ROCCAT Torch Review: ‘Great sound with unique style and functionality’

ROCCAT TORCH MICROPHONE REVIEW.

We’re spoiled for choice when it comes to USB microphones in 2021. It seems like every gaming peripheral company has seen the boom in popularity with streamers and content creators, not to mention those now experiencing meetings and schooling through a webcam. ROCCAT is next to throw its hat into the ring with a product that shines bright with RGB while still nailing the fundamentals as a great-sounding mic. Here is my ROCCAT Torch microphone review.

A unique unboxing experience

Inside the gamer-y but stylish ROCCAT Torch box is a manual, three braided USB cables, and the microphone/base station combination. Unlike other USB mics, there’s a fair bit to process here when setting up. Thankfully, the manual has simple instructions that are easy to follow.

Buy the Roccat Torch microphone on Amazon.com.

Basically, there’s a short USB-C cable that connects the mic to the base station. The base station is then connected to the PC via a longer cable. However, if the user wants to remove the mic from the base station and attach it to a boom arm instead, an additional longer USB-C cable is provided. This flexibility is great to see.

Sturdy enough

In the hand, the microphone and base station are lighter than I had imagined, but still feel solid. The base station is sturdy enough to keep the mic in place, though I certainly wouldn’t want it to be any lighter. Materials feel good and I like the absence of glossy plastic.

Overall, the Torch looks stylish, though definitely gamer-themed with the RGB lighting and bold ROCCAT logo.

Let’s go RGB

Speaking of RGB, the ROCCAT Torch uses lighting to signify which mode it’s in and the gain setting. Green, for example, means that it’s in the cardioid mode, while Blue shows that it’s in “Whisper Mode.” As the gain increases, so does the height of the RGB on the side of the mic. It’s a neat touch, though I do wish there was a way to further customize the lighting in software.

ROCCAT wants this to be plug-and-play and there’s no app to pair with it (aside from ROCCAT Neon for the AIMO configuration. This means that, at least at the time of writing, those using the usual cardioid pattern for streaming and content creation will have to put up with the green lighting.

Base station

If it’s not immediately obvious, the thing that makes the ROCCAT Torch stand out is the base station. This essentially takes all of the controls that you’d expect to see on the microphone body itself and puts it into a separate device. Pickup pattern, Volume, Gain, and Mute can all be triggered on the base station. The control knobs feel fantastic and have clear increments.

Separating the controls is an interesting approach and I can see the value in it when having the microphone placed out of reach. Fiddling with on-mic controls can cause unwanted noise and awkward maneuvers, so there’s a real benefit here. It’s similar to pairing an XLR mic with an audio interface, so budding creators may like the aesthetic.

Easy mute

I should also mention the additional mute function on the mic itself. There’s a motion detector on the very top of the microphone that detects when a hand is waved over it. This allows users to mute the mic without touching anything, avoiding unwanted noise. The contactless mute’s sensitivity can be tuned with three different options. I found that the default middle setting worked perfectly.

Microphone test

You can hear the ROCCAT Torch in the sample above. It sounds great for the price and considering the USB input. Bass is rich and certainly present and the treble is captured well. The mids are a touch muddy/nasally and would benefit from some mild EQ. Of course, this is my voice and your mileage may vary.

The overall quality will benefit from a noise gate implemented by third-party software within OBS, Discord, or an audio editing app, and the usual dosage of EQ and compression will help to make it truly shine. Raw, the results are impressive.

24-bit support is fantastic to see for a microphone tailored towards gamers. This allows for more headroom in the recording, so users can record at an overall lower level and boost it up in post without any perceptible degradation in quality. This is a big deal when you consider the competition is still pushing out 16-bit mics.

It’s possible to monitor the microphone using the 3.5 mm jack on the back of the base station. However, this port is very close to a USB port and the wider housing of my headphone cable wouldn’t fit. Therefore, I had to resort to some earphones with a thinner cable housing.

ROCCAT Torch Review: The final verdict

At $99, the ROCCAT Torch is a well-priced USB microphone with a number of unique features. From the base station to the contactless mute, ROCCAT is standing out from the pack with functionality that some will appreciate. For me, the overall sound quality and support for 24-bit recording are the main highlights.

However, the lack of RGB customization in a product named “Torch” is confusing to see and hopefully there’s a way for ROCCAT to improve this through software. While I appreciate plug-and-play devices, there’s always room for an optional app for users to further personalize their experience.

All things considered, ROCCAT has produced a USB microphone that absolutely gets the job done with great sound and looks stylish while doing so. The base station is an especially interesting idea that I’d love to see expanded upon in future iterations.

Torch microphone review unit was provided by ROCCAT.