Looking To Upgrade Mic

Squirmy · February 25, 2023

Currently I have a regular gaming headset that i wanna keep using but switch to a boom arm mic setup. I know that you cant plug XLR straight into a usb port obviously but I have no idea what I would need and what is compatible with what. Im looking to spend at most 250-300 and wouldn't be against having a amp or dac or what every Linus has similar to the Mini Go XLR he uses for WAN Show. Any help appreciated!

emosun · February 25, 2023

22 minutes ago, Squirmy said:

but switch to a boom arm mic setup

just use a usb mic , you don't need xlr cables to have a mic on an arm. just get a blue yeti and put it on an arm and plug it into the pc.

creesch · February 25, 2023

4 hours ago, Squirmy said:

Currently I have a regular gaming headset that i wanna keep using but switch to a boom arm mic setup. I know that you cant plug XLR straight into a usb port obviously but I have no idea what I would need and what is compatible with what. Im looking to spend at most 250-300 and wouldn't be against having a amp or dac or what every Linus has similar to the Mini Go XLR he uses for WAN Show. Any help appreciated!

The suggestion to get a USB microphone is probably the easiest solution. Most of them do allow plugging in your headphones using them as a DAC and monitoring of your microphone. The Blue Yeti that was already suggested is a decent choice, there are more options out there these days that are quite decent as well. Be aware that there are a few versions on the market of the Blue Yeti as well as it has been around for a long time now. I think the latest one is the "Blue Yeti X" but it has been a while since I looked into it.

If you don't want that and want dedicated equipment you are effectively looking at needing:

1) An audio interface which basically gives you XLR microphone input and also is a DAC/AMP combo. A popular choice would be het Scarlett solo.

2) XLR cables. Not too tricky, simply don't go for the bargain bin types but also don't spend too much on them. Next to that just make sure to get a good length suitable for your use case.

3) Choosing a microphone. This is where it gets tricky because it allows you much more choice and imho would be the main reason to go for this solution. Most USB microphones are condenser mics, which is great if you are in a quiet environment and you are the only one making noise. But if that is not the case they can be a bit annoying to deal with as they pick up a lot of background noise (even those with a so called cardoid pickup pattern). The alternative is a dynamic microphone which will be much more targeted. This also means you need to have it more in your face.

In any case, point 3 would be why you'd go down the route of a custom setup as it allows you to start cheap and also experiment with several microphones. At the same time going through this route is much more of a hassle and requires more of a time investment in tinkering with it. I'd only go down this route if you like playing around with this sort of stuff as also sort of a side hobby. If not, just go for a USB microphone.

maotoast · February 28, 2023

The easiest setup: Get a USB mic. The Audio Technica AT2020 USB is a solid option here. If you want to save money and have a simple setup, this may be the way to go.

The better quality setup: Get something like a Focusrite Scarlett Solo USB to hook up your mic. It is powered off of your computer's USB port and also acts as an amplifier for your headphones and can send L/R signal out via 1/4" TRS output. The preamp quality in the Scarlett is better than the internal preamp in most USB mics and will generally offer a more transparent capture. If you already have an XLR mic, this is the way to go.