USB microphones are very popular and they are easy to use. There are plenty of amazing options based on which seems to match you best such as Razer Seiren Vs Mini that are both plug and play while sounding really good for streaming and voice recording purposes. These close brothers are not identical however with the former being a higher choice so if you are considering the two, let’s see below about which you may like better.
In this comparison, we are going to talk about:
- How to Buy Microphone for Streaming
- What are Razer Seiren and Mini
- How are the Design of Razer Seiren and Mini
- How are the Specs of Razer Seiren and Mini
- How are the Sound Quality of Razer Seiren and Mini
- How are the Setup of Razer Seiren and Mini
- What else Razer Seiren and Mini can offer
- Razer Seiren Vs Mini
Buying a Microphone for Streaming
Regardless of what the microphone is used for, you will still need to consider the equipment when working with one. There are just so many of them and they have the same purpose or capturing the sound whether it is your voice, instrument, or any other sound present in the spot. The modern application of the microphone is to stream or record and then directly stream them for a specific audience. This can be recorded first and uploaded so the listener can access them anytime, on demand.
If this is what the microphone is going to be used for in your application, we can shop based on lots of specs or what the equipment can offer. First let’s consider the type because we can choose between a condenser and dynamic. To put it simply condenser will capture more of your sound so it is best in a treated room while dynamic is not as sensitive so they are perfect to avoid getting too much unwanted sound coming into the recording.
If you want the best directionality, a shotgun microphone can be a great choice as well. They are using a lobar pick up pattern which is an extreme version of cardioid and supercardioid. This type of microphone captures only what’s straight at the front and some from straight at the back of the capsule. It is ideal in a situation when you have noisy surroundings such as when recording outdoors and you can often see them in filmmaking.
Second, you can consider the polar pattern as well. This is simply from which side the microphone is capturing the sound. Most of us are choosing a cardioid mic because they are only capturing the sound from the front and rejecting the rest but, some people may want to capture more such as if you have two speakers sitting at the opposite direction then a figure eight or an omnidirectional microphone can be a good solution. This polar pattern is closely related to placement and from which side your sound comes from.
Third, you can also choose them based on their connectivity. Traditionally microphones are connected using an XLR or TRS jack so this is why you often see composers bringing a small box called interface when they are traveling. They may use a microphone with XLR cable to record a demo and they need the interface to bridge the mic to their laptop where the sound is recorded and processed with the software of their choice. In modern days microphones are coming with USB cable too so they can be more convenient.
Razer Seiren | Razer Mini | |
---|---|---|
Product Dimensions | 27.16 x 12.75 x 17.32 inches | 3.55 x 3.55 x 6.35 inches |
Shipping Weight | 13.5 ounces | 15.5 ounces |
Shop now at Amazon | click here | click here |
About Razer Seiren and Mini
Any microphone will be able to record your voice and they don’t have to be very expensive either because many affordable options are actually ideal for a wide range of applications so if you just start a channel and want to know how things going, we can start from the entry level and you can upgrade later when gathering more information on what type of mic will work best for the specific purpose and in your setup. These factors above can be helpful to shop faster or you can choose based on the budget too.
If you are here then we assume that this microphone is meant to be used to record voice or to stream your content. There are so many promising options made for this type of application and Razer is one of the best to consider. Most people recognize this name as a gaming peripheral brand and you are not wrong but they are also making some attractive compact mic, especially for streamers. Their Seiren series is very popular for good reasons.
For those focusing on ergonomics, the headset is probably enough but if you want an improved audio quality for the audience to comfortably listen to, the Razer Seiren and Mini are two interesting options to go for. The current new lineup of Seiren are Seiren V2 X, V2 Pro, and Mini but there are also options like the original Seiren X and Elite that can be found out there. For this comparison we are talking about the X and Mini as they are currently not very far apart in price point.
In comparison, the X is supposed to be a higher model than the Mini and it is easy to see why. One of them is because X being the taller microphone and also coming with more bells and whistles. Does it make Mini a bad choice? Not at all, at least in our opinion it is a very good microphone at the price point and sound character wise they are pretty balanced yet not completely identical.
Razer Seiren and Mini Design
Even from the design alone Razer Seiren and Mini are already quite different because as you can see the Seiren X is much taller at around 7.25 inches with the base attached while Mini is about 6.5 inches tall, also with the base. The shape of the mics are also different with Mini being rounded and cute looking, especially if you get the pink variant. Seiren X is full black with the green LED button that is identical to Razer fashion and styling.
Another noticeable difference is their build quality. As a Bluetooth microphone the Mini is made with plastic housing and we do think unless you are handling them roughly or going to put them in a compartment and transport them, the equipment should last. The Seiren X on the other hand is made of metal for both the microphone and base. Both of them are USB based so you don’t need other equipment but a physical filter may be necessary. Read also: Razer Seiren Vs Blue Snowball here.
Razer Seiren and Mini Specs
Now for the most important part, let’s see what the Razer Seiren and Mini can offer starting from the specs first. Both microphones are actually very similar here for example they are capturing the same frequency from 20Hz to 20kHz and have the same sensitivity at 17.8mV/Pa with a maximum SPL at 110dB and 120dB respectively. They need 5V to work so any typical USB port should do the job and for the recording they have a sample rate of 44.1kHz/48kHz at 16 bit.
Razer Seiren and Mini Sound Quality
Next for the sound from these microphones, they are also very similar. What we love the most is that they sound quite neutral for a microphone that is used for streaming because many of them are often too sharp or too pronounced on the low end. These two are pretty balanced from the low to the low high so they create a more natural sound or similar to how you actually sound in real life. The highs are also tweaked a bit and this is great for clarity.
It is not overwhelmingly sharp but just there to make sure your speech easy to pick up by the listeners. The natural character of the microphones however may not sound good for everyone because we all have different voices. For example some people may like their voice to sound warmer than they actually are and these microphones won’t do much in this area but overall we are very pleased with how they sound.
Razer Seiren and Mini Setup
Setup is very easy too with Razer Seiren and Mini. All you need to do is connect the USB and figure out the mic in your machine. Some small settings may need to be changed in your software too, depending on what recording or streaming software we use. Usually when the mic is connected but there is no sound coming out of it, the mic is not selected yet on the software as the input. While Razer uses Synapse for their products, these mics don’t require it to work.
Razer Seiren and Mini Features
Lastly for the features, you can find more on the Seiren X and one of the most important is probably the mute button because many people are looking for this feature in their Mini version. The built-in button is perfect for a muting on the fly so we don’t need to access the software anymore. This variant also comes with a headphone jack meaning we can connect a headphone or earphone to the mic for direct monitoring and it has zero latency as well.
Razer Seiren Vs Mini
There are so many good microphones to consider based on which seems to work best in your type of application. The main difference between Razer Seiren and Mini is mostly on physical quality and the features. Sound wise they are very similar or more towards the natural side and great for human voice or speech. The Seiren or Seiren X here has a larger build, made of metal, and coming with both mute buttons, as well as headphone jack.
Conclusion
The decision is all yours based on which seems to match the preference most. If you don’t need the headphone jack and mute button we do recommend Mini since it sounds very good while being easy to use and cheaper than the X and other Seiren current series.