RØDE audio {hardware} has been commonplace in skilled studios all over the world for over 50 years and now the Australian model can also be discovering a spot in your house studio.
At round $100/£100, the RØDE AI-1 Audio Mixer sits at a mid-range worth level however guarantees top-tier efficiency in a streaming for avid gamers setting. An ideal companion to your glorious Podmic dynamic microphone, should you’re trying to change from a USB mic to an XLR setup, the AI-1 is unquestionably one to contemplate.
Design options
Like the remainder of the RØDE vary, every little thing concerning the AI-1 feels premium. It is a small one-gang stealth bomber with an all-metal matte black case with RØDE’s signature gold dot inlay.
It is the little particulars that make the distinction right here and make you’re feeling such as you’re holding skilled gear in your fingers. The RØDE emblem is embossed on the highest, the bottom is rubberized to maintain it from sliding round in your desk, and there is a single refined LED to point ranges and peaks.
The I/O structure is logical with a single XLR enter on the entrance together with a ¼” headphone jack and the USB Sort-C and speaker outputs on the again. You may additionally discover two management knobs on the entrance. and whereas it feels bizarre to spotlight such a fundamental part, they’re simply pretty to make use of.There is a very nice quantity of resistance to each that solely provides to the premium really feel, it additionally does a job in serving to stop unintended stage modifications.
The decreased measurement of the interface is each a blessing and a curse. It is such a compact block that every little thing feels fairly cramped. The extent knobs are subsequent to one another within the center and are so shut collectively that after I grabbed both knob by the facet, my finger would consistently contact them suddenly. Positive, the difficulty is definitely averted simply by grabbing from the highest, however mid-stream is one other factor to consider. I am unable to assist however really feel that the knobs would have been higher positioned on the skin with the connections within the center.
Efficiency
Relating to efficiency, I’ve nothing to complain about with the RØDE AI-1, however there’s not a lot to get enthusiastic about both. It is your hands-off resolution that you simply need to disguise behind your desk.
In contrast to rivals just like the Razer Audio Mixer or Go XLR Mini, the RØDE AI-1 does not need you to mess with it. There aren’t any interactive mute or censor buttons, no dynamic quantity faders, and no customizable RGB. It’s a bridge between you microphone for transmission and your PC and is pleased being simply that.
Nonetheless, that is not a foul factor and there is definitely a case for sticking to getting the fundamentals proper. As soon as you’ve got linked a microphone, the RØDE AI-1 is able to delivering studio-quality audio as much as 96 kHz, which is greater than sufficient for many streamers. Twitch solely helps 44.1kHz or 48kHz pattern charges anyway, so the AI-1 is not going to interrupt a sweat to maintain up together with your content material.
There’s additionally no actual software program providing from RØDE to enrich the AI-1. Whilst you can obtain the ‘RØDE Central’ app, it presents little greater than checking for firmware updates, so it is not one thing it’s essential to rush to put in. It is truly a welcome reduction to have a plug-and-play machine that basically is plug-and-play. The Razer audio mixer wants its Synapse providing to get began, however the RØDE AI-1 was able to go seconds after I first plugged it in.
In testing, I discovered no noticeable distinction in sound high quality when switching my RØDE Podmic between the AI-1 and the Razer Audio Mixer, even with Razer Synapse’s clean post-processing providing enabled. Audio from the AI-1 was clear and crisp, with no distortion, even at elevated achieve ranges, and required no EQ work to ship pleasing outcomes.
Normally, ought to I purchase it?
Shifting from USB-driven audio to an XLR setup could be an costly transfer, however fortunately, the RØDE AI-1 offers creators a studio-grade expertise with out the excessive price ticket. As audio mixers go, it is as near plug and play as you will get, a single setup ought to go away you cheerful for a very long time.
Sure, there are extra feature-packed choices available on the market, just like the Razer Audio Mixer, however they’re priced accordingly. Purely as an XLR microphone connection to your PC, the RØDE AI-1 is a superb selection with few flaws.
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