A USB microphone that costs three or four times as much sounds almost as nice as the Seiren Mini. That, together with its compact size, makes it perfect for anyone just starting out in the production of audio or video material. This is a great entry point into that world if you’re looking to replace your current headset microphone. However, the Razer Seiren Mini does not necessarily represent a new product area for Razer. Before this, they had the Razer Seiren X, a large microphone device that Razer manufactured for streamers. Many people praised that USB microphone for being an excellent microphone, especially for streamers. However, it was a little large. Having a large microphone, however, is not really a problem if you have a streaming setup at home. Big microphones are never really mentioned as being a problem for streamers.
Design
The Seiren Mini, which comes in black, pink, and white models, has a pill-shaped design and an integrated desktop stand that can tilt to angle up to the speaker and also be angled slightly to the side, similar to the 360-degree action of a joystick. The microphone’s top half is entirely made of speaker grilles, and its back panel has a recessed micro USB port. When the Seiren Mini is connected, a tiny status LED on the front face of the microphone illuminates. The microphone has a 14mm condenser capsule hidden behind the grille that produces a super cardioid pattern with a 20Hz–20kHz frequency range. The bit depth increases to 16 bits and the sample rate to 48 kHz. According to Razer, the Seiren Mini also has some internal shock mount protection. Well, it’s difficult to criticize for $50, but there isn’t a headphone connection for direct monitoring and no gain knob or other control of any kind. Your streaming or recording software will need to be set to the appropriate listening and recording levels. Furthermore, the Seiren Mini is only said to be compatible with Windows 7 or later in the manual; macOS is not mentioned. But when we plugged the microphone into an iMac that was only a few years old, GarageBand had no trouble identifying it and using it as an audio input, and the audio quality of the microphone didn’t seem to be affected in any way. However, Synapse 3, Razer’s PC-only software that has basic mic controls, won’t be available to Mac users. Again, the Seiren Mini performed flawlessly in Garageband and is not dependent on the included software to function. Whatever recording programme you decide to use, you can probably access all of the controls in Synapse 3.
Razer Seiren Mini review: Features
Since there aren’t many features to discuss, we won’t stay here for long. On the hardware side, the power light comes first and the USB input comes last on the feature list. This microphone doesn’t require any additional programs, despite Razer’s regrettable penchant for doing so whenever you click the download button on a product’s support page. Bloatware installation actually runs directly counter to the design ethos of this little pill. You must therefore control the gain or mute yourself at the software stage using OBS, Ableton, Bandicam, Discord, or full-fledged Pro Tools, depending on your preference. Even though that doesn’t in and of itself necessitate a higher education in computer engineering, if you plan to stream a game live, you’ll probably need a two-monitor setup. In PUBG, you should really avoid alt-tabbing in the middle of a match to make adjustments. And possibly your two monitor setup is already ready to use. However, many aspiring streamers who will be attracted to this for the $50 price won’t, so it’s important to note. The lack of gain or mute controls, if you’re wondering what the catch is for a mic that sounds this good at this price is.
Performance
Due to its ease of use, the Razer Seiren Mini may be used without any hassle with both Windows 10 and MacOS laptops. After plugging it in, all you need to do is launch your preferred streaming app and game, or choose it as your audio input during a Zoom or other video conference, and you’re ready to go. In our testing, we discovered that it is a little too short when placed on a table. As a result, you will need to lean slightly forward or, as we did, prop it up on a few books we had lying around so that it was about a hands-width away from our mouth. In order to test the Seiren Mini’s ability to capture vocals, we recited a sonnet from Shakespeare. After that, we recorded a control sample using the laptop’s built-in microphone. Our voice sample sounded nasal and flat, while the control sample had a lot of background noise because it had picked up nearby sounds. Due to the Razer Seiren Mini’s high quality and more precise polar pattern, audio recorded with it sounded more precise with clearer, cleaner vocals. Even though some background noise still creeps in, such as the sound of traffic, it is sufficiently muted for use during Zoom calls, live streams, and gaming. When we used the Seiren Mini in conference calls, callers did notice an improved, cleaner voice quality, which makes this a good investment if you’re a speaker or teacher who needs to address a sizable virtual audience online. you will learn our article on Razer Seiren Mini review.
Razer Seiren Mini review: Sound Quality
This is the best audio you can get for $50. Not without carefully manipulating the waveforms you record with EQing and plugins, or by approaching Brian Eno. Furthermore, that is also stock audio. You may expect a beautiful flat, clear response with just a slight bump in the upper mids for sibilant consonant sounds because the only variable in this situation is your position in relation to the microphone. This single polar pattern microphone has been wired exclusively for supercarioid pickup. The supercardioid pattern is a smaller variation of the cardioid pattern, and as its name implies, it is deeply directed. For a studio mic designed for purposes other than close-up single vocals, that would be a nightmare, but it is ideal for a streamer’s needs. Your best gaming keyboard with those confusing mechanical switches won’t magically stop making noise when you use the Seiren Mini, but the clicks are less audible than when using a Snowball Ice. Who wins in a direct competition between the two for sound quality? It is unavoidably a subjective matter. When the Snowball Ice leaves your recording software and enters your ear, it sounds as though some EQ and compression have already been applied. The Seiren Mini, on the other hand, produces sound that is dry, flat, and of the highest possible fidelity. There is no artificial mid-scooping or flabby bass. Compared to the Snowball Ice, some could think it sounds a little lifeless, but to this reviewer’s ears, it sounds better. And not just when we hear the rendered audio through a pair of studio headphones, but even when we hear it through a smartphone or Macbook speaker. Although less flamboyant than Blue’s signature sound, the audio is still crisp and broadcastable. The sound quality of the Seiren Mini is perhaps even simpler to work with if you were thinking about adding some plugins.
Razer Seiren Mini review: Price
Conclusion
The Razer Seiren Mini is a cheap streaming microphone that may be lacking in capabilities but nevertheless produces high-quality audio. With this plug-and-play mic, content producers on a tight budget or those just getting started as podcasters will feel right at home. The market for PC gaming gear has boomed this year. GPUs, such as the recently released Nvidia RTX 30-series cards (and upcoming AMD RX 6000 cards), are hogging the majority of the attention, but streaming equipment has also enjoyed some success with simple-to-use capture cards, fancy ring lights, and light-up microphones. also you will check our article on Razer Seiren Mini review.
