Roundup Research-based
The Best Budget Microphones for Streaming
What a small budget actually buys in voice capture, and why spending it on position and room treatment often beats spending it on the microphone.
By SaidAudio & Streaming Gear: A Setup That Sounds and Looks Professional
Microphones, headphones, interfaces, cameras and lighting — the signal chain that separates a stream people stay on from one they click away from.
Before you buy anything
Three free fixes before you buy any gear
- 1 How to Frame Yourself on Camera Camera height, headroom and distance decide whether you look like a presenter or a hostage. The adjustments that fix it, none of which cost anything. How-to
- 2 How to Monitor Your Own Voice Hearing yourself while you record without the delay that makes speaking impossible, and how to set up monitoring that catches problems in time. How-to
- 3 How to Set Recording Levels Where to put the meter so quiet passages stay above the noise and loud ones never clip, and why the old tape advice makes digital recordings worse. How-to
Free tool · in progress Streaming Bitrate Calculator A safe bitrate for your upload speed and resolution. Not built yet. The guides in this section cover it.
Free tool · in progress Mic and Interface Matcher Does that microphone need more gain than your interface has? Not built yet. The guides in this section cover it.
Microphones & Voice Capture
7 guides
No guides in this topic yet.
Roundup Research-based
The Best USB Microphones
A USB microphone removes an entire signal chain from the decision. Which ones sound good in an untreated room, and what you give up for the convenience.
By Said
Roundup Research-based
The Best XLR Microphones
The analogue route costs more and buys a chain you can upgrade one piece at a time. Which microphones justify the extra box on the desk.
By Said
Guide Research-based
How to Buy a Microphone
Capsule type, polar pattern, connection and gain, in the order that decides whether a microphone suits your voice and the room you sit in.
By Said
Comparison Research-based
USB vs XLR Microphones
One is a complete signal chain in a single body, the other is three separate purchases you can improve one at a time. Which suits what you are doing.
By Said
Review Research-based
Shure SM7B Review
The broadcast dynamic that made home studios sound professional, and the gain requirement that catches out a large share of the people who buy it.
By Said
How-to Research-based
How to Set Up a Microphone Properly
Position, angle, gain and monitoring, in the order that turns an ordinary microphone into a recording that sounds deliberate rather than accidental.
By SaidHeadphones & Monitoring
7 guides
No guides in this topic yet.
Roundup Research-based
The Best Closed-Back Headphones
Isolation, comfort and an honest response, in a design that keeps sound from leaking into your microphone. Which pairs manage all three.
By Said
Roundup Research-based
The Best Headphones for Streaming
Closed backs stop your speakers leaking into the microphone, and comfort decides whether you can wear them for four hours. Which ones manage both.
By Said
Roundup Research-based
The Best Studio Monitors for Small Rooms
Near-field speakers for a desk, where the room does more damage than the speaker does. What size to buy and why bigger is usually wrong.
By Said
Guide Research-based
How to Buy Headphones for Recording
Impedance, enclosure and pads decide whether a pair suits recording. Which specifications matter, and which are marketing that will not affect your work.
By Said
Comparison Research-based
Open vs Closed-Back Headphones
Open designs sound more natural and leak into your microphone. Closed designs isolate and are harder to make even. Which one your setup requires.
By Said
Review Research-based
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro Review
The closed studio headphone that turns up in more home setups than any other, why it is comfortable for hours, and the impedance trap when ordering.
By Said
How-to Research-based
How to Monitor Your Own Voice
Hearing yourself while you record without the delay that makes speaking impossible, and how to set up monitoring that catches problems in time.
By SaidInterfaces & Signal Chain
7 guides
No guides in this topic yet.
Roundup Research-based
The Best Audio Interfaces
The box between your microphone and your computer decides your noise floor and your latency. Which ones have the gain that broadcast microphones need.
By Benyamin
Roundup Research-based
The Best Budget Audio Interfaces
What a small budget buys in preamplifiers and converters, where the cheap ones genuinely fall short, and which microphones they will struggle with.
By Benyamin
Guide Research-based
How to Buy an Audio Interface
Inputs, gain, monitoring and connection, in the order that decides whether an interface suits your microphone and the way you actually record.
By Benyamin
Guide Research-based
What Is Phantom Power?
Which microphones need it, which are unaffected, what the old warnings were actually about, and how to switch it safely without a loud noise.
By Benyamin
Comparison Research-based
Audio Interface vs Mixer for Streaming
A mixer routes many sources live; an interface records them cleanly. Which one your setup actually needs, and why some people end up with both.
By Benyamin
Review Research-based
Focusrite Scarlett Solo Review
The entry interface that has introduced more people to recording than any other. What it does well, and the microphone it will struggle to drive.
By Benyamin
How-to Research-based
How to Set Recording Levels
Where to put the meter so quiet passages stay above the noise and loud ones never clip, and why the old tape advice makes digital recordings worse.
By BenyaminCamera, Lighting & Video
7 guides
No guides in this topic yet.
Roundup Research-based
The Best Green Screens
A clean key needs even lighting and distance from the screen more than it needs an expensive fabric. Which screens are worth it and which are wasted money.
By Said
Roundup Research-based
The Best Lights for Streaming
One soft light in the right place transforms a webcam image. Which panels are worth buying, and why bigger and softer beats brighter every time.
By Said
Roundup Research-based
The Best Webcams for Streaming
Sensor size and lens aperture decide how a camera copes with a normal room. Which webcams look good without a studio, and which need the lights on.
By Said
Guide Research-based
How to Light Yourself on Camera
Where to put a light, why softness beats brightness, and how to stop mixed colour temperatures turning one side of your face orange.
By Said
Comparison Research-based
Webcam vs Camera for Streaming
A real camera gives a shallower depth of field and better low light, at the cost of a capture card, a power supply and a great deal more fiddling.
By Said
Review Research-based
Elgato Key Light Review
A large, software-controlled panel that clamps to the desk. Whether the price is justified against a bare panel and a piece of diffusion.
By Said
How-to Research-based
How to Frame Yourself on Camera
Camera height, headroom and distance decide whether you look like a presenter or a hostage. The adjustments that fix it, none of which cost anything.
By SaidCapture, Control & Acoustics
7 guides
No guides in this topic yet.
Roundup Research-based
The Best Microphone Boom Arms
The accessory that improves recordings more than a better microphone. What weight rating you need and why the cheap ones sag within months.
By Benyamin
Roundup Research-based
The Best Capture Cards
Capturing a console or a second machine without adding delay to what you are playing. Which cards pass through cleanly and what the numbers mean.
By Benyamin
Roundup Research-based
The Best Stream Decks and Control Surfaces
A row of physical buttons removes the fumbling that shows up on camera. Which sizes make sense and whether the software justifies the hardware.
By Benyamin
Guide Research-based
Acoustic Treatment for a Normal Room
What treatment actually does, where the first panel belongs, and why the foam sold for the purpose is usually solving the wrong problem.
By Benyamin
Comparison Research-based
Internal vs External Capture Cards
One goes inside the machine and one sits on the desk. The real differences are latency, portability and whether you have a slot free at all.
By Benyamin
Review Research-based
Elgato Stream Deck MK.2 Review
Fifteen programmable keys with screens on them. What it genuinely removes from a live session, and why the software matters more than the hardware.
By Benyamin
How-to Research-based
How to Treat a Room on a Budget
The mirror trick that finds where absorption belongs, what to use when panels are not an option, and the free changes that do most of the work.
By BenyaminGuides in this section are written by Said and Benyamin, who compare published manufacturer specifications, documentation and warranty terms. Nothing here has been tested, and every guide says so above the fold. Prices are never shown — only the band — because a stale price is a misleading one.