The Elgato Wave microphone (formerly known as Project Wave) has arrived, finally completing the Elgato-based capture needs. And this Wave: 3 is one of the best pure microphones on the market.

Over the years, Elgato has gradually expanded its product line and taken over all aspects of streaming needs. The company's product line now includes a full suite of capture cards, key lights, green screens, rigging systems, and live switchers. Many serious streamers and content creators will have one or all of these products in their setups.

At CES 2020, Elgato teased something called Project Wave. Turns out we were right.

To become a one-stop store for all things streaming, Elgato is introducing a new streaming category... To annex audio, they announced (to no one's surprise) Wave microphones.

The Elgato Wave series of mics, the $130 Wave: 1 and the $160 Wave: 3, are designed with streamers in mind; Elgato gives us the Wave: The big difference is the Wave: 1's 96kHz sample rate over 48kHz and the lightly convenient capacitive mute button that cuts off the microphone with a tap.

The design of the Wave3 finds an excellent middle ground, with a modern look but with the same aesthetic of an old-fashioned microphone. This design has become familiar to me over time. But what I especially like about it is that it can easily be set up on a cheap $18 boom-scissor arm that I have mounted on my desk. I didn't have to order any special shock mounts, etc., because of the boom arm adapter that came with it.

As you can tell from my recorded lines, the Wave: 3 sounds pretty great. Even with the gain set low, you can hear every detail, even the sound of dry lips pursing in a post-date hangover voice. I need to drink more water.

Call of Duty Warzone party members have told me that my voice sounds pretty clear along with my colleagues on conference calls, but I again recommend keeping the gain low so you don't pick up the hum of the PC while trying to talk to your teammates.

At $160, the Wave: 3 falls between the Blue Yeti X ($170) and the HyperX Quadcast ($140) as a premium USB mic. wave: The Wave: 3's sample rate is 96 kHz, which is a fraction of the Yeti X and Despite its close price point, Wave:3 has some excellent features not found elsewhere, such as Clipguard technology.

Clipguard "automatically tempers overdriven sound waves before sending them to the computer. In other words, the microphone automatically adjusts the level while streaming. In other words, even if you blow out your microphone in real time because you screamed in a Fortnite BS death, Wave:3 will do its best to make sure that anyone listening to your stream is not blown away by your loud screams of defeat.

The idea is that once you set the level, you don't have to worry about it during the stream. In fact, for streamers who like song-related shenanigans, it is convenient to not have to worry about the level all the time.

Elgato's custom software, Wave Link, functions as a digital audio mixer, controlling all aspects of the stream from a single location. You can put up to eight channels for game audio, multiple microphones, and even game chat, and Xsplit and OBS users can add Wave Link as a master audio source, which is a lifesaver. Most streamers will tell you that the most annoying and unpredictable part of a stream is always the audio.

While I like this software in theory, it took me a while to figure out how to assign different apps to each channel. Once I did, however, I found it to be quite a useful tool. Just needs more tutorials to teach users how it works.

I never use polar patterns other than cardioid for streaming, so the lack of other patterns doesn't affect me much. That said, I know a lot of content creators who use a variety of types for interviews, roundtables, ASMR antics, etc., so the Wave: 3's single condenser capsule would not be suitable for anyone looking for a particularly versatile microphone.

However, Elgato's approach to the Wave is one that will derail most streamers: it is hyper-focused on audio. From the digital audio mixer to the control dials with LED indicator lights, the Elgato Wave: 3 is the best no-nonsense mic you can use for your next stream.