As a seasoned content creator with years of juggling various audio devices under my belt, I can confidently say that BEACN Studio is a breath of fresh air. It’s like BEACN took one look at my chaotic setup and said, “Here, let us simplify this for you.”
A while ago, BEACN debuted in the content creation market with the BEACN Mic and BEACN Mix/Mix Create. The BEACN team, having gained insights from their work on the widely-used GO XLR, designed a line of devices to streamline audio customization, favoring USB microphones over XLR ones. Now, BEACN aims to address another perceived gap in the content creation arena, this time with XLR support integrated. The latest addition to their collection is the BEACN Studio, an innovative technology that seamlessly integrates into the existing BEACN system, and invites a broader audience to join.
The BEACN Studio appears rather modest at first sight. It’s a compact module, available in black or white, featuring a knob on its left side that also acts as a button and emits a soft RGB light beneath. From a quick look, it seems like just another volume control knob. However, it offers far more than meets the eye. On the reverse side, you’ll find an XLR port and two USB-C ports. With some accompanying software, these connections are where the true magic unfolds.
BEACN Studio is a Great New Interface for XLR Mics
Similar to the BEACN Mic, the BEACN Studio performs onboard processing for any connected XLR microphone and serves as a preamplifier, providing up to 69 dB of low-noise gain for microphones needing amplification, or it can supply 48 volts of phantom power. It’s evident that BEACN has taken the Shure SM7b’s popularity among content creators into account, as their designers have tailored the product to work well with this specific microphone. While other XLR microphones may require a preamplifier, it’s undeniable that the Shure SM7b holds a significant position in the market, even with the introduction of the new Shure SM7dB model, which comes equipped with a built-in preamp.
In simpler terms, you can work with any USB microphone for the BEACN Studio. Just connect it to your primary computer, and the BEACN App will automatically detect it.
If you own an SM7b microphone, it’s likely that you already possess a preamp. However, BEACN Studio offers more than just a preamp. It boasts two USB-C bidirectional ports: one for your streaming computer and another for any device such as a PS5, Xbox Series X, Switch, or additional PC. Moreover, it’s possible to connect it to a USB-C port on a smartphone too.
This is a huge plus for content creators (or PC gamers) who use a dual-PC setup. With the BEACN Studio and the BEACN app, you can simultaneously route your mic audio to one PC for OBS and another PC for in-game chat, or route console audio to its own discrete channel. You can send all of the audio outputs on your streaming PC to your input on your Xbox Series X, so your party chat members can hear your voice, your music, and anything else. There is a ton of possibility in those two USB-C ports, and for a lot of content creators, there’s now a simpler way of managing their audio sources. You will still need a video capture solution like an elgato 4K X or an AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra 2.1, but for audio, the BEACN Studio has that covered.
Dual PC Setups Will Get a Lot Out of BEACN Studio
In my video production and streaming work, I’ve employed a dual computer setup. Although I’ve strived to make this process as straightforward as possible, it remains quite intricate due to the need for cables, splitters, and mixer software. However, BEACN Studio has significantly reduced the complexity by offering a more organized solution. The BEACN Studio app allows you to manage the routing of multiple audio sources, adjust their volumes, and exercise full control over them.
Remarkably, you can utilize the BEACN App on your initial computer to designate separate applications from a secondary computer to specific channels. This means you can have Discord audio, game audio, and music playing on distinct channels (up to 4) and adjust their volume for your personal headphones separately from the volume sent to your stream/video. I can’t help but envision the limitless creativity this device will foster among users.
The BEACN Studio app, much like the BEACN Mix software I admired, offers comparable features for your XLR microphone. It comes equipped with tools such as Equalizer (EQ), a Limiter, Compressor, and Noise Reduction. These tools are designed to be user-friendly, making adjustments intuitive even for the average user. Yet, for those who prefer a more hands-on approach, it also provides detailed switches, dials, and graphs to help you fine-tune your settings meticulously.
On the BEACN Studio, there’s a versatile feature – a headphone jack that allows real-time listening to all audio sources during mixing. Interestingly, the knob serves a dual purpose; you can give it a quick press to mute your microphone or press and hold for switching output devices in your personal mix setup. This means you can effortlessly switch between listening to your mix through headphones while streaming, and using speakers for personal gaming, just by pressing and holding the knob.
BEACN Studio Overall Impressions
Content generation and sound recording can range from being intricate to straightforward, depending on your preference. While advanced configurations often provide superior presentation and creative flexibility for the user, they come with potential technical issues and confusion. However, BEACN Studio simplifies your setup without compromising audio quality, making it seem as if it was still complex. This streamlining doesn’t involve replacing a single device but multiple gadgets. Previously complicated setups requiring a preamp, a mixer, a splitter, and more can now deliver the same high-quality experience using only BEACN Studio.
BEACN Studio is available now for $249.99. Game Rant was provided a unit for this review.
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2024-09-02 11:44