Content creation can be challenging without the necessary tools to help you make it happen. In our Elgato Wave 3 Microphone review, we discuss a microphone that goes beyond being a microphone. When paired with the software feature it provides, you’ll find it easier than it looks.
The Elgato Wave 3 Microphone features software program called Wave Link that supports platforms such as Youtube. This program helps you manage your audio sources, PC applications and more.
For this microphone, Elgato has partnered with Lewitt to create a world-class series called Wave. It’s a new line of microphones that cater to the specifics of content creation.
With that, let’s start our review.
Elgato Wave 3 Microphone Packaging
Before we talk about our Elgato Wave 3 Microphone review, we should go over the items that come with the product.
Our Elgato Wave 3 Microphone review comes in a dark blue, faded cardboard box. You will see the product’s image and the logo on the package’s front and left side.
On the right, you will find some features of this product. Most of the content for this product can be seen at the back and in the instruction manual.
Spinning the package to the back, there are several descriptions concerning the product’s features. You will also notice several diagrams that discuss the functions of the product.
With that, let’s take a look inside.
To open the package, simply remove the tape that seals the top cover in place. Then, gently lift the cover. From there, you will find the second layer of packaging. This is done to increase the protection of the package from damage.
Within the second layer, you have to lay the box down and open it up from the side. It is here where the main product is presented inside a plastic mould cage. This is done to prevent the microphone from moving around the package.
Inside, the microphone together with the U-Mounted stand is stuffed in a cloth that shields the product from scratches. It also keeps the surface area of the microphone smooth and elegant. This keeps the product presentable and ready for use.
Other than the microphone, you are also provided with the instruction manual, a small blue box that contains the USB Type-C cable and the boom arm adapter.
Elgato Wave 3 Microphone Review – Design and Functionality
Let’s now divert our attention to the design and functionality of our Elgato Wave 3 Microphone review.
The Elgato Wave 3 Microphone comes in a sleek black colour that is commonly used in most microphones. This aesthetic fits well with most gaming and streaming rigs.
It also provides a more robust look that keeps it looking compact and durable. Paired together with the U-Mount and padded base, it makes it more stable during usage. Other than the regular desktop stand, you can extend the mic’s range with the boom arm adapter.
Thanks to that, you can variate the microphone’s position in your setup to fit the design. It also showcases a multilayered noise shield that keeps sudden bursts of sounds at bay. Sounds like coughing, sneezing, and other similar sounds are prevented from being picked up.
When looking inside the components of the microphone, it has a premium condenser capsule. Condenser microphones are the best when it comes to picking up sounds accurately. By that, the Elgato Wave 3 Microphone is sure to capture the verbal nuances with heightened precision.
Other than the condenser, we also have to look at its excellent circuitry. The microphone offers quality within the micro components of the circuitry as it helps in distributing broadcast-grade quality. This helps transmit the analog signals and analyses them faster with detail and clarity.
Apart from the product’s physical properties, it provides a multifunctional dial that can be optimised to your standards. Tweak the input gain and freely adjust the headphone volume to suit your tastes.
The microphone itself allows the user to crossfade the sounds. This means that you can mix the mic and PC sounds.
Within the premium condenser capsule, it specialises in a specific polar pattern which is the Cardioid type.
The Cardioid polar pattern targets the sound waves from one direction. This is ideal when it comes to gaming or streaming setups, as the sound will always come from one source. Due to this, you can expect a fine-tuned quality for all your sound speech specifications.
At the back of the microphone, you will find two ports. One holds the USB Type-C port for a fast and easy connection. The other one is for your headphones. This particular port provides zero-latency during monitoring.
Key Features of the Elgato Wave 3 Microphone
Going away from the architecture and utilities, we now head on to see the product’s features in our Elgato Wave 3 Microphone review.
Clipguard Technology
It can be frustrating to have to always check the microphone, volume, input levels when speaking during live or post sessions. With Clipgaurd technology, it instantly removes this problem.
What Clipguard does is that when the input levels reach a tipping point, it reroutes the sound waves through another second signal path. It does this and makes the other signal path run at a lower volume. This ultimately clears out the messy mixes during sessions.
Thanks to that, the outcome is clean and ready for use.
A Content Creator’s Partner
It would be nice if devices were attuned for specific roles on platforms such as Twitch or Youtube. If you’re an upcoming streamer or Youtuber, wouldn’t it be great to find a device that worked well with your goals?
Apparently, the Elgato Wave 3 Microphone has the keys to that door. The Elgato Wave 3 Microphone features the Wave Link, which gives us a Creator’s Mixer.
A Creator’s Mixer is a software made specifically for content creation. Its target is to grant you full control of your streams, video production or podcast audio. It syncs with the system of the platform, which in turn benefits you.
Wave Link also has a variety of functions that cater to your stream. These functions are Effortless Control, Stream Ready and Smart Processing.
Effortless Control
Effortless Control deals with the copyrighted music that may appear in your stream. Wave Link reads this and automatically removes it to avoid any violations.
Stream Ready
Wave Link has an option where it can reconfigure your OBS Studio’s settings to fit your stream’s workflow. It takes full control and optimises it to ensure better audio quality.
Smart Processing
It may put a lot of stress on your computer for having such demanding applications running on your PC. Thus, Wave Link manages the program’s workload and uses less than 1% of the CPU.
By that, Wave Link optimises your settings that best fit the platform your using. Not only does it manage the platform you are using, but it also caters to the PC and applications that support your stream.
Multiple Channels
The Elgato Wave 3 Microphone can tackle multiple audio sources at once. This means that you can have your in-game audio, music, alerts, voice channel, and other sounds run in real-time.
You also have the option to reconfigure each individual audio source in the Wave Link software.
You can even edit the output audio to a specific area, either on the platform you are streaming or on the headphones you are using. This allows you to have one output source for you and one entirely for your audience together while monitoring each.
Thanks to that, mixing all these different audio sources is made simple and easy for anyone to use.
Overall, the Elgato Wave 3 Microphone and it’s software are excellent tools in helping you shape the content you want to create.
Specifications
Our Elgato Wave 3 Microphone review can’t be complete without checking the specifications of the product. Each tiny details plays a big role in making this product function. With that, let’s get right into it.
Physical Entities
Our Elgato Wave 3 Microphone is 153 by 66 and 40 in millimetres, following height, width and length, respectively. It only weighs about 280 grams with the U-Mount.
It uses a USB Type-C cable to connect to the computer. This makes it easier and does not require phantom power to function.
System Entities
The Elgato Wave 3 Microphone features a Cardioid polar pattern for its condenser microphone. It comes with a 24-bit resolution and 48/96 kHz sample rate.
Other than that, it averages a frequency response from 70 to 20000 Hz with a sensitivity level from -25dBFS to 15dBFS.
It can go up to 120 dB for the maximum sound pressure level, and with the clipguard engaged, it can go all the way to 140 dB. Regarding the dynamic range, it averages 95 dB and can even reach 115 dB with the clipguard.
The Elgato Wave 3 Microphone runs well with Windows 10 and macOS 10.15 or newer operating systems. It only requires your computer to have at least 4GB RAM, which is common in most PCs.
Hands-on with the Elgato Wave 3 Microphone
Moving forward from the technical details, we press on to see if the product stays true to their claims in our Elgato Wave 3 Microphone review.
Here is where we discuss our observations by running tests to find out the areas where the product fails or succeeds. These tests involve checking the sound quality, efficiency when using the device and the software it promises. Let’s start with the sound.
When checking the sound, we were not really surprised. We knew that Elgato and Lewitt both worked on the Wave series microphones. This gave us some biases towards the properties of the microphone.
Even with the biases, we were still able to tell that the microphone could easily pick up our vocal and verbal nuances. Thanks to the condenser microphone and its Cardioid pattern, it targets a specific direction where it can capture even the most delicate sound waves.
For that reason, the Elgato Wave 3 Microphone is excellent if its main role is to pick up only one audio source. It can clearly depict the sound and make its output be as precise as possible.
Paired with the Wave Link software, it can manage and process several audio sources running within the PC. We had no trouble using the microphone while having background music and the in-game sound effects playing at once. The Wave Link software well managed this. It provided specific channels for them, and we were able to customise our audio sources from there.
We had no trouble working with the program as it was fast and simple enough to learn. They provided us with options to choose from and gave us suggestions on how to handle the audio.
Generally speaking, the Elgato Wave 3 Microphone is made for streaming, video production, podcasting and much more. It is built with the idea for content creation, and we clearly see that here.
Elgato Wave 3 Microphone Review Summary
Before we conclude our Elgato Wave 3 Microphone review, we will give you our observations from looking into this product.
The Elgato Wave 3 Microphone is a microphone that targets a creator’s goal in mind. To supplement the ideas of the creator and make it much easier for them.
Thanks to the built-in components, Clipguard technology and polar pattern, it can capture delicate sounds precisely. When combined with the Wave Link software, it can do more than just capture. It extends the versatility of the device and helps it manage the programs inside the PC.
By that, we can already tell you that we love the Elgato Wave 3 Microphone, and we would recommend it to anyone looking to start their content creator journey. If you are interested or looking to check out the details of this product, then click here.
