As a small streamer, I know how difficult it can be to figure out which hardware is needed to succeed in the streaming world – elements like Audio Mixers, a proper camera set up and learning how to route audio between multiple machines will be a cumbersome thing to learn for most people. Thankfully, Roccat aims to ease the process by providing excellent equipment for all who enters the field with “Torch”, you’ll get a microphone built with intention and produces quality.
Build Quality with an Edge
Torch is a USB-C Condenser Microphone with incredible build material. The microphone capsule is coated aluminum while the UI is a mix of metal and hard plastic. The microphone can be removed from the UI base to attach to a microphone arm – however the thread seems to be small which may be limited to a lot of users. It’s a shame Roccat didn’t include a thread adapter like most other companies – here’s hoping for future iterations. I am very happy with the way it looks and feels, it is quite heavy too which is a good indication that care was put into this microphone. This application is excellent for casual users as well since the UI is incredibly simple and intuitive.
The UI comes with 2 button nobs and one fader for microphone gain. You can adjust the volume as well as the pickup pattern from front back, front and front plus – it does a relative job with compressing ambient sounds. If you want to have a conference call with it, front plus does a great job picking up your voice, but you will still hear the clicking of your keyboard and such. Additionally, in typical Roccat fashion, there’s RGB lighting that can help with visual cues like volume levels and when you are muted or live. The back UI has all the connections needed for USB-C with an additional brightness setting for the light affects. At the top of the microphone there’s a RFID sensor where you can use a wave gesture to mute the mic if you’re into that sort of futuristic stuff; sensitivity can be adjusted with a switch in the back. Also, I couldn’t find a way to adjust the colors of the lighting with any of the Roccat software – maybe a future update will fix that in AIMO or something.
Outstanding Sound Quality
Although USB-C Condensers has been in the market for some time now, as someone who is in the audio visual field, it is not a typical option – usually the best quality comes from a microphone connection of XLR. However, as a gamer and a streamer – if I can replicate a fraction of quality it is more than enough, and this is where Torch shines. If you combine this microphone with an audio interface that has audio adjustments, you can sound as crispy as a Sennheiser build. I use a GoXLR and with its application I can utilize the California-smile GATE settings to sound like I’m in a studio – and it is affective indeed. I am especially pleased with the quality of the USB-C thread design for flexibility.
In the box, you will get 3 cables, a short USB-C to C to connect from the microphone to the UI, a long USB-C to C to connect the Microphone via mic arm and a USB-C to A to connect to an audio interface or PC. This is excellent as you will have pretty much everything you need, unless your computer is 20flt away, then that’s a problem out of reach.
Verdict
My time with Torch has been an incredible one, and I plan on using it for the foreseeable future. This application is excellent for those looking to just upgrade for the sake of better equipment and one I recommend especially to those that has a desk set up.
It is available at most retailers for $99.99.
REVIEW SCORE: 8/10
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