Before you go live for the first time or hit record on your first YouTube video thereās likely a slightly daunting shopping list of streaming gear in front of you. Everyoneās belts are gettiš ŗng a little tighter lately and so while there may be a few things you need to get started, there are a few ways you caź¦¦n make clever savings for your setup too.
As a result, we've put our heads together and broken down each part of a ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:streaming for gamers set up to advise you on where you shouldš spend a bit more if possible, and where you can save money too.
Microphone
For anyone just starting out or wanting to save, a USļ·ŗB micropšhone is the way to go. These are plug-and-play solutions without the need to buy a separate audio mixer and thereās a range of options now that all deliver excellent results.
Blue has been a go-to brand for creators for nearly 20 years and for good reason, the ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Blue Snowball and Blue Yeti Nano are great all-round USB microphones at a really affordable price point. There are no real bells or whistles, just excellent sound quality in funky form factors. Even cheaper again are options from Razer with the Seiren Mini and the HyperX SoloCast whš²ich both come in under Ā£50.
If you want to move one step up, the ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Elgato Wave:3 and RĆDE NT-USB are great mid-range choices with a little more included. Both feature on-board gain controls and come with pošp filters to help refine your audio, the Wave:3 also offers clever protection against clipping to keep you sounding great in the heat of battle.
Looking to invest a little more and head to the top of the range? The ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Shure MV7 is our top pick when it comes to the very ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:best microphones for streaming. With both XLR and USB output itās ready tšo grow as your content evolves and features a clever touchscreen control panešl too.
With every microphone option, a good chunk of performance also comes from how you set it up ź§both physically and with post-processing support. Take the time to optimise how close the microphone is to both your mouth and other sources of noise like speakers or a mechanical keyboard. Once youāre lined up, take advantage of any included software (or third-party options) to refine your sound and filter out unwanted background noise.
