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Disclosure: We may earn money from the products mentioned in this post.
Live streaming has become a big online industry and one that becomes more competitive as each day goes on. One of the main ways to stand out from the rest of the crowd is to have the best microphone for streaming.
Having a good microphone can make sure that, no matter what you're doing, your audience can hear you. There's nothing more distracting to your viewers than not being able to hear or understand what you're saying.
Frequency response was one of the key factors when deciding what the best microphone was. Whilst it's not a make or break for a streaming microphone, as much as it would be if you were a singer, it's still something to consider. To put it simply, the frequency response is the range of sound that a microphone can interpret and the wider the range the less likely that it won't be able to pick up your voice and other sounds.
Directional Attributes
Another key factor in making sure that your viewers can hear you properly is to make sure that your streaming microphone can handle the right type of directional pickup. So here's what to look out for:
- Bidirectional – A bidirectional microphone, as the name makes obvious, is when it can pick up sound from the front and rear of it. This type of microphone is typically used for people who are making podcasts with other people.
- Unidirectional – These types of microphones will typically pick up sound from a roughly 180-degree range, this makes it an ideal type of microphone for gamers.
- Omnidirectional – This is a slight expansion on a unidirectional microphone and is one that can pick up sound from any direction. It's one that we would not recommend for gamers simply because you generally don't want any background noise being picked up.
- Multi-pattern – If you're in the market for a microphone but aren't too sure about what type you want then this is the one for you. These microphones have multiple options that allow you to change the type of microphone you have, usually at the flick of a button.
1. Blue Yeti USB Microphone
| Technical Specifications | |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz – 20kHz |
| Features | Gain control, mute button, zero-latency headphone output |
| Connectivity | USB |
Arguably the most iconic streaming microphone on the market. The Blue Yeti USB microphone offers a wide range tailored to various needs.
Whether you need a microphone for streaming, making podcasts or just some generic voice recording then this is the one for you. With its pattern switcher you can select the following modes:
- Bidirectional
- Omnidirectional
- Cardioid
- Stereo
You can even make it color appropriate for your brand/channel with a wide range of colours on offer.
It also comes with a range of features that give you the ultimate control over your stream.
The build quality is sturdy and sits well on any desk. Our only complaint is that it does sometimes pick up vibrations from your mouse/keyboard which can be annoying for viewers. For the perfect setup, we recommend removing it from its stand and having it set up in a microphone stand.
2. Samson G-Track Pro
| Technical Specifications | |
| Frequency Response | 50Hz – 20kHz |
| Features | Dual track recording, instrument input, zero-latency monitoring, gain, mute and headphone volume controls |
| Connectivity | USB |
The Samson (not Samsung!) G-Track Pro streaming microphone is another high-end entry in our list. It's another microphone, much like the Yeti, that is perfect for various purposes.
Whilst it does come with a high price-tag it definitely justifies it with exceptional build quality. Whilst the Yeti does perform on the same level, for the most part, the Samson G-Track Pro does have a much better low noise floor.
The sound quality is absolutely superb and with multiple pickup patterns, you can easily flick it from the best twitch streaming microphone to the best podcast microphone.
Whilst the connectivity is fairly simple to understand since it's USB, we did have a bit of difficulty getting it to talk to our PC and work as expected.
If you have a slightly higher budget than most then we would recommend this microphone over the Yeti simply due to its slightly higher build quality. However, it didn't do quite enough to impress us over the former.
3. Zalman ZM-Mic1
| Technical Specifications | |
| Frequency Response | 100Hz – 16kHz |
| Features | Three mini-clips, lightweight, low power requirement |
| Connectivity | 3.5mm jack |
Quite a strange entry into our top 5 streaming microphone list, the Zalman ZM-Mic1 is our budget winner for this post.
Coming in at a sub-$10 price tag there is nothing on the market that even comes close to the quality for the price.
As expected, you won't get the best audio pickup and it does pick up ambient noise quite easily which is annoying but what can you expect for that price.
We definitely wouldn't recommend having this as your primary microphone for streaming but it's the perfect backup microphone if your main one ever breaks.
It's even better than the majority of headset microphones that cost in excess of $50.
Again, it's definitely not the most impressive microphone on the market but it is unbeatable for the price.
For the sake of a couple of cups of coffee, we thoroughly recommend everyone who streams to have this as a backup microphone.
4. Blue Yeti Nano
| Technical Specifications | |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz – 20kHz |
| Features | 48kHz sample rate, zero-latency monitoring, mute and headphone volume controls |
| Connectivity | USB |
The Blue Yeti Nano screams of similarities with its big brother. However, it comes with one key difference and that is the price. It's, in our opinion, the best microphone for beginners who are just getting into streaming.
It's super lightweight but still has fantastic sound quality. One of the drawbacks for having this Yeti opposed to the larger version is that it only comes with two polar patterns: cardioid and omnidirectional.
The frequency response is also significantly lower than the latter Yeti microphone and is noticeable when you have the two side by side. But considering the price that it comes in at, there's not much else on the market that can compete at the same level.
A solid choice for people who are looking to get into streaming or are looking for an upgrade. We would recommend placing the microphone on a low noise surface as keyboard and mouse noise can reverberate noticeably through this microphone.
5. Rode NT USB
| Technical Specifications | |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz – 20kHz |
| Features | Side-address, on-mic mix control, pop shield, tripod, zero-latency stereo headphone monitoring |
| Connectivity | USB |
The Rode NT USB, just from its design, screams of a professional microphone. If you are wanting of a studio looking microphone then this is the purchase for you.
The sound quality is absolutely superb and one that matches up to the rest of the competition. We were a little disappointed by the single polar pattern – cardioid – but that just makes it even more specialist as a streaming microphone.
The whole marketing behind the Rode NT USB is that it's meant to deliver ‘studio-quality sound' without studio-quality prices.
We would recommend placing it on something more sturdy than the provided tripod as it's arguably the weakest point of the microphone.
It's a solid entry into our list of the best streaming microphones and a perfect addition to any streamers setup.
Hopefully, you've enjoyed this post about the best streaming microphones and found it informative.
Make sure to leave a comment below if you have something to add or just fancy a chat.
Be sure to also check out our previous posts that can help improve your PC setup:
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