Elgato Wave:1 Microphone Review

Corsair snapped up Elgato a few years ago, and ever since, it’s been easy to see why they wanted them as part of the Corsair family. Elgato has an exceptional array of products tailored towards the gamer, streamer and content creation market. Their Keylights, Streamdeck, capture cards and much more are already big hits. Of course, they’ve now added some new microphones to their range, the Wave:1 and the Wave:3 launch today and I’ve got the Wave:1 to play with. I predict it will be great, but let’s dive in a little further shall we?!

Elgato Wave:1 Microphone

For your average gamer, it’s not a cheap microphone at £129.99, but it’s hardly expensive either. If you’ve ever looked into a professional recording setup, you’ll know that a big stack of money doesn’t go far, and hundreds and even thousands can be spent on just a few bits. It is well equipped though, with built-in controls and LED indicators. There’s 24/48 analog to digital, zero-latency monitoring, and an optional mounting system. With Razer, HyperX and a few others having similar products for a similar price, the market is competitive, but it seems Elgato are (as usual) putting their best foot forward.

Features

• DIRECT CONTROL – Tweak the dial to adjust monitor volume and press to mute.
• CONDENSER CAPSULE – Tuned for speech, with a tight cardioid pattern to capture – every vocal nuance with precision.
• SUPERIOR CIRCUITRY – Up to 24-bit / 48 kHz analog to digital conversion delivers lush detail.
• INTERNAL POP FILTER – Multilayered noise shield keeps plosives at bay.
• HEADPHONE OUTPUT – Connect for direct, zero-latency monitoring.
• FLEXIBLE MOUNTING – Mount on any boom arm using the included adapter.
• CUSTOM ACCESSORIES – Add an external pop filter and shock mount.

What Elgato Had to Say

“Great passion, thought and effort has gone into making Wave. It’s the first of its kind in two ways: a microphone built from the ground up for creators like you, and mixing software designed for your unique audio workflow, one which will evolve to incorporate community feedback and ultimately become the best broadcast audio application for all creators. Throughout this guide you will discover what distinguishes WAVE:1 from the rest.” – Elgato

Wave:1 or Wave:3?

Elgato is also launching the Wave:3 today, it’s basically the same microphone as the Wave:1 but with a few minor upgrades. Andy’s checking that one out on YouTube, the video is below, but I’ll link it again on the last page of this review also. Read on!