Some USB mics are designed for crystal-clear video calls. Others are built with professional voice recordings in mind. Quite a few are designed to serve as wide a market as possible, embracing a more general feature set. Then, there are those specifically fashioned for gaming, which places a premium on its usability for both streaming and in-game comms. The SteelSeries Alias Pro is designed with that last group in mind.
Billed as “a microphone fully dedicated to gaming and streaming,” the device bundles everything you need to have clear voice comms for gaming and a professional-grade sound for livestreaming without requiring any additional hardware or software. Can you use it for other functions such as voice recordings and podcasts? We’re pretty sure you can, although they’re putting a heavy emphasis on the gaming and streaming features, since, let’s be honest, that’s the primary market the outfit services with their headsets, gamepads, and the rest of their consumer electronics line.
The SteelSeries Alias Pro is a pill-shaped desktop mic with a 1-inch capsule that, the outfit claims, is three times bigger than what’s usually found in most current desktop mics. It features a cardioid polar pattern, 24-bit/48 kHz sample rate, and a 120 db maximum volume. Instead of a USB plug, it comes with an XLR connector, so you won’t be able to plug it directly to a PC. Instead, you hook it up to the included sound mixer (called the XLR Stream Mixer), which comes with controls for gain, volume, and two mute buttons (one for the mic and one for the PC audio).
The mixer comes with a pre-amp to boost any signal it picks up from the mic, as well as the 48V of phantom power the mic requires for proper operation. Two USB-C ports allow you to connect the mixer to two computers, making it easy to setup for gamers who use separate PCs for gaming and streaming, respectively. Led Lights surround each of the controls on the mixer, which comes with lighting presets (e.g. the LEDs around the gain knob get brighter as it gets louder), although it can also be programmed via the companion app.
The SteelSeries Alias Pro is designed to work with the outfit’s Sonar software, which has been highly acclaimed among users and reviewers alike. Not only does it let you control both the mic and the mixer, it allows you access to plenty of features, including offering multiple audio channels, AI-powered noise cancellation, remixing up to five inputs, and more. Suffice to say, software has long been the big advantage for SteelSeries’ products and that continues with their newest mic.
The mic comes with a detachable desk stand that boasts a built-in anti-vibration shock mount, ensuring it remains stable even on those times you get a little wild during a gaming session. It comes with both 3/8-inch and 5/8-inch threads, too, allowing you to mount it on a boom arm if you prefer using those for your mic.
The SteelSeries Alias Pro is available now, priced at $349.99.