There’s no scarcity of gaming microphones lately, so it takes lots for a brand new mic to face out. That’s precisely what SteelSeries has finished with its new Alias (USB) and Alias Professional (XLR). These microphones are all-in-one-solutions for burgeoning content material creators interested by taking their streams or podcasts to the subsequent degree of high quality. You’ll have to dig a bit deeper than among the competitors, however they’re remarkably strong, nice sounding, nice trying microphones that solely get higher when paired with their Sonar software program.
SteelSeries Alias Professional – Design and Options
The Alias and Alias Professional maintain the excellence of being two of essentially the most trendy microphones I’ve ever laid eyes on. Their pill-shaped our bodies are trimmed in darkish grey cloth with bits of uncovered grille on the highest and sides. The Alias Professional’s entrance is unbroken aside from a small emblem on the underside whereas the usual Alias has a small management panel with a acquire knob and mute button. Seems could not depend for a lot in the case of a microphone, but when it’s going to be sharing display screen area in your facecam, it’s good to know that it’ll look good with out drawing unneeded consideration.
SteelSeries despatched over each variations for me to check, so I’ll be referring to each all through this assessment. Their greatest variations should do with their connectivity. The Alias connects over USB whereas the Alias Professional makes use of XLR and comes with its personal audio interface known as a Stream Mixer to hook up with your pc. The sound is strictly the identical, to some extent, so except you’re planning to make use of a mixer, you’re secure to decide on whichever choice works finest for you.
The place it counts, each microphones are precisely the identical. Each function massive 1-inch/25mm condenser capsules, roughly 3 times that of these within the traditional Blue Yeti. Each function the identical frequency response of 50Hz to 20kHz and supply high-resolution 24-bit/48kHz sampling (transmission) to your PC. Aside from the management panel on the entrance of the traditional Alias, each look the identical with matching desk stands and shock mounts, and every comes with an adapter to mount the mic on a growth arm. Each are side-address and use a single cardioid pick-up sample.
One of many headline options is its massive diaphragm microphone. Its 1-inch capsule is considerably bigger than a lot of the competitors, together with the Blue Yeti, HyperX QuadCastand Elgato Wave:3. Whereas dimension alone doesn’t essentially imply that the microphone will sound higher, its elevated floor space is best capable of seize decrease frequencies, lending extra physique and authority to your voice. It’s the identical dimension, in truth, as quite a lot of skilled studio microphones just like the RODE NT-1 or Audio-Technica AT4040.
The Alias Professional does have a couple of further methods up its sleeve. Because it’s an XLR microphone, it’s capable of develop with you in a approach a USB microphone just like the Alias can’t. That easy connection permits it to hook up with a variety {of professional} audio gear, like a devoted, multi-channel mixer or hardware-based FX. If you happen to fall in love with it, you received’t have to depart it behind simply since you evolve your setup.
Additionally because it’s an XLR microphone, precisely not one of the processing is going on on the microphone itself. It merely homes the big condenser capsule that captures your voice and sends that by to the Stream Mixer, which handles the conversion again into 1s and 0s for interpretation by your PC. The Stream Mixer gives the phantom energy the Alias Professional must run and has a way more highly effective preamp than the usual Alias, which homes every little thing within the mic physique. The Professional can get considerably louder because of this and is simpler to make use of a better distance away out of your face.
The Stream Mixer appears like a easy audio interface at first however affords a relatively distinctive trick of its personal: programmable inputs. Its 4 x 2-inch angled face is simple to suit onto any desk and regulate on the fly. There are two buttons and two dials, one pair devoted to controlling the extent of the mic (acquire and microphone mute). The opposite two are programmable, permitting you to fade in or mute extra audio channels, like your recreation or voice chat.
That is helpful however not fully essential in the event you’re comfy setting issues up in software program. I’ll delve extra into this within the subsequent part, however with Sonar, you possibly can combine and route 5 separate audio channels and have full management over the volumes of every. Fading sources in is certainly smoother with the knob and doesn’t drive you to Alt+Tab out of your recreation to do it, so it’s the extra sensible resolution in the event you don’t thoughts paying for the comfort.
The Stream Mixer additionally acts as a visible meter in your audio ranges. A hoop across the acquire dial illuminates inexperienced, yellow, or purple to point whenever you’re at an inexpensive quantity. It’s not as actual as a multi-light or digital reader, however can let you know at a look in the event you’re clipping (purple). Tapping both mute button turns them purple (or every other shade you select). There’s additionally a down-firing LED strip that casts an underglow in your desk for a little bit of optionally available aptitude.
The Alias, however, has a couple of methods of its personal. It may match quantity ranges to what I’d contemplate affordable for many customers. I used to be capable of set it down on a desk and get a really affordable quantity as much as 18 inches away, which is about so far as you’re prone to have it anyhow. Something inside that vary sounds precisely the identical, so that you’re not sacrificing audio high quality choosing one over the opposite – which is exceptional contemplating that it’s $150 lower than the Professional mannequin.
It additionally has a built-in meter that illuminates behind the material. It’s truly extra practical than the dial on the Alias Professional because it scales up 5 vertical LEDs as an alternative of a single inexperienced when it detects any sound, regardless of how quiet. The mute button can also be contact delicate, so that you received’t get that “chunk” sound from that comes with clicky mute buttons. Whenever you do, a purple “X” lights up behind the material.
There’s additionally a hoop of RGB LEDs alongside the underside, so you continue to get some customizable aptitude.
Each mics appear well-built, however I admit that I anticipated a bit of extra from how they really feel within the hand. They appear to be largely manufactured from plastic, exterior of the grille and the shock mount, and so they aren’t significantly heavy. Provided that they’re prone to sit in your desk or growth arm and keep there, this isn’t an enormous disadvantage, however I’d have anticipated them to really feel a bit extra substantial given the value and competitors.
It’s additionally value noting that the Alias Professional and Stream Mixer don’t have for use collectively. Because the Professional is an XLR microphone, it will possibly hook up with every other XLR machine (just like the mixer I discussed earlier). The Stream Mixer is already able to be matched with every other condenser microphone and a very good variety of dynamic mics, too, and will probably be totally suitable with the Sonar software program suite. In a dialog with the undertaking supervisor and audio engineer forward of this assessment, he talked about that even the gain-hungry Shure SM7B will work with it in the event you don’t thoughts turning the acquire up all the best way. It’s a robust little interface.
SteelSeries Alias Professional – Software program
The Alias and Alias Professional each use Sonar, a free software program accessible for obtain from SteelSeries’ official web site. With it, you possibly can entry highly effective customization instruments like an equalizer and AI-enhanced noise suppressor. It additionally includes a compressor to steadiness out your quantity ranges and a tough noise gate that silences the mic under a sure noise threshold.
The mics sound good on their very own, however you’re doing your self a disservice in the event you don’t obtain Sonar and make them even higher. It comes with quite a lot of simple presets to reinforce the tone of your voice and even consists of presets primarily based upon how you might have the mic mounted (desk stand or on a growth arm). These give you a very good start line to use your individual tweaks. Or you possibly can set it and get streaming.
Sonar additionally gives you with a digital mixer the place you possibly can route 5 totally different audio channels to create the proper stream combine. Putting in the software program creates digital digital audio outputs in your pc (Sport, Chat, Media, Aux, and Mic). Setting your audio sources to those outputs permits you to management their ranges with every fader, providing you with granular management over what each you and your viewers hear. It’s similar to the blending suite provided by Elgato with its Wave:3 streaming mic and no much less highly effective. If you happen to’re a streamer and aren’t already routing your audio this manner, try to be.
I used to be additionally impressed by the quantity of configuration choices SteelSeries provides you for every enter. Every enter has its personal equalizer with presets to select from. The Sport channel bases its presets on an array of particular person video games, together with new releases like Alan Wake 2 and Name of Obligation: Trendy Warfare 3. The Chat and Mic channels are primarily based on vocal tone and embody choices like Broadcast and Deep Voice. The Music channel consists of anticipated EQs, like Punchy and Clear Vocals. I don’t know that I’d personally go as far as to EQ the music on my stream, nevertheless it’s good to know the choice is there.
What’s much more shocking is that this software program isn’t gated behind shopping for the Alias or Alias Professional. You may obtain it proper now and entry these identical options with your individual microphone. In the intervening time, there aren’t any upsells both, so that you get the total suite with out restrict. It does require you to enroll in an account, although.
SteelSeries Alias Professional – Efficiency
The Alias Professional is a superb microphone. I put it by its paces with check recordings in Audacity, Google Meets, and Discord chats whereas gaming and so they come by crisp and clear with a full-bodied resonance that I actually take pleasure in. I don’t have a pure radio voice, however the bigger capsule did a very good job of capturing and presenting the decrease frequencies that my Yeti, Quadcast, and Wave:3 miss. It’s one of many solely “gaming” mics that actually competes with my assortment of studio microphones, together with heavy-hitters just like the AT4040, in tone.
The readability can also be glorious. That individuals had no hassle understanding me ought to be a given, however because it’s a condenser capsule as an alternative of a dynamic one, just like the Shure SM7B, it affords the sort of sparkly, high-frequency element that makes you sound pure and true to life. This increased sensitivity additionally means letting in additional exterior noise, so your listeners will hear each click on of your keyboard and mouse, the sound of your keyboard and the whirr of your PC’s followers, however Sonar’s AI noise suppression does an awesome job of minimizing or slicing these sounds out totally.
All of that is true of the usual Alias too, nevertheless it falls brief in peak quantity. The Stream Mixer gives rather more acquire to the Professional, so you possibly can flip it up and transfer round whereas nonetheless being heard. The mics are pretty intently matched till in regards to the midway level, then the Professional pulls forward. That is necessary as a result of when paired with the AI Noise Suppressor and Compressor in Sonar, you possibly can place the Professional fully out of body and nonetheless get a very good seize. The usual Alias actually sounds finest inside 12 inches of your mouth, so it’s going to be a staple in your shot.
Whether or not this issues or not likely relies on what you’re seeking to obtain. They’re each concurrently nice trying and unobtrusive mics, and since there aren’t any audible variations at the most typical distances, you don’t have to really feel pressured to decide on one over the opposite on the idea of sound high quality.
In comparison with the Blue Yeti, QuadCast, and Wave:3, the variations are there and are noticeable, however they’re not monumental. A “3x-sized capsule” doesn’t inherently imply “3x high quality,” however the entire bundle is definitely spectacular. Every mic earns its barely increased asking value in several methods. The Alias does so with the built-in, uniquely offered meter. The Alias Professional does so by together with an interface that doubles as a programmable mixer. Sarcastically, whereas Sonar is definitely an awesome instrument, it’s not likely a promoting level for these mics specifically since you should utilize it with something, even from a competitor. However as an entire bundle, they carry out on the prime of their class.
