mouth for lower gain usage, and facility is provided for that via the socket that screws into the bottom of the base. However, for its primary purpose of sitting on your desk in its mount, looking pretty and capturing good audio, the Razer likes to get up close and personal to properly perform.

Where the software does shine, however, is the Stream Mixer settings. Here you can configure your inputs and outputs and your playback mix very easily thanks to some straightforward drop down menus, complete with an option to open Windows very own audio settings from within the app. That's a nice touch, and other audio software suites would do well to emulate it.

While the Razer Seiren V3 Chroma is a very pretty thing, and is definitely capable of picking up a useable audio signal, its tendency to rely on higher gain settings in combination with a lack of software to tame them means it's a bit of a wild horse without the appropriate reins. 

You could, of course, make use of a third-party plugin for noise suppression duties, but given that this mic is marketed on the box as a plug and play audio device "for fuss-free setup" and comes in at a substantial price, you'd hope that it would come with a workable solution already built-in, and well, it doesn't.

That being said, it's not the only mic in a similar price range that's a little bit lacking on the software noise-reduction features, including the similarly light-up HyperX Quadcast S that currently takes the "best looking" spot on our list of the best microphones for gaming.

However, the HyperX also comes with a fancy elasticated shockmount and a range of directional patterns to pick from, and while the Razer professes to have a built-in shock absorber I still found it prone to picking up desk taps and clunks relatively easily, especially as I had to place it close to my keyboard to minimise the background noise.

If you don't mind skipping the RGB lighting, you could also pick up an Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ for around half the money. It skimps out on audio software entirely, but it also provides a lovely rounded-yet-crisp sound, and if that's all you're after and you don't mind adding some third-party solutions of your own then it's difficult to see why you'd go for the Razer instead, unless you really are sold on the smaller form factor and the very shiny lights.

It likes being the centre of attention, this little mic, but while the Stream Mixer settings are great and the aesthetics are pleasing, it really could do with some decent noise reduction to help clean up its act.

To some, audio quality matters little, beyond something that isn't objectively awful to listen to. If all you want is something that sounds good enough to pass without comment in your next Discord chat or remote meeting, there are plenty of microphones that'll do the job just fine.

When you're looking to take things to a more professional sounding level however, perhaps for your next stream or podcast, then things can get very complicated, very quickly. Suddenly you're in a world of polar patterns, XLR cables, pre-amp adjustments, compression sliders and all sorts of terminology that can make your head spin, and that's before you plug in your first cable.

SteelSeries reckons it has the answer. Enter, the SteelSeries Alias Pro, the companion microphone to the regular SteelSeries Alias. With an MSRP of $330/£320 it's playing with some big names, as our current favourite gaming microphone, the Shure MV7, comes in at a similar price range. Better be good then, ey?

Unlike its little brother, the Pro version ditches the front mounted controls and the internal amplification for a separate mains powered XLR control and amp unit called the Stream Mixer, which features two rear mounted USB Type-C ports complete with two Type-C to Type-A cables, a dedicated line-out, and a rear XLR connection, also with included cable. 

All this connectivity is designed to allow you to use the Stream Mixer to interface with multiple inputs and outputs, including two PCs at once for those streaming and recording on separate systems, along with XLR connectivity that allows you to connect to a separate mixer or use a different XLR based mic altogether. 

48V phantom power is included, meaning the preamp here should have no problem powering other XLR mics from another manufacturer should you wish to use the Stream Mixer with something other than what's included here. 

Beyond all those extra connectivity options, the Stream Mixer is a compact and well-built little interface with two RGB-rimmed buttons, and two dials. The left button acts as a dedicated mic mute, while the right can be assigned to various functions within the software.

As for those dials, the smaller of the two is dedicated to gain adjustment, while the larger can be programmed for all sorts of uses, including volume adjustment or adjusting specific fader. Unlike the standard Alias with its built in lights, for the Pro the LED ring around the gain knob acts as a meter, so red for clipping, yellow for near, and green for within usual range, and the two buttons also change colour when pressed so you can easily tell when you're muted.

Just like the regular Alias, the Alias Pro makes use of the excellent Sonar audio interface software, which once again recognised my connected input and output devices with the minimal amount of fuss. It had no problem distinguishing and identifying two PCs connected to the interface, meaning if you were looking to setup a separate laptop for streaming, the Stream Mixer has you covered with the minimum of hassle.

There's a lot of customisation here within the software if you want it, including RGB lighting setups and dial customisation. When it comes to the audio features, the ClearCast AI noise cancellation is of particular note, as it helped me tame the increased gain provided by the preamp while still keeping a good signal level, along with a simple but powerful compressor reduced to a single slider and an easy to use EQ with some well thought out presets.

In a desktop position using the included mount, it didn't take long before I had a sound very similar to the regular Alias, as they both make use of a 1-inch/25mm capsule with a 50Hz to 20kHz cardioid pick up pattern that has no problem capturing good quality audio at a reasonable range.

However, SteelSeries also provided me with one of its Alias Boom Arms to play with, currently priced at just under $100/£80, and it's here that the Alias Pro came into its own. In a close mic position it really didn't take me long to get an excellent result.

It's not that the Alias Pro is bad at distance recording compared to its little brother, in fact far from it. However, when pairing it with the boom arm to bring it close up and experimenting with the Sonar EQ, suddenly the qualities of that external preamp came into sharp relief. 

I recorded a few clips of both the Alias Pro on its desk mount and in a close mic configuration on the boom arm, and a reference clip of a microphone I know very well, the Shure MV7, also on a boom arm at an identical distance.

I left the Shure unprocessed and raw as a baseline (bear in mind, when you buy one, all you get is the mic and some relatively blunt software), whereas the Alias on the boom arm is using the Sonar EQ, noise reduction and compression.

Thanks to that preamp, a closer configuration and the flexibility of the Sonar software, the Alias Pro is capable of a very warm yet still detailed sound that'd be perfect for a podcast or audiobook recording, and great for a professional sounding stream. 

Of course, the Shure MV7 is capable of a similar tone when EQ'd and processed, but bear in mind you'd need to do a fair bit of fiddling with some plugins to make that happen, whereas the Sonar software and Stream Mix interface included here makes it easy.

You're going to want a boom arm like the Alias version I used here for the best results though, and that gets expensive pretty quickly. For what its worth, while the SteelSeries Boom Arm is high-quality and robust, I would be tempted to buy a cheaper arm and save a bit of cash as there are plenty of options on the market that do the same job for less, and the screw-in socket on the back of the microphone itself is a default size that should connect to most of them.

For comparison, a Shure MV7 in combination with a decent audio interface/preamp, some plugins and a suitable arm will cost you similar money to the SteelSeries Pro and corresponding arm, and many might prefer to lean towards the Shure brand when it comes to spending that much cash on a studio-like audio setup, no matter how much fiddling you'd need to do.

Still, where the SteelSeries Alias Pro really makes sense is as a leaping off point into the realms of studio sound. The versatility of the preamp, the power of the flexible yet easy to understand software and the qualities of that capsule come shining through with very little messing around, meaning that you can get the sort of audio normally reserved for professional setups quickly and easily.

That's something of an impressive feat. Good audio is subjective, of course, but I can't deny that with the SteelSeries Pro in front of you, a great result is tantalisingly close with just a few simple steps. Beyond that, the customisation is there to set up the Stream Mixer with just about every input and output you can think of, dialled in to its easy to use controls. It just makes the experience much, much smoother than a regular studio setup, and for that, I have to tip my hat.

I reckon when it comes to pure sonic chops from the mic itself, the Shure MV7 still just about has it, but honestly, the Alias Pro's preamp makes it a surprisingly close run thing.

Yep, it's still pricey. But for studio-like sound with much less hassle, I reckon it's worth it. Quality audio gear often costs, it's true, but here you can at least ditch the usual audio headaches and get on with the business of capturing great sound with ease.

Audio gear, including some of the best microphones, can be bulky pieces of equipment to accommodate on your desk. As someone that's become intimately familiar with the downsides of working within a limited amount of space, it can become tempting to think that it's easier to use a (usually lesser) headset mic over a standalone unit, even if it means sacrificing some audio quality for your next meeting or stream.

However, SteelSeries' Alias microphone aims to pack everything a gamer might want in a mic in a compact setup, even going as far as to say it's the first mic "truly designed for gaming". With an MSRP of $180/£180, it certainly has a premium price tag attached, but first impressions out of the box does reveal a premium looking product to match.

Nestled inside a small but well-constructed shock mount, the slim chassis and narrow but still substantial looking microphone design makes for a good-looking addition to your setup, and quickly managed to tuck itself amongst my overcrowded desk without making things feel any more cluttered than they already are. 

At 720g with the included desk stand it treads the line between feeling weighty enough to assure you it's a premium piece of gear, without being heavy or cumbersome to move around.  

More than that, the metal construction and anodized finish looks reassuringly professional, which means that if you had it in shot for a conference call it's unlikely to stand out. Given its size though, it's easy enough to hide if you don't want it making an appearance. Built into the front face of the mic is a lozenge-shaped control interface with a mute button and headphone gain dial, which is nicely dampened and satisfying to turn. 

It might sound strange to some, but having used audio gear with plastic-y, wobbly control interfaces and dials that feel more like they should control children's toys instead of professional equipment, a nice-feeling dial or two really does make a difference to how you perceive your new bit of kit. 

Gain adjustment is handled by another excellent feeling dial on the rear, which although a little fiddly at first makes sense. Adjusting gain levels is usually more of a setup thing than something you're likely to be doing on the regular, and given the ease at which the unit can be moved around I didn't find reaching around the back to adjust the gain all that much of a hassle. 

Also around the back is a 3.5mm audio jack for headphone monitoring, which keeps it out of the way but might be a bit of a pain if you're planning on plugging and unplugging your headphones often.

The included USB-C to USB-A cable threads through the stand to its port on the rear, and once it's connected there's a hidden RGB light under the mic chassis that projects a discrete glow onto the stand beneath. 

Speaking of lights, the Alias hides its LED indicators beneath the fabric mic cover so the gain level shines through only when it's picking up audio, and those same LEDs also display a large red "X" when the unit is muted. That's a nice touch, as trying to figure out which mute setting you've accidentally left on mid-meeting or recording session can be a panic-inducing moment, so at least you'll be sure if the microphone itself is muted or not.

Using SteelSeries' Sonar audio software I was able to quickly set up to record and stream to various other applications with ease, thanks to its intuitive drag and drop system for handling inputs and outputs. This was made especially easy since the software performed a quick and accurate setup on first boot that recognised all of my plugged in audio gear immediately, and quickly configured everything hardware-wise with minimal prompting.

The fact that this worked as well as it did struck me as a minor miracle, as up until this point I was unaware that any audio configurators existed that didn't require at least a few minutes of messing around and some colourful language to get everything working the way you intended it to.

The software also includes an adjustable equaliser with a variety of useful presets, a compressor and a noise suppressor, and as someone who's used to the intricacies of various audio interfaces I was impressed by how straightforward the whole process was. Audio set up can be notoriously fiddly, but Sonar lays things out in an easy to understand and intuitive way with all the adjustment you could reasonably need, without a barrage of settings you probably don't.

When it comes to sound, the Alias makes use of a 1-inch/25mm capsule, which for reference is much larger than something like the 14mm capsule you'd find in the Blue Yeti, while frequency response ranges from 50Hz to 20kHz in a single cardioid pickup pattern with a max SPL of 120 dB. Impressive stuff on paper, but what about the audio itself?

First impressions were good, as there's a decent level of fidelity here even when the mic is a reasonable distance away. That large capsule mean that low-end frequencies and mids keep their heft, trebles are clear without becoming harsh, and overall there's a good depth to the tone.

A fair bit of background noise from my fans can be heard when the audio is raw, but listen to the clips below, one raw and one with the EQ, compressor and ClearCast AI noise reduction turned on, and hear how much more focussed the sound becomes.

I'll be honest and say that even with the software's help the audio isn't as crispy and clear as some of the comparisons above, but given it's a condenser unit sitting at a reasonable distance, the fact it achieved a decent level of richness while maintaining good clarity was impressive. Some cheaper mics can lean towards sounding tinny, whereas if anything the Alias leans towards a slightly fuller tone.

Playing around with the EQ presets yielded a variety of useful options, and I found that they were well-labelled for their particular purposes, with the "balanced" preset (used in the processed clip above) providing the most, you guessed it, balanced and clear sound.

The noise-suppressor here is SteelSeries' AI-enhanced ClearCast, and I found it was remarkably good at discerning between my voice and unwanted background noise, and I didn't have to turn it up very high to get a good result. Like all noise-reduction software it can get a little over-zealous and robotic sounding at higher settings, but when kept at a reasonable setting I found it worked very well for its purpose.

If you're looking for something that can stand on your desk with minimal footprint and capture good audio for gaming, meetings and more without any fuss, then the standard Alias makes a lot of sense. Thanks to the power and ease of use of the Sonar software it's a set and forget sort of setup, all wrapped up in a neat and unobtrusive package.

That being said, when listening back to my sound samples in comparison to mics that we've already tested like the HyperX Quadcast X or the Sennheiser Profile Streaming Set it does make me wonder whether the regular Alias does enough to justify that $180 price tag.

It certainly sounds decent and the build quality is impressive, but there's just no getting around the fact that it's a lot of money for a single mic with no extras, even if the results are good and the software is very impressive. Spend a bit more and you could be in premium audio territory with the likes of the Shure MV7, whereas the Razer Seiren Mini at $50 gets similar audio results, albeit without the fancy lighting and premium finish.

Regardless, although the Alias is a somewhat pricey affair, its performance, build quality and ease of use does stack up to make a compelling package. What you end up with here is a compact mic that you can stick in a corner of your desk, crank up the noise cancelling, and forget about.

Perhaps its peace of mind you're buying with the Alias. No fuss, no hassles, just a solidly built, good looking bit of kit that does what it says it will, and for that matter, does it well.

Audacity has become the absolute go-to recommendation when it comes to free audio recording software for your PC, and while it's an easy program to start recording with, the built in noise reduction in particular has always been a bit of a bugbear of mine. It's often prone to introducing a lot of digital artifacts into the signal in an effort to get rid of background noise, so when I heard that there was now a new free suite of AI tools based on OpenVINO, including an AI noise suppressor to play with, I had to give them a try.

OpenVINO is an open-source toolkit that's built for running machine learning on Intel desktop and cloud platforms, and these tools have been built by Intel within the platform for Audacity (via CDM). 

Beyond the AI noise suppression tool for podcasts, there's also a "Music Generation" tool designed to generate music from a prompt, or based on existing music, and also a "Music Style Remix" feature that can split a song into its component parts.

It's the noise suppressor in particular that caught my interest as I've had some previous experience engineering a podcast or two, and I always sought to use expensive VST plugins for background noise removal, as the Audacity default effect can be a bit of a blunt object. It's not awful by any means, but it often introduces digital "wash" into your vocal recordings that can be tiring to listen to.

With that in mind, I downloaded the new tools from Github and got to testing. Grabbing the nearest cardioid condenser mic to hand, I first recorded a test clip in Audacity with a noisy background, in this case my PC fans and a large, open and echo-prone room with a window facing out onto the street. 

I then recorded another clip, and post-processed it with Audacity's built in noise reduction used at a high enough setting that the background noise was removed, before recording a final test clip and trying out the AI tool to see how it compared, and you can hear my results below.

Hmm. While the AI tool can absolutely remove background noise well, I'm not a particularly big fan of what its done to the overall tone of my voice. Listening to the Audacity noise-reduced clip side by side, while you can definitely hear more of that undesirable robotic-sounding wash it has at least kept some clarity in my dulcit tones, whereas the AI tool has made things a little muddy.

There's very little tweaking available for the OpenVINO noise suppressor as things stand, as it only currently has one noise suppression model included and no factory presets or sliders, so for the purposes of this test I had to run with the default settings provided. There is the option to import user presets, so I imagine it's a watch this space to see what the community might do with it.

Still, the noise reduction itself is impressive at least, and it processed relatively quickly on my CPU, although it has to be said that the built-in Audacity tool is still quicker, by which I mean, near instantaneous on such a short clip. 

You could absolutely EQ the AI clip to gain some clarity and tame some of the muddy notes in those mids, but then that does bring into question why you'd go to the extra effort unless you were really desperate to remove every last trace of background noise possible.

Needs work, I would say. I did attempt to play around with the AI music generation tool to get it to produce something presumably fantastic around the prompt of "PC Gamer Hardware team funk", but alas, no matter how I tweaked I couldn't get it to generate anything but an error message, even when reducing my prompt down to plain old funk, rock or pop. Shame.

Still, these AI tools are free to play with and seemingly still under development, so I wouldn't give it long before they're likely to be much more workable. While we now live in a world where the term "AI" is seemingly bolted on to every new product, something like AI-powered noise removal strikes as a good use of the tech, and given that its for free I'd say it wasn't a bad result.

Still annoyed about the PC Gamer funk failure though. One day we'll get our theme tune. One day soon.

With the continued popularity of streaming, remote-working and voice chat in general, it's no surprise that so many manufacturers are focussing their efforts on creating great microphones, and this year we've had quite a few cross our desks. But when it comes to the best of the best, these three candidates stand out as top contenders for our best microphone award 2023.

We've all been subjected to less than ideal audio quality, whether it's from someone using the built-in mic in their webcam to headset users with crackly headset units placed far too close to their mouths, the results are pretty horrible to listen to. However, each of the candidates here are designed to capture and deliver fantastic, warm and crisp vocal sound to caress your earholes, and would make worthy additions to any audio setup.

However, beyond sound quality and accurate vocal capture what we're really looking for in a great mic is thoughtful design, solid build quality and great compatibility. Each of the microphones below really ticked these boxes in different ways, so it's a tight competition for who takes the top spot.

The Sennheiser Profile Streaming Set makes a compelling case for itself as an all-in-one platform for anyone looking to get into professional sounding audio, with a professional look to match. Meanwhile the Audio-Technica AT2020+ delivers great audio quality for a surprisingly reasonable price, and as for our last pick, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS StreamSet, well, we even included a headset in the mix. Yep, the mic was that good.

Any of these microphones seems destined for the top spot, so without further ado, here's our breakdown of this year's contenders.

Best microphone 2023: the nominees

The winner of the PC Gamer Hardware Award for the best microphone of 2023 will be announced on New Year's Eve. Sound good? Sorry. Make sure you check in with us then to find out the eventual result.

There are two new Yeti microphones and neither are made by Blue Microphones. The Yeti Orb and Yeti GX will be available later this month, and both are Logitech G products, marking the beginning of the end for Blue.

Blue Microphones was bought out by Logitech back in 2018 for a grand sum of $117 million. Since then, it's been left relatively untouched by its parent company, occasionally launching the odd special edition Yeti microphone or a compact mic for streamers. That all came to an abrupt end over the summer, however, as Logitech pulled the Blue website, scrubbed the sub-brand from its site, and confirmed that 'Blue' will hereafter only refer to Logitech's audio technologies.

The first hardware to ditch the Blue brand since are new versions of Blue's most famous product: the Yeti.

The Logitech G Yeti GX is a "premium" gaming microphone (it has RGB lighting) and comes in a pod shape with a built-in desk stand. Sort of your Blue Yeti Nano in Logitech G flair. It has a supercardioid pickup pattern to focus on your vocals and less of the background noise, so say Logitech. It also uses what the company calls "Smart Audio Lock", a tool to adjust gain to pickup your voice while limiting unwanted sounds coming through. My previous experience with desk-mounted mics would suggest being careful with whacking your desk if you do keep this thing on its included stand, though it comes with an adapter for a boom arm if you prefer.

The most genuinely interesting bit of this mic, which will appeal to major hardware nerds like me, is the inclusion of a scroll wheel ripped from one of Logitech's gaming mice for the mic's gain control. That does sound quite enjoyable, fair play—maybe this consolidative capitalism thing is alright, after all.

The Yeti GX will set you back $150 in the US, or £149 in the UK.

On the cheaper side of things, there's the Logitech G Yeti Orb. A familiar sight, this looks like an inflated version of the Blue Snowball—one of the first dedicated microphones I ever owned, besides this thing. From the specs sheet, this thing looks a lot like the Snowball, though it comes with RGB now so… we're clearly winning. It's not quite as cheap as the Snowball, the Orb will cost you $60/£60, but it's close enough considering the Snowball has been around for an age. Here's hoping the Orb also similarly drops in price sooner rather than later.

Rounding off the lot, there's a gaming key light. More in Logitech's usual stable, this RGB capable light opts for a dual-sided approach rather than the more traditional flat panel we've seen from Elgato and Razer. It's $150/£150, which means it's still very much in the realm of serious streamer gear, though it'll happily run all day, according to Logitech. 

AVermedia is perhaps more well-known to gamers as the company that makes capture cards that isn't Elgato, but it has been quietly making some really popular streaming gear for a while now.  And now a part of me is annoyed its webcams and microphones didn't appear on my radar until now, because this latest mic is genuinely really, really good. 

The Live Streamer Mic 350 (or the AM350) is AVermedia's latest premium USB condenser mic and aims to bridge the gap between novice to pro streamers and podcasters. It's a significant improvement over the AM310 microphone, offering enhanced features and richer sound, all without needing an expensive audio interface and XLR mic. Though it is worth stating that there are some impressive budget XLR mics available right now, like the Elgato Wave DX.

The AM350 boasts an appealing black all-metal design with a split-cylindrical look that exudes a futuristic vibe. The red-accented trim at the top adds a touch of style without going overboard. However, it took me a moment to realize it actually isn't an RGB light ring. The included stand is stable and well-built, unlike the precariousness of the Audio Technica 2020+ stand. And that means it's reliable enough to produce quality audio without a boom arm. 

On the front of the mic, you'll find gain and mix controls, while the bottom houses a headphone jack, USB Type-C port, and a switch between cardioid and omnidirectional modes. I prefer these sorts of physical knobs and buttons on sound equipment over capacitive buttons. Touch buttons can be finicky during recording like you'll find on the HyperX Quadcast S, or the touch slider on the Shure MV7.

The dual microphone operates in two pickup patterns: cardioid and omni modes. Cardioid, common in USB mics, captures sound directly in front of the AM350, while omni mode picks up sounds from all directions. This is ideal for roundtable discussions with multiple speakers or for creating ASMR content.

Avermedia says the AM350 is the first USB condenser microphone to utilize Dirac for sound optimization—a technology that enhances vocals, similar to what's found in JBL sound systems. This means your voice will sound polished without extensive adjustments on your part.

While the Shure MV7 Podcast microphone remains the top choice, the AM350 certainly holds its ground. As evident from the recording, my voice came through loud (sometimes a touch too loud) and clear, with minimal plosives. However, be mindful of your levels on this mic, as they can spike significantly when you raise your voice. This quality benefits soft-spoken individuals.

The Elgato Wave 3 closely rivals the AM350 regarding sound quality and the Avermedia mic's customization options compare well against the hybrid XLR Shure MV7 microphone.

The Avermedia VibeEngine app is, at best, entirely adequate regarding customization software, though I had a few crashes when playing with the noise reduction settings. Often, I've found it easier to fine-tune the mic using other third-party apps. Fortunately, the AM350 sounds excellent right out of the box, reducing the need for extended time in the app.

The only problem is that the AM350 mic is sold in a kit (which includes the microphone, pop filter, and shock mount), which costs $200. If you want the bundle that includes the boom arm, that'll cost you $380, nearly double the microphone kit's cost. That's a big upfront charge when your existing boom arm will serve you just fine. That said, it's still a quality boom arm, and you won't be disappointed if you decide to drop the coin.

AVermedia did clear up some things about the bundle. The mic will be sold separately for $200, and the kit that includes the shock mount and pop filter is basically a special promotion for the launch. It's still pretty pricey, but the bundle is actually a pretty nice deal. 

Whatever, the Avermedia Streamer Mic 350 is still a well-crafted premium microphone with great sound quality. Its two pickup patterns offer more versatility than other microphones in the $200 price range. While it might not match the sound quality of the very best, it excels in user-friendliness and ease of setup.

When it comes to capturing professional-grade audio, Audio-Technica is renowned for its excellence. And the company hasn't missed a beat when it comes to creating a fantastic microphone for gamers, streamers, and budget-conscious content creators. 

The AT2020USB-XP is a premium microphone that delivers the stellar sound quality you expect from such a legacy and several impressive upgrades for veteran users looking for more control over their voice.

The design of the AT2020USB-XP remains largely unchanged from other AT2020 models, except for a sturdier stand that won't wobble at the slightest breath, unlike the AT2020+ I tested previously. Another welcome change from the AT2020+ is the use of a USB Type-C connection instead of the USB-B input (yuck). You'll find the headphone jack at the back of the microphone, while the front features a touch-sensitive mute button with an LED light indicator and mix control dials.

I was particularly excited to test two new features: automatic gain control and noise reduction, which can be activated using the small buttons beneath the microphone. The onboard digital processing of the microphone does a decent job of maintaining consistent audio levels when your voice volume fluctuates, as you can hear in the sample below. However, it is more effective at amplifying soft voices than reducing the volume of loud ones.

The auto-gain feature can be a real asset for streamers who tend to speak softly and constantly need to crank up their gain. The noise reduction buttons offer three levels of noise reduction, effectively reducing unwanted background noise. 

While the noise reduction successfully eliminated the loud hum of my air conditioner, it wasn't as effective at filtering out keyboard taps and mouse clicks, even at the highest setting. It's nice that no software is involved in making this happen, which is the beauty of this plug-and-play microphone.

I mentioned the stand earlier, and there's a small design element about it that I really appreciate. The bottom of the stand features a slight cut-out for the USB cable, allowing you to run the cable underneath neatly to make everything look more organized. This little detail is a nice touch for someone constantly battling messy cable management.

The microphone's extended frequency response range ensures no subtleties are lost during recording; as you can hear in the sample below, my voice sounds crisp without auto-gain being turned on. The next recording with auto-gain turned on didn't sound as good and basically made me sound way too loud. Again if you speak softly, this might work for you.

While the clip-on pop filter adds a nice visual touch, I'm unsure if it effectively dealt with plosive sounds. Investing in a more professional-grade pop filter might be a wise choice for podcasters or those who do a lot of talking in their recordings.

It's worth noting that the AT2020USB-XP offers only one polar pattern, lacking the versatility of a microphone like the Blue Yeti X, which can accommodate multiple speakers and various situations.

In terms of sound and pricing, the AT2020USB-XP competes with the likes of the HyperX Quadcast S and the Elgato Wave 3. You can hear how it holds up against these two in the sound comparison below.

If I were to nitpick, the other microphones offer more personality with their fun designs, color options, and in the case of the Quadcast S, RGB lighting. However, if you're a streamer who doesn't feature the microphone on camera, this may not be a significant concern, especially considering the exceptional sound quality the AT2020USB-XP delivers.

With its exceptional audio reproduction, capturing the nuances of your voice during a true crime podcast or any other recording endeavor becomes effortless, eliminating the need for excessive post-processing. Not only does the AT2020USB-XP sound great, but it also looks sleek and robust on your desk—It's a visual and auditory delight for only $169.

I get it; there are so many microphones out there, and quite frankly, many of them are pretty good. So honing in on the right one for you could be challenging. The Sennheiser Profile Streaming Set gives you everything you need to start your podcasting or streaming journey with a great-sounding microphone and sturdy boom arm combo for less than $200.

The Profile comes in two packages; the standalone microphone for $129 or the Streaming Set (which we're testing out here) for $199. The latter includes a microphone and a desk-mounted boom arm. The mic is the same in the package, so does it really come down to whether you need a boom arm or not? I'm on team boom because it clears desk space and prevents any incidental bumps and thumps from being picked up on the mic during recording.

The Profile has a sturdy metal casing and a more flashy design than I would expect from Sennheiser. Don't get me wrong, Sennheiser makes some of the best audio gear in the world but some of its designs, especially on its headsets, are a little boring. 

The Profile is sleek and looks good on camera if you're a streamer, especially when mounted on the boom arm. Overall, it's a good design, and I really like that you have an onboard mix, gain, headphone volume controls, and the mute button on the mic. In a time when microphone makers are scaling back features to keep costs down, it's nice to see that Sennheiser has found a way to do both. 

As you can hear below, the Profile has a very warm sound, uh, profile that gives my voice a nice, crisp quality. Perfect if the type of content you create involves much talking or you need to sound like a professional on a work call.  

I added the HyperX Quadcast S and AT2020+ to the playlist since those are the closest competing mics in both sound and price. The Quadcast S handles plosives a touch better than the Profile, though the quality of my voice sounds nicer on the Sennheiser. 

Because of that, you will want to invest in a pop filter to deal with some of the light plosives, which will push the overall price up a little. It's not as bad as on the Audio-Technica AT2020+ as you'll hear below, but still something you'll want to get a handle on. 

On the software front, well, there isn't any. The Profile is a plug-and-play microphone with no accompanying software for tweaking sound. So, if you want to apply filters to your voice or anything fun like that, you'll need to use third-party apps. Since all the controls are on the mic, I'm alright with not having to install another app for my accessories.

The only real problem with the Profile is that it lacks some versatility by only having one polar pattern. Unlike other microphones, such as the Quadcast, I can't plop this down on a table and do an interview on location because a cardioid mic is really only suitable for one person. Anyway, it's not like you could set this on a table because the Profile Streaming Set doesn't come with a desktop stand. In other words, it's a very specific single person use case, and not for moving around with.  

I find it strange that the Streaming Set doesn't include some sort of a desk stand. You're relegated to using your boom arm, though you could buy the stand on its own for $29. The stand-alone Profile, on the other hand does include a stand, so keep that in mind if you're choosing between just the microphone or the boom arm combo.

Unsurprisingly, Sennheiser makes a quality boom arm that's easy to set up. A decent boom could cost well over $100, so getting one for an essential $70 with 3-point locking and a cable guide is a helluva deal and worth picking up if you don't plan on taking your mic anywhere. It should accommodate most desks, too. 

This excellent boom arm will probably last longer than your podcasting career, honestly, and the Sennheiser Profile is does everything a good mic for streamers needs. It's easy to use, and the onboard controls give you much control over your sound.

So there we have it, Sennheiser enters the podcast and streaming space, and shows everyone how it's done. 

As budget microphones go, we've seen a lot of the "less is more" design approach. Companies are stripping out features and making design compromises so their mics can still sound good and sell cheap. Audio-Technica, who is no slouch in the microphone department, is bucking the trend by making a quality mic under $100 without completely stripping it of features you might need. 

The Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ replaces the now discontinued AT2020USB and retails for under $70, putting it on the higher end of the budget microphone price range. It's a cardioid microphone ideal for streaming, podcasting, and day-to-day use at work or ata play in Discord.

It can be confusing because AT has a couple of microphones with the AT2020 designation, such as the AT2020 USB X, the $150 premium USB, and the XLR version of the AT2020 for $100. 

Compared to the budget USB microphone, its metal body is designed to take a beating. If you travel a lot, you don't have to worry about the AT2020+. It does come with a handy travel pouch which is a nice touch and gives it a premium feel whenever you pull it out. 

The mic itself is easy to use. It's plug-and-play; there's no software to install, so you can get to recording fairly quickly. There's even a headphone volume and mix control, a feature you won't find on many sub-$100 offerings. For example, my favorite budget mic, the Razer Seiren Mini, has no extra features. Monitoring and adjusting your mic levels is always really clutch during a live stream without needing to tweak using third-party software. However, I wonder why Audio-Technica went with those controls instead of a mute button or gain controls. 

These extra features are great, but the most important question for any microphone you're potentially buying will always be, "So, how's it sound?" And the AT2020USB+ might be one of the best-sounding mics under $100 I've used in a really long time. 

As you can hear from the sample, my voice is sharp and crisp. It also adds a nice warmth to the vocals, and if you make a lot of content featuring your voice, like podcasting or voiceovers. You're getting a lot for just $70, making it a really good mic if you start with content creation.

I recommend getting a pop filter since my plosives were noticeable in the test recording every time I said something with the letter p in it. 

It being a single condenser microphone makes it less versatile than some of the mics, closer to the $100 price point. If your content involves just and nothing overly complicated logistics-wise, this is still an excellent option for beginners. 

As much as I like the AT2020, its flimsy tripod leaves much to be desired. It never quite sits on the desk and often feels like it's going to tip over with the slightest bump desk bump. Bad mounts are common with microphones at this price range, but considering this isn't Audio-Technica's first USB microphone, it could be a lot better, given its pedigree. 

I also found it strange that it uses USB Type A, which is objectively better and more secure than micro-USB, though I'd rather it USB Type-C since those are a lot more common these days. In a pinch, I bet trying to track down an extra USB Type-A cable will be a lot harder than a USB Type-C any day of the week.

The Audio Technica AT2020USB+ is proof that you can make a quality microphone for less than $100 and find a way to keep it under $100 without stripping features. Despite a really poor tripod stand, this is still one of the best microphones you can buy now.

2022 has been an interesting year for gaming and streaming microphones. This year saw mic makers start to push heavily into the prosumer market with high-quality products aimed at content creators looking to step up their sound game.

XLR microphones sound amazing but require an investment in the form of an audio interface, whereas a USB mic is always the way to go if you want an affordable, easy plug-and-play solution. Though this year seemed like slim pickings as XLR mics started to become more and more popular among even streamers just starting out. 

Either way, we narrowed it down to three of the best gaming microphones of 2022. Of our nominees,  HyperX's debut XLR mic, the Procast, might be the best microphone we've spoken into all year; Elgato's maiden XLR, the Wave DX, is the best value; and the 512 Audio Tempest is one of the better-sounding premium USB mics we've seen. 

But which of those below will be crowned the best microphone of 2022?

Best microphone 2022: the nominees

The winner of the PC Gamer Hardware Award for the best gaming microphone of 2022 will be announced on New Year's Eve. May the best noise maker win. 

HyperX microphones have come a long way from the QuadCast launch in 2019. Since then, the company has made a mic to suit almost every type of content creator, which have been both impressive and affordable. This time around, HyperX is hoping to catch the attention of users looking for pro-level sound by releasing its first XLR microphone, the HyperX ProCast, for $249. 

What sets the HyperX ProCast apart from its top USB mic is what's inside it. It's got a gold-plated large diaphragm condenser capsule, which you'll find in many XLR microphones used by professional musicians and podcasters. The result is deeper, richer vocals than your standard USB microphone.

Of course, $250 is a lot of money to spend on a microphone, but when you compare it to other large diaphragm condenser microphones that aren't marketed to streamers, you'll find it to be a competitive price point. I'm curious to get my hands on Elgato's new $100 XLR dynamic mic and see how it measures up against the ProCast first-hand, but the Elgato Wave DX has reviewed pretty well already. 

One thing I'm surprised about is a lack of features and extras when you compare it to HyperX's other 'cast' mics. But damn, does it sound good. ProCast delivers the stellar sound quality you'd expect from an XLR, and that should strongly make you consider spending the coin. 

At a glance, it keeps with the brand's clean cylindrical design. It ditches much of the HyperX's visual flair aside from the red accented cords on the shock mount. I was also surprised to see there's no tap to mute which is one of my favorite touches on HyperX mics. Though if it's more style over substance you want, the QuadCast S and its wild RGB lighting probably more your vibe. Either way, the ProCast is a sturdy piece of premium kit that feels like it belongs in a studio. 

Being that the ProCast is an XLR mic you'll need an audio interface to plug into your PC. I'm using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, which runs about $170 on sale. The cost of using an XLR microphone generally drives most people away from them into the affordable embrace of USB mics since those, for the most part, are simply plug-and-play. However, once you use an XLR mic and hear the difference, the cost will be worth it to level up your sound. 

Below you can hear how the XLR HyperX sound's against the Quadcast S, HyperX's premium USB mic at $150, and the now $225 Shure MV7 Hybrid XLR/USB podcasting mic. Right off the bat, my voice was loud, crisp, and clear. Even with Soundcloud's upload compression, the ProCast's sound quality blows HyperX's best USB mic, the Quadcast S out of the water. It's not even close. When comparing it to the Shure using an XLR cable—our current absolute favorite mic—they sound pretty darn close.

It's a clear, clean sound best suited for content creators who talk a lot, or need to use their voice professionally. If all you do is chat away on Discord, there are cheaper options, such as the HyperX SoloCast that still sound pretty good. I did notice several folks online, when I was playing Warzone 2.0 and Warhammer Darktide, asking if I were a streamer because my mic sounded so good. It's good to know the ProCast works well for in-game chats, because you never want to be the teammate whose mic sounds like they are underwater. 

My only issue with the ProCast's sound is that it's really sensitive, even with gain adjustments. It does pick up some background noise. Not a big dealbreaker if you've already got a decent podcasting set-up with some soundproofing, and if background noise hasn't been an issue before, you'll be ok.  You can switch on the 80Hz filter, which should help with unwanted low-end noise.

You'll also need a microphone boom arm, as the ProCast doesn't come with a stand (or an XLR cable now that I mention it). In fact, it doesn't come with anything except the mic itself and a detachable, front-facing pop filter that's mostly serviceable. To be fair, lots of XLR microphones come this way. However, it's still a little disappointing since HyperX's other streamer-focused microphones come with more accessories out of the box. 

The ProCast has the unfortunate pleasure of being compared against the best podcasting mic, the Shure M7. That retails between $225-$250 and is currently the gold standard in microphones because of its sound and flexibility. And frankly, being a hybrid XLR/USB microphone, it has spoiled me. The ProCast is selling for about the same price and is a straight XLR-only microphone. That could be a turn off but man, does your voice sound great when using it. And isn't that the entire point if you're spending premium cash on a premium microphone? 

The HyperX ProCast is a great-sounding debut XLR mic that plays it safe design-wise. You're definitely getting what you pay for in terms of sound quality. Your voice will sound its very best, as long as you have the cash to spare on it and all the accessories. If you already have them, however, the ProCast is a solid investment. 

The best microphone for gaming, streaming, and podcasting is a growing necessity for the modern gamer. Whether you aspire to stream your gameplay, engage in deep and meaningful Discord conversations with friends, or finally record that podcast, these top-tier microphones will make you sound your best.

So which to buy? Well, the best microphone for gaming right now is the Shure MV6. It's a desktop USB mic with proper credentials from one of the most respected names in the audio industry, and it sounds great from a distance. If you're looking for something cheap but most definitely cheerful, our best budget microphone is the Amazon Basics USB Condenser Microphone. It's a surprisingly good little desktop mic for a very attractive price. And as for podcasting? The Shure MV7+ is about as good as beginner-friendly microphones get without breaking the bank.

Achieving studio-quality sound with your audio gear doesn't require an advanced degree in sound engineering (though it might help). In most cases, all you need is a USB port, a great mic, and something interesting to say. To help you make an informed decision, we've gone the extra mile by recording test audio samples of all the microphones we've reviewed so far.

The quick list

The best microphone for gaming

The Shure MV6 USB Gaming Microphone manages to pull off a very impressive party trick. We're massive fans of the podcast-friendly Shure MV7+, but here Shure has managed to shrink down some excellent, MV7-like vocal-capturing ability into something much more suitable to shoving on your desktop and letting it get on with the business of capturing great audio.

Let's talk about form factor for a moment. While you'll get the best results with a good microphone up close to your lips on a boom arm or similar, it's not exactly the most practical setup for most gamers. The MV6, however, is designed to sit on your desk at a more reasonable distance—capturing excellent vocals without being too precious about how far you sit from it.

It achieves this via the Motiv Mix software, which features auto gain-levelling to constantly adjust the volume, making sure you can always be heard. While it's not magic—and we'd still recommend getting reasonably close—it does an admirable job of keeping your voice consistent from a decent distance away, meaning you can focus on what's on-screen instead of perfect mic technique.

More than that, the built-in noise reduction is great at minimising ambient room noise, like PC case fans and humming radiators. It's actually a little on the aggressive side—meaning you can sometimes hear it overcompensating—but on the whole, it's a set-and-forget system that ensures you won't have to fiddle around to get a clean vocal signal.

The stand is also seriously chonky. There's absolutely no danger of this mic wobbling around, and it feels solid enough that you could use it as a boat anchor in a pinch.

It does have a fairly considerable footprint, though. While it's much more compact than its MV7 forebearer, it's still pretty sizeable, so those looking for a more discrete solution might want to take a look at something truly tiny like the Amazon Basics USB Condenser Microphone.

While the little Amazon mic is great at what it does for its bargain basement price, it does get outclassed here in terms of pickup and overall audio tone. In fact, so do most mics compared to the MV6. To do better, you'll need to spend up and get something truly professional right up in your grill, like the Shure MV7+ Podcast microphone, which is a real gem of a mic. Here though, it's all about convenience.

The Shure MV6 is the mic to go for if you want something desktop-based, easy to use, and with excellent sound—and at $149, it's also very reasonably priced. That makes it the best gaming microphone you can place on your desk and one that'll likely keep on trucking for many, many years to come.

Read our full Shure MV6 USB Gaming Microphone review.

The best budget microphone

When it comes to picking a budget microphone, you're probably aiming somewhere in the $50 range. And, because we're all prone to a bit of brand snobbery, you'd probably be tempted to turn your nose up at the Amazon Basics USB Condenser Microphone, available for around $26. That'd be a mistake, though, because as far as I'm concerned it's the best budget gaming microphone by far.

You don't get any fancy extras here. Just a well-built, reassuringly heavy little desktop mic with a tilting stand, and a USB Type-C to Type-A cable to connect it with. Everything about this mic screams that it's here to do one job, and that's to capture audio well from a desktop position with minimal fuss—and it performs that role with aplomb.

I was seriously impressed when I first heard the Amazon Basics unit in action, and I still am now. Sure, it's not going to be bothering many of the other microphones on this list when it comes to that shiny, studio-ready quality you might be searching for—but if all you need is something that picks up your vocals well for meetings, gaming, and perhaps even the odd podcast recording or two, the little Basics unit does an admirable job.

Speaking of podcasting, you can even unscrew the little mic from its "tilting at windmills" base and attach it to a boom arm with the 5/8 inch connection underneath, and while it's slightly plosive prone up close, it's still good enough for some tight, stream-ready audio capture with the right mic technique.

So, what's not to like? Well, there's no software on offer here, which means no noise cancelling. As a condenser mic, the Basics will capture audio from a fair distance away, whether you want it too or not. It's not particularly noise-prone, but it's worth bearing in mind if you want nothing but your voice on aural display.

And the cable it comes with is a bit short, and kink-prone, so I'd buy a different one if you don't have a spare USB Type-C to Type-A cable to hand. Other than that, though, the little Amazon mic is a real winner, and makes for a very easy addition to this guide. Good sound and build quality for much less than the competition? Yep, I'll take three.

Read our full Amazon Basics USB Condenser Microphone review.

The best mid-range microphone

Listen to the microphone in the test below:

The NZXT Capsule Elite promises a lot for its price and surprisingly delivers almost across the board, which is why it's the best mid-range microphone. From noise rejection to adjustable settings, it's got more than enough features to compete with some higher-end options—but for a fraction of the cost.

To look at the thing, you'd think it was a retro-futuristic high-end mic, and in a sense, you'd be right—until you get close and realise the the body is made of plastic. But hey, there has to be some give, right? It's got design quirks that might split the room, but overall it's quite a handsome device, and its metal stand certainly helps with that, even if it is a little fiddly to screw in.

The stand-setting is the only part that's fiddly, though, as the mic itself is plug-and-play via a USB-C connection—it's great to see companies switching over to this smaller and newer USB format. The software's also easy to use, so you'll be configuring the Capsule Elite to your liking in no time.

And once you've got all that set up, boy does it deliver on the sound front. For a mic that comes in under $100, it's mighty impressive. You can hear what it sounds like above, and to my ears, that's a sound profile with plenty of clarity, depth, and richness. It's capable of capturing at a high bitrate, too, which certainly helps and is impressive at this price point.

For around $90, you get a smart-looking, great-sounding piece of kit, with an adjustable stand, colour-changing LED indicator, and even onboard monitoring via a 3.5 mm jack. The only major sacrifice you'll make here is that plastic body—which looks pretty good regardless, don't you think? Yeah, it's certainly a mid-range winner.

Read our full NZXT Capsule Elite review.

The best USB microphone and boom arm bundle

The Sennheiser Profile Streaming Set gives you everything you need to start your podcasting or streaming journey with a great-sounding microphone and sturdy boom arm combo for less than $200. That makes it our top recommendation for the best USB microphone and boom bundle.

The Profile has two versions: the standalone microphone for $129/£129 or the Streaming Set for $199/£179. We'll take the latter, thanks, as it's a great deal for a full set that means you have everything you realistically need for great, studio-quality audio.

The volume and mix controls are well placed, and the dedicated mute button is one of those features you probably wouldn't care much about on paper but makes all the difference in practice. Having a physical button to ensure you're muted helps avoid any awkward streaming audio-related accidents. Look, Mum, I know dinner's ready. Can't you see I'm recording games for the internet over here?

More than that, the Profile is wonderfully warm in its audio quality, with a crisp level of clarity that just makes your voice sound great. Sennheiser knows what it's doing when it comes to sound, and the Profile captures your vocals beautifully, ensuring it's just down to your performance rather than too much fiddling with the dials.

Speaking of dials, on the software front... there isn't any. That being said, the sound is good enough that you shouldn't need a lot, if any, software help to still sound great. It must be mentioned, however, that setting up a good stream can be a fiddly procedure—and if you'd rather have something that came with an interface and software package that made it easy, it'd be worth taking a look at the SteelSeries Alias Pro below.

The Alias Pro, however, doesn't come with a boom arm. This one does, thankfully, and it's as flexible and resilient as you like, so what you're getting here is something that you can use again and again, and probably again, too. Good boom arms can sometimes be expensive, but here, it's all part of the package.

Yep, it's a great stream companion this, or a massive boost to meeting audio, in-game voice chat or a podcast, and a very well-thought-out package that hits all the right notes.

Read our full Sennheiser Profile Streaming Set review.

The best looking microphone

The gamer-centric HyperX Quadcast S is an excellent microphone for the gamer or streamer looking for an easy-to-use, clear-sounding mic, and it takes our top spot for the best looking. It might seem a bit strange to think about looks when buying a microphone, but if you've got your audio gear in the shot, it'd be nice if it looked great as well as sounding it.

More than just a looker, however, the Quadcast S has plenty of features that you usually end up paying more for in other mics. The built-in pop filter works well (and contributes to the sleek aesthetic rather than covering your fancy new mic with an add-on attachment), and the top-mounted tap-to-mute button is capacitive, meaning there's no audible click when it's activated.

In terms of software, the Quadcast S makes use of HyperX's Ngenuity suite, and there are options to adjust the lighting, gain, and, err, not a whole lot else. Still, it's straightforward at the very least, but if you're expecting a lot of bells and whistles, you'll come away disappointed.

When it comes to sound, the Quadcast S captures clear and crisp audio even on low gain settings, although it must be said it's a little plosive-prone. Still, the sound profile leans towards clarity without becoming harsh, which means it's a very good fit for anyone looking to do a bit of live streaming or amateur podcasting. If you want the full studio-like podcast sound, you'd do well to check out the Shure MV7+.

Should you pick the much cheaper HyperX mic, though, you'll still be very well-served. It's got a rare combination of streamer-friendly good looks and excellent audio for a reasonable price, and those looking for something both aesthetically and sonically pleasing are well-catered for here.

Of course, you could go for the standard Quadcast and get, well, almost everything advertised here without the RGB for around $20 cheaper. Still, if style is important to you as well as excellent audio, the HyperX Quadcast S is the best looking by far.

Read our full HyperX Quadcast S review.

The best podcast microphone

When we heard the original Shure MV7 was being replaced, our hearts sank. That was a microphone that sat at the top of this guide for a very long time, until it was eventually replaced by the Shure MV6 as our top gaming mic. We needn't have worried, though: its replacement, the Shure MV7+ Podcast microphone, is even better than its predecessor.

The really astonishing thing about this mic is how easy it is to get a studio-quality sound. Simply install Shure's Motiv Mix software, plug it in via a Type-C USB connection with the included cable, and begin recording. That's not just because it's a great mic. Shure's software gets to work turning on all the bells and whistles from the get-go, including noise reduction, Auto Gain levelling, and a Digital Popper Stopper, from the moment you plug it in.

On that note, that was one drawback of the original Shure MV7: it was a little prone to plosives, which are percussive sounds like "puh" that can become blown out if you speak too forcefully. Thanks to a bit of extra foam and the aforementioned digital helping hand, however, plosives are no more with the MV7+.

It sounds superb on its default settings, with a rich warmth, pin-point accurate vocal capture, and a lovely, crispy, "hot radio" kind of sound—with no fiddling required. The MV7+ simply gets up and goes, and as a result, you don't need to know anything about audio to get a professional result out of it.

That doesn't mean it's without caveats, however. You'll need to get it up close, like a proper pro podcaster or streamer, to get the most out of it, which will necessitate buying a boom arm. Sure, you can use it with a separate desktop stand (which costs extra) just fine, but it's right next to your face where you'll really hear the full benefits—and while Shure will sell you the appropriate stand/arm, it still doesn't come with either by default.

The other thing is the price. At $279/£269, this isn't a cheap bit of equipment. However, given just how easy it makes capturing a studio-grade result in your home, that's actually pretty fair, given that it's competing with proper professional microphones that can cost much, much more.

It'll be fantastic for streaming too, although we still recommend the SteelSeries Alias Pro for streamers, mainly because it includes a handy mixer for switching settings on the fly. That's even pricier, though, and if you don't need those controls then the MV7+ is the better pick.

So why's the MV7+ not at the top of this guide as the best gaming mic? Well, the Shure MV6 is smaller, sits on your desk, and is substantially cheaper, too. But if you don't mind getting a larger mic up close for the best possible sound—and opening your pocketbook a fair bit wider—this is the one to pick.

Read our full Shure MV7+ Podcast microphone review.

The best microphone for streaming

Setting up a stream with great audio is traditionally not easy, which is the reason we're sticking the SteelSeries Alias Pro in as our best microphone for streaming. It might be pricey, but what you're paying for here is really the Stream Mixer that comes with it, and all the streamer-friendly features that make it a fantastic buy, even if it is pricey at a $330/£330 MSRP.

That little two-dial, two-button unit contains a powerful preamp that can connect out to an XLR microphone with 48V phantom power, which means you can use this with just about any good XLR mic on the market. However, SteelSeries has provided you with one of its Alias units here, and thankfully, it's a bit of a peach. It sounds lovely, particularly close up with a bit of an adjustment, although we'll get to that later.

Once you've booted up the Sonar software, you'll discover it takes away most of the strain of setting up a load of complicated inputs, outputs and audio gear. Drop-down menus and great hardware/software discovery mean that this package does its best to make all those confusing settings as straightforward as possible, and the RGB-lit buttons and dials on the front of the interface can be programmed in a variety of ways to make streaming control easy.

More than that, the included audio-adjustment settings are simple to use. There's a compressor, ClearCast AI-noise reduction and a straightforward EQ with plenty of useful presets, which means getting a good sound out of this setup is easy. However, there is a bit of a catch.

The SteelSeries Alias Pro really, really appreciates being up close, and that means using a boom arm to get the microphone right up to your face. That'd be all well and good, except SteelSeries doesn't provide one with the package, limiting you to a desk stand instead.

It'll sell you its own version, the SteelSeries Alias Boom Arm, for another $100—but in all honesty, it's a bit overpriced for what it is. Thankfully, the socket at the back of the SteelSeries Alias mic provided here is a standard size, so many cheaper and just as good third-party boom arms should fit.

The mic itself is also small and compact, which means it's not quite as in-your-face as something like the Shure MV7+ might be, although if you're looking for ultimate audio chops, the Shure still takes the crown for the best sound. It's also as simple as can be to use, although it doesn't have a mixer for switching streaming settings on the fly.

Streaming audio is difficult, and audio interfaces can be complicated beasts to wrangle. The SteelSeries Alias Pro takes as much hassle out of the process as it can, and that makes it the best microphone for streaming. Just make sure you price in an arm (or, given the cost, even a leg) to get the most out of it.

Read our full SteelSeries Alias Pro review.

The best headset microphone

Desktop mics are all well and good, but if you're looking for the best headset microphone, it has to be the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x STS StreamSet. With this substantial piece of gear, not only are you getting a brilliant microphone but a very good set of wired headphones all-in-one.

This headset features a proper, fully-fledged cardioid condenser mic. Don't let the relatively small size of that end capsule put you off—this unit is easily the best headset mic we've ever tested and is capable of capturing your vocals just as well as some of the other options on this list.

There's a lot to be said for having an excellent microphone built into a headset, too. For a start, you won't have to worry so much about volume changes when moving around, as once the mic distance has been set with the bendy arm, that's where it'll stay. That makes it perfect for those who don't want to think about their mic technique while gaming, as once you've got the distance right, you really don't have to think about much else.

With a range of sampling options, there's plenty of flexibility on offer. Plus, there's a monitor mode. Ordinarily, that can be pretty distracting, but we found that the version here was actually very useful for keeping an eye on your vocals while mid-stream.

There are a couple of downsides to consider. One is the lack of on-headset or on-wire buttons, which for some will be a bonus in terms of simplicity. A dedicated mute wouldn't go amiss, though. The other is the price. At $229/£169, the Audio Technica is on the pricey side for both a good mic and a good headset, although, of course, you're getting two in one. The ATH-M50xSTS really is good at two, often quite separate, roles. Together, combined, it really does excel at both.

When it comes to headset microphones, it really is one of the best we've ever used. And for good measure, the drivers themselves are absolutely brilliant, too. Pricey, perhaps, but multi-talented and built to last, to boot.

Read our full Audio-Technica ATH-M50x STS StreamSet review.

Also tested

How to spot the best deal

Gaming microphone FAQ

I’ve tested a handy few microphones in my time, but not once have I had the pleasure of using an XLR mic. For the uninitiated, the XLR form is arguably the more traditional form that mics can take, given the connector has been around since the 1950s and amongst professionals is the de-facto standard for most audio devices, microphones included. As streaming has become more of a popular medium, XLR mics have taken on a new lease of life as content creators look to create the best content they can, and of course, audio is a big part of that. 

As a result, we’ve seen a fair amount of brilliant XLR microphones released for pro use that streamers have also begun to use—think of Shure’s SM7 or Rode’s Procaster. Well, in the last couple of years, we’ve seen more companies join the party, such as Elgato, the Corsair owned brand which has made a name for itself with some of the best all-round kit for streamers, ranging from the Stream Deck to their range of keylights. 

But anyway, back to the focus at hand: the Elgato Wave DX is its latest (and potentially greatest) entry in their lineup of microphones, and as you’ve probably guessed it, it’s an XLR one!

As a result of it being an XLR mic, the Wave DX was a little fiddly to set up; it's not the most plug and play device in the world in the sense of plugging in one cable and the mic works. Instead, it's a multi stage procedure that relies on you having a few things to hand. 

To actually get the Wave DX working you'll need the mic itself, as well as an XLR cable (sold separately, but any XLR cable should do) and an interface of some form, which is where you plug the mic into, and the interface then plugs into your PC. I should say at this juncture that this mic should work with any XLR interface, but for the sake of unity and convenience, I'm using Elgato's own Wave XLR, which also gives you access to on board gain control, so not to clutter the sleek design of the Wave DX itself.

Once you've jumped through a couple of hoops and you've set the Wave DX up on a mic arm (there isn't a tripod stand in the box), then you're ready to go. The setup is actually a lot easier than I'm making out—it's literally just plugging in a handful of cables. It's worth noting here how well built every part of this kit is and how simple it is to operate. The Wave DX features this minimalistic and almost elegant look to it. There's no unneeded bulkiness with a shock mount or external pop filter, like you get with other mics—interestingly, the Wave DX has an internal pop filter. It's comprised majorly of metal too, and feels rather sturdy indeed. The same goes for the boom arm and Wave XLR interface too, which, although is made of plastic, doesn't feel cheap in the slightest. 

Of course, the most important thing with a mic is how it sounds, and I'm pleased to report the Wave DX sounds marvellous. It provides vocals that have plenty of body to them alongside some excellent clarity. My only issue with it is that some plosives did still come through with a slightly annoying hissing noise, proving that while the internal pop filter offers more of a design minded way of removing harsh sounds, an external physical barrier may offer a more surefire way. 

The Wave DX offers a cardioid polar pattern, which is ideal for voices, although intriguingly, isn't a condenser mic, like a lot of other more affordable options are. Instead, the Wave DX is actually a dynamic microphone, which means it's better suited to capturing louder noises—ideal if you're someone who bellows into a mic. As a dynamic microphone, it also doesn't require any external power, unlike condensers, whose XLR based versions will need to draw power from somewhere—usually the interface their plugged into. If you do want to use a condenser XLR mic with the Wave XLR interface, it can provide the 48V of phantom power needed for them to run. 

Elgato's XLR mic also did a brilliant job of cancelling out most background noise, so it was just my voice that was coming through, as opposed to any angry typing on a keyboard. In addition, you can get an additional plug-in that can help to cancel noise even further. This brings me nicely onto the support for VST plugins, including Elgato's own EQ, where you can fiddle with the different frequencies of your voice—if you want a little more bottom end or more twinkly, then away you go!

At this juncture, I realise I haven't mentioned the actual price of the Wave DX, and of course, its assorted kit needed to get things working. The mic itself is $99/£110 which puts it in the more affordable category for XLR mics, and for that, it represents brilliant value for money. Things become a little more fiddly when you add all the other bits needed to get it working, which actually come to more than the mic itself. The Wave XLR interface is $160/£160 while the boom arm clocks in at $90/£90 and the separate XLR cable sits at $20/£20. In essence, you'll be paying close to $400/£410 to get all this up and running, which pushes it out of the 'affordable' category somewhat.

All in all though, the Wave DX is a great microphone with some excellent clarity and full bodied audio that should really take your stream and content creation game to the next level. With all the kit bundled in, it is quite expensive, but if you're wanting a sleek and minimalistic looking setup to stream with, this is a fine choice.

I've jokingly told some colleagues that the old Neat Bumblebee looks like the microphone of a sci-fi intercom system. It was an out-there design I respected.  And if you know me, I do love some goofy-looking tech. For the Bumblebee II microphone, Neat decided on a more modest design for its budget microphone, pitting against a competitive group of worthy noise recorders.

Considering the charmingly bizarre design of the original Bumblebee and King Bee microphones, it's strange to see Neat go for such a modest design. I'm certain the new look has a broader appeal than the old look. But I guess if you want flashy, the new King Bee II is probably more up your alley.

Neat's Bumblebee II elbows itself on the top end of the budget microphone field. Much like other mics at this price, features were given up to retain good recording quality, which usually ends up with the microphone just having a mute switch (if you're lucky) and not much else. So you can imagine my surprise that the Bumblebee II has not only a mute button but also a multi-use button that cycles through volume and gain, which is pretty unheard of for mics at this price. 

Despite its bigger size, the Bumblebee II's sound is on par with HyperX Solocast and Razer Seiren Mini mics, which isn't a knock against it. As you hear below, the quality of my voice is what I like to call 'work call' good. It's loud and clear enough for day-to-day use. If you're looking for studio-quality sound, you'll have to pay for it. 

Since plosives were on the loud side, you may want to invest in a pop filter. The mic is also good at picking up some background noise, so if you have an expensive loud AC unit, turn it off during recording. 

Again the mic's larger desktop stand size also affects its portability; other budget mics like the Seiren Mini and Solocast use small stands that make it easy to pack for recording on the go. If you're just planting this on a desk, it takes up an acceptable amount of space, but it's too cumbersome to toss into a bag and go.

The stand itself has a nice circular base that looks good but isn't a shock mount, so the Bumblebee picked up every slight vibration and bump on my desk. While not a big deal in a Discord call, it will drive you nuts if you're trying to, let's say, record some vocals.

The build quality for the stand is poor as well. Literally minutes after using the mic, one of the snap-on screw covers on the hinge that tilts the mic up and down instantly broke off. So now, every time I move the mic, the cover falls off, exposing the screw, which kills the look of the mic. This is unfortunate because I like how easy it was to install onto a boom arm. 

I also take issue with the location of the USB Type-C port and headphone jack on the bottom of the microphone. The way the mic sits on the stand forces the cables to get tugged and pinched in a way that can't be good when trying to angle the mic where you want it.

Even though the Bumblebee II MSRP is $100, it is regularly on sale for between $50 and $70 most weeks. For your money, it's a decently serviceable microphone that sounds good. Though every time I see that exposed screw, it becomes harder and harder to recommend regardless of how cheap and good it sounds. A shame considering how well it sounds compared to other budget, entry-level mics.  

There are a lot of USB microphones out there for streaming and podcasting. Naturally, big names like Shure and Rode, who generally resided in the pro-sumer side of audio, have expanded into the content creator market by offering top-quality recording gear at somewhat more affordable prices. 512 Audio is one such company that's taking its pro audio know-how and cramming it into the more wallet-friendly Tempest microphone. 

I guess the thinking is if you can make a mic good enough for Green Day, it should be good enough for your true crime podcast. 

There's something about the look of the Tempest that I'm vibing with. It's a simple yet sleek design. The cylindrical, all-black, grilled metal casing covers the 34mm large-diaphragm gold-plated capsule and has an old-school studio microphone aesthetic. When connected, a neat blue LED ring appears on the capsule, giving it just enough personality without looking tacky. 

As you can hear from the test recording, the Tempest does a really good job at cutting out the background noise in my office, where the hum of my RTX 3090-powered gaming PC, or AC unit, tends to make its way into my work and Discord calls. 

My voice was crisp and clear in the recording. In fact, it was so clear you could hear that I'd been fighting off a bit of a cold. Illnesses aside have a listen to how the Tempest sounds compared to some of our favorite mics, particularly the premium mics like the Shute MV7 podcast, a mic nearly double in price but has the same sample rate. 

Plosives are handled pretty well without a pop filter. If you're looking for versatility, though, you might be disappointed since the microphone only has one polar pattern (cardioid); we've seen similarly priced mics like the HyperX Quadcast mic, which has four polar patterns. More polar patterns give you more recording options if you stream with multiple people in the same room.

Included in the package comes a standard desktop stand and low-profile shock mount, which gives the mic some versatility.  The shock mount is handy if you're an excitable type and tend to bang into your desk during a stream. I usually use a boom arm since my desk space is limited, and the setup was pretty painless.

The desktop stand is probably the thing I like the least about the Tempest. Once set up, the Tempest never felt stable. The only way I kept it from tipping over involved angling it in a funky way. This means it's almost impossible to use the desktop stand and shock mount together in any meaningful way since the shock mount would make the microphone too heavy for the desktop stand to support. Invest in a good boom arm to make the most of the microphone. 

For the same price, you could get the Elgato Wave 3, which offers a great digital mixer that's super handy for streamers, and it has a pretty solid desktop stand. Again, this isn't necessarily a deal breaker for someone who just wants a good-sounding mic and doesn't care about anything. Though for streamers and other content creators, constantly worrying about if your mic will fall over at any moment can't be good.

512 Audio's Tempest is one of the more impressive sounding USB microphones I've gotten to use in a while. It captures clean, warm audio, which makes it perfect for podcasters or musicians looking for a solid microphone for $160, though don't expect too much from the stand. It doesn't offer the same flexibility and features as other microphones at that price point.

Streaming has boomed during the pandemic. While we were all sitting around inside getting used to the idea of a remote world, many had to invest in microphones for Zoom calls and get comfortable with seeing ourselves on-screen. With all that extra time and newfangled equipment I was one of many to give streaming a go. Now it's my passion and side-hustle. When I'm not writing words for PC Gamer, I'm broadcasting live to my community which kept me from climbing up the walls during lockdown.

But now I'm deep into the community and experienced with many of streaming's quirks, I'm ready to pass on some of that knowledge to the next generation. To actually begin streaming is pretty intimidating. Once my streaming career comes up in conversation with new faces, it's often met with a tingle of admiration. "Damn, I don't know if I could do that." "That's pretty brave isn't it, putting yourself out there like that?" "I wouldn't even know where to start." But in reality anyone, yes you, could start streaming right now. And because of the sea of small streamers, it's unlikely anything will go badly wrong.  

I'll go into actual equipment shortly, but first a word of encouragement. There are loads of streamers with just one viewer or a handful. Thousands of them. That's kind of small, yes, but it works in your favour. No one ever has to know you're doing your first stream. Let's be honest, if you're just beginning, working this stuff out can be a little finicky and that's okay. Any streamer with experience will tell you that technical hiccups and unexpected problems are just part of the process.

But more importantly you can go live and no-one may ever know. That's a good thing because you can get comfortable in front of the camera without a care. Once you've gone live once or twice, maybe that's when you tell your friends. You can get your partner, siblings, close friends, online friends, whoever is willing to participate or 'lurk' in your channel as you stream. Here you'll get a taste of what you enjoy about streaming and then you're away. Having just a few viewers at any time can give you the boost to get out of the depths of Twitch, Facebook Gaming, or YouTube into a place where people might actually click on your stream and give it a go.

 What do you actually need to start streaming?

Truth is, in our newly remote world, you probably have all you need to get started right now, except for a username and a bit of software. And when you make a new username for Twitch, start with something without too many numbers or strange spellings. I know, a little hypocritical coming from someone with the username M0rmento, but if you can't easily say your name, and have to spend a lot of time telling people how exactly it's spelled, it'll be a pain in the ass, trust me.

Software

Many streamers fall into one of two software categories. Streamlabs or OBS Studio. The former is really great for beginners as not only is it easy to understand and set up, but it also comes with a lot of graphics and alerts so you can get going straight away. The downside is that it got accused of plagiarism and 'unethical' business practices for originally being called Streamlabs OBS without any connection to the original OBS software, infringing on OBS's turf. Not only that but another streaming service, LightStream, showed how similar their websites were, as if Streamlabs had copied its homework.

OBS Studio, though, is a better platform for a tailor-made stream. Almost everyone who starts on Streamlabs eventually hops to OBS Studio because it's more technical and precise in what it can deliver. It's not as aesthetic, far more confusing, and harder to get up and running but if you've already been streaming for a little while, working out what's what is fairly easy. You can hop straight into Studio if you're confident with working out technical programs, audio and visual settings, bitrate and more, but if you're just getting used to the idea of going live, LightStream is an easier way to start. Other softwares available include vMix and XSplit which are both also used extensively across platforms. I'd recommend OBS Studio ultimately.

What technology do you need to start streaming?

I'm going to go from beginner to expert to give you some recommendations. Please, please, if you're just starting out don't scroll to the bottom and pick out the best of the best. Not only is it hard to tell if you can fit regular streaming into your life before you give it a shot, one of the best parts of streaming is improving your set up slowly. Getting a new camera or lighting or anything is more exciting with an audience who can give you feedback and appreciate the changes being made to make their experience better.

Also, there are many prices here that will be lower on marketplaces like Amazon than I've stated. It's Prime day, for example, which will lower a lot of this tech to more affordable prices, so check them out online just to see if there are any deals on.

 Beginner

Ah, here you are at the beginning of your streaming journey. It's scary! To be honest, the very beginning of your streaming career can be started with the stuff you already have at home. But if you need a cheap and easy way to start, here are some recommendations.

Microphone

A headset with a microphone is just fine for starting your streaming career. Audio is arguably the most important part of your output, people aren't always looking at your stream if they're watching but they're always going to be listening. I'm personally out of the loop when it comes to headset microphones but PC Gamer recently reviewed the £80 Beyerdynamic MMX 100 and found its performance and microphone quality were excellent. Additionally, many Cosair units have really good quality microphones so you could try out the £140 HS80 RGB as one of our top headsets we'd recommend at the moment.

Camera

Built-in webcams for laptops are fine. They're fine and if that's all you have that's still a really good place to start. But you'll also likely have something else at your disposal that's even better. You might not realise it but maybe the best camera option for cheap is your smartphone. There are apps out there that allow you to use your camera on your phone as a webcam and with how good cameras are getting these days, it's a good way to look sharp with a gadget you probably already own.

Iriun Webcam and DroidCam are two examples of such applications. It'll be annoying to have your phone set up as a camera, sure, but if you're not interested in spending money right away, it's a really easy alternative.

Otherwise you're going to be sticking to USB cameras. The Razer Kiyo isn't too expensive at £100 and has an in-built light which can be quite handy. Logitech also has the Logi C270 which will do the job for £25. Neither are top-of-the-line USB cameras but they'd do the job, as would any inbuilt camera you may have or USB cam your work has provided for you for remote jobs.

All-in-all, the beginner level of streaming shouldn't cost you too much. If you were going to purchase dedicated equipment though, I'd recommend the Beyerdynamic headset, and Logi C270 for a combined £105.

Intermediate

So you know you like streaming, congratulations. This is when you might pour a little money into the hobby so your stream looks a little better and honestly, you feel a little more professional. Please bear in mind you don't need to upgrade these all at once. What I would encourage you to upgrade first though, is your microphone.

Microphone

I believe everyone, no matter if you're a streamer or not, should have a USB microphone. I just think they're neat, and in our now highly remote world, allow far better communication. My best recommendation would probably be the Elgato Wave microphones. I used my Wave 1 for a year or two before moving on and it's absolutely the best piece of streaming gear I ever bought in terms of value for money. The Wave 1 is a little cheaper than the Wave 3, as the Wave 3 gives you a higher max sample rate, as well as more mixing options. Either are a great USB mic to start with. The Wave 1 costs about £90 while the Wave 3 costs £160. If you can afford to go the extra mile, go for it, but the Wave 1 is an excellent place to start.

Additionally the HyperX Quadcast is a great option at £120. To be transparent, it's good for sound but mostly it looks badass and you may have seen it taking pride of place in a lot of streams for that wow factor. If these are all a little on the expensive side of things, Razer's Seiren Mini is cute and cheap at just £50 and will do the job just fine.

Camera

In terms of value for money, you can't get much better than the Logitech C922 for £95. I used that webcam for years and as a Twitch affiliate, with Twitch doing everything it can to throttle your stream quality as it is, it's a perfect camera for the average streamer. The Logitech C920 is also up there in terms of quality for £90. Though the Kiyo, in Beginner, is slightly more expensive, you also need to spend money on lighting to get the most out of these Logitech cameras.

Other options include Elgato's pretty good £190 Face Cam and perhaps surprisingly, Go Pros. Go Pros are always being updated and it's become quite common for second hand or older versions of the product to be used as webcams. Another use for a niche bit of tech and you can find them quite easily on Ebay.

Lighting

Lighting is more of a personal preference than anything else. But too many streamers buy a camera like the Logitech C922 and then expect it to work wonders without enough lighting. Stop that. You can use lamps you have around your house to illuminate your face and actually just typing in camera lighting into Google or Amazon is sure to bring up quite a variety of absolutely fine options.

However if I were to give a recommendation I'd say the £190 Elgato Ring Light is pretty great. It's a ring light that can attach to your desk and can also hold a camera, eliminating the use of a tripod. I have also had a good time using the £190 Elgato Key Light in the past but the Ring Light was ultimately more useful. It eliminates the need for a camera tripod and its glow is less harsh than the Key Light's. And if you don't have room for a Key Light at the back of your desk, they have a mini variety for £130 which can sit on your table easily.

If you're looking for a variety of colours though, Razer has recently released its own Razer Key Light Chroma. Though expensive at £260, its niche appeal might be for you if you're looking for especially vibrant colours. On the other hand, I've come to use a sunset lamp myself for some nice ambient lighting and that only costs you about £20.

Capture Card

The £170 Elgato HD60 S+ is my go-to for a capture card. Capture cards are only really useful if you're looking to connect something like a PlayStation 5 to your stream, so it's not a must-have for everyone. But if you're looking to change-up your content Elgato's line of capture cards really are the easiest to get your hands on and we like the £190 HD60 X as an updated version of the HD60 S+ too.

If I were to buy my best of the best in the Intermediate category, I would purchase the Elgato Ring Light, the Logitech C922, the Elgato HD60 S+, and the Elgato Wave 3. All in all that would cost me about £615 without deals. Bear in mind, looking at current pricing this stack would cost you £570 instead.

Expert

This is where we get into the big toys with big price tags. There is a weird lack of products that settle between the high £100 in price to £300-400 so you'll probably sit at intermediate for a long time, and don't worry about that. That's perfectly a-okay and those products are really great and do the job.

This tier of equipment is purely about reaching for super smooth, super silky visuals and audio that could be useful for other applications like music production, high quality YouTube content, or photography.

Microphone

Now we get to the podcasting microphones. These are mics you see used as a status symbol more than anything else. If you're a big streamer you have a big mic, dems de rules. In this case I can recommend the £300 Shure SM7B as the mic I use, which has been a really great upgrade in sound from the Elgato Wave mics. It looks great, it sounds great (if a little quiet) and alongside my £72  Rode PSA1 studio arm, I feel like an expert streamer.

The other hugely popular microphone you see on streams is the £515 Electro-Voice RE20. Very costly, even more so than the SM7B, but they're as good as it gets. The SM7B I use is also great for music if you're a singer, and I use it for high quality voiceover for PC Gamer. But if you're not going to have multiple uses for these microphones, the Elgato Wave 3 should really be all you need.

Audio interfaces

The downside of using a fancy microphone is that you need an audio interface to go along with it. The most popular of which, and one I use, is the £180 Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. Actually our Jacob Ridley recently reviewed the Scarlett 2i2 bundle which came with a headset and microphone, and thought it all performed really well. It would also stop you needing to buy a separate microphone, though you'd still need a mic stand.

There are other interfaces on the market which are cheaper but if you're spending all that money on a microphone you'll want an audio interface to match, right?

Camera

To go with all those sultry sounds, you'll need a camera that shows off your lovely face. These days I personally use a mirrorless Sony a6000 and it works excellently and is pretty compact. Its two main selling points are its small frame, making it very portable, but also its autofocus, boasting what Sony says is an autofocus faster than DSLRs. When you're stuck on the lens side of the camera, this is undoubtedly important, as is its true-to-life colour. At £500 it's expensive but I have found it to be worth the money.

If you want to be able to see yourself stream as you're streaming consider a Sony ZV-E10 which is a model more suited to those who may want to also vlog. If Sony isn't your thing, the Panasonic Lumix GH6 is as good as it gets in terms of small cameras delivering high quality. However it comes with an even higher price of £680.

If you already own a DSLR though, you might want to check that it's suitable for streaming. In the camera's settings if you can find the HDMI info, under that you may be able to choose a clean output. Then all you need is a capture card like the Elgato CamLink to make it all work.

Capture Card

I'm going to assume you're a PC gamer and if you've some room to spare in your case, it may be worth installing an internal capture card rather than an external one. I'd be lying if I said my HD60 S+ wasn't a pain in the ass sometimes, and it looks a little messy out on my desk. Instead consider changing to a £230 Elgato 4K60 Pro or the £210 Avermedia Live Gamer Duo which can be installed much like a graphics card. This would do a lot of the work for you, though admittedly is not as transportable as an external card should you need to game on the go. This really comes down to personal preference, because our hardware team have tested them and would recommend both.

Excluding previous purchases like lighting, my professional level recommendation of deal would cost you a total of £1262.

Stream Deck

I've written an entire piece about why you don't need an Elgato Stream Deck however, if you're really tech savvy and intent to use a product like this for streaming effects go right ahead. But if you're just a beginner looking for a way to feel like a streamer, there are so many other worthy places to put your money.

Cat ears

Who doesn't need headset cat ears, eh? You don't need to buy Razer's full cat ear headsets but you can purchase these ears separately for a little uwu when you need it. 

That's about it. These are all the must-haves for a streaming set up at each price point. I've streamed for a little over two years since the pandemic began and although now I have a nice microphone and camera, they don't make or break the enjoyment of streaming. You'll have a great time no matter what the level you're at and then you can slowly upgrade equipment as you go. 

At the lower end of the Austrian Audio headset lineup, the PG16 is being marketed as a "professional gaming headset." It comes in at $135/£129, which is a fair amount of dosh that amount would translate to some pretty special quality compared to those on our best gaming headsets list. And while it comes with some neat features, such as cross-platform compatibility and good portability—it even hits the right notes in terms of basic sound quality—there are a few things that make it hard to recommend for everyday use.

There's a lot to be said about the clarity of the PG16's sound. On its own it can be a little tinny but once you get into the Spatial Sound Card L software, the sound quality improves exponentially. The software is a little on the sparse side since there are only a few options to play with. These include a few settings for surround sound (up to 7.1, which didn't blow me away) and presets for the EQ that are optimised for different headsets, as well as a few that emphasise or dampen highs or lows. Sadly there's no EQ slider to play around with.

There is, however, a strange 'location' setting with Dubai, Paris and New York all as options, which seem to change the soundscape somewhat, though it doesn't explain exactly what it's doing. Some made audio sound distant and seemed to increase reverb, while others brought sounds closer. Either way it would be nice to have some kind of description on what these actually are.

Another setting that I've not seen on other audio software is the option to change the 'latency target', so you can balance high quality audio with CPU performance. Lowering it should help gamers like us free up our CPU resources when we're not desperate for peak audio performance. Assumedly this feature lowers the amount of processing the software applies to your audio, in order to reduce any latency it might be adding to the feed. The app reports that a latency of 5.3ms is possible with the 'professional use' setting and a professional PCIe audio DAC.

I wasn't able to test this as I don't have one of those, but what I did note was the high CPU usage in this setting. Even when you switch the latency down to 10.7ms in the 'FPS-Enthusiast' setting, CPU usage can reach around 5%. It's meant to give you "less than one frame of audio latency at 60fps" but low latency audio isn't going to mean much if my PC crashes mid game due an overloaded CPU. Metro: Exodus is off the table then.

The lowest latency is meant for "movies and music," and is meant to deliver "latency that is low enough to keep movies in perfect lip-sync, while maximising your battery life." The CPU usage does cap out at around 3.5% which is sure to help with battery life compared to to help that along, though there's a significant increase in bass distortion as you decrease the setting.

At 12Hz to 24kHz, the PG16's frequency response isn't terrible, considering many top out at 20kHz, but the 44mm drivers aren't the punchiest around.

Other than the software's hungry CPU usage in lower latency modes, I have no major issues with the sound quality. It's mostly other design choices that get me questioning the price, but we'll get to those in a moment.

It comes in a strangely unique box, one that closes with the use of a Velcro strap. I've already lost the strap so that'll never close properly again. More importantly, the headset's frame boasts an impressive emulation of that HyperX Cloud look with the deep red, metallic trim on black. The PG16 opts, instead of a matte finish on the plastic, for a lovely gloss finish that makes for a satisfying peel. Overall it pulls off the gamer aesthetic well, especially against my red and black Arozzi Arena gaming desk, and it's a pretty restrained design all things considered. 

The headset is durable and has a good amount of stretch, which is appreciated. Although the mic not being detachable means it's less portable. It does flip up out of the way, at least, and mutes when you do so.

Though my biggest gripe is that the headband just isn't comfortable for long periods of time. I couldn't wear them for longer than a few hours before the top of my head started hurting.

Until I hit that point, it's nicely snug and there's no pressure in strange places around my face, unlike something like the Roccat Elo. The ear cups rotate, which is a nice touch, and although those actually are comfortable they don't block ambient sound. The site says the headset "insulates against external noise" but it's not so good at doing so. What it literally translates to is "this headset doesn't have any passive sound isolation." Don't expect to be able to forget the rest of the world unless you have the volume up quite high.

The headset is light enough that it didn't shift too much as I moved around, not that I could move much as the cable is a bit short. It's just long enough that I was able to get up and swap out the lights on my Vertagear SL5000 gaming chair while wearing it, but just 1.4m of cable may cause problems. It's also connected to the right side of the headset, so if you keep your PC on the left side, it's unlikely to reach and will be crossing over your body.

The cable does extend around 15cm when you attach the splitter, which I'll admit is a thoughtful addition to the standard package. You also get a little carry case, and the frame does come with metal hinges to fold the earcups in if you need to take them around with you. 

The only thing is I'm not sure I would need to. There's a pretty niche audience for portable headsets with a 3.5mm jack since most phones don't bother to include such a port any more. And if you're one of those people who preaches the audio jack's supremacy over USB, you're probably going to be purchasing something off the best headphones for audiophiles list instead.

All these little oversights, like the CPU usage issues and discomfort after long periods of use, are disappointing. The Austrian Audio PG16 started off with a strong look and some useful features but there's not a huge appeal for me to splash out $135/£129 on a headset that I'm going to need to keep taking off all the time. Especially one with a gangly mic, and whose software eats away at my CPU usage. 

When you can get something like the Razer BlackShark V2 wired headset for £100 nowadays—with its 55mm drivers, wider frequency response, detachable mic, and smashing comfort—why pay that extra £30? 

Nobody needed a gaming mic in the late '90s. Hell, webcams barely even existed yet—if you were attending QuakeCon and wanted to inspire a roiling envy among your fellow PC elitists, your best bet was a garish, chromed-out case. You know what I'm talking about: the crystalline chassis, the glittering water cooling kits, the monolithic fans that sounded like a spaceship taking off. This was the threshold that every up-and-coming geek was expected to aspire to. No peripherals, no bells and whistles, just a big machine and a chunky monitor, pumping out Counter-Strike headshots all night long. You could take that PC to your local LAN party and show everyone who's boss. 

In this wonderful era, the only people who owned computer microphones used them for their day jobs.

Decades have turned over since then. Today if you scroll through the vainglorious posts on r/Battlestations, you will notice a new omnipresent trend: massive, studio-ready microphones perched on everyone's desks, as if the owners are about to either record a podcast or play 10 hours of Apex Legends for a live audience. Mics are everywhere. They are now a stylistic orthodoxy, like wearing a pocket square to a wedding.

There have certainly been other innovations to the gamer aesthetic: Few people pack a 30-inch CRT screen these days, and we don't purchase graphics cards emblazoned with horrifying low-res aliens. But the biggest sea change in the community is that niggling desire to broadcast your voice with the sonorous depth of a millionaire Twitch streamer, even if it's to an audience of three on Discord.

Microphones have morphed from a fringe boutique curiosity to an out-an-out necessity. Our battlestations look sad and malnourished without them.

"A great audio set-up will definitely strike jealousy in someone," says Andrew, a 15-year old Floridian who showed off his rig in a choice r/Battlestations post earlier this month. Take a look, and you'll find a scarlet PC chassis, a starchy computer chair, and yes, a dangling, mesh-tipped microphone. "It's the same when I see someone with a nice keyboard or whatever. Everything you have will make someone jealous."

As a zoomer, Andrew is at the forefront of the generational turnover within the PC contingency. He wanted a microphone superior to the chintzy plastic headsets that remained the standard among matchmaking queues throughout the 2000s and 2010s. But as gamers became celebrities in the latter half of the decade—as the stereotype shifted from basement-dwelling grognard towards a Kool Aid-dyed teen in an LA mansion—so too did the men and women in their wake.

There is truly nothing wrong with my headset. My friends can hear me just fine, and I rarely need to record professional audio. But after internalizing the Twitch norms and seeing all the fancy HyperX mics trickle across the timeline, I too have started to feel a primordial gamer inadequacy that brings me back to my teenage years. If you want to know how vulnerable you are to the whims of consumer movements—even at the supposedly solid age of 31—spend a day staring at PC furnishments until your own desk appears naked and meager without an amplifier. 

"I think that all the kids want a 'complete' streaming setup like they see their favorite streamers online have. So whether or not they use it for streaming or just casually, it’s become a part of a complete setup," says another poster on r/Battlestations, who opted for a $99 Blue Yeti. "I think it has everything to do with wanting to be like the streamers they look up to."

It's hard to know when, exactly, this revolution began. Livestreaming is older than anyone gives it credit for—kids were running livestreams on local access TV in the early 1990s. I was watching Stickam in high school, which was now 15 years ago. Laptops didn't even have built-in mics back in those days, so external equipment was a requirement, not a flex. (Case in point: Some of my happiest gaming memories occurred during vanilla World of Warcraft raids, where I coordinated healing rotations with the help of a tinny, beige microphone borrowed from my parents.) Xbox Live certainly helped bring voice chat beyond hardcore PC Ventrilo servers and into the gaming mainstream, but cheapo tinny headsets remained the go-to for years.

My best guess is that dedicated mics became more widely adopted when young people started to get the bulk of their gaming information from YouTube, because Ninja, Shroud, and Pokimane spend much of their public life with their faces partially obscured by a fuzzy black mass.

"Why are microphones so popular in Battlestations?" reads the title to a Reddit thread posted in the summer of 2018, which I'd argue represented the absolute zenith of the gamer-celebrity ascendency. (It was the year Drake played Fortnite on Twitch—I rest my case.) Theories trickle through the replies, all orbiting around the same core premise: Everyone imagines themselves as a YouTuber.

"Streaming has exploded as a form of entertainment," says Adam, a 26-year-old in Canada and another Blue Yeti owner, in an interview with PC Gamer. "So every stream is advertising a 'battlestation,' so to speak." Viewer numbers do indeed keep rising year after year.

Personally, I don't harbor any delusions of social media stardom. The idea of managing a community filled with children on lunch break seems totally soul-killing, as does the idea of playing exactly one videogame for thousands of hours. I doubt I'm alone in that, and I imagine that many of you reading this story feel the same way. That said, Leif Johnson, a longtime journalist and PC Gamer contributor, does highlight one way microphone envy seeps into all of us aging greybeards. He recalls a recent Valorant session with his usual group of buddies. One of them had stopped using his external microphone in favor of a headset, which crackled with an unfavorable fidelity compared to the resonant warmth he was used to.

"I admit making some subtle digs trying to get him to go back to [the other mic,]" says Johnson. "In games like that I like to be able to hear the person as clearly as possible, so I like it when they have a quality mic."

This is the future we're headed towards, man. As microphones become more popular, and as we become more accustomed to our friends speaking with the pristine clarity of podcasters, we are slowly going to become less patient with anyone still relying on a crappy old headset. Yes, that was satisfactory in the early Xbox Live days, when we called out MechWarrior strategies on a poverty bitrate.

But in 2022 gamers are weaned on the texturous depth of Twitch streamers and YouTube hustlers. If you join the party with a microphone that makes you sound like Leeroy Jenkins, expect to be laughed out of the room. And everyone who's anyone knows you need that Rode mic arm, not some $15 imitator off Amazon.

Don't expect this trend to reverse course anytime soon. We are all going to be external microphone people eventually—for reasons both aesthetic and utilitarian. It is yet another thing to buy in a hobby that continually moves the goalposts. (The RAM, the graphics cards, the chiseled decals on the case, the utterly unnecessary water cooling system, and so on and so forth forever.) The kids set the rules, and we race to catch up, which I suppose is how every subculture is supposed to work.

I just hate knowing that I'm about to be out $150 in order to feel a little less inadequate. But hey, at least my voice will sound fabulous.

If you want to start creating content these days, you’ve got a fair few things to consider. 'What content should I create?' is a pretty good starting point, but once you’ve got past that, the chances are you’ll be wanting to think about your setup. 'What capture card do I need?' 'What’s the best webcam to use?' 'Do I need a killer gaming PC?' All of these are valid questions, but there are arguably no more pertinent than this: 'Should I get a dedicated microphone?' 

After all, if you haven’t got one of these, then your loving audience won’t be able to hear your dulcet tones with respectable clarity.

Well, enter the Streamplify Mic, a $65/£60 solution to all your vocal needs. What you get here isn’t just a mic, but a full kit with shock mount, pop filter, tripod and cables to get you started in a matter of minutes. 

Most of the kit feels pretty substantial, with a blend of metals and hard plastics on show, which, for the price, is rather good indeed. Just note the pop filter is a little thin and rattly, but in the grand scheme of things, this isn’t too much of an issue. Too often, cheap mics are a sea of hollow plastics designed more for looks than function, so it’s nice to see Streamplify taking some care with their entry.

What’s more, everything is nice and easy to put together—it’s as easy as putting together some flatpack furniture from Ikea. No, wait, it’s a hell of a lot easier than that. Oh, and one bonus feature Streamplify won’t mention on the box: assembling this mic is definitely likely to keep your relationship intact, unlike assembling a BILLY bookcase from Ikea—we’ve all been there.

As for the look and feel of the mic itself, it actually feels sturdy in hand, with a smooth metal finish that also helps it to look rather sleek indeed. Its all black colouring also helps it to look professional, which is useful if you’re intending on using this bad boy for conferencing as much as you are streaming. Fear not, RGB fans, as Streamplify hasn’t forgotten you. To go with the purposeful black looks, there’s a strip of RGB lighting below the mic grille that flashes various colours, and looks rather smart, even if it serves no real life purpose (apart from to look cool, of course).

The interface on offer is nice and simple with a headphone jack for real-time monitoring of audio input, which is handy; a small button for controlling the bundled RGB lighting; as well as a dial for on-board gain control. This is traditionally a feature reserved for more expensive mics, so kudos to Streamplify for including it here. Do note though that there isn’t a start and stop point in the dial, so you can turn it 360 degrees, which can make it seem like the volume perpetually increases, so just be wary of its actual start and end points.

The adjustable on-board mic gain is definitely welcome, but means that the microphone only becomes properly usable when your turn the dial all the way round, which is a bit of a pain, as below there, it seems insanely quiet to my ears, and therefore it may do to other people, too.

The gain dial is also a click-in button that can allow you to choose between the two playback modes. There’s the choice of either what Streamplify calls the mic’s ‘Full Playback Podcast Mode’ which will filter through any ambient noise so you can check your levels, or ‘One-way Playback Gaming Mode’ which cancels out any background noise. It’s a useful feature to have, and there’s a small noticeable difference between the two.

But, the reason you buy a microphone isn’t for its construction or anything like that, let’s face it. It’s all to do with vocal clarity and sound quality. I’m pleased to say, for the price, this baby sounds pretty decent. There are no hisses, crackles, or pops for that matter, and with a cardioid pickup pattern this microphone works especially well for voices. Truth be told, it sounds nearly as good as my old faithful, the Rode NT-USB, which I’ve had for a couple of years, and sits at double the price of this Streamplify option.

All in all, the Streamplify Mic feels like a steal for its asking price. It’s well built, even if it does have a rattly pop filter, and its audio output is crisp and clear, which is all you can really ask for. The on board gain control, mic mute, and two playback mode features are all handy, and means this microphone is punching above its weight class somewhat. The same also goes for the fact you get an entire kit in the box, which keeps things convenient. 

Convenience is the name of the game here. If it’s what you’re after, then you won’t be disappointed with the Streamplify Mic in the slightest.

Your microphone probably isn't first on your list of things to upgrade, especially when paying for more expensive ones introduces you to the new problem of deciding between a USB or XLR option. Higher-end mics typically use XLR connectors, but they add another layer to the upgrade decision: what audio interface do you go with, and do you need to juice it up with an amp?

The Blue Yeti Pro sidesteps the issue with the ability to be both an XLR microphone or a USB one, and right now, it costs about the same as much lesser options out there. For $150, the Blue Yeti Pro is an easy choice if you need to record audio at a much better quality than you do now. Gaming headsets have their limits, and it can be nice to decouple your headphone quality from the microphone, especially if you plan on streaming.

The Blue Yeti Pro resembles one of our favorite USB microphones, the Blue Yeti X, which is actually more expensive than the Yeti Pro's sale price right now. Like the Yeti X, the Yeti Pro has a 3.5mm jack for zero latency headphone monitoring, a switch to flip between four polar patterns (cardioid, bidirectional, omnidirectional, and stereo), a mute button, and a gain knob, and the ability to be mounted on a stand. The Yeti Pro has a 24-bit 192kHz sample rate and a 20 Hz to 20,000Hz frequency response. All of these things will make it sound good without any fuss on voice chat or on a stream, but they also mean that it will also work well for edited things like podcasts.

If you plan to go the XLR route with this microphone, I'd recommend picking something like the Scarlett 2i2 audio interface up to pair with it. XLR recording will give you a little more control and quality over the microphone. That said, XLR isn't necessary if you use it casually.

The Thronmax MDrill One Pro is the most surprising microphone I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing in the past few years. And I do mean pleasure. Coming from a European audio company that I'd honestly never heard of, the $90 Thronmax MDrill One Pro is a USB Condenser microphone that works with Windows, Linux, MacOS, and PlayStation 4 and 5.

It's a plug-and-play mic, and I can’t stress enough how happy I am that I don't need to use some overly complex software to get the most out of it—I’m looking at you Razer Seiren V2 Pro. No sir, just plug in the Thronmax, and off you go about your business. Thronmax says its Vertigain technology increases clarity and quality by 10% over other condenser mics. While I can't really substantiate that with any scientific accuracy, I can say that this mic sounds incredibly rich and bodied. 

I’ve never sounded sexier and when I sent my wife a little middle-of-the-day voice note over WhatsApp, she was completely blown away. Extra brownie points for me. The mic captures voices with a rich, warm tone with absolutely no hiss or distortion. I did a bunch of testing and realized the optimum positioning for the MDrill One Pro is about half a foot from your mouth. Sure it works fine when it's on your desk but as you can hear from the sample recording when it's closer the audio is so much better. 

There's gain control on the mic itself, but that didn't do too much to improve my voice, it just picked up more background environmental sound. Still, I love that I didn’t need to fiddle around with software to get this good sound. The excellent audio is a result of the aforementioned Vertigain tech that uses three internal condensers to pick up sound waves without being scattered by typical microphone mesh. 

There's also a built-in shock mount that does a fantastic job dampening unwanted desk vibrations. It also helps that the mic has a high sample rate up to 24-Bit/96KHz which is great for professional application.

The MDrill One Pro is also one of the better-looking microphones. It’s a Redbull can-sized Aluminum cylinder painted in gunmetal gray and held up by a hefty desk stand that really brings the word paperweight to mind. It's great at keeping the microphone rock steady and absorbs any wayward desk vibrations. 

You can easily swivel the mic in this stand to get the optimum position but in my experience, mounting it on a boom arm so it can be closer to your mouth results in the best possible audio.

The top half of the mic is slatted metal instead of typical microphone mesh—all part of the design that contributes to the Vertigain. It also negates the need for those foam socks in most scenarios. 

All the controls for the mic are on the body with volume and gain dials on the back. On the front is a prominent, oblong LED panel inspired by 80's audio tech and it's used to monitor your levels—blue for headphone volume, green for mic gain. 

Above the LED panel are markers for the microphone's four Polar patterns: Cardioid, Stereo, Bi-Directional, and Omni-directional. There are two soft buttons embedded into the top and bottom of the LED panel with the top one for toggling mic mute and the bottom one switches between the different patterns. I really appreciated that the mute button has a bright backlight that stays bright green when on and angry red as if saying, "you're on mute"

Thanks to a headphone jack, you can monitor your audio in real-time as well. Besides the volume dial, there are no other controls to adjust how much of your voice you hear through the headphones or even to just turn it off. Thronmax struck a safe audio balance here but some might prefer better control.

The coolness continues underneath the mic where you have connections for USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone, a threaded screw mount for use with boom arms, and a button to control, wait for it, the RGB mood light. You can choose any of seven colors for the ring and while it isn't bright enough to bathe your desk in RGB, it certainly looks hella cool and even better when the mic is mounted to a boom arm.

At under $100, the Thronmax MDrill One Pro is a no-brainer for anyone looking for a quality mic and is an easy addition to our list of best microphones. It’s cheaper than most of our favorite microphones besides the flashy HyperX Quadcast S, it's possibly one of the most handsome. It sounds amazing and just works without any extra software shenanigans. This is a fantastic and fun microphone that just works and I heartily recommend it.

The new Razer Seiren V2 Pro is yet another Pro Microphone to hit the growing streaming and creator market and is most definitely overkill for your daily work Zoom calls. No sir, this $150 matte black pill is aimed squarely at the Pokemaines and Shrouds of this world as well as you budding podcasters, Youtubers, and DJs. Conversely, most everyone else need not apply; mainly because getting that promised audio out of this microphone requires a fair bit of shenanigans.

Despite the Pro in its name, the Serien V2 Pro isn't some fancy XLR microphone but a mere plug-n-play USB condenser. It's a 30mm Dynamic microphone that promises a rich, warm, and clean sound up to 96kHz sampling rate. It works fine whether you are on PC or Mac though to get the most out of it, you'll need a Windows machine with Razer Synapse. 

The main appeal of USB desk microphones is that you just need to plug them into an available port and away you go. No fuss. Not so with the Seiren V2 Pro. First, you need to make sure that the mic is correctly positioned where the Cardioid pickup pattern is strongest. That's easy if you mount it to a boom arm thanks to the screw threading at the bottom of the microphone. Then the mic will capture a rich, warm rendition of your voice that could make Barry White swoon. 

Problem is, the Seiren V2 Pro doesn't come with a boom arm. Instead, it comes with a rather beautifully designed desk stand that does a great job holding the mic steady, absorbing shocks, and affording it up to 180 degrees of tilt. But while it looks really nice on your desk, it doesn't do much to bring it close enough to your mouth unless you're prepared for a serious case of Hunch-over-itis. 

So when I used the mic in its stand, putting it about a foot away from my mouth resulted in pretty faint audio with lots of warbling distortion. No amount of fiddling with the Gain knob helped beyond increasing ambient noise. However, picking up the mic and holding it to my mouth like a badass DJ, the audio radically improved.

Even then, that's still not the best possible audio the Seiren V2 Pro can put out and I needed to dare where dragons do not—Razer Synapse. On the surface, it seems simple enough with the first page showing you basic levels, Gain, and Volume sliders plus toggles for Sampling rate, High Pass Filter, and Gain limiter. The second page is the Stream Mixer dashboard and that's where things get interesting for those of you who are serious about streaming.

The mixer does what you'd expect—manage all your audio inputs and outputs connected to your machine. You can for instance manage which audio you hear in your headphones versus what your audience hears on the stream. You can manage game audio, custom music audio, and more. This amount of control can feel a little overwhelming at first and I really hate how the Seiren V2 Pro adds ten virtual devices to my Windows audio outputs menu. 

Now, if you aren't a streamer, you don't have to worry about any of this but there is merit to activating things like High Pass Filter that cuts out low-frequency noise like your PC's fans or room AC from your audio. I'm not too convinced by the Analogue Gain limiter which is supposed to prevent clipping and peaking in your audio as it didn't do a good job especially with the mic in its desk stand. 

I wasn't too enamored with physical controls on the mic itself either. Aside from the mute button, you only have two infinite spinning dials for Gain and Volume. Not only do they not help you judge what level you're at, but because of the way you need to sharply tilt the mic, they are often hard to use.

So in a nutshell, the Serien V2 Pro is an otherwise good microphone hampered by unnecessary fidgeting to get the most out of it. I do love how rich and clear my voice sounds and the high pass filter works great at removing the hum of my desktop. I also appreciate its handsome looks. For a Razer product, it has no RGB, no splashes of green anywhere, and instead opts for a minimalistic look. 

All that said, for $150 the Razer Seiren V2 Pro doesn't really do anything to beat out some of the best microphones like the Blue Yeti, HyperX Quadcast, or Elgato Wave 3. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but only in skilled hands. If you just want a no-fuss plug-and-play microphone, this might not be the one for you. Check out the best microphones guide instead. 

NZXT is pushing its way back into the audio game by introducing its first mic in years, the Capsule. We trust NZXT in helping us build a PC, or getting a super cool case, but ever since it stepped away from making audio peripherals can we trust this mic? The Capsule is a $129 USB microphone, which is about the average price for a mid-tier USB mic these days. 

Though it has to be said, there are some great-sounding budget gaming microphones around right now.

USB mics are an excellent choice for streaming, and pretty much any other plug 'n' play need, such as long, drawn-out, could've-been-an-email Zoom meetings and lively Discord sessions. More expensive, professional XLR microphones, on the other hand, use an analog connection fed into an audio interface before they go into your PC. Traditionally it's hard to get an XLR feel with a USB mic, but the Capsule actually gets close. 

The design of NZXT's Capsule is super sleek and fits in seamlessly on my desk. If I were a minimalist it would blend directly into the background with its all black matte finish. It also comes in a white matte finish with black buttons and a black base if you prefer a little contrast. 

There are two buttons on the face of the mic; one for gain and the other volume, which controls the levels of the headphones. Under that is a LED ring of light around the base.  On this all-black mic, that pop of color really makes a difference and it's subtle. Underneath the mic is a 3.5mm headphone jack. Next to that is where the microphone plugs in from a rubber covered USB Type-C to a USB 3.0 cord. 

A black steel stand that comes in the box cradles the mic on any desk. There are also boom arms available for purchase or, if you already have a boom arm, the mic fits on a three-eighths thread. If that doesn't fit your existing setup, it does come with a thread adapter. 

Weighing in just under two pounds, the stand is heavier than the mic. Not only is the stand heavy, it's well built and acts as a shock mount. That means you don't have to worry about bumping the mic as you throw your head back and forth in laughter while watching a clip from your stream. You're hilarious, I know.

The Capsule's main draw is how it picks up on subtle noises. It is really good at blocking out unwanted sounds like bumps against the microphones, but the pre-configured gain button helps open up the mic to more sounds, or lockout some noise. 

For example, my lovely stream room is about 15 feet away from my dishwasher, but I don’t want to stream the sounds of my dishwasher. I want to stream every decibel of my low raspy voice—the gain controls on the Capsule can help with that. When I turn down the gain it feels like the ceilings in my apartment get lower, the dishwasher gets further away and my voice sounds like an '80s DJ playing vinyls on a late night radio show. 

Just like the tube TV in the '90s, the closer the better. Getting right up on the mic gets you the best quality. 

This cardioid pattern microphone has a 96KHz bitrate. With this high bitrate the mic is great for entry level streamers, veteran podcasters, or musicians. This is the kind of mic you want to have for podcasting, ASMR dog eating videos, or hype sweaty gaming sessions so people can hear you yell "LET'S GOOOO!" right after you UNO!

Below the physical gain button is the volume control. The volume button also mutes the mic with a push. Since there is no software and maybe you’re doing a pre stream check. There is an LED ring going around the bottom of the mic. It turns red when it’s muted and when unmuted. 

The Capsule is labeled plug 'n' play, and for good reason, there’s no software to fumble with. Companies like Razer heavily focus on their audio interface software, with mics like the Emote or Seiren Pro. Software can be essential to the fullness of a mic's sound, but not always necessary. 

And the Capsule proves to not need software. Though I did find myself having to manually tweak the gain when switching between applications. My OBS gain isn't the same as Zoom's gain, which means a lot of fiddling around in between meetings, chats, and streams.

But, without the software, the Capsule is really easy to integrate into a streaming ecosystem. A streaming ecosystem can be very sensitive. It's important to introduce one piece of equipment at a time, just one thing can throw off the balance. I didn't have that experience with the Capsule. I was able to add it to my setup without any upsets or malfunctions. And it is nice not to download any extra software to make sure the audio is working and at its best. 

I can see this mic going the distance because there isn't really anything to go wrong, and no software to bug fix. Though if anything should go wrong there is a 2 year warranty available. 

The NZXT Capsule isn't just good for the price, it's a good mic for a good price. I really enjoy how it makes my voice sound, the overall simplistic nature of setting up and using the mic, and the all black matte finish. 

We've not actually seen too many gaming microphones appear in 2021. Still, of the few that have come into our possession for testing, it's looking to be a pretty tough decision over which one will take the crown. 

All the nominees you'll find below are worthy of recognition, and at least two of these are first entries into the desktop microphone space, from both Roccat and Epos. Roccat, who've been adding peripherals to the market left, right, and center, has struck gold in it's move toward microphones. Then there's Epos and Mozo coming in with equally shiny entries. 

All of those below are USB microphones and it's clear this year that an XLR exodus is underway for desktop, with many leaning toward simple USB connections to avoid the faff of external interfacing. And while only one of the nominees comes with mixing software, all are in the running thanks to a supreme set of features that can be a good fit for PC users regardless of XLR functionality.

So, here are the mics we tested this year that we consider worthy of the top spot.

Best gaming microphone 2021: the nominees

The winner of the PC Gamer Hardware Award for the best gaming microphone will be announced on New Year's Eve. It's all to play for, and any one of these three is completely deserving of the crown.

Blue Microphones and Logitech, aka makers of one of the best USB mics out there, has announced that its impressive voice modulation software, Blue VO!CE, will be available to all Blue Yeti, Yeti X, and Yeti Nano microphones, and not just its premium sets. 

This means you don't have to spend nearly $200 on a higher-end Yeti microphone to mod your voice to sound like a classic radio host, robot, or demon. So, if you're using something like the Yeti Nano, which is Blue's best budget mic, you'll have full access to VO!CE's suite of audio settings. You can add voice effects like reverb or even a background chorus, perfect for content creators who like to sing on camera or adding some spice to your DnD Discord game.

VO!CE is accessible through the Logitech G HUB app; from here, you can adjust gain, pitch, ambiance and get as granular as you'd like with how your voice sounds and save the results.

One of my favorite VO!CE features is not the use of an exclam in the name, but the massive library of user-created voice profiles for pretty much any type of recording scenario. It's an excellent resource for anyone who doesn't feel like creating their own, and would rather have someone else do the hard work and still sound great.

Sadly the Yeti Snowballs, Blue's tiny round mics, will apparently not be getting the VO!CE treatment, which is a shame since they are pretty nice entry-level podcast mics. Another more notable omission is the World of Warcraft-themed voice modulation filters that are only available on the Blue Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition Yeti X. I mean, I can think of at least one reason why Blue did this, and I don't blame them. You can always make your own orc voice if you're so inclined.

Blue VO!CE is available via the Logitech G HUB app for Mac and Windows. Just plug in one of your Blue Yeti mics and start messing around with some fun filters.

The EPOS B20 streaming microphone sets out to make a statement from the off. It says, look at us, we're all grown up and mean business. From the elegant black packaging that exudes sophistication, the $199 (£179) B20 immediately sets itself apart in the looks department. It continues with the gunmetal colorway that we've seen with the excellent GTW 270 wireless earbuds and EPOS H3 wired gaming headset. The familial relation is obvious and a clear sign EPOS is doing away with the old Sennheiser gamey look. The company has grown up and I like it. 

The EPOS B20 is a USB desk microphone aimed at streamers and podcasters, but does it do enough to make it into our best microphone guide? It certainly looks good on paper: It aims to offer broadcast quality at 24-bit via a plug-n-play USB connection, sidetone built into the mic, and four pickup patterns for different use cases. It comes with a desk stand in the box but if you want to use a boom arm, you can thanks to a 3/8-inch thread. And if you are serious about your audio, then this is the way to go since the B20 picks up vibrations through the stand. 

Going back to the design of the B20 simplicity and elegance is the name of the game. It's a tall, dark, metallic cylinder with the top third a mesh for pickup and controls for volume and mute on the front face. An LED indicator glows white when the mic is in use and red when muted. This also helps you know which side is meant to face you. Around the back are two dials for changing pickup patterns and noise gain. Underneath the microphone is a USB-C port and a 3.5 mm audio Jack which allow you to monitor your mic audio through your headphones. 

Straight out of the box, the microphone sounds wonderful. It picks up my voice very clearly with no distortion, compression, or tinniness and is a huge step up from any gaming headset mic. You can tune the gain, sidetone volume, and pickup patterns with the onboard dials but if you really want to get the most out of the mic, then you need to use the EPOS Gaming suite software. 

The software gives you a wealth of controls, everything from gain to noise cancellation to sidetone. I find the gaming suite software to be one of the simplest and most visually pleasing experiences. Everything is clearly labeled and the large EQ graph lets you easily monitor your changes in real-time. You can also record short snippets to see how all your changes affect the final sound output.

But perhaps the biggest party trick of the B20 is the multiple pick-up patterns which you can select using the dial on the back of the microphone or the gaming suite. There are four to be precise; Cardioid, Bidirectional, Stereo, and Omnidirectional pickup. Most people will be using the cardioid pattern which is the best for a single person speaking directly to the microphone. However, in other instances, say you're running a podcast with a guest, you'd use either the bidirectional or the Omnidirectional pattern to pick up multiple voices around the microphone.

The microphone sounds great in most cases but is sensitive to background noise. Despite my hours of playing with the settings, I couldn't really get rid of the subtle background hiss. Overall, it doesn't detract from the great sound reproduction of the microphone and I'm sure most people will find it more than satisfactory. However, if you're recording professional audio for videos or voice acting, I'd make sure to eliminate any ambient sound.

One interesting side effect of being able to plug your headphones into the B20 is access to EPOS excellent EQ and virtual surround sound. I noticed a marked improvement in the warmth and bass when driving my headphones through the mic. You will have to set the B20 as your default audio device in Windows to get this to work though. And of course, you get mic monitoring too, meaning you can hear your own voice through the microphone. 

It's great that the monitoring is built into the microphone so even when connected to say a MacBook or PlayStation which don't have the EPOS software, you don't lose out on core functionality. 

At $199, the B20 is not a cheap microphone and that price puts it among the big boys like the Blue Yeti X, Razer Seiren X, and our favorite mic, the Shure MV7 Podcast. Even so, for the company's first desk microphone, I'm very pleased with this first iteration. The B20 looks great, sounds great and the EPOS gaming suite really gives you the control you need. Whether you use it for Zoom calls or Twitch streams or your garage podcast, the B20 delivers with style and class that makes it a joy to be in any desk setup. If EPOS can sort out the background hiss, it's going to be on to a winner here.

Putting together a complete streaming or podcasting setup isn't cheap, but we've spotted a bunch of Prime Day streaming gear deals that'll make life a little easier for the budding Twitch streamer.

You also don't have to be a big-time streamer to appreciate some of this stuff. Many of us are working from home and find ourselves in front of a webcam more often than we'd like.  So, your poorly lit bedroom or echoey dining room doesn't help with the whole 'professional' look you're trying to go for during your morning video calls for work?  If you fall into that category, a new webcam or microphone might be exactly what you're looking for. 

Below, we've put together a list of the best Amazon Prime Day deals on everything you need to start streaming to your dozens or thousands of adoring viewers. If you're looking to build or upgrade the rest of your PC gaming setup, head over to our list of the best Amazon Prime Day PC gaming deals, where we've curated all the best current deals on prebuilt PCs, monitors, and other PC gaming hardware. 

The theme for this list is plug-and-play. The items listed here don't require much technical knowledge. Just plug them into your PC, and you're ready to start your podcast, makeup tutorials, or Dark Souls lore videos. 

A good microphone such as the Blue Yeti Nano or Razer Seiren Mini is a strong place to start because getting a stream to sound good is the most annoying thing to work out, even for veteran streamers. Next, consider some of the 1080p webcam options we've found. Finally, if you're looking to up the quality of your broadcast, add lights, use a green screen, and grab a capture card if you want to stream gameplay from your PS5 or Xbox Series X. You don't have to spend a fortune to put on a good show.

Desktop USB microphones are becoming a staple for many setups, a necessary requirement to increase audio quality. Headset mics are usually on the rough side of ok, but stepping up to professional audio mixing is costly and confusing. Thus USB microphones are a great middle ground for anyone looking cut out noise and increase clarity with menial fuss.

But USB microphones are still a bit tricky to navigate. The range of options is vast, and it can get very expensive very quickly. For those looking to dip their toes, a good moderately priced option can be tricky to pin down. That's why we're keen to see how the new Thronmax MDrill Zero Plus handles the task.

Sitting at $70 (£50, $149.99 AUD) the Thronmax MDrill Zero Plus 96kHz is on the cusp of affordability for USB mics. But it boasts additional functionality: This microphone is actually two in one.

Most USB mics are condenser microphones. These work well when they’re nice and close to the person talking, and do a good job of limiting other noise. Sometimes people are also looking for omni-directional mics. Something you could put down in the middle of a conference and hopefully hear everyone in range. 

Having both options built into the one mic is a great idea. Doing both of these tasks well would make this mic a really smart purchase for someone looking for both functionalities at the flick of a switch. Sadly, that’s where the Thronmax MDrill Zero Plus 96kHz lets us down.

The main condenser mic is fine, really. The quality has a surprisingly nice depth of tone and decent volume. It’s also pretty good at limiting your plosives and sibilant sounds for the price.

As a condenser mic it works best the closer you can get it to your face. Unfortunately, the current trend in mics sees them on very short stands and this one is no different. While the stand is very sturdy, and doesn’t take up much space, it’s also not close to your face. Thankfully the box it comes in does a fairly good job of raising it to optimal height. 

Once in place, it does well at minimising background sounds, like computer fans, but will absolutely pick up keyboard taps and even just other people talking in the room. I often use Nvidia’s RTX Voice software to help mitigate this kind of thing during streaming, but for some reason it was nowhere near as effective for this mic as it has been on others.

It’s a very usable mic in this form, and does a decent job, but there are cheaper options on the market with comparable quality. 

Sadly, the omnidirectional mic is just not good. I often found that at a distance, the condenser mic did a better job of picking up people than it did from every angle. It’s bafflingly useless and diminishes the whole premise of the two-in-one form factor of the product. 

Swapping back and forth between the two modes is just the turn of a dial on the mic. It’d be superbly easy if I ever planned on using the omnidirectional mic ever again. The same dial also controls the mute function, needing it to sit between the two modes to be active. It does snap slightly into place, and a ring lights up to let you know you’ve muted, but for something this important, a more exact control would be nice. There’s nothing worse than thinking you’re on mute when you’re not, and that feels like a possibility here.

But I have to give it to them, there’s something to all this simplicity. The mic worked no problems immediately from being plugged in, on multiple computers. The Thronmax MDrill Zero Plus 96kHz doesn’t require any special software or drivers, and that was actually very refreshing. It’s also USB Type-C, which is always welcome. As far as plug and play goes, it’s a very clean experience.

For anyone after a decent condenser mic for the price, the Thronmax MDrill Zero Plus 96kHz will do the job, and deliver fairly good quality audio. But it’s hard to recommend a product that boasts two functions and only really delivers on one. Even in Thronmix’s own range there’s several pure Cardioid Condenser Microphones both cheaper and slightly more expensive which would have to be better choices. Let alone shopping into other brands of microphones.

"Wow, we should start a podcast" is an accursed phrase you hear at every BBQ with your friends or drinks with colleagues. I get it, we all have opinions about the best Marvel movies, Dark Souls games, or whatever. Thankfully, a lot of this talk never works out, primarily because most people give up when they find out how much it costs to record a quality podcast. For better or worse, the Rode NT-USB Mini is looking to change that. 

Years ago, we reviewed the Rode NT-USB; the NT-USB Mini somehow manages to shrink that mic down even further. Now it's a cute little recording cube, but it also offers some subtle, smart design improvements. The first thing you notice is that yes, this thing is tiny. It's just 90mm wide and 141mm tall. 

Taking cues from other smaller mics like the Razer Seiren Mini, Rode has stripped a lot of the usual features you'd find in the standard mic for a more no-fuss, no-muss design approach. The Mini has a built-in pop filter to deal with your plosives and a neat little detachable magnetic stand that makes for easy traveling.  

As far buttons and dials go, the Mini has a clickable control knob for your headphone levels, as well as switching through zero-latency monitoring mode. The little LED light on the front lets you know which mode you're in. 

Zero-latency monitoring mode removes the delay of your voice in playback. That's important because, depending on the type of setup you have, it can be super distracting to hear your own voice a few milliseconds after speaking. This deals with all that rather well.

Rode has always been known for its top-tier audio gear. It is often a strong recommendation for anyone looking to upgrade from semi-pro to pro streaming or podcasting status. The cost has always been a sticking point, however, since Rode's gear has always been traditionally skewed towards the serious prosumer. The Mini's $100 price makes it a good choice for anyone looking for a quality microphone that travels well and keeps its traditional Rode durability.

From the test recordings, you can hear that the quality of the mic is good, if not better, than more expensive microphones on the market. My audio came out crisp and clear, though did pick up some of the background hum of my very loud gaming PC. For comparison, I've included some cheaper mics like HyperX Solocast, which is $40 cheaper than the NT, and a couple of premium mics just to hear the difference. 

The NT gets the nod over some of the cheaper options in sound quality, but honestly, many of these 'cheaper' mics still sound pretty good. If you don't need all the bells and whistles, there's no reason to spend hundreds of dollars on features you'll never use. What matters most is how it sounds, and the NT-USB Mini sounds fantastic. 

What makes Rode NT-USB Mini special is its ability to hook up multiple microphones to one computer or laptop without using a USB audio interface of some kind. It may not seem like a big deal, but most people would be shocked to know that trying to get multiple USB mics to work on a single computer is a nightmare. It often confuses your recording software or, worse, makes all the mics share the same track, which makes it near impossible to edit. 

There are software workarounds like Voicemeeter and other third-party digital mixers you could use, but your mileage could vary depending on how temperamental you're computer is being. Like many mini mics, any tweaks to how your voice sounds need to be on the software side since there's no gain control or even a mute button. 

Rode Connect is their digital audio mixer which allows multiple NT-USB Minis to be plugged into one computer. Ideally, this makes for a pretty convenient mobile podcasting studio so long as your laptop or computer has the USB ports to spare.

The set-up was a breeze, and getting Rode Connect to play nice with Audacity and OBS was also seamless. The software allows you to import system audio and even audio calls from Discord if your content requires someone to call in remotely. It's similar to the Elgato Wave 3 Digital Mixer. When comparing the two, I'd give the edge to Elgato's offering for its versatility; as much as I like the Rode Connect software, it only works with NT-USB Mini and that is a bit of a downer. 

This means you'll have to order four of these bad boys if you're looking to do a full panel discussion which requires you to be well bought into the ecosystem. 

If your chats are getting that crowded, some folks would probably opt towards getting a microphone with an omnidirectional cardioid pattern mic like the Blue Yeti X, which you can just plop down in the middle of a table and go nuts. However, getting four of these guys is still a lot cheaper than the alternative of getting four super expensive XLR mics and a USB audio interface. 

Rode NT-USB Mini is a great-sounding, easy to handle USB microphone whose software solves a common problem for veteran podcasters. The $100 price puts it smack dab in the middle of an already super crowded field of affordable microphones punching above their weight class in terms of sound, but its supreme audio sees it a cut above the rest

With the Rudox GXT 259 microphone, Trust has promised studio-quality recording and delivers it tenfold. It may not come with an XLR connection, but for a USB mic that's just over the price of a Blue Yeti X—with a host of fancy greebles that we'll get into in a moment—it's got a lot to offer for the money.

There's something to be said first off about the Rudox GXT 259's incredible 96kHz sample rate. That's double most of those on our best microphones for streaming, gaming, and podcasting list, and is backed by an above average 18-21,000Hz frequency range. All this works to deliver professional audio quality and is helped dramatically by the pop filter and bundled isolation shield—you even get a quality shock mount with spare rubber bands for your money. All these add-ons mean the Rudox GXT 259 can stand tall in delivering the clarity of voice any content creator or musician could want.

The quality really is top-notch. Compared to the similarly priced Blue Yeti X the Rudox gives a much crisper, close sound. Although it doesn't sport all the different directional patterns, there's minimal distortion and interference—it just sounds so true to life. The tests below should be a testament to this, and note how much of a difference it makes without the reflection shield. 

Unboxing and all, the setup took only 15 mins or so, though I did need to follow the instructions as it's not the most intuitive stand ever. Either way, the build quality is sturdy, and it's easy to rotate and shift around to where you need it to be. It may not have the versatility of a boom arm, but wherever you move it to, it's well balanced enough that I don't expect to knock it over every time I nudge it accidentally. And should you knock it, any rumbles you might hear are dampened nicely thanks to the shock mount. 

All these add-ons are worth it, but they do make for a stout and slightly unwieldy setup. The desk stand has a 16.5cm diameter footprint—quite substantial even without the shield. And if you're looking to record video as well, there may be some issue working around the reflection shield. With it attached, the thing takes up as much space as another monitor, although it is removable and can be adjusted for a smaller curve—that doesn't affect the sound too much but gives you a tiny bit more space.

Some cheaper mics have fancy touch-to-mute options, whereas the Rudox GXT 259's mute button involves clicking down on the mixer dial. This requires a certain level of dexterity as you round the mic with your fingers and try not to scrape it with your nails, and the click itself makes an oddly satisfying clunk sound—though probably undesirable in most recording situations.

There's something to be said about the Rudox mic's zero-latency voice monitoring, along with volume and mixer controls on the front of the mic, though. With integrated AUX and dials, there's no need to play around with digital mixer software or an external interface—just twist the dial to decide how much of yourself or the desktop audio you want to come through, and there's no input lag to put you off while working. 

You're limited to a single directional pattern with the Trust Rudox GXT 259: cardioid. That means the Trust is one for the musicians, podcasters, and vocal artists among us who need to minimize background sound interference and record crisp, dry audio from a single direction. 

It may not be for vloggers or streamers due to its size, but Trust has been able to pack all that sound recording sensation into a sub £170, modular, USB powered microphone package. Though it's a little clunky, it offers a vast frequency response and sample rate, along with a boatload of fantastic podcast-friendly features that are not to be overlooked for the price.

If you're looking for the best microphone for streaming, podcasting, and gaming, you're going to want a quality one that can handle all three easily. Playing Fortnite for your followers on Mixer? Starting a YouTube channel where you play D&D with your friends via Skype? Maybe you finally want to start that that true-crime podcast with your roommate in your kitchen. We've tried a bunch of microphones and have narrowed down the list to the best ones for you.

Regardless of what you do, the best microphone for streaming, gaming, and podcasting will most likely run on USB. XLR mics offer the best studio-quality sound, but are very pricey. USB mics, on the other hand, are easier to set-up, are a lot cheaper, and play well with most audio software. Also, note the microphone's polar patterns, this is the easiest way to figure out what the best use is. 

Here are the most commonly used polar patterns below.

Cardioid: Records in front of the microphone. Perfect for voice-over, vocals, and streaming
Bidirectional: Captures audio in front of and behind the mic. Ideal for one-on-one interviews. 
Omnidirectional: Picks up sound from every direction. Perfect for multi-guest podcasts.
Stereo: Perfect for ASMR recordings. YouTube 'ASMR' if you want the best example because I simply couldn't do it just justice.

Now you're almost ready to get started. Want to make your stream a little bit more personal? You'd be surprised how a good webcam can completely change upgrade your stream.

Although the USB microphone market is crowded, Samson's G-Track Pro outpaces its competition. A side-address condenser mic with multiple polar patterns, a very low noise floor, sturdy build, and exceptional sound quality, this is a superb choice for anyone wanting to get into streaming, podcasting, or music. In fact, we'd say it's our favorite USB microphone to date; it outperforms almost everything else on this list. In our review we said this is a "strong new competitor for desktop mics and could even replace higher-priced studio microphones for home audio recording."

There's a reason Blue microphones tend to show up in a lot of 'best' guides. The Blue Yeti X is a hybrid model of the Nano and the original Yeti. The sturdy microphone now has an LED-lit front panel that usefully monitors your volume levels at a glance. The sound quality remains top-notch—you can see why this is the mic of choice of a lot of professional podcasters and streamers. If you're choosing between this and the original Yeti, the Yeti X has four condenser mic capsules as opposed to the original's three. The Yeti X also offers a wider array of customization options and on the fly adjustments, you can make with the new smart knob. 

The biggest and perhaps most useful change comes in the form of Yeti X's Blue Voice software via G Hub. Here you can add preset (or customize your own) filters to your voice to make yourself sound a chatty AM host or something crisper and modern-sounding. It's even got a toggle for noise reduction in case your recordings are plagued with the sound of an air conditioner. A good feature since the Yeti X picks up every nearby clack- click and distant radiator sound.

This miniature version of the classic Blue Yeti is perfect for those just starting out with streaming, recording, or podcasting; it has great sound-quality, while its diminutive size and lightweight metal build make it easy to transport (this is at least 40 percent smaller than its cousin).

The difference its 24bit / 48khz recording sample rates make is noticeable, too; putting audio from the Nano and original Yeti side by side reveals that the former is superior by quite a margin. It’s only got two polar patterns, sure (cardioid and omnidirectional), but the Yeti Nano more than makes up for it with everything else.

Rode’s NT USB screams ‘professional’. Mimicking the look of studio microphones while maintaining a reasonable cost, this is a good choice for users who want to take their hobby further. Its sound quality goes above and beyond the competition (Blue’s Yeti, for instance), and the inclusion of a free pop shield is greatly appreciated. It may only have one polar pattern—cardioid—and a few odd design choices like smooth knobs, but this remains a brilliant option for those who want to specialise in voiceover and streaming. As mentioned in our review, "NT-USB claims to offer “studio-quality sound” without studio-quality prices... and the developers might just have managed it." 

50 percent smaller than the original Seiren mic design and packing just as much audio quality, the Seiren X is designed with portability in mind. It stands on your desk like a can of Red Bull, such are its unassuming dimensions. The built-in shock mount works well to absorb unwanted spikes from desk kicks and the like, while a single volume control and mute button make up the only controls so that the Seiren X can retain its slick aesthetic. 

There are a couple of minor downsides, inevitably. Like the Blue Yeti, we found that this mic picks up a noticeable amount of ambient noise like the dreaded mechanical keyboard clatter. It’s not so much as to prevent it from being a feasible streaming mic, but we’d hoped for better noise-canceling from Razer given their trumpeted super-cardioid polar pattern. Still, the fundamental recording quality is there, as is the quality of finish.

If you want to add a little pizzaz to your stream. The Sieren Emote allows for emoticons to be displayed on the microphone via an 8-bit LED on the face of the mic. It's essentially a Seiren X with an exception for LED display and the interchangeable gooseneck stand. 

The Movo UM700 is a $100 quad-condenser microphone that's aimed at the budding podcaster looking to hit record and start delivering the hot gaming takes we've all been dying to hear.

With more and more people having to set up home offices, it's no surprise that we've seen a rise in affordable microphones. Last year we saw some quality microphones for under $100, and that trend looks like it's going to continue into 2021.

Movo makes a ton of consumer-grade A/V gear for journalists, filmmakers, and, of course, podcasters. The UM700's design is heavily inspired by the Blue Yeti microphone (before it was redesigned) and the LED metering in the Yeti X redesign. The front of the mic has a mute button and headphone volume dial, with the rear sporting gain control and polar pattern selection. It's less flashy than a lot of microphones aimed at streaming and podcasting.

This traditional-looking mic is outfitted with a metal base, sitting at almost 3lbs. The base is useful for dealing with the occasional desk bump during a recording session. There's even a ⅝-inch thread for mounting onto a boom arm if that's more your style. The last few microphones I've reviewed have taken up less space on my desk, and it was jarring to be reminded how big normal USB mics are.

Unlike other budget mics, the UM700 still has all the knobs and dials you want in a podcast microphone, allowing you to tweak your audio on the fly. It's a welcome change from the more budget options that sound incredible but are limited in features. I did run into a problem with the audio occasionally cutting out of the UM700's headphone jack. A minor yet noticeable annoyance that did not affect my recording. 

The beauty of having multiple polar patterns is the versatility it offers to basically any podcast or streaming situation. You can leave in the middle of a table and start chatting with your roommates about the best Marvel movies on omnidirectional, or do a one-on-one interview with someone at a gaming convention in bidirectional. The most common pattern you'll use is cardioid, which is standard for almost all USB microphones.

Below is a sample of what it sounds like in cardioid mode. 

As you can hear, the UM700 is a bit on the quieter side. I played a bit with it on the higher gain, but the UM700 picked up the hum of my desktop and even some of the chatter of the construction workers outside. Naturally you'll want to work with a lower gain on your microphones to find the sweet spot for recording. To get the audio quality I want out of the UM700, I'd expect to spend some time in post-production editing software cranking up the vocals.

If you have a decent little home studio set up (or the inside of your closet with a comforter over your head), the UM700 will work well. Getting ideal sound requires having a handle on background noise. With that in mind, the Movo UM700 is a good budget microphone for anyone starting up their podcasting or streamer career.