If you are a gamer, you know how important having a microphone for gaming can be. With a microphone, you can easily communicate with your team members while gaming. Speaking is faster than chatting, and what is important for the game strategy if not a fast, understandable communication. On the other hand, if you are a streamer or are planning to become one, a good gaming microphone can make or break your career or hobby.
Whatever your case might be, a good microphone for gaming is always a plus. Therefore, we would like to present you with our list of the best microphones for gaming and what they have to offer.
1. Blue Yeti USB
- Great quality of sound
- 4 polar pickup patterns
- Easy-to-use controls
- Easy to install
- Real-time monitoring
- A bit heavy
The Blue Yeti USB microphone is a great microphone to use while gaming. Its design features a nice-looking microphone colored in slate with a black grill head on the top. The microphone comes with a sturdy desktop stand on which you can mount it. Before mounting it, you can angle the microphone in the direction you want it to be angled so to have a better recording experience. However, it can also be mounted on a Radius III shock mount, or a Compass desktop boom arm.
The Blue Yeti USB is very easy to install, and you’ll have to do is plug in its USB cable into your computer. This microphone has a frequency response that ranges from 20Hz to 20kHz. Its quality of sound is guaranteed with the 3 condenser capsules installed inside of the microphone and its 4 polar pickup patterns. Furthermore, you’ll easily control the gain of the microphone and mute it when needed with the control buttons on its front side. Also, the Blue microphones offers you real-time monitoring for when you want to instantly hear what you’re recording.
Being a condenser microphone, the sound you’ll get with the Blue Yeti USB will be very clear and detailed. The microphone works well with vocals, so your vocals will sound detailed and accurate. Also, its wide frequency response and polar pickup patterns will allow you great versatility while recording.
2. Audio-Technica AT2020USB+
- Great quality of sound
- Condenser microphone
- Uses a USB to connect to your device
- Offers real-time monitoring
- Built-in headphone amplifier
- A bit expensive
The Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ is a nice condenser microphone that’s very suitable for gamers. This microphone comes in a sleek, black body with a nice black grill. There’s a tripod stand that is supposed to support the microphone and let it stay in place on your desk. Both the microphone and the stand are very durable and have a nice shine to them. This one of the best microphones for streaming uses a USB connector, and it works with Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X.
This condenser mics has some nice features to offer. For instance, it has a frequency response ranging from 20Hz to 20kHz. Then, it also has a cardioids polar pickup pattern and bit depth of 16 bit. The microphone also features two sound controls, and those are the mix control and the headphone volume control. The Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ also uses a built-in headphone jack amplifier and offers you a nice quality of sound when you have your headphones connected to it.
The Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ was designed with features that will optimize the microphone’s sound quality. This Cardioid Condenser USB Gaming Microphone sounds very clear, detailed, and rich throughout its frequency response range. It can also pivot and you can put it in the position you prefer. Its cardioid pattern will pick up your voice and minimize the processed amount of background noise or surrounding sounds.
3. Blue Snowball USB Microphone
- Great quality of sound
- Easy to install
- 3 polar pickup patterns
- Compatible with Windows and Macintosh
- Has an adjustable stand
- A bit of a big microphone
The Blue Snowball USB Gaming microphone is another great microphone that gamers like. The microphone looks very attractive and it is very durable. It has a large spherical body that is mounted to a silver tripod stand. The body itself comes in various colors, among which white, green, black, silver, and blue. It features a grill that is slightly visible on both of its sides and the Blue logo in silver on the front. This is a plug and play microphone and you won’t struggle while installing it.
The microphone has a dual capsule that improves its sensitivity and makes sure that the Blue Snowball USB sounds great. This low budget microphone also has 3 polar pickup patterns that help you record vocals in every gaming situation. You can use the cardioid polar pickup pattern, the cardioid pickup pattern with an attenuation, and the omnidirectional pickup pattern.
This microphone sounds clear and is very sensitive. Its frequency response allows it to not pick up the clatter from your keyboard, and yet accurately reproduce your voice. Also, its pickup patterns will not fail to help you have a successful streaming. So, Blue Snowball is one of the best mic for streaming. You can even put it further away from yourself when you’re gaming so that you feel more comfortable. Don’t worry about the microphone being a bit further—it will still pick up the sound of your voice.
4. Razer Seiren Elite
- Great sound quality
- 4 polar pickup patterns
- Has a high-pass filter
- Real-time monitoring
- Has a built-in shock mount
- Very expensive
As a gamer, you can also share your desk with the Razer Seiren Elite microphone. The microphone looks very classy, and it has a slick body mounted to a stand. Durability is not an issue for this microphone since it’s made of aluminum. It comes in a few colors, so you can choose the one that best fits your preferences.
One of the most notable features of the Razer Seiren Elite microphone are its high-pass filter and its 16bit/48kHz resolution. The high-pass filter is built inside the microphone, and it helps it reduce any unwanted low frequencies from the environment. On the other hand, the high resolution enables the microphone to have a better sound quality and improve your streaming.
However, these are not the only features on the Razer Seiren Elite. The microphone also offers real-time monitoring without the intrusion of echo, and it also uses a digital/analog vocal limiter. This vocal limiter makes your microphone compatible with the sound source by allowing you to adjust the microphone’s gain. This way, your home studio recording will be free from distortion, but accurate and clear-sounding.
The microphone also has a single dynamic capsule and a frequency response of 20hz-20kHz. Of course, having a set of features like these makes for a great overall performance of the microphone. The sound it produces is clear, detailed and natural.
Something you should consider when it comes to this microphone is that it is an expensive piece of audio gear. However, it is definitely worth the price, so if you can afford it, you should go for it.
5. Samson Go Portable USB Condenser Microphone
- Great sound quality
- Gain control
- Has a clip for mounting
- Has a headphone/speaker port
- Compatible with Windows, Macintosh, iOS, and Android devices
- Plastic bottom
If you’re a gamer that’s often on-the-go and you still want to stream online, you could check out the Samson Go Microphone. This microphone has a really attractive housing and it’s pretty compact. Having a fold-up design, you can put it in your bag or store it elsewhere when going somewhere. You can also be sure that it will ‘survive’ your trip since it’s made of durable materials. Once you reach your destination, hook it up to your computer with a USB cable and start recording.
The features of the Samson Go won’t fail to amaze you. The microphone gives you the option to control its gain via computer, so you’re guaranteed to clear and distortion-free audios. It also has a LED indicator to tell you what the right gain for a certain sound is. Again, good-quality recordings are a reality with this microphone.
The Samson Go also has an outlet for your headphones and power speakers. The microphone also allows you to switch between cardioid and omnidirectional. Furthermore, the Samson Go microphone is compatible with multiple devices on which you can mount it with its integrated clip.
The frequency response of this microphone falls in the range of 80Hz-18kHz for the cardioid and 20Hz-20kHz for the omnidirectional pattern. Being a condenser microphone with nice features, the Samson Go sounds clear, accurate, and nice throughout its bandwidth.
Mind that this microphone has a plastic bottom. This doesn’t mean that it will fall apart when you use it, but be gentle with it. This will enable you to use it for a long time.
6. Antlion Audio ModMic 5
- Comes with a magnetic clasp
- Customizable cable length
- Has a cable wrap
- Cardioid and omnidirectional picking patterns
- Has a mute switch
- Sound quality is very good, but not great
If you’re looking for a microphone that you can move around with or pair with your headphones, we recommend the Antlion Audio ModMic 5 for you. The microphone is really suitable for gaming in terms of audio quality, and you’ll be comfortable when gaming. It’s a boom microphone, so it’s all ‘boom and cables,’ but it does look very neat once you attach it to your clothes or headphones.
The features that the Antlion Audio ModMic 5 has to offer are all about comfort and flexibility. The microphone comes with a magnetic clasp which you can put on your headphones so to attach the boom to them. The boom itself is flexible, and you can make it stay however you want. If you want to mute yourself when you need, you can actually do it with this microphone. All you’ll have to do is attach the mute button switch to the head of the microphone and you’re all set. Furthermore, the microphone has different-sized cables that you can use for greater commodity and a cable wrap to better organize your cable.
In terms of its performance, the Antlion ModMic 5 will provide you with some nice sound and clear frequencies. You can also toggle between its cardioid and omnidirectional polar pickup patterns when in different situations.
However, not that this microphone will not offer you the best sound quality out there. The microphone does sound good, but it’s not the best option for professional recording. Nevertheless, you’ll have a nice gaming experience with this boom microphone.
What to look for in microphones for gaming
Consider the following things before you buy your microphone:
Sound quality
When buying a microphone for gaming, mind its sound quality. After all, you don’t want to sound unclear, and you want people to understand what you’re saying. Therefore, pick a microphone that has features which make for its decent quality of sound with noise cancellation.
Polar pattern
Most often gamers will use a microphone with a cardioid polar pickup pattern. This is convenient for them since the pattern will pick their voice, but not the background noises. However, the omnidirectional polar pattern is also a good choice, especially if your gaming environment is quiet.
What you’ll use your microphone for
If you are a gamer who wants to communicate with the team of players while playing, you can buy a cheaper clip-on mic. However, if you want to stream your game online, you will need a microphone that is of better quality. This way, you will be more appealing to your audience and be able to better execute your stream.
Microphone type
If you want to sound natural, accurate, and with a sufficient bass, you should get yourself a nice condenser microphone. These microphones tend to be the best-quality microphones, and you’ll often see music producers using them. However, if you don’t mind sounding warmer, you could get yourself a dynamic microphone. You’ll be also able to save some money with a dynamic one since they are often cheaper than condenser microphones.
What you’ll play on and where you’ll play
You can choose to play on your laptop, your pc, smartphone, or some other device. You can also decide to play on your desk, somewhere outside, or in a cozy chair. Of course, you’ll have to get yourself the microphone that best suits the device and the place you play at. Therefore, choose between the different types of microphones while minding your gaming device and environment.
Frequency response
Many gaming mics will have an approximate frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz. This frequency response covers the entire sound spectrum that us, humans, can hear. You should choose a microphone that has a bandwidth somewhere around those values.
Real-time monitoring
Many good microphones for gaming will have the option for real-time monitoring. This is great because you will be able to monitor yourself while speaking and make modifications if needed. These microphones allow you to do this with no latency, so you will have great control over the sound. Therefore, getting a microphone that features real-time monitoring is a plus.
Durability
Of course, you should always strive to buy a microphone for gaming that is durable. You don’t want to just waste your money on a microphone that is not sturdy enough and will easily break. Therefore, make finding a durable microphone one of your top priorities when buying one.
Conclusion
The microphones we talked about in this article are currently the best ones there are for gaming. They have the things that you should look for in a good microphone for gaming, and they perform well. If you think that one of them suits your needs, do more research on it and make your decision.
