SteelSeries Alias
The SteelSeries Alias is designed for gamers from the ground up. Despite being a plug-and-play microphone, the Alias delivers professional-sounding results out of the box. And with just a few tweaks using SteelSeries' Sonar software like the AI noise suppression, this microphone makes you sound like you are in a recording studio in a matter of seconds.
SteelSeries Alias Pro
If you are looking to take your sound a step above, the Alias Pro with XLR Stream Mixer is an all-in-one sound studio designed for every streamer. It has everything you need to sound pro every time you go live. The included XLR interface allows you to use this pro-grade microphone via USB for your stream and gives you physical control of mic gain, headphone volume, and muting of the mic and audio.
Summary
Even though gaming headsets offer a very convenient way to hear and communicate with your friends while gaming, the sound quality ofan excellent standalone microphoneis hard to rival. SteelSeries is known for its fantastic headsets, but they have never dived into the world of standalone microphones… until now. The Alias and Alias Pro are built from the ground with gamers and streamers in mind, so they promise to be a perfect fit for most gamers looking to improve their sound quality. But are they actually worth picking up?
Game Rant has spent the last two weeks testing each of these microphones to determine whether they are up to snuff and which one is right for you. From just chatting on Discord to recording tracks in various environments, these microphones have been through it all and, for the most part, have delivered fantastic results.
Unboxing and Setup Process
Both microphones came pristinely packaged, and the unboxing experience was quite pleasant. But that’s not hard to imagine for SteelSeries products. They always seem to take some pride in providing a premium experience from start to finish.
Alias
Being the lower-tier option, the Alias doesn’t come with nearly as much stuff as the Alias Pro, but that is not a bad thing. This microphone is incredibly easy to set up. Just plug the USB-C cable into the microphone and then the other end to your computer, and you are ready to go. The plug-and-play aspect of the Alias makes it super easy to transfer from computer to computer within moments.
However, if you want to gain more control over the sound, you can download the SteelSeries GG software. As long as you are on a Windows machine, there is currently no support for macOS, but you can still use the Alias as a plug-and-play microphone on Apple computers. Using the Sonar section of the GG software, you get an impressive number of options to fine-tune your sound. We will cover the software a bit later, but navigating and getting your microphone finely tuned in a matter of moments is straightforward.
Alias Pro
The Alias Pro requires a bit more setup time, but compared to other XLR microphone setups, the process is pretty straightforward, even if you have never set up a professional microphone before. This microphone comes with everything you need to get up and running, including an XLR cable and the controller, which acts as an audio interface. Unlike the Alias, which is a single-cable setup, the Alias Pro does need three cables to get up and running, so it might not be ideal for laptop users.
After plugging everything in, the microphone is essentially ready to go. However, unlike the Alias, the Alias Pro needs the SteelSeries GG software to be recognized on your computer. This does limit the speed at which you can set up this microphone on a new computer, but if you want the pro experience, having the GG software at your disposal makes this microphone sound so much better.
That being said, if you want to forgo all the controller and SteelSeries software, this microphone can be used with an XLR audio interface just like any other XLR microphone. Just make sure your interface can provide +48V phantom power, as the Alias Pro does not work without it.
What It’s Like To Use The SteelSeries Alias and Alias Pro
Despite being nearly half the price of the Alias Pro, the Alias delivers a very premium experience. The included desk stand is not going to be the ideal height for everyone, but it is rock solid, even when the desk is moved pretty heavily. The shock mount that the microphone sits in greatly reduces handling noise, and it’s not a huge issue when you bump your mouse against the stand.
Having the gain knob and mute button on the front of the mic makes it super easy to make adjustments while recording and gaming quickly. The mute button is touch-sensitive instead of an actual button, which is not ideal for all situations, but in our two weeks of testing, we never had an issue with it. The gain knob is very lovely and tactile, with a clickless spin, so you can dial in the right amount of gain no matter how loud you are.
While the light for LED levels is not the most informative way to see your levels, it is a quick and easy way to make sure the mic is actually picking you up. As you set your levels at the beginning of recording or streaming while looking at the GG software, the LED lights are a good indicator that you are sticking around the same volume during the session.
Finally, on the backside, there is a 3.5mm audio jack for monitoring your levels and audio output for your whole computer. The preamps aren’t the best from this jack, so if you have a pair of high-resistance headphones like the Sennheiser HD 600, it won’t sound phenomenal, but it is an excellent way to make sure you sound the way you want to sound. If you have never used direct feedback for a mic you are talking into before, it can be a bit disorientating at first, but there is minimal delay with this output, so it doesn’t take too long to get used to.
Despite being a gaming microphone, the Alias Pro delivers a very professional-feeling setup in a fairly compact form factor. The microphone capsules of the Alias and Alias Pro are the same size, and the included controller takes up a very small amount of desk space, especially when compared to other XLR interfaces. Side by side with Zoom H6, this controller and interface take up about half as much space and also give you control over the PC volume as well as the gain of the microphone.
Like the Alias, the gain knob and volume knob on the controller are clickless, and you can easily dial the precise settings you want on the fly without having to open up the GG software. However, unlike the Alias, the mute buttons are made of soft-touch rubber that feels very responsive but doesn’t make too much noise when pressing them. Because the lights are so bright on both the mute buttons, it is hard to miss that you are muted or your PC volume is muted, even if you look out of the corner of your eye.
The controller also has a 3.5mm audio output to monitor your levels, which performs similarly to the one on the Alias. Having it separate from the mic does make it a bit easier to position the headphone cable so that it does not get in the way.
The last feature on the controller, which makes it so much more versatile, is the two USB outputs on the back. you’re able to send the same signal to two separate computers with the two outputs. This allows you to have one computer just for gaming, maybe Discord, and the other to handle streaming and recording. Not everyone will benefit from this, but if you have been looking for a single microphone setup for a capture and gaming PC, the Alias Pro makes it incredibly simple.
Sound Quality
USB microphones have gotten a lot better in recent years, but it is always hard to tell if they meet the mark before you actually get them in front of you. However, once we started testing this microphone, the results were absolutely stunning.
Using this microphone as a plug-and-play setup delivers natural-sounding voices, regardless of your pitch or cadence. However, without some of the settings you may fine-tune using the GG software, you will get the best results with the microphone reasonably close to your mouth. That is where something like a boom arm would be nice, but it is not totally necessary as long as you are okay with having a bit of background noise come in.
However, once you start playing with the settings in the GG software, this microphone is taken to a whole new level of sound quality. Even if you have never used an EQ before, using the desk stand preset and turning on the AI Noise Cancelation will make it sound like you are recording in a sound-treated room, even with the microphone near your face. With the AI Noise cancelation, we put this microphone next to a desktop tower with fans running, and the microphone only picked up our voice even when we were typing in the background. Plus, the noise cancelation does not cause the tinny sound that often happens with features like this.
Because they use the same capsule, the Alias Pro and Alias deliver essentially the same sound quality, but with just a few points leaning more towards the Alias Pro because of the reliability that comes with an XLR connection.
Voices sound natural and full regardless of pitch, and because you need the GG software to use the Alias Pro in the first place, you might as well get the most out of it and really fine-tune the EQ and all the other settings to get fantastic results. Setting up settings like noise gate and compressor, when combined with the EQ and AI noise cancelation, will deliver incredibly clean audio while recording and streaming.
The sound quality rivals some of Game Rant’srecommended best premium microphones, like the Shure MV7 or Rode Pod Mic. Whether you want to use this microphone to stream or record professional-sounding podcasts, the Alias Pro can handle it all.
Software
Even though SteelSeries GG is not available for macOS, which pretty much eliminates either of these for Mac users, SteelSeries has done a great job of making professional audio settings approachable regardless of your level of knowledge. Not only are the microphone settings like the EQ, noise gate, and compressor explained and made simple to change, but the virtual mixer also makes it incredibly simple to set levels for all the outputs and inputs you need.
While there are other virtual mixer options, if you don’t have SteelSeries products like Voicemeter, none of them are nearly as simple to set up as GG. The Sonar virtual mixer lays out everything very plainly, and each of the five lines can be assigned individual apps and levels. Whether using the Alias or Alias Pro, the SteelSeries GG software was an absolute delight to use.
Which One Is Right For You?
For most people, the SteelSeries Alias is probably the best choice. Unless you need the reliability and versatility of an XLR connection, the Alias delivers nearly identical sound quality for about half the price, and the setup process is much simpler. Whether you want to upgrade your sound for Discord calls or want to get into streaming, the Alias is a great way to do it without making a huge investment.
While the Alias Pro is difficult to recommend for everyone, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a worthy investment. If you are looking for a professional setup that comes with everything you need, it is hard to go wrong with the Alias Pro, especially from a streaming perspective. The Alias Pro is the type of microphone that can grow with you instead of needing a full upgrade in a couple of years when you are looking for better sound.
The Alias Pro can be used with any XLR interface that can provide +48V phantom power, making it incredibly versatile, regardless of your level. A good-sounding XLR microphone can easily last five or more years without needing an upgrade, as long as you take care of it.
FAQ
Q: Why is my SteelSeries microphone so quiet?
If your SteelSeries microphone is coming through very quietly, regardless of how high you have the gain knob make sure to check the Sonar tab in the GG software to see if the gain is up in the software as well. Typically it is best practice to level the software level at 100% so that way you’re able to control it fully through the gain knob instead of having to open the software to change levels constantly.
Q: Does SteelSeries have a noise-cancelling microphone?
Using the AI noise-cancellation features on the Alias and Alias Pro delivers incredible results that block out all the annoying background noise while retaining a very natural sound quality for your voice.
