One of the most common issues in any fledgling streamer’s set-up is space. Desk space is a premium at first, as you juggle your webcam position, capture hardware, lighting, and of course, microphone. It can be hard to find just the right spot to leave everything set up for ease of use. The new Nacon Microphone for Streaming (bit of an unexciting name, I know, but it’s how they list it) aims to help ease you into the game by being small, compact, and effective.
On the most part, it works as intended. It’s slimline, unassuming, takes up little space in a streamer’s set up. It comes with a 1.1m USB cable so it’ll go wherever you need it to, and it looks modern and sleek enough to slot right into your desk arrangement. It doesn’t necessarily look like a budget model, but it’s nowhere near as bulky as some. I’ve been using a HyperX QuadCast mic for several years and I love the functionality, but it’s hardly tiny.
Every setting you might need to adjust is catered to right on the device too, so fiddling with certain settings is simple. It means you won’t have to install yet another piece of third party software to adjust EQ levels. It comes with noise-cancelling, a dodge setting, and obviously volume controls. Finally, there’s a 3.5mm jack for a headset, which makes it quite versatile.
That said, this is hardly a budget model, as it’ll cost you around £60 at time of writing. That’s not particularly pricey as mics go, but it’s hefty considering I struggled to find the right balance between gain and clarity. I used it to record a podcast, but went right back to the QuadCast when I was done.
There’s a lot to be said for a microphone that’s this easy to plug in and run with, and adjusting a few settings allowed me to control the bass and reduce pop, so it’s certainly a viable choice for beginners. My only real concern is that for the pricetag, you might be better off shopping around for alternatives from the likes of HyperX – or even within Nacon’s own range for something a little more in budget.
