In the never-ending battle for content creator dominance, USB microphones are constantly jockeying for position with a number of unique features. But if there is to be a new market leader, it’s hard to top the BEACN Mic.
A USB dynamic mic, the BEACN Mic is one of several flagship products released by BEACN. Although BEACN has only just entered the audio peripheral scene, the folks behind the company have been around for quite a while. Specifically, many of BEACN’s key creatives come from TC Helicon, where they worked on the extremely popular GoXLR.
That’s all to say that BEACN is very in tune with the needs of content creators and streamers when it comes to audio presentation. And when developing the BEACN Mic, the company had a pretty good idea of what unique features their product could provide.
After having spent several weeks with the BEACN Mic, there is no question that this is one of the premiere audio input devices. At $279, the BEACN Mic is not cheap, but it offers a dual-pronged value that is simple to set up, easy to use, and fully customizable to a level that will satisfy a variety of needs.
BEACN Mic is a Top Tier USB Dynamic Mic
The BEACN Mic itself comes in either black or white, is well-designed, and doesn’t feel cheap or plastic-y. It features a familiar profile to most podcasting mics with a customizable RGB light ring separating the microphone/wind screen from the base. Unlike many of the popular USB mics on the market, the BEACN Mic is a dynamic microphone, which is the preferred option when it comes to single vocal recordings. The Shure SM7B, easily the most used mic amongst top streamers, is a dynamic mic, but it is an XLR mic and therefore needs a few other considerations to get off the ground. BEACN’s mic, on the other hand, is plug and play using a USB-C connector and also includes a headphone jack for audio output.
Out of the box, BEACN Mic produces a full, rich sound that is crisp and clean. Those with a particular ear for vocals will notice how impressive the BEACN Mic sounds for a USB mic and owners will be happy with the quality it provides. Its pickup pattern is narrow enough that users can put it right in front of their mouth and not worry about also hearing keyboard clicks. And the mic itself comes with a built in stabilizer to help mimic the functionality of a shock mount.
There are some features that other USB mics include that are missing from the BEACN Mic, like volume output or input control knobs and a mute function, but those are not deal breakers. It is somewhat surprising that the mic doesn’t include at least a basic stand, but again, it seems more likely that users who would purchase a $279 mic already have a boom arm like the Elgato Mic Arm LP.
Small gripes aside, the BEACN Mic delivers close-to-XLR quality sound at roughly half of the price and with a nice, clean look. Put simply, there is no better USB mic we have tested; the BEACN Mic is that good.
BEACN App is a Game Changer for Audio
However, the mic itself is only one part of the equation. BEACN Mic is built with an internal digital signal processor (DSP) that works in tandem with BEACN’s software to add so much customization it’s dizzying. And most importantly, any of the processing that is coordinated with the app is done on the mic, so low-end CPUs don’t need to worry about throttling while streaming/gaming.
If the BEACN Mic is the muscle, the BEACN App is the brains. Using it, content creators can tweak their settings in a variety of categories to both dial in their vocal presentation and accommodate their recording environment. Most settings have both a basic for those who just want the benefit of a feature (like noise suppression) and an advanced version for those who really like to tweak every detail.
BEACN has made a lot of its customization options intuitive with visual guides to help users find the right setting. For example, the Mic Setup menu shows a volume meter, so users know just how much gain to apply to their mic in order to get their voice volume within the appropriate range. Similarly, the Expander menu shows a waveform of constant audio, so users know where to set their noise gate. Everything is handled with simple clicks or drags of the mouse.
Noise Suppression on the BEACN app offers an Adaptive and a Snapshot option, which can suit any environment. Adaptive will continuously change the noise floor based on the background noise at a given time, while Snapshot will lock in that noise floor setting at the press of a button.
There is also a Compressor menu for controlling how aggressively the app will stop the user’s audio from peaking, either from a loud scream or an unexpected noise. Again, there are meters to show what the feature is doing and for the user to adjust the option as needed.
And finally, there are digital dials that control a few key Equalizer settings like a De-Esser, an Exciter, and Bass Enhance. Once users have found the proper gain and parameters for their audio, they can then further customize it by making their voice sound less harsh and/or fuller using these dials and also by tweaking specific qualities of their voice.
At a glance, the BEACN app can be overwhelming, but it offers enough visual information to help users see and hear exactly what they are adjusting. There is even an option to make a recording and loop it over and over to hear just how each dial, slider, and toggle are impacting their audio.
BEACN Mic and the BEACN App are the one-two-punch that will empower content creators to learn about customizing their audio to make it as crisp and clean as the top streamers out there. BEACN has been great about creating tutorials that explain the ins and outs of the software, but even as a novice there is a lot that the app teaches right out of the gate.
All by itself, the BEACN Mic is a great USB microphone but paired with the app it is an incredible one. Prior to BEACN there was a clear delineation between USB mics and XLR mics, but this option starts to blur those borders.
BEACN Mic is available now for $279 via BEACN’s Official Site.