Do You Need a Mic Arm?
There are different ways to improve your audio quality on your streaming microphone, be it through basic Windows settings, extra plugins, or extra hardware. A mic arm is a very common accessory that people buy along with their microphones to help them get the sound they want – but is this tool a necessity or just a way to make your life easier?
Since I have used my HyperX QuadCast mic both with a mic arm and without, I will give you a quick rundown of the pros and cons of having a mic arm.
Pros
Unlike a stand that you need to keep on your desk, a mic arm offers you a lot more flexibility in terms of positioning your mic next to your mouth. This is especially important if you have a condenser mic which you need to have very close to your mouth for it to sound good.
At the same time, your mic arm will not only allow you to adjust the distance between your mic and your mouth optimally but also distance the microphone from your keyboard and mouse noises. This might seem like a minor thing until you have played an intense game with your mic on your gaming desk and have realized that your teammates can hear every single click.
Using a mic arm, a noise gate, and some noise suppression will ensure complete focus on your voice leaving out all of the background noise from your recording or Discord call.
A mic arm will limit clutter on your desk allowing for better keyboard and mouse/mousepad positioning since now you do not have to have a chunk of metal between your other peripherals. This will help you both aesthetically and also practically since you can move your hands freely once again while gaming.
Cons
The most obvious downside of a mic arm is having to buy one since this is another monetary investment. If you are on a tight budget, having to pay 30$ or more is not exactly feasible.
A problem that I have had myself is the adjustment period to having a piece of metal going across your peripheral vision while you are looking at your screen. There are people I know that could never get over the fact that they have something covering parts of their main or secondary monitors so they either gave up on the arm or used an extremely long one to make the mic hover over their heads (these long mic arms cost more obviously).
The last downside of a mic arm is wear & tear. A mic stand is a solid piece of metal that just holds your microphone into place. A mic arm however has moving parts which need to be adjusted and locked in. With time these moving bits and parts get damaged or simply get loose which means that in the long-term you will need to change your mic arm at some point, while that will probably never happen with the included mic stand.
Conclusions
If you care about your sound quality the most and you want to eliminate any background noise coming through your microphone then having a mic arm is a step in the right direction.
If you however do not want to spend money unnecessarily and want a product that will last longer than the mic itself, then you should just keep the basic mic stand. Your sound might not be the best but at least you do not have a metal bar in your peripheral vision.