Audio
March 30, 2025
In this episode, we have a look at the Elgato Wave Mic Arm Pro. This is a low-profile microphone arm that you attach to your desk for live-streaming, podcasting, online meetings, or voice over. Low-profile means that the arm is positioned close to the desk and holds the microphone below your face so you don’t have a huge microphone and arm in your video frame. We compare this to a bunch of other mic arms I’ve used and still use from OC White, Yellowtec, RODE, and even Elgato’s original LP arm.
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Gear used or mentioned in this episode (the links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases):
Elgato Wave Mic Arm Pro
OC White Ultima Gen 2 low profile mic arm
RODE PSA1+ mic arm
Elgato Wave Mic Arm LP (original)
The outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.
Copyright 2025, Curtis Judd
This episode reviews the Elgato Wave Mic Arm Pro against several other microphone arms I've owned or used over the years for livestreaming, voiceover, and podcasting: a Heil, a Rode PSA1, a Rode PSA1+, an Elgato Wave LP (low profile), a Yellowtec Mika (a premium German arm around $300-400), and my current daily-use OC White Ultima Gen 2 low-profile arm (over $400).
What makes this the "Pro" version of Elgato's original low-profile arm: a spring-damped upper arm supporting mics up to 6.6 lbs (3kg), adjustable via an Allen screw, that moves very smoothly with minimal handling noise even on a sensitive condenser; much stronger cable-management magnets (strong enough that this feels like more of a semi-permanent install than something you'd frequently reconfigure); the cable channel relocated to the bottom of the arm for a cleaner on-camera look; swappable colored magnetic caps (purple in this review, also available in white for the whole arm); and an included riser that extends the lower arm's height from 6cm to 10cm. Priced at $179.
Build quality is excellent — all metal except the plastic adjustment knob on the ball joint. It has a standard 1/4-inch microphone thread plus included 3/8-inch and 5/8-inch adapters, so it should fit essentially any microphone, and it comfortably accommodates a Shure SM7B's bulky side-XLR yoke. It includes a padded desk clamp (fits desks up to 2.4 inches / 6cm thick) with a repositionable handle, or you can buy Elgato's separate desk-mount plate for a permanent install.
If I were buying today, having used all these arms, I'd get the Wave Mic Arm Pro over my $450 OC White Ultima Gen 2 — the construction feels every bit as good for less than half the price. One nuance some people will care about: many pro arms maintain the microphone's aim automatically as you raise or lower a traditional vertical arm, but on a low-profile arm like this one (and my OC White), the mic stays in a fixed static aim as you adjust height, which matters if you frequently move from sitting to standing mid-recording. For my desk setup at work I still prefer the Yellowtec Mika's shape for clearing my monitors, but for livestreaming with a low-profile arm, the Wave Mic Arm Pro would be my pick today. Get out there, make some great sound. We'll talk to you soon.
