The extra premium large brother of the SteelSeries Alias, an all-in-one microphone that we known as a “very spectacular debut” from the gaming peripheral producer in our current overview, the SteelSeries Alias Professional is an especially high-end microphone geared nearly solely in direction of content material creators and streamers.
Primarily based on the identical eye-catching design of the Alias, however with the addition of a separate stream mixer that additionally features as its digital-to-analogue converter (DAC), the Alias Professional advantages from a higher-quality XLR connection. This helps ship absolute top-of-the-range audio that can be appropriate for all the things from skilled podcasting to a cheeky ASMR stream. Whereas it has undeniably elevated the audio high quality, the transfer to a separate stream mixer does take away a number of the comfort that we appreciated a lot with the unique mannequin.
This model’s alternate placement of the achieve indicator, which is now discovered as an LED ring across the achieve dial itself, can be slightly distracting in use, and the brand new fashion of microphone mute button feels unpleasantly mushy to the contact. The achieve indicator itself can be slightly inaccurate, failing to reliably mirror when sound is definitely being broadcasted. This can be a main disappointment in such an costly machine and, for all of the spectacular audio high quality, may very well be a critical deal-breaker relying in your wants.
SteelSeries Alias Professional – Worth and availability
With a significantly excessive asking value of $329.99 / £319.99 / AU$699, the Alias Professional is one costly microphone no less than whenever you examine it to any of the standard cheaper USB alternate options generally utilized by streamers. On the subject of the world of the extra skilled XLR microphone, the place using an analog connection ensures far higher audio high quality, that is truly a reasonably modest price ticket whenever you take the standard price of a whole XLR setup into consideration.
A top quality XLR microphone from a trusted audio model like Rode typically prices considerably greater than the $200 / £150 / AU$280 mark and that’s earlier than you issue within the value of a separate DAC, which is important to make use of the microphone along with your PC. These typically run above the $100 / £80 / AU$150 vary on the very least, so all issues thought of you’re not paying considerably extra for a visually engaging all-in-one package deal right here.
The Alias Professional will be discovered on sale by way of the SteelSeries web site or at Amazon in each the US and UK. A number of different retailers additionally inventory the microphone within the US, resembling Greatest Purchase and Walmart. Just like the Alias, the Alias Professional is somewhat more durable to seek out in Australia for the time being, however is at the moment in inventory at JB Hello-Fi in case you’re prepared to pay somewhat greater than different areas.
SteelSeries Alias Professional – Design and options
Making use of a lot of the identical visually interesting design components because the beautiful SteelSeries Alias, the Alias Professional is a really engaging product particularly when in comparison with the extra utilitarian designs widespread with different XLR microphones. With a glossy black pill-shaped capsule coated in a comfortable cloth and adorned with an understated rubber SteelSeries brand, it is a microphone that’ll enhance the look of virtually any setup. That is notably vital on the earth of content material creation and, in case you incessantly make use of a facecam, a microphone’s aesthetics will be simply as essential as the general efficiency.
Using steel and easy plastic lend all the things from the capsule to the stand a suitably premium really feel that definitely displays the associated fee. Not like the Alias, nonetheless, the microphone itself is barely half of the story. All the management options, just like the microphone mute button and achieve dial, have been moved over to a separate stream mixer. This mixer has comparable high-end supplies and is surprisingly compact, making it simple to nestle beneath among the best gaming screens. Though the microphone itself has a lone XLR port on its rear, which connects to the DAC within the stream mixer, there isn’t any scarcity of interface choices on the mixer itself.
The again options two USB-C inputs (which permit the mixer for use with two separate PCs on the identical time), alongside a clicky energy button and a 3.5mm jack for audio monitoring. One other 3.5mm audio jack is situated on the left hand aspect of the mixer too, this one meant as a basic audio output in your audio system or headphones. The entrance of the mixer contains a achieve dial, surrounded by an RGB LED ring, and a bigger quantity knob above two large buttons – one is for microphone muting and the opposite for audio output muting.
Each buttons additionally characteristic RGB and will be illuminated with a alternative of colours to mirror their present standing. That is, sadly, a really needed characteristic because the buttons themselves are extremely mushy and require fairly a little bit of drive to correctly activate. Throughout my use, there have been just a few irritating events the place it took a second, extra agency press for the microphone mute to kick wherein, whereas not the largest challenge, is a disappointing oversight given the associated fee.
Lastly, the stream mixer of the Alias Professional contains a brilliant RGB strip on its underside which is a significant enchancment on the comparatively lackluster RGB ring of the Alias. It options the identical strong vary of customization choices too and the added visible aptitude appears fully applicable given the streaming focus.
SteelSeries Alias Professional – Efficiency
The efficiency of the microphone itself is totally phenomenal. As you’ll count on from a dear XLR microphone, it boasts merely unbelievable audio high quality that sounds professional-grade with minimal software program tweaking out of the field. This can be greater than sufficient for the overwhelming majority of content material creation wants however particularly shines whenever you’re recording domestically and never constrained by the bandwidth or encoding limitations inherent in streaming. Though there’s solely a single pickup sample, it is rather efficient and proved greater than sufficient to select up my voice in any place round my desk; offered that I remembered to regulate the achieve appropriately.
Though a microphone with a devoted omnidirectional polar pickup sample could also be extra applicable for bigger teams, I discovered the SteelSeries Alias Professional was comfortably capable of document a number of voices with none critical points, making certain that everybody remained heard which must also make it a viable possibility for individuals who wish to podcast as properly.
Sadly, the stream mixer itself suffers just a few noticeable points. Along with the mushy buttons, the achieve meter on the module appears extremely inaccurate at instances. Just like the Alias, it makes use of a site visitors gentle shade system by default (beginning at inexperienced when quantity ranges are regular earlier than switching to amber or reaching purple if the enter is just too loud). Even with a number of makes an attempt at adjustment, nonetheless, I might by no means discover the setting the place the microphone precisely mirrored the decrease finish of the spectrum.
There have been quite a few events the place my voice was completely audible in a recording or on-line name however did not register as a visual enter on the achieve meter, which can show a dealbreaker for some. Whereas the achieve meter will nonetheless let you know in case you’re too loud, it could actually’t reliably present that baseline degree of reassurance that you just’re broadcasting at regular ranges.
As famous in my SteelSeries Alias overview, the really useful SteelSeries Sonar software program (which is used for each fashions) can be a little bit of a combined bag. It really works properly as a basic quantity mixer and a straightforward methodology to manage the inputs whenever you’re making use of the SteelSeries Alias Professional’s twin PC help, however intrusive options like automated sport recording proceed to frustrate.
Ought to I purchase the SteelSeries Alias Professional?
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
How we reviewed the SteelSeries Alias Professional
I used the SteelSeries Alias Professional as my main PC microphone for properly over a month. Throughout that point, I used it for almost all of my on-line calls and examined its content material creation capabilities by experimenting with audio recording software program like Audacity. I additionally made certain to check its streaming capabilities in personal streams to buddies, who did admire the numerous bump in high quality in comparison with a number of the different microphones I’ve mendacity round.
I endeavored to totally consider the options of the SteelSeries Sonar software program too, tweaking settings and experimenting with all the out there choices and options every time I had the chance.
For extra methods to improve your streaming setup, see our guides to the greatest microphones for streaming or decide for the greatest gaming desk out there this 12 months.
