The Sound of Success

We have officially evolved.

Well, officially according to me anyway. We're not joining a video call using the built-in mic, camera and speakers on our tiny little laptops anymore. We're so past that. The sound quality on a tablet? Probably no better. And we're definitely not doing it on our phones. Nah uh. No way.

We need lights. We need a decent camera. We need speakers or at least great earbuds or headphones. And we absolutely must, must, must have a quality mic.

The Thronmax MDRILL One Pro might just be that mic. Let's get the silly stuff out of the way first; it looks great. When people see my Thronmax mic on a video call, they invariably comment on it, telling me how cool they think it is. In fact, Thronmax seems to have put quite a lot of effort into making it look so groovy.

Not only is the overall shape of the MDRILL One Pro reminiscent of the studio mics you think of in radio and recording studios, there's also an LED display to show both mic and headphone levels on the front and what's described as a "Mood Lighting Ring" around the base which can be cycled through any of seven different colours... depending on your mood, I guess.

The mic includes its own desktop stand in the box but I've been using it with the Thronmax Caster Boom Pro. Like the MDRILL One, the Caster Boom definitely deserves its "Pro" moniker. Between its internal spring system and hidden cable management, it certainly looks and feels just like the mic booms I use in my studio at Newstalk ZB. There are large, easy-to-adjust tightening wheels on each hinge and it comes with a comprehensive range of adapters to fit pretty much any mic imaginable - even a fully adjustable ball-and-socket connector for ultimate manoeuvrability. Weirdly, it also features something labelled on the box as an "On-Air LED Control" - it's a light that looks a bit like the on-air lights in my radio studio. Except, once you plug the mic in, it stays on all the time - not just when the mic is turned up. Even weirder; you can swap between red and white just by touching it. Nope, I don't get it either.

Unnecessary and pointless light aside, it's a great boom that lets me position the mic anywhere I need it around my workstation.

Which might be quite a number of places because the MDRILL One Pro is a very versatile mic indeed. There a four dedicated recording modes; Cardioid, Stereo, Bi-Directional and Omni-Directional. That means you can record yourself, a two-way conversation, a group chat or even instruments and you'll capture everything. Certainly having that stereo mode brings an extra dimension when recording things like acoustic guitar or drums; you can now mix the squeak of fingers changing position in one side with the resulting strummed chords in the other, or literally hear that drum fill travel from left to right.

If you want to get really technical, Thronmax claims the MDRILL One Pro uses something called VERTIGAIN technology to increase quality and clarity. This is achieved by ensuring sound waves hit all three condensers without being scattered by microphone mesh - note the vertical slots on the mic. Apparently sound waves move vertically. I really should have paid more attention in seventh form Physics.

While I won't pretend to fully understand what's happening with all that, I do know the result is crisp and clear, as promised. I'd also add warm and full to that list of adjectives. If you thought your built-in laptop mic or the one on your webcam was doing you any favours, wait to you hear the difference. It's not even close.

Best of all, there's no real setup involved - all the controls are on board the mic itself. A mute button, a selector button to cycle through the four recording modes and a button on the base to choose your preferred "Mood Ring." You'll also find a 3.5mm headphone jack on the base, so you can listen to what you're recording in with no latency. If you've ever done any digital recording, you'll know by the time your signal is sent to the computer, encoded and played back out of whatever audio editor you're using, the delay can be actual seconds. This jack mitigates that lag completely. Headphone level is controlled by a pot at the back of the microphone, below another pot for mic gain.

In a nutshell, the MDRILL One Pro is a very full-featured USB mic priced at a rather reasonable NZ$179.00. Do yourself a favour and put your best foot forward at your next online meeting. If communication is key, it's long past time to clear it up once and for all.

    

Click here for more information on the Thronmax MDRILL One Pro.

Click here for more information on the Thronmax Caster Boom Pro.