Elgato - Wave:3

I choose the USB Wave 3.

Vouch. Probably the best USB mic on the market. Good software too.

So yeah, there's a lot more to know before recommendations can be made: * What's your budget? * What's your environment like? Lots of background noises? Do you have loud fans / ACs? * How big of an audience do you currently have? * Are there future projects that you'd want to use your mic for? Will you be on screen with you youtube videos? Would you ever have a second person you need to mic up? * Are you good at projecting your voice or are you soft spoken? Considering you're coming at this brand new, sticking to a USB mic is the easiest way to start as you don't need to get an audio interface. You can't really go wrong with the Elgato Wave 3 for USB mics - it's a good price for a good mic with some solid software to make adjustments for most set ups. XLR mics give you more options and is better long term, but you need to budget in the USB interface. The Focusrite Scarlett ones are really nice for the price and the separate physical dials are really useful. The 2i2 is perfect for if you ever have a second person / such as getting into podcasts as well as doing music instruments. DON'T go all in on streaming focus interfaces - I don't know what the end result was but a lot of streamers got the GoXLR and then the company folded or something and there were no more support for the product. With the Focusrite Scarlett you're pretty safe that there will be support for a long time as their demographic spread across many hobbits and production types. I'll talk about the mics themselves in the next comment.

Elgato Wave 3 i have it it's awesome

Elgato Wave 3, and I get tonnes of comments about the clarity and quality. It's a lovely mic.

Shooting in the studio / workshop my main camera is a GH5 and I tend to favour the Sigma 18-35mm f1.4 with a CPL filter due to wearing glasses, but it takes amazing video. I do audio separately through an Elgato Wave 3 as I love the sound. Then I have five different lights (three for me, one back, one backwall) to make sure everything is always lit well. If I'm roaming or shooting in or on a car I'll use either an Osmo Pocket 3 or Action 5 Pro. Sometimes use the Pixel 10 Pro for simple handheld stuff. Occasionally a DJI drone for aerial shots. Audio in on the go all filmed on DJI Mic 2, or a Tascam with a laravel of I'm recording car noises. So yeah. Mix it up depending what I need.

If you want something budget friendly an Elgato Wave 3 is a solid choice \^\^ (I use it)

When I was looking for a new mic to replace my aging Yet, it came down to the HyperX QuadCast S, or the Elgato Wave 3. I went with the Elgato Wave 3. From what I heard in side-by-side recording comparisons I liked the Wave 3 more. An added bonus I didn't realize at the time is Elgato's software can utilize VST plugins, while HyperX's ngenuity software does not. They both have built-in features like noise reductions, but neither are great. There are better plugins out there. Elgato makes it easier imo. You can still use VST plugins you just need additional software. One one PC I use Voicemeeter Banana, and on another EquilizerAPO. At this price, it may be worth considering the Quadcast S. The Wave 3 is currently $150, but goes on sale for $100-120. I just want to make one more additional note. The EPOS Gaming B20 has been under $25 on amazon for months. It's a discontinued mic, but I like its sound more than my yeti (not as much as my Wave 3). But it was a quarter of the price for comparable quality sound. (That's the mic I use Voicemeeter for). While still available, that mic breaks the price/performance ratio. It's a steal for the price. (Worth noting EPOS branched off of Sennheiser)

If you’re looking for something relatively cheap but works well, FiFine is the way to go! I used that for my first year and a half, though my only issue with it was slight peaking in audio (filters didn’t help much in that area because I have a very high pitched voice haha). If you’re looking for something a biiiit more expensive, I recently upgraded to the Elgato Wave 3, and it’s fantastic! It has its own dedicated software to set up audio filters, and so far, I haven’t bumped into any gain issues. Also, I can’t stress enough how important audio filters are! Find some tutorials online (I’m going to assume you’re recording with OBS Studio — there are tons of microphone filter guides out there that will walk you through it). A microphone is an excellent tool, but it can be perfected if you apply the right settings.

My first comment got deleted so I’ll try to simplify it here! FiFine is a good cheap startup. Elgato Wave 3 is a great upgrade. FiFine has gain issues at times, Elgato gets slightly echoey instead of peaking (which I much prefer). Make sure to use microphone filters! Assuming you’re recording with OBS Studio, there are tons of microphone filter setup guides out there that walk you through how to do so on OBS.

I’m a gaming creator, so the extent of my physical gear (excluding my PC), is my microphone, an Elgato Wave 3! On the software side, I utilize OBS Studio for recording, and DaVinci Resolve for editing. I acquire my music through an Epidemic Sound subscription. I honestly love everything I use, so I don’t have a favorite, per se!

I use the El Gato Wave 3 and I don't really like the way it looks. It sounds okay, but... I just don't like the way it looks. No XLR mics please, XLR mic set ups are way too expensive. I was looking at the Hyper X Quadcast 2 or the new HyperX FlipCast? What do you guys think?

Still getting into streaming myself but I love my Elgato Wave 3 mic. Sounds fantastic and it comes with a digital sound mixer (Wave Link) that works really well. Don’t have a great camera so no suggestion for you there