If you are a gamer who wants to improve his audio for better in-gaming communication or someone who is planning to start a game streaming, I recommend investing in a good mic. But not everyone can invest big in getting a professional mic in the beginning. For these cases, Maono launched a budget-friendly condenser microphone. I recently started using Maono DM30 for gaming and recording normal voiceovers for YouTube videos. If you are looking for a budget-friendly microphone, you should read my review of Maono DM30 to know about it.
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Maono DM30 Review
What’s in the Box?
- Maono Gaming Microphone with Metal Stand
- 1.5m long USB-A to USB-C Cable cable
- User Manual
Specifications
- Microphone type: condenser
- Directional pattern: cardioid
- Frequency range: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
- Recording quality: 24 bits/48 kHz
- Sensitivity: – 2 dBFS (1 V/Pa at 1 kHz)
- Connection: Type-C, USB
- Dimensions (HxDxW): 220x100x100 mm
- The weight: 730
Design
Maono DM30 is a gaming microphone and has been designed to keep gaming in mind. It can be put on the desk or can be attached to a boom arm. The mic is not big, so doesn’t take up much space on the desk. It is made of metal body, except for the cover. It feels very premium. It has a heavy base to provide stability on the desk. The stand allows the mic to adjust back and forth up to 300 degrees. There’s a knob to control mic gain. Pressing the knob will mute the mic. If you long-press the knob for 3 seconds, it lets you control the headphone volume.
The mic has an array of RGB lights on the bottom through the holes. At the base side, there’s a USB C port, a button to control RGB lights, and a headphone jack to connect a pair of wired headphones for audio monitoring in real-time. By using the RGB control button, you can cycle through 9 different color modes of RGB lights. There’s no Breathe or Strobe effect. But you can get other light effects using Maono Link program app. I will talk about the app later in this article.
The company provides a long cable with the mic, to make it easy to use it with the laptop or desktop. The one end of the cable has a USB-C port with a USB-A connector. So, you can connect it over a USB A port or USB C port depending on your choice.
DM30 has an impressive design, quality build, and perfect size.
Maono DM30 is a plug-and-play that doesn’t require any setup. You just need to plug the cable on your PC or laptop and that’s it. Your system will detect the device and the light below the knob will turn green.
Audio Recording Performance
DM30 also impresses with performance. The mic records 24 bits with a sampling rate of 48 kHz. Audio pick-up is excellent and clarity is impressive It records clear sound even from a distance of feet. It has a cardioid polar pattern that makes it good for gaming and game streaming. It picks your voice while ignoring keyboard and mouse clicks. It can still pick the vibrations, but that’s reasonable. I also used it to record voiceovers for some of the videos and it did a good job. I even used it on Zoom calls and it passed the test. It can also be used for other activities like podcasting, YouTube videos, and singing. But it shouldn’t be used for professional singers. It is a budget mic and does a better job than I initially expected from it.
Maono Link app
With Maono Link app, you can change the voice tone, choose between preset sound modes, and tweak audio using other settings such as Gain, Compressor, and Limiter. The software is available for Windows, macOS, and Android.
When you open the software, It shows a slider to control mic gain and another slider to control headphone volume. You can select Tones from Deep, Natural, and Bright. There’s another slider to control LED light brightness and different colors to choose from.
If you select Advanced settings, it also lets you select from four different Equaliser settings. It also lets to control Limiter and Compressor.
Wrap Up
If you are looking for a budget microphone for gaming, you should certainly consider Maono DM30. It looks really premium and can improve the look of any gaming setup. The mic is good for in-game communication, game streaming, YouTube videos, and recording voice-overs. Casual singers can also use it for recording songs, but it is certainly not for professional sound recording. For anyone, who wants an affordable mic with no complicated adjustments, should consider Maono DM30. Maono DM30 is certainly one of the best entry-level microphones available in the market. It looks premium, features an impressive build, and records good audio. At a price tag of Rs. 4099, Maono DM30 is a steal deal.
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