A trio of controls set conveniently on the Profile’s entrance facet allows 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 stability between the mic’s direct output and your pc output. That final inclusion is nice for video calls, letting you fine-tune the combo between you and your caller to perfection.
Possibly the best function for calls is the Profile’s onboard mute key, which glows a deep purple whenever you’re muted or a pleasant inexperienced whenever you’re not, assuring that different callers solely hear you whenever you need them to. The LED additionally lights up orange in the event you push the Profile’s cardioid diaphragm to distortion, although you’ll actually should belt to get there. You’re extra prone to distort on the digital facet, particularly in the event you’re utilizing direct monitoring.
The one time I had to make use of any software program settings was once I wished to bypass the headphone output for my audio system. In fact, the dearth of software program means there are not any further results or EQ, however that’s tremendous by me. Any respectable digital audio workstation presents plug-in choices inbuilt, and also you’ll probably discover there’s no must EQ the Profile anyway.
It’s price declaring that there’s no option 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 begin issues with a bang, I recorded what could be the silliest pretend podcast intro within the style’s brief historical past. My targets have been twofold: to judge the mic’s general sound signature and to see how a lot pop and proximity impact (further bass whenever you’re near the mic) the Profile incurs at totally different distances. Making my spouse roll her eyes was only a bonus.
I did most of my recording on the primary 44.1 kHz and a 16-bit depth, which produces smaller recordsdata for primary 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 may suppose.
You may most likely get away with out a pop filter in the event you again off the Profile and communicate rigorously, however in the event you’re severe about your craft, you’ll greater than probably have a heavy breath or a hard-popped consonant to attempt to repair later. Your most secure guess is simply to filter them out to start with.
I additionally did some primary 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. In the event you’re doing rather more than track demos, I’d nonetheless suggest contemplating an ordinary 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 instructed me I seemed like I used to be “within the room,” and WIRED editor Parker Corridor stated the Profile seemed like 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 most likely made me a extra prepared and glad 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, stepping into podcasting or live-streaming, or just trying to spruce up your video chats, Sennheiser’s entry-level choice is a killer option to elevate your sport with out breaking the financial institution.
