Microphone for games

Blue Vo! Not bad, all things considered, and there are no messy adhesives. If you want to convert your headphones back, all you have to do is simply yank out the Mod Mic and put in the old cable. Easy peasy. This mic has a uni-directional pickup pattern, so its great for rejecting off-axis sound, but you might need to be a bit more careful with its placement to ensure it picks up your voice. Just remember, your headphones need to have a detachable 3. HyperX is known for putting out high-quality gaming peripherals, and the Quadcast is no different.

Its gain knob makes adjusting sensitivity intuitive and easy, and you can even set its polar pattern, switching between cardioid, hypercardioid, and bi-directional. The HyperX QuadCast S is compatibly with Ngenuity, which can be used to adjust the color scheme and headphones volume.

The frequency responses of the two mics are very similar, but the QuadCast S attenuates bass frequencies a tiny bit more than the QuadCast. Related: What to look for in a microphone. Each writer at SoundGuys has accumulated years of experience reporting on the consumer audio market, and our staff adheres to a strict ethics policy.

We never use ads or sponsored content on the website, and none of us benefit from recommending one brand over another.

When we do misspeak, we correct and own up to it. Thanks for your feedback! There are a few reasons you might want a standalone mic. First, the audio quality on a standalone is almost always going to be better than one built inside headphones or even a boom mic. This can improve the professionalism of your livestreams or YouTube videos, or even just make it easier for your teammates to understand you. Additionally, either the look or feel of a standalone mic might be preferable to a headset.

Check Price. Name: Subject: Message:. SoundGuys is reader supported. When you buy through links on our site we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More. Best gaming mics Gaming mics don't need to be amazing, but any gearhead wants the best.

Here are our pics for budget microphones that won't let you down mid-deathmatch. Elgato Wave:3 By Elgato. One recording pattern De-emphasized bass response. The Wave:3 simplifies the standard gaming setup, and comes with useful software to improve its performance. View Full Review.

Blue Yeti X By Blue. Great sound Multiple recording patterns LED metering. This is a great mic for gaming, and podcasting, but its live metering and great software make the Yeti X really shine while streaming. Plugs into an open 3. If you've got a set of headphones with a removable cable, this is one of the best ways to get a boom mic without adhesives or clutter.

HyperX made a fantastic mic with the Quadcast. Regardless of the price, you'll be hard pressed to find better sound in a package this easy to use. This is the absolute least amount of money you could spend on a standalone mic. The capacitive mute button is a nice touch with Clipguard tech that automatically adjusts your levels from ever hitting red. The single cardioid polar pattern ultimately limits the Wave 3's versatility, but if you're looking for an easy-to-use microphone for your next stream, this is a decent option.

Read our full Elgato Wave 3 review. Best webcams : be seen while you get your stream on Best capture cards : lessen the load with a dedicated card. The Razer Seiren Mini is one of those obnoxiously adorable pieces of hardware I instantly want to put on my desk. Its stylish pill-shaped design and color variety give the Mini the personality lacking in some of our other choices on this list. And it sounds great, to boot. What the Mini lacks in features, it makes up in price and sound.

Some people won't get over the fact that there's no mute button, and the proprietary micro-USB is a bit of a pain. Even so, the Seiren Mini makes for an excellent starter mic for budding podcasters and streamers. Read our full Razer Seiren Mini review. EPOS' stunning streaming microphone, the B20, is definitely going for a stylish Silicon Valley exec look rather than a Twitch streamer. From the gunmetal finish to the sleek cylinder design, the EPOS B20 finds a way to turn heads without being flashy.

In case you're wondering if the B20 sounds just as good as it looks. You'll be happy to know that the sound is right out of the box. This feature-packed condenser mic gives any mic you plug into it access to the EPOS suite of EQ settings and surround sound. The only downside is that the mic stand isn't shockproof, so that the vibrations might get picked up during recording.

A polar pattern determines how much and from which direction an audio signal will be picked up by a microphone. For gaming, you'll mostly want a pattern that picks up sound directly in front of the microphone you and not much else from anywhere else the environment.

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 round-table interviews, but not so much for gaming or streaming. Saying that, however, there are some valuable bits you might want to pick up if you're looking to clear away clutter or build a more professional setup. A boom arm certainly helps achieve both of those things.

These almost always clip onto the side of your desk and are super handy to keep your mic close to hand while off your desk, saving precious real estate. While a pop filter will help reduce plosives, the sound of air escaping violently from your mouth and towards the mic, from making their way over to airwaves to your listeners' unfortunate ear holes. It'll also stop your microphone from getting grubby when you're up-close and sounding sibilants.

A shock mount is perhaps the least necessary of the lot, at least for gaming. These prevent vibrations from traveling through your microphone stand or boom arm and into the microphone, which can come through as rustle, thuds, or otherwise unwanted noise.

Certainly a must-have for music studios, unless you are one to slam your way through a match of Apex Legends, you might be okay without. Sample rate is the number of samples of audio recorded every second. Bit rate is the speed at which a digital and audio file gets encoded. Without trekking too much into audiophile territory, 16 bit and above is considered a good bit rate. USB microphones are among the most prevalent for gaming and streaming fare, but you'll sometimes see the more widely used professional connection standard, XLR, make its way into high-end units.

USB is the simpler of the two, and if you're looking for plug-and-play ease, then it's your best bet. However, that simplicity comes at a cost. It's difficult to record more than one USB microphone simultaneously, and monitoring and adjusting the mix will be done digitally. With the added complexity of XLR comes a great deal of flexibility that you otherwise wouldn't be able to access without even more complex digital mixing software on a USB mic. You can mix, adjust, and monitor an XLR mic before it ever touches your PC, and that's a massive boon if you're looking for a more complex setup.

It is nothing wild, just something to interface between the mic and PC, such as the many devices by that name, which often comes with mixing functionality built-in. And as PC gamers, we will, of course, always try to get the best we can for less. Think about your use case; if you're only using a microphone to chat with your teammates, chances are, you don't need a microphone with half a dozen polar patterns and have a podcast studio level of quality.

Don't spend money on features you don't need or use. We picked out the best budget microphones that we have tested this year if you need some guidance. Jorge is a hardware writer from the enchanted lands of New Jersey. When he's not filling the office with the smell of Pop-Tarts, he's reviewing all sorts of gaming hardware from headsets to game pads. Included in this guide: 1. View Deal. Image 1 of 4. Image 2 of 4. Image 3 of 4. Image 4 of 4. Shure MV7 Podcast Microphone. Frequency response: 20—20,Hz.

Image 1 of 2. Image 2 of 2. Blue Yeti X. Connectivity: USB. Features: Blue Vo! Reasons to avoid - Low mic stand - Better with a mic arm - Delicate ports. Image 1 of 3. Image 2 of 3. Image 3 of 3. HyperX SoloCast.