PC Audio Peripherals
Whether you’re using your PC for work, gaming, music/video creation, or just general use, having the right peripherals can make all the difference when it comes to comfort, ease of use and performance. In this instance, we’re going to look at audio peripherals for your PC.
Almost all modern laptops tend to have a built-in microphone and speakers, and in some rare cases PC’s, but they’re not always great quality and can be unpredictable when it comes to background noise and your distance from the mic. A headset, however, eliminates both of these problems by combining a headphone and microphone so you get great quality sound into your ears, and great quality speech through a microphone much closer to your face. One great option is the beyerdynamic MMX 300 2nd Gen.
Check out the headsets here. Or, if a headset isn’t your style, you can always keep your headphones and microphone separate and opt for the next two options:
So you’ve decided to split the headset. Maybe you don’t need a microphone, or maybe you just don’t like it at the side of your face, who am I to judge? beyerdynamic have a rich plethora of headphones to choose from. The DT 770 Pro, for example, reached fame in the studio industry and is considered the industry standard of studio headphones making them perfect for listening to music and for long periods of use. The T 51 I is another beyerdynamic headphone that is also perfect for PC audio due to their lightweight and portable design, not to mention the high-quality Tesla driver technology.
Explore the headphone range here
Now for the microphone. The beyerdynamic FOX is a portable USB microphone designed for music recording, podcasting, YouTube videos and much more. Essentially, the FOX is a professional studio microphone condensed into a smaller, more portable package that plugs directly into your PC, and with over 90 years of audio experience behind them it was no challenge at all.
When listening to a piece of music, or even just speech, you want the best possible quality and that’s where Mackie come in with their wide range of monitors. Their CR series consists of the CR3-X, CR4-X and CR5-X, small and lightweight speakers perfect for your PC, as well as the CR3-XBT, CR4-XBT and CR5-XBT that have Bluetooth built-in (the numbers representing the size of the driver). The MR series, however, offer a much more professional sound and build quality and have been designed for the professional studio industry as reference monitors. Comprised of the MR524, MR624, MR824 and a sub option, the MRS10, the MR series is an affordable range that’s now in its third iteration following from the first back in 2008.
A USB interface is not something that your everyday computer user would need but is more for those in music production as they allow you to connect your instruments, microphones and audio inputs to your computer. The newly released Mackie Onyx USB Interfaces, Artist 1•2 and Producer 2•2, are perfect for the job. With boutique-quality Onyx mic preamps, phantom power, direct monitoring and MIDI I/O (Product 2•2 only), they’re ideal for both home and studio use.
Take a look at the Audio Inerfaces here
Written by Mat Garrett