AVerMedia Live Streamer Nexus AX310
A solid choice for streamers looking for a step up from their desk-bound mics, but you’ll need a mixer too
Released at the same time as AVerMedia’s Nexus streamer ( see below), the Live Streamer Mic 330 is designed to be its natural partner. Its key feature is the XLR output; unlike the Shure MV7 opposite, there’s no USB connection. That means you will need a preamp or a mixer such as the Nexus, and as there’s no stand in the box you’ll also need to factor that into your costs. Expect to pay around £40 for a good-quality boom arm.
Fortunately, at £92, the Mic 330 is relatively affordable for a dynamic XLR microphone so you should have enough budget left over. Don’t be fooled by its modest price, however, as the Live Mic 330 has the heft and design of a more expensive piece of equipment. Made of solid metal and with an understated matte black finish, it will look the part should it ever swing into view during a recording. AVerMedia includes a pop filter within too, which drowns out some of the “s” sibilance and “p” pop, but beware how hard you bang your keyboard as there’s no shock mount to dampen vibrations.
As this is a dynamic microphone, it does an excellent job of focusing on your voice rather than ambient sounds. AVerMedia states that you should stay within 10cm of the Mic 330 for it to work at its best, which I found absolutely true in practice; at closer range it picks up plosive “p”s in particular.
If you stay at that 10cm distance, you should be very pleased by the quality on offer. Without any tweaks within the AVerMedia software, assuming you partner it with the Nexus,your voice will come through naturally and with great clarity. If I have a criticism, it’s that
the sound is clinical rather than warm. You can alter trebles, mids and basses through an equalizer, but I couldn’t replicate the “Radio 4 Book at Bedtime” warmth of the mic built into the excellent Sennheiser GSP 670 headphones ( see issue 300, p71).
Still, that isn’t a fair comparison as this mic is designed for streamers who want to move away from bulky headsets. Instead, its natural competition is the Shure MV7 opposite – which is more expensive, more flexible and has more warmth. The Live Streamer Mic 330, though, is a great, low-cost partner to the Nexus if you’ll always be streaming from a Windows PC or a Mac.