The Roccat Torch studio-grade USB microphone is a great new addition to the Roccat family of computer products.
Earlier this year GeekDad reviewed several new products by Roccat, including the ELO 7.1 Air and X stereo headsets, Roccat KONE PRO USB optical mouse, and the Roccat Pyro mechanical gaming keyboard. All of these products were incredibly solid, well-built, and high-performing. So it stands to reason that the new Roccat Torch mic would be no less than the other peripherals in its family of products. With that in mind, it was time to crack open the box and see how this new mic holds up to other microphones we have previously tested.
Out of the Box
The first thing you notice when taking the Roccat Torch out of the box is the fascinating base that it comes with. The base includes mixing controls for the sound coming into the mic. You need two USB-C connections, one from the mic to the control base and one from the control base to the PC. This may get a little messy if you are not a fan of having a lot of wires on your desktop.
The weight of the mic and base collectively is over 500 grams, which makes it feel very solid and robust. Though the mic and base are mostly plastic, it still has a durable quality to it.
The mic can be set on the base or easily moved to a boom arm, which is where I decided to keep it. This is where the extra wiring works to your advantage, as you can set up the boom and keep the control box in an area that you can manage on your desktop.
The LEDs have more than just a cool factor to them, as they also indicate how loud your settings are, and is great to have a visual cue letting you know if you are overdriving your signal.
Features
- Dual condenser capsule design with 24-bit audio quality
- Professional mixer-style controls
- Three pick-up patterns, including the exclusive Whisper
- Contactless Quick-Mute gesture control
- Reactive RGB lighting with AIMO
- Driver free plug and play setup
- Boom arm compatible, without compromise
Specifications
- Sample/Bit Rate: 48kHz,
- 24-bit with optional selection for 44.1kHz
- Capsules: 2 × ROCCAT Proprietary ∅14 × 6.5mm condenser capsules
- Pickup Patterns: Cardioid, Stereo, Whisper (ROCCAT Proprietary)
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
- Max SPL: 110dB
- Zero-latency 3.5mm, 4-Pole headphone socket
Setup and Use
The Roccat Torch mic works great right out of the box. Once it is plugged in the drivers are quickly assigned and set up. At this point, it is just a matter of tweaking your preferred sound. The Roccat Torch is a sensitive condenser mic, so you must be aware of your background noise. I could easily hear the white tones of my fan in the background and could use a noise gate to regulate them. The sound is crisp and clear but not too warm, so you may also want to adjust if you are looking for more bass in your tone.
For podcasting, it is comparable with mics from Blue Yeti and others in the $100 range. I do really like having the controls on the base and being able to change my mic patterns as needed. The patterns available are cardioid, stereo, and whisper (ROCCAT proprietary).
For gaming, it has a clear advantage over the boom mics that come with any headset so that your teammates and enemies can hear your instructions or insults loud and clear without any lag.
I am not a huge fan of the sensor mute feature, as you can incidentally activate it, but I can see that it may be advantageous to not tap the mic physically.
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
The Roccat Torch mic is another solid product from the manufacturer—well built, with some cool features that I have not seen in other $100 microphones. The base controls are really great and the different pickup patterns are also a plus. Whisper mode is cool if you are gaming and want to talk to your teammates without sounding too low. Automatic gain adjustment control will also help you not blow out the ears of your fellow gamers and keep you somewhat modulated.
If you are new to podcasting or want to take your gaming sound to the next level, you should seriously consider the Roccat Torch microphone when shopping for products.
A sample of the Roccat Torch was made available by the manufacturer for this review. Thoughts expressed in this article are the author’s alone and not that of the manufacturer or editorial staff.
