Roccat Torch Gaming Microphone Review

Performance

This is one of the more unique looking microphones I’ve tested yet, but it does look pretty cool too. The microphone is very easy to set up too. There are two USB cables in the box, and the shorter one connects the base unit to the microphone. You could hook up the microphone to your PC directly, but clearly, you’ll be missing out on a lot of features if you do.

You then need to take the long USB cable and connect that to your PC or Mac.

I should point out, all of these cables are pretty standard USB-C and USB-A headers, so you could easily replace the cables with your own if required. Also, at 200cm long, the main cable is a good size for desktop use.

Well as for the controls, they’re pretty self-explanatory to me, but don’t worry if they’re not something you understand. The pick-up patterns are stereo, front-facing cardioid, and whisper mode. Basically, you’ll likely just leave it on either of the first two, and you just want to experiment with what sounds best.

Stereo, Cardioid and Whisper Mode

Gain Levels (Cardioid Mode)

Here you can hear me typing at a perfectly reasonable level, then again at a totally unreasonable level, like all your friends on Discord do. However, this microphone is very sensitive, and that’s a good thing. You can dial down the gain and reel it in, but with it being a fairly open cardioid design, you will record ambient noises too, but as a trade-off, your voice will sound more open and natural.

Typing Test

Ambient Noise Test (Cardioid and Stereo Mode at Various Gaming Levels)

The whisper mode is spooky! If you have to game VERY late at night and you what to talk at a level where you could still hear a mouse fart, this is for you. It’s not like you have to sit right up to the microphone either. I kept it off to the side about 2.5ft from my mouth and you can hear me just fine. It’s unsettling, but hey, if you need it, it’s a nice feature. Actually, it sounds like I’m typing with hammers, but really, I’m being seriously damn quiet here!

Whisper Mode

Finally, we have the gesture mute functions. You can see there’s a little sensor on the top. Just adjust the switch at the back to change how close your hand needs to be and you can mute it like you’re some kind of cheap trick wizard. Here’s a little demo of me talking while I mute and unmute. Thanks to the gesture mode, you can’t hear my hand fumbling the microphone to hit a button. That is, until the last second when I tap the microphone lightly at the top to see what that would sound like – loudness warning!

Gesture Mute Test