In this article, we’re looking at the most popular youtubers and what kind of microphone they are using or used in the past. In addition, you’ll get a brief review of each microphone to help you figure out whether the microphone is a good fit for you. Most of these microphones are dynamic type as it’s better suited for youtube audio recording compared to condensers.
| Youtubers | Microphone | Price |
|---|---|---|
| PewDiePie | Electro-Voice RE320 | $300 |
| Markiplier | Shure KSM44A | $1,000 |
| MR Beast* | Rode M5 | $200 |
| Good Mythical Morning | Blue mouse | $1,250 |
| Shroud | Blue mouse | $1,250 |
| Wilbur Soot | Rode NT1-A | $230 |
| Jschlatt | Heil PR40 | $330 |
| Quackity | Rode Procaster | $220 |
| Nigahiga | Rode Procaster | $220 |
| Niki Nihachu | HyperX Newest QuadCast S | $220 |
| Jacksepticeye | Neumann U87 | $3,695 |
| Lazar Beam | Shure SM7B | $400 |
| Logan Paul | Shure SM7B | $400 |
| Dream* | Shure SM7B | $400 |
| LinusTechTips | Electro-Voice RE20 | $450 |
| H3 Podcast | Electro-Voice RE20 | $450 |
| Marques Brownlee | Sennheiser MKH416 | $1,000 |
| Miniminter | Rode Broadcaster | $420 |
| Behzinga | Rode Broadcaster | $420 |
PewDiePie
Electro-Voice RE320
Starting from August 2021 up until now, Pewdiepie mainly uses Electro-Voice RE320, a mid-range dynamic broadcast microphone selling for around $300. It has a good off-axis noise rejection, integrated pop-filter and relatively good sensitivity for a dynamic microphone at 2.5mV/Pa (-52dB) which makes it suitable when pairing with cheaper audio interfaces such as Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 or Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD.
Electro-Voice RE320 is great for gaming and podcasting as it’s not overly sensitive to keyboard or background noise and has some pleasant warmth to it. Also, the price is good value for what you get.
Rode NTG4+
From September 2020 – August 2021, PewDiePie used a Rode NTG4+ shotgun microphone with a shotgun supercardioid polar pattern. Rode NTG4+ is the premium Rode shotgun microphone with multiple features such as a rechargeable battery, sound attenuation (-10dB) for high-volume source recording, high-pass filter for dealing with low-end rumble and proximity effect. Also, the microphone includes a high-frequencies boost option for crisper sound.
Rode NTG4+ sells for around $320 and is one of the more versatile shotgun microphones on the market. A narrow supercardioid polar pattern is great at noise rejection and suitable for gaming, however, shotgun microphones are most commonly used in video production as they can concentrate on recording a single person’s vocals from further away without introducing much of the background noise. Still, it’s a great option for Youtube if you want to avoid your microphone appearing on the screen.
AKG Pro Audio C414 XLII
In October 2019 – September 2020 period PewDiePie was using AKG Pro Audio C414 XLII. It’s a high-end condenser microphone with many features such as attenuated levels (-6dB, -12dB, -18dB), bass cuts and multiple recording patterns including cardio, hypercardioid, wide cardioid, bidirectional and omnidirectional. The microphone costs around $1,000 and is suitable for studio work.
It’s probably the most feature-packed microphone ever, making it suitable for various different cases. Hypercardioid pattern is great for noise rejection, a bidirectional pattern could be used for interviews or stereo recording and the omnidirectional pattern is great at picking up sound from all around. The attenuation and bass cut options will help to deal with loud sound sources and the proximity effect when speaking up close.
In addition, it includes an LED light to notify you when audio is clipping.
However, it’s questionable whether you need AKG Pro Audio C414 XLII if you’re only planning to do gaming or Youtube videos. A decent dynamic microphone such as RE320 might be a better option as it’s more suited for not-perfect recording conditions outside the studio.
Rode NT1
Until October 2019 PewDiePie was using Rode NT1, which is a mid-range condenser microphone with extremely low self-noise of 4.5dB and crisp sound. It’s considered one of the best value-for-money condenser microphones that could be used in recording studios for professional voice-over or music production.
I wouldn’t recommend the microphone for gaming or podcasting, however, it’s great for voice-over and music production in an acoustically treated and isolated recording environment.
It’s a condenser-type microphone, hence, the sensitivity is high and you can pair it with cheap audio interfaces that otherwise might not provide enough gain for some of the dynamic microphones.
Markiplier
Shure KSM44A
For a long time, Markiplier has been using Shure KSM44A, a high-end condenser microphone with many features, all the required accessories and a good build. Everything you would want for a premium price of around $1,000. The microphone has a very low self-noise of 4dB and enhanced upper frequencies.
Shure KSM44A offers multiple recording patterns – cardioid, bidirectional and omnidirectional. It includes a high-pass filter option to deal with excessive low-end rumble and proximity effect. Shock-mount and built-in pop-filter are included in the package.
I wouldn’t recommend the microphone for gaming since it’s a condenser microphone and more prone to pick up noise compared to dynamic microphones but it might have been specifically chosen for Markiplier’s voice since at the higher end most of the microphones are chosen to complement the voice. Similarly to PewDiePie’s AKG Pro Audio C414 XLII I would rather use such a microphone in a professional recording environment like a studio for voice-over or music production.
MR Beast
Rode M5
MR Beast rarely has a microphone in view while shooting videos. But for gaming, he’s definitely using a pencil-type microphone and it looks like Rode M5 which is a cardioid condenser pencil microphone. It’s a decent microphone for the price but rarely ever used for gaming or any voice recording. It’s more geared towards instrument recording such as drums or guitar. It’s an odd choice for Youtube audio recording.
This type of microphone is usually sold in pairs as they are often utilized for stereo recording and Rode M5 isn’t an exception. You can get a pair of Rode M5s for around $200.
When shooting non-stationary videos, you can sometimes see in MR Beast videos a couple of cameramen with camera microphones attached to their cameras. Due to windscreens, it’s hard to tell what microphones they are using; however, most likely it’s something like RODE VideoMic PRO.
Good Mythical Morning
Blue mouse
Good Mythical Morning has a Blue mouse microphone set on a table when they are recording their show. It’s an expensive, high-end condenser microphone with a unique vintage look selling at around $1,250. At this price, you get a premium build-quality microphone with an integrated shock-mount and rotating head for a better recording angle.
The self-noise is very low at 8dB. It’s a warm-sounding microphone and will add body to your voice while still being crisp at the top end.
Despite Blue mouse being seen on the screen, most likely Good Mythical Morning is also using lavalier microphones, something like Rode Wireless Go or Audio-Technica AT831b and shotgun microphones such as Sennheiser MKH416 or Rode NTG that aren’t seen on the screen and the Blue mouse microphone is more for the looks. Although you can only speculate what microphones are used out of the recording view.
On the other hand, the Blue mouse is used by Shroud in his gaming videos and it’s definitely not just for looks.
Wilbur Soot
Rode NT1-A
Wilbur Soot uses Rode NT1-A, an XLR condenser microphone with a cardioid polar pattern. It sells at around $230 and comes with a nice accessories package consisting of a quality shock-mount, pop-filter and XLR cable.
Rode NT1-A has a bright, crisp tone and is an appropriate microphone for studio use. One of the best things about it is the extremely low self-noise of 5dB. Primarily it’s designed for recording vocals such as voice-over and music, but it’s also very good at recording instruments. In my opinion, it’s one of the best value-for-money condenser microphones and by many people considered to be the cheapest available pro-level condenser microphone. At a similar price, it competes with Rode NT1; between the two it would come down to the sound preference; NT1-A is slightly brighter sounding.
Since it’s a condenser-type microphone NT1-A pairs well with any audio interface, you won’t need to worry about lacking gain.
Jschlatt
Heil PR40
Jschlatt uses Heil PR40 a mid-range dynamic broadcast microphone with a sensitivity of -54dB which is about average for a dynamic microphone. It sells for around $330. Heil PR40 has a wide frequency response for a broadcast microphone 28Hz – 18kHz and provides boosted higher frequency giving a very crisp and clear sound quality, and the lows are a bit extended to capture more of the lower frequencies.
It’s a unique-sounding microphone. In my opinion, Heil PR40 suits someone with a deeper voice the best and Jschlatt’s voice kinda fits that description. For someone with a high-pitched voice, it could even further emphasize higher-end frequencies making your voice sound even higher and brittle.
The microphone comes with a built-in pop-filter, standard mount and additional windscreen. The microphone is all metal and feels very sturdy. It’s a good option for podcasting and Youtube video production as it’s tailored for recording vocals and doesn’t pick up much of the background noise.
Quackity
Rode Procaster
Quackity uses a Rode Procaster, another mid-range microphone, selling at around $220. It’s a broadcast dynamic microphone with a very good background noise rejection and slightly boosted low-end and high-end frequencies for some added bass and clarity. It sounds very warm and the build quality is all metal and very sturdy. It’s not a very sensitive microphone with a sensitivity of -56dB and will require a decent pre-amp or an additional in-line amplifier such as a cloudlifter or a fethead to provide enough clean gain.
The microphone features an internal pop-filter and an internal shock resistance mechanism. It comes with a standard microphone stand mount.
Rode Procaster is one of the best options for recording podcasts and Youtube videos as it’s superb at noise rejection, sounds great and is one of the cheapest dynamic broadcast microphones. It may lack many features that other more expensive microphones have, but it essentially offers everything you would need. In my opinion, it’s among the best value-for-money microphones in the market if you’re into Youtube, gaming, streaming or podcasting.
Rode Procaster is also used by Nigahiga in his Youtube videos.
Niki Nihachu
HyperX Newest QuadCast S
Niki Nihachu is currently using a HyperX Newest QuadCast S USB condenser microphone which has multiple features and sells for around $160. It comes with a shock mount, microphone stand and USB-C to USB-A cable. The microphone has multiple features: controllable RGB, multiple polar patterns (Cardioid, Stereo, Omnidirectional and Bidirectional), mute button, headphone monitoring, built-in pop filter and gain control.
Probably the main appeal of this microphone is its looks. The RGB feature isn’t very common among microphones and if you plan to have your microphone in view when recording a video or streaming, this might be a good option. Otherwise, it’s a USB condenser microphone and it’ll pick up the background noise and the sound quality will be lacking when compared to similarly priced XLR microphones.
Since it’s a USB microphone, you don’t have to buy an audio interface with it which will save you some money but at a slightly lower price AT2020 USB+ microphone would give similar or even better audio quality.
Rode NT1-A
Before acquiring HyperX Newest QuadCast S in January 2021 Niki was using a Rode NT1-A.
Jacksepticeye
Neumann U87
Jacksepticeye uses Neumann U87, a high-end condenser microphone with multiple recording patterns and other features. The standalone microphone sells for $3,200, while a studio set sells for $3,650, including a shock-mount and a pop-filter.
Neumann U87 has cardioid, omnidirectional and bidirectional polar pattern options. It offers a high-pass filter button and a -10dB padding option. The self-noise is listed at 14dB.
It’s a studio microphone designed to be used in an acoustically treated environment, ideally in a studio. It provides a unique sound of the highest quality. Neumann U87 is often used by professional voice actors and for high-quality music production. It’s good all around and has enhanced mid-frequencies.
The microphone is not tailored for gaming, nor is it a typical podcast microphone and I wouldn’t suggest it for these applications but for voice-over and music production, it has very little competition.
Shure SM58
Sometimes Jacksepticeye is seen handling a microphone, in these instances, you’ll see Shure SM58 in his hands which is a legendary handheld dynamic microphone available at an affordable price of around $100.
It’s mainly used for music vocals and live performances but could very well be used for podcasting, gaming or voice acting as a budget option microphone. Shure SM58 is incredibly sturdy with an all-metal build. It has good background noise rejection, however, it’s quite insensitive making it hard to pair with cheaper audio interfaces. You may need to pair it with a cloudlifter or a fethead or check out some higher-end audio interfaces.
Lazar Beam
Shure SM7B
Lazar Beam uses a dynamic broadcast microphone Shure SM7B. It’s a staple microphone for broadcast, podcasting, gaming, Youtube and is even used in music production. It’s one of the most versatile microphones with a darker tone. You’ll see it on quite a few podcast shows. Shure SM7B is used by many podcasters including Joe Rogan, Lex Fridman, Tim Dillon and Andrew Schulz. Broadcast microphones are generally designed for speech but Shure SM7B is often used for singing and even on instruments.
The warm sound of Shure SM7B is easy to listen to for longer periods of time, also, it has a nice proximity effect if you require more broadcast-sounding audio quality. It features high-pass and presence boost filter options for a more articulate and punchy sound. It has good background noise rejection and comes with a pop-filter, which helps deal with most of the plosives. The build is all metal and feels very sturdy. Shure SM7B has a built-in shock-mount and deals well with handling noise.
The microphone sells at $400 and while it’s an expensive microphone, it has all the required features and looks great on the camera if you care about it. In my opinion, it fits in the sweet spot where although you pay the premium price for it, you get everything you could want from a microphone and it competes well even with the higher-priced microphones.
Logan Paul currently uses Shure SM7B for his podcast. Dream (dreamwastaken) possibly uses Shure SM7B, while Miniminter used to use Shure SM7B in the past. But you’ll find plenty more youtubers using this microphone.
LinusTechTips
Electro-Voice RE20
LinusTechTips for its WAN shows uses Electro-Voice RE20, a classic dynamic broadcast microphone currently available for $450 in both black and grey colors. It’s a very common microphone among radio stations.
RE20 has very little off-axis coloration which makes it great at background noise rejection. The extended upper frequencies create a unique, airy sound quality. The low end is controlled, and the proximity effect is diminished due to Variable-D technology, however, a deeper voice is still somewhat achievable at closer proximity. Mids are slightly subdued which may help eliminate some of the nasal vocal qualities of your voice.
The microphone is susceptible to handling noise and a shock mount is highly recommended when using it. While primarily the microphone is designed for recording vocals it may as well be used in music production on instruments.
Electro-Voice RE20 has an internal pop-filter and shock resistance technology to reduce plosives and handling noise, it also features a high-pass filter switch. It’s a sturdy microphone with an all-metal construction.
Electro-Voice RE20 is also used on the H3 Podcast Youtube channel.
Marques Brownlee
Sennheiser MKH416
For his videos, Marques Brownlee uses a Sennheiser MKH416 which is a shotgun condenser super-cardioid type microphone selling at a premium price of $1,000 and it comes with a pop-filter. Since it’s a condenser microphone, it has a self-noise of -13dB, which is okay for a condenser microphone and quite good for a shotgun-type microphone. The build is all-metal and feels sturdy despite it being a lightweight microphone.
A shotgun microphone is ideal for recording videos on set when you don’t want to have a microphone in the camera view. It’s great at picking up vocals from further away without introducing much of the background noise. You can use it for gaming videos without showing the microphone on the camera and it won’t pick up much of the keyboard or any other background noise.
It’s also a very popular microphone for voice acting, especially if you have a deeper voice. Sennheiser MKH416 enhances treble and may sound a bit sibilant and high-pitched for someone with a higher voice, but it gives nice clarity if you have a deep voice. Mike DelGaudio from the Booth Junkie Youtube channel has a deep voice and often uses this microphone for his voice acting gigs and it sounds amazing on him.
Electro-Voice RE27N/D
In the WVFRM podcast, however, Marques Brownlee uses Electro-Voice RE27N/D, a unique-sounding broadcast dynamic microphone that has a boosted treble which makes it sound very crisp, even condenser-like but it also comes with a high-cut and high-pass filters, the former may make it sound more like a traditional dynamic microphone.
Electro-Voice RE27N/D has good sensitivity for a dynamic microphone, the built-in pop-filter rejects most of the pops and the build quality is great. Also, variable-D technology limits the proximity effect. On the other hand, the microphone is pricy selling at $500.
Andrew from the WVFRM podcast uses Shure SM7B.
Miniminter
Rode Broadcaster
Miniminter uses a Rode Broadcaster, a broadcaster condenser-type microphone selling for around $420. It includes a high-pass filter and an internal pop filter. Also for radio purposes, it has a red on-air indicator. It’s a sturdy, all-metal microphone that is on the heavier side.
You won’t find many if any broadcast-type condenser microphones so it’s unique in that way. Usually, a broadcast microphone is a dynamic type. The upside of it is its high sensitivity which allows you to pair this microphone with any budget audio interface without worrying about the lack of gain. Although, on the other hand, the microphone is quite susceptible to plosives and has a somewhat noticeable self-noise level of 14dB.
Rode Broadcaster has boosted low-end and top-end frequencies giving it warm yet still airy and clear sound quality. As it’s with most of broadcast-type microphones, it’s mainly suited for recording vocals; therefore, you’ll find it in some radio stations, podcasts and Youtube setups.
Rode Broadcaster is also used by Behzinga.