Make ANY mic sound amazing! | Mic Chain Tutorial | GoXLR Mic Tutorial
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- Over the past two years, I've set up the microphone chains of some of the biggest streamers on Twitch. Your microphone chain is the most important aspect of making a good mic sound great. In this video, I take you through the different parts of a simple microphone chain using GoXLR so you can walk away feeling confident about how to sound your best.
👾 Join my Discord! ➤ bit.ly/kickedtripod
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
02:54 What is a microphone chain?
04:28 How does a Gate work?
05:44 How to: Gate
11:36 How does an EQ work?
13:00 How to: Simple 3-band EQ
15:08 Explained: 10-band EQ and high/low pass filters
16:43 How to: Advanced 10-band EQ
24:15 How to: De-Esser
25:11 Explained: Compressor
26:32 How to: Compressor
29:03 Final Thoughts/Sign Off
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DISCLAIMER OF SPECIAL INTERESTS:
I design products for streamers. I was on the original team that designed the TC-Helicon GoXLR, consulting for companies in the audio space, and I'm currently employed at a streaming technology startup. My UA-cam channel is a hobby to review, educate, and recommend using my industry knowledge and experience but I do not mean to do so under the guise of not having interests in the space. I believe whole-heartedly in transparency and would invite you to DM me with any questions.
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John’s Links:
TWITCH ➤ / kickedtripod
TWITTER ➤ / kickedtripod
INSTAGRAM ➤ / kickedtripod
DISCORD ➤ discord.me/kickedtripod
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My Gear (Affiliate Links):
GoXLR ➤ amzn.to/2UsxdY9
ElectroVoice RE20 ➤ amzn.to/2zjhkMd
Hashtags:
#GoXLR #Microphones #micchain #miceffects #kickedtripod #johnhorstmann
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DISCLAIMER:
This video description contains affiliate links which means when you click on one of the product links and buy a product, I receive a small commission. I am a participant of Amazon’s Associate Program which is an affiliate advertising program designed to help content creators earn revenue for providing links to products on their site. - Навчання та стиль
This really helped get an immediate improvement in my sound quality. Thank you!
One in a million that actually give you insight without toying around! Love the Chapters too!
You've really helped me with this video, thank you so much! My biggest issue was with my compression where my highs would be uneven to my lows which would cause an imbalance in audio, now it's all evened out thanks to this awesome video. You're the man!
I'm happy I found this video. I was getting a tin can sound in my voice overs and this video explained thoroughly how to properly set up the equalizer on the Goxlr. Thank you. Good job!
This was an amazing vid man, thank you for going through each setting and telling us what exactly it does. You’re doing fantastic, keep it up!
Thank you so much! I'm glad you found it helpful!
Really great description of everything! Perfect!
Great content. Great educator! Largely been fumbling around in Audition trying to figure this stuff out. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for the walk through on this, really extensive and exactly what I needed!
you deserve this sub ive had the goxlr for a year and this helped me the most
always trying to get better!!
Great tutorial, thank you for this! Very informative and easy to follow.
This was great. Really learned a lot and immediately improved from a muddy sounding voice to a much cleaner sounding one.
Even though this video was long, I learned so much from it. Thank you
This was very helpful- thank you. The EQ bit especially!
Thank you for the video! I haven’t been able to find a good explanation anywhere and this helped me tremendously
One of the best videos I've seen on microphone optimization. Instant subscribe!
Thank you so much for this video! It made a world of difference!!
Great video bud, appreciate the help, had been using mine wrong for so long and had no clue where to begin, appreciated
This definitely helped me out with configuring the sound for my GoXLR! Thanks a lot!
Oh... Huh... Suprised to see you here LOL
thanks for this great detailed tutorial and keep up the good work, you've got another subscriber
Dude! Underrated video of the century. So little views and it didn't even came up when i searched for a goxlr tutorial. I got to see it because it was recommended right after I had someone come to my house to set up my mic because i did not understand any of these. You did such a great job explaining everything with examples in a way that anyone could understand.
THANK YOU! been trying to make my mic sound better for ages and this vid was perfect
you sir, are a legend! Thank you for this video!
I picked up the goXLR mini + rode podmic. It sounds so good now😍. Thanks
Great video, helps me a lot. THX
Great help, thank you very much.
how do you only have 367 subs? this was the most helpful video i’ve watched on this subject so far. thanks!
Phenomenal informative video man! Thank you so much for taking the time to make it! I liked and subscribed to support! 💯✊🏼🔥
Amazing video you have impacted lives and maybe saved the planet
Thanks man! Awesome video 👍🏻
Glad you liked it!
Unreal that you only have 597 subscribers. When you mentioned the discord part I was like "I wish I could join that, but I bet he has thousands of people in there". Your quality is insanely high. You'll be picked up by the algorithm for sure! I'll be hopping into the Discord for sure
Holy shit this is actually an awesome video, really appreciate it!
a very nice presentation. thanks
Thank you so, so much!!! Altough I only have a 4-band eq this helped me alot, because you also said, what the most relevant frequencies were. So I decided to "eq my voice" (dont know how to say it) at 125hz, 500hz, 2khz and 8khz and it worked perfectly. Man I legitly sat over 30 hours to get my eq even nearly the way I wanted it to be. But with your tutorial I managed to eq my voice in a way, which sounds 10 times better and it only took me about 30min. thank you 😁btw if you wonder, which interface I use, it's the yamaha ag03, it has a digital software, which has the 4-band eq and an compressor and the interface itself also has some features for livestreaming. But unfortunately it's pretty underated for what it can do, so I would say it's kind of an insider tip😉👌
And sry for my, maybe not so good, english i am german😅
Loved It!
i’ve been following you for a long time on twitter now, first time i’ve been recommended one of your videos though
Thank you friend this was awesome !!!
Not gunna lie, this is the best GoXLR explanation of mic setups I've seen yet.
LOVED IT
very well done
Tyvm for the vid it was very helpful.
Best Explanation I've see on UA-cam! Good stuff bro bro
Only a third of the way through the video and I love the detail. It's the kind of explanation I've been needing.
Only thing is that I can hear all the plosives. Maybe you can get a pop filter or something to mitigate that?
Either way, you're doing great!
I use a pop filter in most of my stuff, but when it comes to mic tutorial videos it is very important to not give a disingenuous sound. Transparency is important and in a video focused on setting up effects, using a pop filter moves the goal posts.
It gives me some inspirations: If I want save money, I may use these notions and skills to process the dry voice.
Thanks very much!
What a great video. One question tho, did you have your mic flat or with bass presence?
Flat.
Great video. So I’m not a streamer. But I am a voice over actor and saw this video and a lot of my post production chain is for the most part inside of their GoXLR series. My question is would this GoXLR work good for voice overs.
Thank you for the video!! ❤️ if I want to change male voice to female and converse real time with someone who is remote, what tech set (equipments, tools, hardware, etc.) do I use to make the voice sound not robotic❓thank you so much
Love the vid, i keep having issues with like an electrical background noise when my mic opens, it comes clearer when i take the treble in simple mod on EQ above -9, any idea on how to get that sorted out ?
This video was awesome and the best GoXLR guide on the internet so far. I have a Rode Procaster with the GoXLR and one issue that is driving me nuts is my microphone with this setup picks up my keyboard and mouse when I am talking. I have been playing with it for days, but when I drop the gain on the mic down enough not to pick that up, it has a hard time picking up my voice too. Have you run into this before or can you suggest any troubleshooting I can try?
The only thing you can really do is get your mic closer to your mouth (like 1-2 inches away) so you can lower the gain. You can also try lowering the mic gain in mic setup and raising the make up gain on the compressor to compensate. I run my microphone about 5dB lower than what is recommended because it is so much more forgiving for room noise and clicks.
Other options are to get quieter keyboards and mouse. :)
if i have a goXLR mixer for my shure SM7B, do i need a presonus audiobox or a similar audio interface?
Nope. GoXLR should be all you need.
what do you think of the Rodecaster pro?
... great video
Question after you adjust all these settings on the goxlr is it necessary to add filters on OBS or can I run my mic the way it is off the GoXLR? I have mines for UA-cam recording mode then streaming and I need to have my audio almost perfect. I know I can add more settings and clean it up more in my editing software but I want to have my audio as close to perfect as possible without needing to do more in post.
Hi, I also have the shure sm7b but when I want to operate it on this mixer, I have strange electronic noises in the audio. do you know why it cannot be due to the cable and device. I tested it with different microphones.
Now if only I could afford a GoXLR. Had another streamer recommend it to me too.
Quick question. What about in game volume for both mic to get this beat go xlr sound as well as headset audio. Doesn’t feel like I’m getting the same loud in game volume with my hyper x orbit’s. And then if I try to max out volume on board itself, I start getting massive reverb
Great video and great explanation! Just one question: what is your gain setting on the procaster with the go xlr? I just got mine today and I had to turn it up to around 50-55 to not have to talk really loud into it. I'm generally more quiet and sometimes I find it hard to hear myself when watching my videos back but I don't want to be over kill. Thank you!!
Hey! So, what I recommend doing is opening OBS and looking at the volume meter. If your voice is generally in the high yellow, low red, your gain is good. 50-55dB sounds about right, but my video on absolute volume may be helpful as well.
ua-cam.com/video/f-d0M7I3kyM/v-deo.html
@@KickedTripodYT Amazing thank you very much
What do you use to listen to yourself while EQ-ing? The best way I found right now is to set a monitor on my mic in OBS and put a 3-5 seconds delay so I can talk, listen, talk, listen, etc. Any recommendation or is that about as good as it will get?
I personally like the dry output
There are some people who do prefer a more raw and natural voice from microphones. There's absolutely a subjectivity to it.
There are definitely objective measurements that we have where some aspects of the wet signal are just objectively correct or better, but there's a lot with a mic chain - especially in your mids and with your compressor - that is really up to your own preferences and interpretations.
Hey so I think my GOXLR mini's microphone amps inside the device has gone bad. I get white noise on the left channel but not the right channel when I use headphones. I'm on a single PC setup
1. Tried disconnecting my xlr mic
2. Tried reinstalling windows from scratch and re-installed the goxlr app and usb drivers
3. Tried a different set of headphones
4. I still hear audio but a faint hiss (white noise) on the left channel, but no the right channel on my headphones.
5. I tried a different power outlet
6 I tried powering the goxlr on a ANKER PORTABLE power bank and powered it that way (independent from my electrical system) still has the hiss on the left channel.
7. I tried mpow ground loop isolator
Would you have any suggestions , at this point I might have to just order another goxlr mini , not sure how this happen overnight , nothing on my desk or setup changed so there should be nothing adding interference .
how is the best way to don t hear the keyboar clicks? thanks
It’s not thirds. It’s sixths. 1) Have a decent microphone that fits your voice, preferably a dynamic microphone, because they are meant to be used up close to your mouth. 2) use the microphone up close. (5-8cm / 2-3 inches from your mouth.) And do it ALWAYS. Also make sure to talk into the microphone. A proper microphone technique helps wonders. If you use the microphone like this, the background noise will be attenuated a LOT, compared to using a microphone microphone at like 10-15 cm of distance. Also, at a distance this close, your voice will get a lot of presence in the low mids to mids and a very nice bass response. Again, this is for dynamic microphone users. A condenser microphone up close will sound bass heavy and muddy. But you can fix that with an EQ VST with a high pass filter later. 4) get a shock mount and a windshield or pop filter to fix plosives and body borne noise. Make sure they fit your microphone. 5) doing all of the things before, set the gain so you get a signal of -20dB talking normally. This should give you enough headroom to not peak. 6) use an expander gate (not a noise gate) at -29dB of threshold and attack / release of 10 ms. I recommend the ATK Expander VST. After that, add a Maximizer. The Loud Max VST is nice, at -22dB for the 1st Slider and -10dB on the second slider. The first slider raises the whole signal by that amount and adds a small amount of compression (because you talk slightly louder than the setting. The second slider adds a brick wall limiter on top, which also adds as some form of compression. With this setup, using an EQ will most of the cases be completely optional, If you’re not happy with how you sound on your microphone to begin with. And this works with every interface, as long as the interface can drive your microphone.
It's all the same pie no matter how you slice it! Sounds like you've got a system that works well for you. You should make more content about it.
👍
you forgot to start with the Mic Setup - Gain setting, could you note how that sound be for a dynamic mic such as the rode procaster, thanks
I didn’t forget. Every mic is different and the GoXLR App has a bar to tell you where you should be.
ur mic is so clear can the at2035 sound like ur mic?
I have a Rode NT1 connected to my scarlet 2i2, I use the compressor filter as well as the noise gate filter that is in OBS, but I also want to EQ my NT1. What would you recommend I do? Do I need to get a goxlr?
Check out the Reaper VST plugins that work with OBS. There's a lot of great tutorials on how to set it up though its very similar to the process explained here: www.reaper.fm/reaplugs/
That being said, the GoXLR or GoXLR Mini are nice because you can monitor your voice with the effects in real time to always know how you sound and it takes less processing on your computer.
yooo! so, i'm trying to figure out some stuff.. so my room isn't really treated and my fans i notice kind of show towards the end of me speaking. i have a goxlr mini and a shure sm7b. what should i do to get rid of some of the noise
Besides treating your room or isolating your fans, there's 3 things you can do, but sadly none of them are perfect:
1. Get the mic as close to your mouth as possible.
2. Lower your Mic Gain by 3-5dB and raise your compressor make-up gain by 3-5dB.
3. Reduce the Gate Release. I find that if I go lower than 120ms that it cuts off the end of my words, but you might have better luck.
Hello. I have a Audio Technica AT2020 mounted on a RODE PSA1 microphone arm which is connected to a Yamaha MG06X analog mixer, and was wondering why my voice sounds flat? Does that mean I gotta turn up the gain more?
It's likely because of the very limited mic chain on the mixer. Running it through additional filters in OBS, and boosting those highs, should give it life.
Wait so do I need a go XLR or no
Nope! I used the GoXLR mic chain in this video, but all EQ’s, compressors, de-essers, and Gates work fundamentally the same. Take your pick. OBS has all of them except the EQ built in.
Can I connect IEM w mic to the GoXLR? I have an IEM w mic connected to a TRRS splitter to the GoXLR Mic and Headset port. So I'm able to hear audio, but unable to use the mic from the IEM.
Theoretically, yes. However, not all IEMs and splitters and cables are the same.
You would take a TRRS splitter as it sounds like you've done and plug 1/2 into the headphone out of GoXLR, which again it sounds like you've done. For the microphone side, it depends on what pins the splitter is sending the microphone out on. If it's sending it out on the microphone pole position, you'll need a microphone pole to TRS cable. If it converts the microphone pole to TRS, then just a standard TRS cable would be fine. The microphone input on GoXLR is TRS.
How much gain do you in the mic set-up for rode pod mic
Usually 50-55dB.
I don't know who this 'we' is lol. First response to any audio questions in /r/twitch is add EQ and Compression to your crappy mics before buying a new one! 👏😝
As someone who moderated there for years and has a number of stickied threads there about audio on Twitch, that's not the first response.
Decent information, but I found it odd that I had to turn your video up to Max just to hear it 😄 Might considering turning up your gain on the vid uploads.
The video is maximized properly, but I don’t do artificial gain boosts on mic setup vids because it affects the content of the tutorial.
@@KickedTripodYT Fair enough 👍
attack and release for compressor? my current settings
attack: 3ms
release: 100ms
You should keep them at their default values shown in the video: 10 and 100
Do i need to have the goxlr for the software?
Yes you do.
What software is are you using?
This is using the GoXLR App, but outside of the equalizer, they're pretty much universally standard across any app you use.
The mount on your re20 , what is it?!
It's called the BSW REPOP pop filter. It's pretty expensive for what it is, but it is the best looking and most functional I've found.
The shockmount, not the bsw
Is it important to be setting everything with the mic to 100%?
Yes very important
I have noticed that the GoXLR Mini has different frequencies in the EQ. Would it still work the same way?
And without the De-essor, what is the best way to get rid of the loud S sound?
ua-cam.com/video/XDrz75MCGtk/v-deo.html
Thank you!
I love my Goxlr but why is it that it gets all messed up and crashes when you change it to another USB port on your computer??? So Frustrating.
do you used a cloud lifter?
I do not!
Very useful, though maybe get a pop filter, your plosives were slightly distracting!
I have an SM7B with a GoXLR Mini and I still have background hiss when speaking unless I put a noise suppression filter on OBS. This means my Discord friends can hear this hiss. If it bothers me, it can bother them. Can you help me on this please? Even below 60db mic gain, there's background hiss. My case fans are around 1000rpm far from the mic so it shouldn't be that right? Here's my settings.
Mic gain = 61db
Noise Gate:
Threshold = -48
Attenuation 60%
Attach 10ms
Release = 600ms
Compressor:
Threshold = -14db
Ratio = 4:1
Attack 2ms
Release = 140ms
Make-up Gain = 7db
If you can, join my Discord linked in the video description and provide a recording with your gate threshold turned to off.
A few things though:
1. Your gate attenuation is set to 60%, which means you're letting 40% of your background noise through always.
2. Your gate release is 600ms, which is about 3 times longer than I typically recommend. I typically recommend around 200ms.
whats the best way to hear your own voice when doing eq?
The most straight forward way is to hop in OBS, and make short recordings of you speaking and listening back to them. You should be able to get an 80% accurate EQ by EQing while you speak live, so the individual recordings shouldn't be exhaustive.
@@KickedTripodYT thanks
my mic wont work in the app do i need the physical go xlr
Yes you do, though most audio plugins have the same parameters as the GoXLR, I used the GoXLR in this video because I can demonstrate the changes live.
Coming from a DAW with Synchronous Audio Router using a Downward Expander I thought Attenuation would be able to simulate that but it doesn't. It is still a non linear gate, just that noise will come through. There is no smooth transition like with an expander and you can have quiet sound coming through still if you want to and they will not be cut off.
The gate in my opinion is one of the worst pieces from the GoXLR. EQ and Compressor are great and have amazing quality but the gate OOF especially if you have a mechanical keyboard.
Hrm...
1. Expanders are non-linear (hence the usage of ratios). Gates with attenuation are linear.
2. Comparing a gate to an expander is disingenuous. While they fill a similar purpose, they're completely different approaches. The GoXLR gate is a totally adequate gate. It does what any other gate will do. But any gate, compared to an expander, will lack what you're talking about. There is more processing power required on an expander since you're essentially running 2 compression functions + a gate function.
3. It depends on the switches on your mechanical keyboard. I have MX Blues on my mic and I'm in a big hollow room using an RE20 and I can more than make due.
@@KickedTripodYT Yeah mixed that first one up somehow. Sorry. Thanks for correcting me.
Yeah it is I'm just kinda disappointed that a free VST can do better than something in a 150€ device. You know?
I have browns and I can get my gate to cut them out too when I'm just normally typing but while gaming is another thing. I'm not large too that is another issue xD I'm going to buy O-Rings this should help even more.
I thought about just using ASIO for my mic and adding some VST there in Reaper or OBS but then I have the old hassle again and just try to live with the gate being weird.
Maybe the software gets some nice touches and another new device comes out with some more features that would interest me.
But for what it is it's great. The Midas amps are just insane. At first I started to regret things but as I started to use it it got better and now I really like it.
@@therealdadbeardold7244 Bear in mind, those free VSTs can utilize the untapped potential of your CPU. GoXLR by design (and by good design, IMO) doesn't touch that CPU and doesn't rely on software for the stability of your mic chain or audio stems. Expecting something you paid for to do better than something that is freeware only calculates the end and not the means which get to fallacious lines of thinking.
The reason so many VSTs are free is because people can't sell them. They can't sell them because the fundamental platform they are on (which resides on software) is irritable enough that it's a nonstarter for so many creators. This has been true of software vs. hardware in virtually every creative profession since software became an option. While staying in a software sandbox has irradicated that issue, routing outside of the software still isn't good enough to be trusted in the main stream.
@@KickedTripodYT Yes that the device uses no cpu at all is amazing. There is no way to make this look bad. You can have your PC at 100% usage but still everything will work. This is the one thing that will still keep me on this device and outweight some of the limitations big time. Hardware buttons and faders too.
I can already see people having issues with their Elgato Mics running VSTs in software and then wondering why they get popping or bad delay. Will be a wild ride I think!
Another great thing is that the ASIO part and WASAPI part from the device is seperate. You can have Submixes like in your video and then add your mic and the other devices as ASIO in OBS for recording and post editing.
So you have your Broadcast mix, Submix and then every device seperate at low latency.
Something that my Soundblaster Z couldn't do as using ASIO locked the device completely unless you run in shared WDM which just gives worse latency.
I can even run it at 1ms via ASIO.
Im getting static noise whenever im talking. Setup the goxlr just the way you did in the video with some minor changes to fit my voice but whenever im talking im getting a interference. Any advice?
What microphone are you using and are you on a 1 or 2 pc setup?
@@KickedTripodYT I am using a Shure SM7B. Dual pc setup with the goxlr.
@@andreaspeas Okay so here's the steps I would take.
1. Verify the static is coming from your XLR cable. Do this by unplugging the 3.5mm cables being used for your dual PC setup and move the cables away from your XLR cable.
2. Uncoil your XLR cable (if it is coiled). Coiling an XLR cable and placing it by electronics can cause interference.
3. Turn off all other electronics and unplug anything (besides GoXLR) without a power supply to see if the issue goes away.
4. Take GoXLR to another room away from other electronics.
Essentially there's a few causes it could be:
1. You're getting interference from your 3.5mm cables from your dual PC setup.
2. You're getting interference from a power supply or wireless device nearby.
3. Your XLR cable is bad.
4. Your GoXLR preamp is bad.
5. Your Shure SM7b is bad.
Doing the steps above should help us figure out where the cause is.
@@KickedTripodYT Thanks. Will try this out :)
@@KickedTripodYT Thank you so much. I re-routed the way the xlr-cable was laying and it works! Thank you so much :)
My biggest problem is that I have a Shure SM7B... but no matter what level gain i use it still picks up my computer fans. i do not know how people do such a good job at getting their mics to not pic up any fan sounds.
I have my Discord set up: discord.me/kickedtripod . I've got some extra tips and tricks that might help dial it in.
The #1 reason I don't recommend the SM7b for most creators despite being the best sounding dynamic microphone in that ~$400 price range is how much more sensitive the microphone is compared to the RE20 and PR40. Hopefully I can help there!
I have a problem with this background noise whenever I talk. I don't know what it is and I've literally tried adjusting everything and nothing stops it.
I have my Discord linked in the video description. There's a channel there where you can post screenshots of your settings and a recording. From there, I can help you.
expander (gate) > noise gate
Almost always, yes.
Miss you on the GoXLR discord, did you leave?
KleskReaver yep! I don’t work there anymore and got too many messages! 😅
Didn't you work for goxlr? You voice sounds very familiar
Yep! I did.
Go xlr seems cool for the effects but a 750 dollar mixer with only one mic input is a deal breaker.
At least that's the MSRP at the time of writing.
You can get mixers that were always considered vastly superior to the go XLR for hundreds of dollars less.
But it looks like the only way to get the exact effects I want is to either run the goXLR app or just buy a pedal.
Med Otaku not sure why people who only need one mic input wouldn’t rather have 1 really good mic preamp over 8 mediocre ones. You can’t match a GoXLR feature for feature without a heavy reliance on software or a more expensive solution.
GoXLR MSRP is $500USD
GoXLR Mini MSRP is $250USD
COVID price gouging probably isn’t a good bellwether for price.
for the low low price of $450 USD
Why 51?! WHY?! When 50 is right next to it. Oh, my OCD!
Because that's what it needs. ;)
This videos audio level seem very low compared to a recent video
It is because as you process your voice, you’re adding volume. I specifically mention this in the video.
$500 for an XLR equalizer
are you out of your mind?
That oversimplification is disingenuous.
So for what exactly do you need 500$ GoXLR? For looks? Great. For EQ, Compressor, gate, deesser you can use plugin Speachy, if you want sound effects you can buy Voicemod and control everything you can use streamdeck, which most streamers already have, so wtf? Why does everybody buys GoXLR
It's an excellent question, a lot of people don't understand the appeal at first. There's a lot of reasons why people prefer a GoXLR.
1. Hardware vs. Software. Audio software has definitely gotten better over the years, but there are still drawbacks and limitations. With software (like Speachy), you can't monitor your voice in real time. Software uses up CPU processing whereas GoXLR does all hardware processing and the application just becomes a controller. There will always be free/cheap alternatives, but they have drawbacks of their own. Speachy is also limited in what some of the plugins can do (10 band EQ on GoXLR vs. 4, etc.).
2. Preamps, audio routing, and ports. GoXLR has really nice preamps. MIDAS preamps will retail for about $200 for just a box with a single preamp. They're famous for being clean and having a really low noise floor so that you don't need a Cloudlifter for gain-hungry dynamic mics like a Shure SM7b. A MIDAS preamp may be overkill for some, but it replaces around $300 worth of equipment for many dynamic microphone users.
Free and Cheap solutions also aren't great for routing. Voicemeeter is unstable (it was the primary reason GoXLR was developed in the first place). Some people get along fine with it or tolerate it, but GoXLR's audio routing is more sophisticated than most of the other solutions out there (except for maybe Elgato's Wave which is also tied to hardware). Having control of a single app on a fader, not a button, is really valuable. Not to mention no app has come up with a more sophisticated solution to mute modes.
GoXLR also has the ports to handle 2 PC setups, console setups, etc.
3. Voice effects. As you mentioned, VoiceMod and Stream Deck exists, but again, it's software vs. hardware. You can't monitor your voice in real time with VoiceMod and you're again relegated to using up CPU processing to do so.
4. Sampling. Playing soundboards is easy to do with another app, but recording soundboards live is not. GoXLR makes it really simple.
So to back things up:
First, the GoXLR Mini exists for $200. It cuts out the Sampler and Voice Effects. It's probably the best bang-for-the-book audio interface on the market between the preamp, extra ports, and extra features.
So to break it down, think of GoXLR as a $200 preamp and the extra $300 is for physical faders, real-time voice FX, a Sampler, 2-PC routing, and hardware processing.
If you're looking for an XLR setup, GoXLR Mini is a no-brainer. There's just not an interface with a better preamp, and on top of that you get the most sophisticated microphone chain in a piece of audio equipment at that price, audio routing, etc. GoXLR is a harder sell, but there's a reason why big GTA RPers use GoXLR and VT-3 (or VT-4): You need real time monitoring and the effects sound better for those applications.
Stream Deck is an awful audio interface for anything other than triggering Samples and enabling voice presets (whereas GoXLR lets you do them on the fly).
$500 is expensive, but it really replaces hundreds of dollars of hardware, creates the most seamless all-in-one solution on the market, and is something that even the most audio-ignorant creators can learn and understand easily.
Getting an expensive mic makes it so you can skip all of the mic chain steps listed. It just sounds good to begin with. No deessing or compression required.
Also, most audio interfaces don't allow you to make these changes in real time. They're all post processing effects.
Med Otaku this is false. Microphones aren’t designed to sound good without a proper microphone chain. They’re designed based on clarity and workable tone. And so many mixers have at least a basic audio chain.
USB mic. Don’t need 700 dollars. There’s free software that will handle all this.