They always said I had a voice for radio—and a face too. Self-deprecation aside, my theatre kid past means I know how to project and get disproportionately annoyed by wobbly audio. Thankfully, microphones that faithfully render your dulcet tones are more affordable than ever before, and I've just found a deal for the best streaming microphone that will be music to your ears.
If you're just chatting to pals on Discord, this bit of kit might be overkill. That said, if you're anything like me and you never did quite manage to exorcise the theatre from your own inner kid, this microphone's all-singing, all-dancing act is difficult to resist. After all, as a yap queen whose Discord call life updates have become affectionately known as 'podcast episodes,' my mates deserve crisp audio quality.
But let's say you have designs on more than just a one woman show exclusively on a private Discord server—let's say you do genuinely want to upgrade your game streaming setup. The Steelseries Alias Pro offers a wealth of ports for various devices, including two USB Type-C ports on the back, and a XLR connection. Better yet, the microphone comes with plenty of cables for all of those ports too, and you also get a programmable Stream Mixer device for easy muting and gain adjustment.
Our Andy was decidedly impressed by this cardioid mic, writing in his Steelseries Alias Pro review that it was a doddle to hook up a two-PC stream setup:
"Just like the regular Alias, the Alias Pro makes use of the excellent Sonar audio interface software, which once again recognised my connected input and output devices with the minimal amount of fuss. It had no problem distinguishing and identifying two PCs connected to the interface, meaning if you were looking to set up a separate laptop for streaming, the Stream Mixer has you covered with the minimum of hassle."
Andy also praises the software's customisation features, which includes easy Stream Mixer dial programming and RGB lighting options. He particularly highlighted the software's ClearCast AI noise cancellation alongside "a simple but powerful compressor reduced to a single slider and an easy to use EQ with some well thought out presets" too, writing that all these features helped to "tame the increased gain provided by the preamp while still keeping a good signal level."
That's a lot more bells and whistles than my weekly rants require, but maybe this is the motivation I need to start courting a wider audience…Plans of world domination aside, the major drawback of this mic is that its already pretty good audio quality and external preamp really shines when attached to the Alias boom arm. Unfortunately, this isn't included in the deal and, at a smidge under $100, it's not the easiest add-on to justify. Ah well, I suppose I'll have to put my plans of total sonic saturation on hold.
1. Best overall:
Shure MV6 USB Gaming Microphone
2. Best budget:
Amazon Basics USB Condenser Microphone
3. Best mid-range:
NZXT Capsule Elite
4. Best USB bundle:
Sennheiser Profile Streaming Set
5. Best looking:
HyperX Quadcast S
6. Best podcasting:
Shure MV7+
7. Best streaming:
SteelSeries Alias Pro
8. Best headset mic:
Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS StreamSet
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
