A guide to the parts of a streaming setup: what each one does, how to compare them and when to skip them.

This guide is for anyone building a first streaming setup or deciding what to upgrade. It compares each part on stated criteria and relies on manufacturer and software documentation, not on hands-on testing by Gimaxo. It lists no prices, because they vary by store and over time.

What a streaming setup needs

A setup has four layers: a computer, streaming software, audio and video sources, and a connection to the platform. This guide covers the sources: the microphone, the audio interface, the capture card and the camera.

For software, OBS Studio describes itself as free and open source software for video recording and live streaming, available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Its quick start guide says it captures your desktop audio and microphone by default, and that you add sources such as a game, a webcam or a capture card. Streaming software settings, such as bitrate and encoder, fall outside this guide. Twitch and YouTube each publish their own pages with recommended encoder settings, and those pages change.

Microphone

Compare a microphone on three separate criteria: how it connects, what type it is and what your room sounds like.

Connection. RØDE explains that every microphone setup needs three things: the microphone, a preamplifier and a converter that turns the analog signal into a digital one. In a USB microphone, all three sit in one device, so you plug it into the computer, select it as the input and start. An XLR microphone needs an external audio interface to connect to a computer. Interfaces differ in how many XLR inputs they have. An interface with enough XLR inputs lets you connect several XLR microphones, which matters for co-hosts and not for a single voice. RØDE, for example, describes its AI-1 interface as a fit for a single-microphone setup, so check the number of XLR inputs on any interface you consider. RØDE and Shure make microphones, so read their comparisons as manufacturer guides.

Type. RØDE says dynamic microphones are less sensitive by design, so they isolate your voice and reject background noise such as air conditioners, keyboard noise and mouse clicks. They usually need you close to the microphone. Condenser microphones are more sensitive and more forgiving about position, but they are more likely to pick up background noise in a room that is not soundproofed. Shure explains that a condenser microphone needs power, supplied by batteries or by phantom power through the cable on a typical microphone input. RØDE says USB microphones are powered from the computer’s USB port. Sensitivity and noise pickup also vary by model and by how close you sit, so read the maker’s description of the exact microphone.

Who it is for (the guide’s reading). A USB model suits a single voice with little extra gear. An XLR model suits someone who wants to choose the microphone and the interface separately and may add voices later. When to skip an upgrade: if your current microphone is not the problem you can name, change something else first.

Audio interface

An audio interface is the device that gives an XLR microphone its preamp and converter. If you use a USB microphone, you do not need one. If you choose a condenser with an XLR cable, check how it will be powered. Shure lists batteries or phantom power, so look at whether the interface’s manufacturer lists phantom power.

Compare interfaces on stated features: the number and type of inputs, whether the manufacturer lists phantom power, how it connects to the computer and whether the driver setup is documented. Read a manufacturer’s audio-quality claims as claims. Skip it if you stay with USB.

Capture card

A capture card brings video from another device into your computer. OBS’s quick start guide lists a Video Capture source for webcams and capture cards, and a Game Capture source for PC games, Windows only, so a PC player capturing their own game works through software.

Compare cards on what the manufacturer lists: the ports, the resolutions and frame rates it accepts, and whether it is internal or external. Skip it if you do not need to bring in video from a console, another computer or a camera.

Camera

Compare cameras on what the spec sheet lists: resolution and frame rate, autofocus, low-light behavior and field of view. A webcam or a camera with a capture card reaches OBS through the same Video Capture source. Gimaxo has not tested any camera for this guide, so it makes no claim about picture quality. Skip an upgrade if your current camera shows what you want your viewers to see.

Gear is one part of a channel

A schedule, a plan for being found and a look at your own statistics are outside this guide. A separate guide covers streaming mistakes that have nothing to do with gear.

Questions people ask

Do I need an audio interface for streaming? RØDE says an XLR microphone needs an external audio interface to connect to a computer. A USB microphone has its own preamp and converter.

Do I need a capture card for PC streaming? On Windows, OBS has a Game Capture source for PC games, so a card is not part of that route. A card is for bringing in video from another device.

USB or XLR? RØDE calls USB the simpler option, because the preamp and converter are inside the microphone. It says XLR lets you choose the microphone and the interface separately, and an interface with enough XLR inputs can take several microphones.

Dynamic or condenser? RØDE describes dynamic microphones as less sensitive and good at rejecting background noise, and condensers as more sensitive and more likely to pick up noise in a room that is not soundproofed. That is a general description, so check the exact model and your room.

Sources

Named here as plain text. Pages read in November 2026.

• OBS Project, OBS Studio home page and Quick Start Guide
• RØDE, “XLR vs USB Microphones: Which is the Best for Gaming and Streaming?”
• RØDE, “Dynamic vs Condenser Microphones: Which Is Best for Gaming and Streaming?”
• Shure, “Difference between a dynamic and condenser microphone”
• Twitch Help, Broadcasting Guidelines
• YouTube Help, Live encoder settings, bitrates and resolutions