A trio of controls set conveniently on the Profile’s entrance facet permits you to simply dial in ranges on the fly. There’s a knob on the prime for mic enter; a headphone quantity knob on the backside; and in between, a mixer knob to regulate the steadiness between the mic’s direct output and your laptop output. That final inclusion is nice for video calls, letting you fine-tune the combo between you and your caller to perfection.
Perhaps the most convenient function for calls is the Profile’s onboard mute key, which glows a deep pink once you’re muted or a pleasant inexperienced once you’re not, assuring that different callers solely hear you once you need them to. The LED additionally lights up orange if you happen to push the Profile’s cardioid diaphragm to distortion, although you’ll actually need to belt to get there. You’re extra prone to distort on the digital facet, particularly if you happen to’re utilizing direct monitoring.
The one time I had to make use of any software program settings was after I needed to bypass the headphone output for my audio system. After all, the dearth of software program means there aren’t any further results or EQ, however that’s wonderful by me. Any first rate digital audio workstation affords plug-in choices in-built, and also you’ll possible discover there’s no have to EQ the Profile anyway.
It’s price declaring that there’s no strategy to change the mic’s polar sample, however until you’re hoping to share it with a colleague or use it as a room mic, this shouldn’t matter a lot.
Luscious Sound
To start out issues with a bang, I recorded what could be the silliest faux podcast intro within the style’s brief historical past. My targets had been twofold: to guage the mic’s general sound signature and to see how a lot pop and proximity impact (further bass once you’re near the mic) the Profile incurs at completely different distances. Making my spouse roll her eyes was only a bonus.
I did most of my recording on the fundamental 44.1 kHz and a 16-bit depth, which produces smaller recordsdata for fundamental setups, however you’ll be able to step as much as 44.8 kHz at 24 bits.
The first takeaway is that the Profile sounds phenomenal for spoken recordings. My foolish little monologs, which completely included a run of Peter Piper’s peppers, sounded splendidly clean, clear, and balanced. I listened over headphones, screens, and my Mac’s onboard audio system, the latter of that are much less forgiving for poor recordings than you would possibly suppose.
You may in all probability get away with no pop filter if you happen to again off the Profile and converse fastidiously, however if you happen to’re critical about your craft, you’ll greater than possible have a heavy breath or a hard-popped consonant to try to repair later. Your most secure wager is simply to filter them out to start with.
I additionally did some fundamental vocal and guitar recording, together with each concurrently, and the Profile stepped up properly. Centering the mic between devices, it picked up nice definition with a remarkably regular output for a chunk of {hardware} that begins comfortably near $100. Should you’re doing way more than track demos, I’d nonetheless advocate contemplating a regular microphone and interface, however the Profile did a swell job for a stand-alone setup at this worth.
I took a number of video calls with the Profile over a few weeks, and once more the outcomes happy my ears in addition to these of my callers. One colleague informed me I gave the impression of I used to be “within the room,” and WIRED editor Parker Corridor mentioned the Profile gave the impression of a Shure SM7B, a legendary studio and radio standby. On my facet, I discovered myself actually having fun with the dulcet tones the Profile produced, which in all probability made me a extra keen and comfortable participant.
Whereas I want Sennheiser would have included a pair extra equipment within the Stream Set, the Profile is a improbable microphone for a number of use circumstances. Whether or not you’re constructing an entry-level studio, entering into podcasting or live-streaming, or just trying to spruce up your video chats, Sennheiser’s entry-level possibility is a killer strategy to increase your sport with out breaking the financial institution.
