These days, no great gaming set-up is truly complete without the addition of a top-quality microphone.
Since the dawn of online play and now, thanks to the rise of streaming services like YouTube and Twitch, gamers are constantly looking to find the best quality microphones they can to enhance their gaming experience.
With such a wide array of different microphones on the market, all of which have their own unique selling points, knowing which one to choose can be difficult. We have narrowed that list down to 10 of the best microphones for gaming that are available right now.
The Best Microphone for Gaming
HyperX Quadcast
When it comes to great USB microphones for streaming and gaming, the HyperX Quadcast stands head and shoulders above the competition.
The microphone has a unique set-up. It has a three-diaphragm design, which allows for four polar patterns. The microphone is also incredibly useful for use away from gaming and provides a crisp and clear sound that does an excellent job of blocking out any background noises.
On top of this, the microphone also looks the part. It has a bright red light behind the mic that lights up when the microphone is in use and looks excellent. It also produces an incredibly clear vocal, which can be perfect for communicating with friends or playing against foes on your console. This feature also makes it an excellent microphone for recording voiceovers or for live-streaming on Twitch or YouTube.
Another reason why should be adding the Hyper X Quadcast to your wish list is the built-in shock mount that comes with it. Shock mounts are normally a fairly expensive piece of equipment, so having one custom-built into your microphone makes this an absolute bargain. The HyperX Quadcast tends to be priced at around $130-$140, and while this may seem a little steep, it is definitely worth every cent.
Blue Yeti X
When it comes to producing consistently brilliant gaming microphones, Blue is one of the most trusted companies on the market.
The Blue Yeti X is arguably their finest piece of equipment yet. Not only does it produce an incredibly clear and high-quality sound, but it also comes with several useful features. One of its most practical features is a series of LED lights that are on a panel at the front of the microphone. These lights will indicate your volume level for you, which is incredibly useful if you are recording or streaming something.
Another unique selling point for the Blue Yeti X is the software that comes with it. The software allows you to customize your voice and edit recordings, which can be incredibly useful. It will also allow you to put a filter over your voice, which can make streaming or playing online even more fun.
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Rode NT USB
For those who are looking for a microphone that is going to make you look professional while streaming or playing online, then look no further than the Rode NT USB.
The Rode NT USB is an incredibly smart-looking piece of equipment that borrows its look from the classic studio and radio microphones. It doesn’t just look the part though; it sounds great as well. The microphone produces a high-quality sound, and it also comes with its very own free pop shield, which looks great and is another useful way of saving some cash.
The Rode NT USB is an excellent choice for those who are looking to get a high-quality sound and aesthetic without having to pay high-quality prices.
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Razer Seiren X
The Razer Seiren X is the perfect microphone for those gamers who need to be on the move regularly and who need a portable and light microphone to make their traveling easier.
The Razer Seiren X may not look like much, but that is kind of the whole point. It is designed so that it can be carried around easily and so that it won’t take up too much room on your gaming desk. It is half the size of the original Seiren Mic, but it still packs the same kind of punch.
It does an excellent job of recording sound and is incredibly clear for the most part. It may occasionally pick up some background noise, but this is a small price to pay for the convenience of it.
The Razer Seiren X is also one of the most practical and adaptable microphones on the market and can be used for other things such as podcast recording or voiceover recording while you are on the go. It is used by some of the top gaming streamers on Twitch and YouTube and is excellent value for money at a little over $100.
AntLion ModMic
For some gamers, having a standing mic on your desk is just simply not an option. This is where attachable mics come in incredibly useful. Attachable mics are actually preferred by many gamers as they are portable and don’t take up any room; they are also easy to take with you if you want to go over to a friend’s place to play or a studio to record.
While there is a wide range of excellent attachable mics available, there are few that can compete with the AntLion ModMic in terms of quality and price.
The AntLion ModMic attaches to the side of your headphones with a magnet, and the sound quality is considerably better than any other headphone-based mics you will find. This is because most of these would prioritize the sound of the headphones over the mic, whereas this removes that possibility.
The sole purpose of the AntLion ModMic is to be an excellent quality microphone, and it delivers on that front. It will also work with any gaming headset, and it is very easy to carry around with you, making it one of the best microphones on the market for casual gamers.
Blue Yeti Nano
The Blue Yeti Nano is one of the most practical and most reliable standing microphones in the business. One of the reasons for its enduring popularity is that it is one of the easiest microphones to use on the market.
The microphone has an awesome retro aesthetic that manages to look both trendy and professional at the same time. It has a great stand that allows you to adjust the microphone to whichever angle you desire without ever running into any problems.
This microphone was basically designed for streamers. It’s easy to use controls mean that you won’t get distracted while you are streaming or playing online, and its lightweight features mean that it can also be taken from one place to another if needs must. It also comes in a variety of different colors. You can also use it with some of the Blue software, which, as we have seen with the Blue Yeti X, can help make this one of the most unique microphone experiences available.
This may not have quite as many features as the bigger Blue Yeti X, but it is still an excellent piece of equipment that offers great value for money and delivers a consistently high quality of audio.
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Audio-Technica AT2020USB+
If you are after some really high-quality audio and performance from your microphone, then the Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ is going to be the kind of microphone you are going to want to get your hands on.
Audio-Technica is one of the most well-respected names in the audio industry. Their products all bring a guarantee of quality with them, and this is definitely the case with the Audio-Technica AT2020USB+.
Not only is the Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ going to make you look incredibly professional, but it also produces an exceptionally high quality of sound. The audio is perfect for lone voice recordings, making this the ideal microphone to use if you are planning on using a streaming service or recording yourself playing your games.
It also does an excellent job of canceling out other noise and, as such, can also be excellent for playing games online and taking part in big group chats.
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Samson G-Track Pro
Finding good audio equipment can be a pricey endeavor and that’s why the Samson G-Track Pro is one of the hottest microphones available on the market right now. The microphone typically costs around $100 and delivers the kind of quality that you would expect from something much higher on the price scale.
It’s a professional-looking microphone that is incredibly lightweight and also very easy to use. The microphone has very straight forward controls that are on the front of the microphone itself, and it also has a side-address condenser mic with multiple polar patterns, which makes it excellent for multi-purposes.
This one is especially great for those who enjoy recording voice-overs over recorded gameplay as it has brilliant noise canceling and solo-voice recording capabilities.
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Beyerdynamic FOX
The Beyerdynamic FOX may be a microphone that is designed for recording songs, but that doesn’t mean it can’t make an excellent gaming companion as well. Fox is always a company you can rely on to deliver high-quality audio goods, and the Beyerdynamic is one of their best all-rounders yet.
The mic, despite its incredible technical prowess, is incredibly easy to set up and is a simple case of just plugging in your USB and recording. The microphone offers users a hi-res 96KHz/24-bit recording quality, which is pretty much unheard of in the world of standing USB microphones.
These features mean that this is an excellent microphone for recording Youtube gaming videos or for using live on Twitch. If all of that isn’t enough, the microphone also tends to retail at around $100, which is incredible value for such a powerful piece of recording equipment.
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Rode NT1-A Bundle
While there is no denying that USB microphones are excellent pieces of equipment, especially for gaming, there is little doubt that they cannot compete with the sheer excellence of an actual studio microphone.
The Rode NT1-A Bundle could provide you with the perfect alternative to a USB microphone if you are wanting to add a little bit of extra quality to your gaming experience. The microphone is of incredibly high quality, and if you are the kind of person who is very serious about your streaming and gaming, then this could be an option you might consider.
The Rode NT1-A Bundle is going to cost you a little bit more than your normal USB microphone, and you are also likely going to need to purchase some accessories to really get the best out of it, but if you are the kind of person who wants a really professional set-up and sound, then this could be the one for you.
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