Gaming Microphone: Best Features You Should Be Maximizing

In the world of games, a gaming microphone is a must-have if you want to fully immerse yourself in the virtual sphere. The thrill of communicating with other players, the joy of creating voice-over gaming content, and a quick escape in roleplaying games can be fulfilled by a great gaming microphone.

However, a gaming microphone can be quite expensive especially if you’re looking at buying top-of-the-line models such as Logitech’s newly released Blue Sona XLR Microphone or the Shure SM7B.

Although there are other gaming microphones that come at a more affordable price, they are still audio recording investments that you spent your hard-earned money on. With that, we’re here to show all the best features of a gaming microphone that you should be maximizing so you can make the most out of your purchase.

Audio and Software Features

All gamers would tell you how important good sound is for a life-like and enjoyable gaming experience. The same can be said for the audio recording quality of your gaming microphone.

It can make all the difference between a good game and a bad game, especially if you’re out there trying to communicate with your teammates or intimidating your opponent. If you’re a professional gaming live streamer, then it goes without saying just how significant a gaming microphone’s audio quality is.

Brands and manufacturers know this, which is why gaming microphones typically have a better frequency response than a standard microphone. This allows gaming microphones to record audio more clearly and capture sounds in great detail.

If you’re using a great gaming microphone, then you may even sound as if you’re actually part of the game from the receiving end!

Some gaming microphones even come with custom software to help enhance their audio quality further. The Elgato Wave:3, for example, is a gaming microphone that has software called Wave Link, which acts as a digital audio mixer that allows a user to optimize the mic for game audio, game chat, and multiple microphones at once.

This is a feature that should be maximized as not all standard microphones can provide software that allows real-time audio level adjustment and enhancement.

Speaking of control, gaming microphones also have an audio feature that allows the user or gamer to control volumes based on their own needs. This is a must-have for when you want to adjust the level so your opponents cannot hear you or for when you need to adjust gain settings and other features.

Although, it still pays to know the best mic positions for gaming so you are assured that your audio recording quality is the best that it can be.

Noise-Canceling Features

When you’re in a zone or a heated game, it can get pretty loud and noisy. For this reason, gaming microphones have impressive noise-canceling features that can block out unwanted sounds and ambient noise that can muffle out your voice.

Even without any noise-canceling accessories, most gaming microphones already have built-in noise-filtering features that can reduce background noise since manufacturers know how important it is to make your voice heard above the noise, literally.

Unlike standard microphones, a lot of gaming microphones already have a noise shield to help keep plosives at bay or even built-in toggles to help with background noise reduction. Similarly, some gaming microphones have an excellent self-noise level so your voice can stand out further amidst all the noise from the game.

Setup and Compatibility Features

As they are intended for gaming use, a gaming microphone is fairly easy to set up and will be compatible with various equipment outside of the usual stereo system.

The setup of gaming microphones is not usually complex as a great number of them are USB microphones that are plug-and-play. After all, most gamers would want to play their game right away instead of troubling themselves with a complicated microphone setup.

Although there are also gaming microphones that can be mounted using a boom arm, these are still easy to assemble.

Gaming microphones also need to be versatile in terms of compatibility as most gamers don’t just use one console. For that reason, most gaming mics can be connected to a PC, laptop, and console aside from the usual stereo system.

Although, not all gaming microphones can be compatible with everything that was mentioned, which is why you need to research carefully the best gaming microphone for you based on your applications and needs.

Aesthetic and Customization Features

From the first glance alone, you can tell that gaming microphones definitely look different than standard microphones. In a way, they look more sleek, sophisticated, and even expensive — even the more affordable ones.

Manufacturers know that gaming microphones contribute to the whole gaming setup of a gamer, which means it also needs to give the same “futuristic” feel as the gaming console, speakers, chair, and desk. This makes gaming microphones great to appear in front of a camera so they can double as vlogging and live streaming microphones.

As with many gamers, they would like to personalize and constantly make upgrades to their gaming setup. For that, gaming microphones can also be customized accordingly and upgraded with accessories.

Gaming microphones can work as free-standing desk microphones or rigged using a microphone boom arm depending on the user’s preference. The latter would allow a user to mount the gaming microphone either beside the desk or even to a wall for more mobility and desk space.

Final Note

While there are plenty more features that a gaming microphone has to offer, these are the major aspects that contribute to what makes these audio recording devices great and unique on their own. Hopefully, with this article, you get to explore further your gaming microphone and maximize its use so you can elevate your overall gaming experience.