# Any good desktop mics, for gaming



## warxsnake

Hi
   
  I'm transitioning away from wearing a headset (my setup is/was an Astro A40 hooked up to an HT Omega Claro sound card (DDH/DD)).  
  I bought the Sennheiser IE80 IEMs for use on the go and for pc/console gaming, i.e. it replaces everything. Still hooked up to the same card.  
  This means I don't have a headset mic anymore. 
  I bought a Logitech Desktop microphone and received it today, for a so called noise cancelling microphone, it picks up waaaay too much sound. It picks up my keystrokes, clicks, the TV which is 30m away, my brother ****ting in the bathroom, and so on.  
  Every other table mic seems to be designed the same way, as omni-directional mics, they pick up way more than I need as they are all built mainly for podcasting and conferencing.  
   
  Any suggestions on table mics that kinda act like a headset mic? I.e. only pick up whatevers facing it? I compared the Logitech and the A40s microphone in Mumble and looked at what they were picking up, the difference was pretty huge. A40 mic is mute until I actually say something while the Logitech has constant pickup. Played with the volumes and whatnot as much as I could.   
   
  This typically isn't a huge issue, but I can't stand Push to Talk and want to stick with voice activation.


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## bowei006

What about giving a look at Mod mic?
   
http://www.modmic.com/


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## warxsnake

Those look great but I'd have nothing to stick them to, what I'm using are in-ear monitors.


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## bowei006

Many people love the clip on mics
   
http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1341983408&sr=1-6&keywords=desktop+mic
   
  I've heard mixed reviews on them. Most say they are fine for gaming but some say theres too much static or somthing?


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## warxsnake

Yeah Ive been reading all sorts of reviews for the zalman. Check this out, might end up going with a 2$ mic


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## bowei006

Quote: 





warxsnake said:


> Yeah Ive been reading all sorts of reviews for the zalman. Check this out, might end up going with a 2$ mic


 
  If you are looking to save money and try something then whatever is fine!  Just giving out some suggestions for you to look at


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## warxsnake

I appreciate it! I watched a review of the modmic and i like what i hear. Now to figure out how or where to mount it lol.


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## Docnoq

I'm in a similar situation to you except I am looking for a mic that doesn't need to be attached to anything. I use speakers for my audio and am looking for a good mic that will pick up as little background noise as possible while not being attached to a pair of headphones. Any suggestions?


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## suntorytime

My solution for the past few years has been to get a USB webcam, go into Windows and set your mic input as the webcam.
   
  Currently I have this one http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/lifecam-studio/Q2F-00001, which you can find well below the MSRP. Never had a complaint about sound quality, and I imagine even the starting range of webcams have background noise cancelling tech built in.
   
  I have tried the zalman mic and found the extra cord quite cumbersome. The microphone also picked up alot of static noise.


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## boomhaur

I use a usb logitech area mic, it can pick up a lot of things but I either have it setup for push to talk for games. And I have it setup on noise sensitivity for skype. For me I have had no complaints, something to look into if you didn't do it.


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## DaanaltheNoob

Hey, I've got a question about the ModMic. Does it use a suction cup to stick?


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## dolor

I use this cheap trust desk microphone for gaming/skype
  For the price it does pretty good.


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## mtkversion

The best mic I ever used for gaming was a $10 mic I picked up from Walmart.
   
  It was an older version of this mic.
   
  I was really impressed that when I used it, it only picked up my voice and had no static or background noise.  Friends could hear me perfectly through VOIP.
   
  Much more impressive than I expected it to be at that price.


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## Scylin

God I've been looking for this as well. 
  I got myself a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770 pros and I need a proper mic with it since I'm almost always in a Skype conversation when I'm behind my computer.
   
  If anyone could give some suggestions that haven't been made yet, feel free .
   
  I'm looking at the modmic now, and I have to say it looks pretty good, just have to see if it's noise cancelling, since that's something I NEED to have.


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## Phrosst

sorry didnt see the date lol


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## stop

phrosst said:


> sorry didnt see the date lol


 
 Lol


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## Gwyllgi

Great thread. ModMic looks like perfect deal.


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## jtcranger

what was the one from walmart called?


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## mascok

Hey all, a good desktop mic is the Audio-Technica ATR2500...
 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QJREXM/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## Viceroy

Was taking a look at the Blue Snowflake, seems decent enough. Attach to top of monitor, and it's cardioid so it shouldn't pick up too much background noise.
  
 http://bluemic.com/snowflake/


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## staffie

Was looking into getting an Olympus ME-52w. Anyone ever use one? The reviews seem pretty good for noise cancellation.


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## fishyee

Google "lavalier cardioid microphone".  Perhaps they will work for you.  Cardioid is the polar pattern you will want to avoid picking up ambient noise.
  
 Here is an inexpensive example.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1005685-REG/polsen_pl_2wc_cardiod_lavalier.html


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## staffie

Thank you fishyee I'll take a look for one. The one in the link looks similar to the Olympus one. It will be used for fps gaming and after using headsets for so many years I've finally seen the light. I'm buying an AD700X so a decent mic would be nice. Was looking at the zalman clip on ( reviews said mic wasn't good) one, modmic and a few others then stumbled across the Olympus while Google searching. Thanks again, cheers


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## fishyee

Glad I could help.  A good set of headphones and a decent mic far exceed most commercial headsets.
  
 If you have a pair of headphones with a 1/8" detachable cable, you can also try out the VModa mic.
  - http://v-moda.com/boompro-microphone/
  
 The Philips X1 and L1 come to mind as good, inexpensive headphones that I would consider for gaming.  The newer X2 and L2 are even better if you can splurge.
  
 Personally, I use the Sony MDR 7520 with the VModa mic.


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## staffie

The Philips look nice but after reading so many reviews about the ad700x being great for gaming and seeing Mad Lust Envys review being legendary for competitive I thought I'd give them a try since gaming is the only thing they will be used for. Thank you for the suggestions. Cheers


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## dmbr

Samson Meteor Mic is cheap, sounds decent, highly directional, and can sit under your monitor with room to spare.


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## staffie

Wow I love the look of the meteor mic but unfortunately reviews are saying it's extremely sensitive and picks up all sounds, which would probably annoy friends on TeamSpeak. It does say there is a software download but it says you have to pay for it. Thank you for the suggestion. Cheers


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