A streaming mic from Razer..
I mean I don't dislike their shit, the Deathadder is a pretty solid mouse for example.
But this is like going for a gourmet meal to McDonalds.
[QUOTE=sh4d0w;53095035]A streaming mic from Razer..
I mean I don't dislike their shit, the Deathadder is a pretty solid mouse for example.
But this is like going for a gourmet meal to McDonalds.[/QUOTE]
Razer mics are decent, but the USB part is the killer. If you want high grade audio, get high grade equipment. Blowing $180 on a usb mic isn't that.
Usb mic
Lmao
3.5mm or go home.
[QUOTE=Reagy;53095831]3.5mm or go home.[/QUOTE]
listen boy I like me that thicc shit, its either 6.35mm or nothing
If I'm not shoving multiple XLR cables into a mixer, am I even alive?
[QUOTE=J!NX;53095808]Usb mic
Lmao[/QUOTE]
Not sure I get this.
Is USB somehow not capable of transferring good sounding audio? That wouldn't make a lot of sense.
It's a marked up AT2020 USB condenser mic, good job Razer you saved gaming once again. :rolleyes:
[QUOTE=Paul-Simon;53096598]Not sure I get this.
Is USB somehow not capable of transferring good sounding audio? That wouldn't make a lot of sense.[/QUOTE]
$200 for a USB mic is an awful lot, you can get a higher quality XLR mic and an audio interface for like $20 more. Although, if you're getting a mic just for talking over VOIP then you really don't need a setup like that.
[QUOTE=Paul-Simon;53096598]Not sure I get this.
Is USB somehow not capable of transferring good sounding audio? That wouldn't make a lot of sense.[/QUOTE]
Most standard USB isn't designed for audio specifically. Letting it handle the analog>digital conversion alone will result in lossy or garbled audio. Putting it through an audio interface (and preamp if you wanna drop the extra cash) beforehand makes it take the signal with far less loss, but they tend to be XLR oriented. Some might take USB nowadays though, but at that point you're better off just getting the XLR for the price.
180 bucks for a supposedly high-grade USB mic?
You can put together a mic->mixer setup for less that's probably gonna perform better.
[QUOTE=Fish_poke;53097151]Most standard USB isn't designed for audio specifically. Letting it handle the analog>digital conversion alone will result in lossy or garbled audio. Putting it through an audio interface (and preamp if you wanna drop the extra cash) beforehand makes it take the signal with far less loss, but they tend to be XLR oriented. Some might take USB nowadays though, but at that point you're better off just getting the XLR for the price.[/QUOTE]
Surely there has to exist good USB solutions. I refuse to believe that USB 3 or even USB 2 isn't good enough to transfer lossless audio.
XLR would be inconvenient because it's an extra layer of stuff you have to convert.
[QUOTE]pro-grade USB microphone[/QUOTE]
"Pro-grade" and "USB microphone". You never wanna see those two together.
People use USB mics because it's super easy to set up, you just plug it in and it works. You could get better quality at a potentially cheaper price with an XLR setup but that requires more setup and individual items to make it work.
[QUOTE=garychencool;53098066]People use USB mics because it's super easy to set up, you just plug it in and it works. You could get better quality at a potentially cheaper price with an XLR setup but that requires more setup and individual items to make it work.[/QUOTE]
The point isn't that it's easy, it's that they're qualifying it as pro grade when any pro grade audio setup doesn't use USB mics.
[editline]31st January 2018[/editline]
[QUOTE=Paul-Simon;53097218]Surely there has to exist good USB solutions. I refuse to believe that USB 3 or even USB 2 isn't good enough to transfer lossless audio.
XLR would be inconvenient because it's an extra layer of stuff you have to convert.[/QUOTE]
It's the conversion, not the transfer. USB can't handle a raw audio signal as well as an AIF can due to the strength of it, therefore converting it to something it can handle before putting it through would eliminate that loss. Similarly, concert feeds go beyond even standard mic signals and use LINE signals which have a stronger signal that can't be run normally.
For the record, I'm not saying don't have a USB mic. They have a purpose and serve it well. But don't call a USB mic pro grade unless you want laughed at by people who have worked with microphones.
[QUOTE=Fish_poke;53098350]The point isn't that it's easy, it's that they're qualifying it as pro grade when any pro grade audio setup doesn't use USB mics.
[editline]31st January 2018[/editline]
It's the conversion, not the transfer. USB can't handle a raw audio signal as well as an AIF can due to the strength of it, therefore converting it to something it can handle before putting it through would eliminate that loss. Similarly, concert feeds go beyond even standard mic signals and use LINE signals which have a stronger signal that can't be run normally.
For the record, I'm not saying don't have a USB mic. They have a purpose and serve it well. But don't call a USB mic pro grade unless you want laughed at by people who have worked with microphones.[/QUOTE]
I remain unconvinced and confused.
You convert the signal to digital at some point in the process, so I'm not sure I get what you mean with the signal being too strong. (A digital signal won't be "too strong")
And surely the issue isn't power delivery, because in that case you could just have external power or whatever, like with many external HDDs. (Or even better, use USB 3.1 Type C for plenty of power)
Is the issue just that nobody has gone and made a professional USB mic?
I can't really think of a way USB could somehow be a limit to audio quality. You're gonna have to explain more, because it sorta just sounds elitism that XLR will magically be the better alternative for transferring lossless audio when modern USB allows for data rates as high as it does.
What does "pro grade" actually mean to you, in quantifiable terms?
[QUOTE=Paul-Simon;53097218]Surely there has to exist good USB solutions. I refuse to believe that USB 3 or even USB 2 isn't good enough to transfer lossless audio.
XLR would be inconvenient because it's an extra layer of stuff you have to convert.[/QUOTE]
Theres a difference between "lossless audio" and "audio quality" one of which differs greatly depending on what components you have inside your microphone and it's power source.
Typically the components inside the microphone is the limiting factor for why USB microphones have not been able to compare to 48v or tube powered capsules
[QUOTE=Paul-Simon;53099265]I remain unconvinced and confused.
You convert the signal to digital at some point in the process, so I'm not sure I get what you mean with the signal being too strong. (A digital signal won't be "too strong")
And surely the issue isn't power delivery, because in that case you could just have external power or whatever, like with many external HDDs. (Or even better, use USB 3.1 Type C for plenty of power)
[b]Is the issue just that nobody has gone and made a professional USB mic?[/b]
I can't really think of a way USB could somehow be a limit to audio quality. You're gonna have to explain more, because it sorta just sounds elitism that XLR will magically be the better alternative for transferring lossless audio when modern USB allows for data rates as high as it does.
What does "pro grade" actually mean to you, in quantifiable terms?[/QUOTE]
It'd be news to be if I'm incorrect here but you've basically got the idea.
With an XLR microphone the analog signal is going into a standalone and (hopefully) high-quality interface that does the analog to digital conversion. Unless I've got something horribly wrong, once it's digital it's untouchable and every interface still goes through a USB etc. into the computer.
The implication with a USB microphone, as redBadger sort of said, is that because the pre-amp and converter are small components inside of the microphone instead of having a proper interface, they're probably inferior quality. I haven't heard of anyone going out of their way to ensure that a USB microphone is equal to having a "professional" setup before.
My cheap webcam microphone is still serving me well. Not streaming, but still.
Depends on what's considered "pro-grade" now, and I think that's relative to the use of it. Lots of "professional" streamers and youtubers and etc. use USB mics, but if you used a USB mic to try and record a professional musical album, you'd be laughed at.
Waiting for the Pro-Grade USB Hotpocket Microwave Chroma Edition.
[QUOTE=Meller Yeller;53099978]Depends on what's considered "pro-grade" now, and I think that's relative to the use of it. Lots of "professional" streamers and youtubers and etc. use USB mics, [B]but if you used a USB mic to try and record a professional musical album, you'd be laughed at.[/B][/QUOTE]
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't it be ridiculously difficult to even tell from the end product?
[QUOTE=Paul-Simon;53100116]Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't it be ridiculously difficult to even tell from the end product?[/QUOTE]
If you use "pro grade" headphones I imagine it'd be easier to tell.
[QUOTE=Paul-Simon;53100116]Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't it be ridiculously difficult to even tell from the end product?[/QUOTE]
Depends. Typically you want the cleanest audio possible to allow for manipulation like EQ, reverb, and pitch correction. Sometimes unwanted artifacts from USB microphones can make it difficult to make a realistic sounding voice and can cause unwanted distortion
Also different mics have different qualities like brightness or warmth that some people prefer.
Typically USB microphones don't have anywhere near the dynamic range as 48v or tube capsules
For anybody wondering. This isn't their first Microphone.
The Razer Seiren is actually a few years old now. This is basically just a v2 of the original.
And lastly, they actually do have an XLR Version of the old one.
The [URL="https://www.razerzone.com/eu-en/gaming-audio/razer-seiren-pro"]Razer Seiren Pro[/URL].
They also have a tiny [URL="https://www.razerzone.com/eu-en/gaming-audio/razer-seiren-x"]Seiren X[/URL].
On the topic of USB Mics, I would love to see what USB-C could do for them.
Problem of cheap amps aside, USB-C can deliver 20V at least, although not sure if full power can be used with data transfer.
[QUOTE=Paul-Simon;53096598]Not sure I get this.
Is USB somehow not capable of transferring good sounding audio? That wouldn't make a lot of sense.[/QUOTE]
In my experience any USB audio equipment on the same bus as other peripherals ends up sounding like there's some inference. Might have been from the equipment itself, but there was definitely some crackling/noise
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