The MiCreator Studio is a testament to how good affordable microphones and analog to digital converters are getting.
As an audio engineer I find it pretty hard to justify a USB microphone. I understand why they exist and I would absolutely recommend them to budding podcasters or people who need high quality audio for conference calls.
But I can’t actually see myself buying one, even as a demo mic to carry on the road. But along comes the MiCreator Studio, and I’m starting to think that it’s filling a niche for musos and audio engineers that hasn’t really been nailed by anyone yet.
The MiCreator Studio by Austrian Audio is an interesting middle ground between USB mic and audio interface. It’s a bus powered USB-C interface with a condenser microphone sitting on top.
It also has a second 3.5mm audio input on the rear which you can connect another mic to, this could be a lav for example, or their own MiCreator Satellite.
Alternatively the Mi Creator studio pack includes a TRRS 3.5mm to quarter inch TS adapter so you can actually plug your guitar in and record it direct. There’s not much more to say about this other than it works, and it’s a fantastic addition.
I was really impressed with how the built-in condenser mic sounded. It’s smooth and has a balanced frequency response, it did get a little bright and harsh on sibilance and you’d want a pop filter to fight plosives, but these are both things that I was expecting from a condenser mic in this price range (and honestly most condenser mics have a hard time without a pop filter) so these factors certainly aren’t deal breakers.
It also does a really good job recording acoustic guitars, or pianos, and it gets even better if you’ve got a MiCreator Satellite to create a stereo pair for pianos and acoustic guitars. Even micing up a cab gives you that sparkly high end electric guitar sound you get from micing up guitar cabs with a condenser mic.
The MiCreator Studio is a testament to how good affordable microphones and analog to digital converters are getting. This is the first mic in the USB-C mic world that I would genuinely recommend to musicians looking for an on the go option or honestly, even a go to option if you need to record bits and pieces, but producing and audio engineering isn’t your main game.
You could comfortably record tracks with this and release them into the world. It’s not studio quality, but you’ll get a really similar quality to say; a Focusrite Scarlett and a Rode NT1A, which is pretty damn impressive considering how small and convenient it is.
You can grab the MiCreator Studio at all your favourite audio stores and it’ll set you back 469 Aussie dollars, there’s also a full system option which comes with an extra satellite mic, a stereo bar, and a nice case for it all, that’ll come to 629 AUD, you’re getting a lot of bang for that extra spend.
If you’re keen to learn more head on over to the Austrian Audio website.
