How to choose a microphone for streaming and podcasts

Viewers forgive a poor picture, but not poor sound. When a phone microphone sits half a metre from the speaker, the voice sounds like it comes “out of a pipe” and the room echo is audible. The Dona catalogue has 11 microphones: the cheapest is 86,000 UZS, the most expensive 2,131,000 UZS. To choose, it is enough to answer three questions: where the microphone goes, what it connects to, and how many people will speak.

Lavalier, desk or wireless#

Lavalier microphone (lapel mic) — clips to your clothes and sits 15-20 centimetres from the mouth. Because of that it picks up almost no room echo. For a one-person interview, “talking head” videos and live streams it is the cheapest right solution.

Desk microphone — comes with its own stand or a shock mount and sits next to the keyboard. For podcasts, gaming streams and recording voice-overs. It is visible in the frame: too much for some, and for others exactly the “studio” look they want.

Wireless kit — the receiver plugs into a camera or phone, and the transmitter stays with the speaker. For filming outdoors, walking around a shop to show it, or on stage. The two-channel version of a wireless kit records two people at once.

Connection type#

A USB microphone plugs straight into a computer and needs no separate sound card, which makes it the simplest route for streaming. A 3.5 mm mini-jack suits phones and cameras, but some phones need a Type-C adapter. Wireless kits work in the 2.4 GHz band and come with their own charging case.

If the product name does not state the connection type, ask the seller in the live stream: what cable is in the box, and does it connect to your phone directly.

Noise and directionality#

Most desk microphones are cardioid, which means they pick up sound from the front well and sound from the sides and back poorly. That helps: keyboard noise and street noise are reduced. Keep the microphone 15-25 centimetres from your mouth and slightly to the side, and you avoid the puffs of air on “p” and “b” sounds.

A shock mount does not pass on desk vibration, which you notice straight away while typing on a laptop keyboard.

Real prices (Dona, September 2026)#

Prices are taken from the app catalogue as of 11 September 2026. A seller can change a price at any time; the current price and availability are shown on the product page in the app.

• BOYA BY-M1S — wired lavalier microphone — 86,000 UZS. The cheapest right solution.
• Razer Seiren L25 — desk microphone with a stand — 142,000 UZS.
• hoco. L26 AI ENC — wireless, USB-C, with noise suppression — 181,000 UZS.
• Hollyland Lark M2 Combo — wireless kit, two transmitters — 222,000 UZS.
• Redragon PULSAR GM303 — desk microphone with a shock mount — 360,000 UZS.
• Redragon BLAZAR GM300 — desk microphone for streaming — 720,000 UZS.
• Redragon Stellaris GM306 — desk microphone with lighting — 763,000 UZS.
• SOLARA GM307 — desk microphone, studio format — 790,000 UZS.
• Saramonic Blink900 B2 — wireless system, two channels, 2.4 GHz — 2,131,000 UZS.

For a two-person conversation there is also the Saramonic Blink500 B2+ kit, with two transmitters and a receiver in one box. For karaoke there is a separate wireless microphone, the L24, which does not suit streaming.

What you can see in a live stream#

A microphone is one of the few products that really should be checked in a live stream, because testing it takes sound. Ask the seller to speak into the microphone: how much room echo you hear, whether keyboard noise gets through, whether there is background hiss. Also ask them to show what is in the box: the stand, cable, wind protection (pop filter) and adapters. A photo does not show whether these are included, and the cable length is not listed either.