Product: TC Helicon GoXLR
Website: Get it Here
How did I review the Product? Personal Purchase
Cost: $499.99
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Overview
The TC Helicon GoXLR Mixer is a Digital Mixer and Sound FX board that is perfect for either single or dual PC streaming, or for creating any type of content. For my setup, which includes a Shure SM7B and multiple audio inputs and outputs, it works seamlessly. The board has 4 Audio inputs, and 2 audio outputs, 1 via USB and the other via Line out.
Software
The software that TC Helicon provides for the mixer has multiple functions, however this was the most stressful thing to deal with when setting up. Out of the box, you have the mixer and power supply, along with literature on the company and other products. On one of the pieces of information is a guide on how to start the setup, which only says plug in and download the app. There are no instructions on what to do from there, but there are some instructional videos that, if you have a bit of audio knowledge, can be useful.
Features
The sound sampler and FX buttons are easy enough to program, however you need to either have worked with something similar before, or have time to mess around with it to learn it. The FX have a varying range, from Megaphone to Autotune, so if you wanna sound like T-Pain, have at it. Along with all the programming that the board for, the best thing is the routing option in the app. If set up correctly, individual sliders can be set up to control individual programs on the same PC. For instance, I currently have my Mic on Ch. 1 Game PC Audio on Ch 2 and Ch. 3&4 are both controlling individual apps sound on my streaming PC, Discord & Spotify. This means that while playing a game I can choose which sounds I hear more of, so MP games I can raise Discord independently of the game audio.
Design Aesthetics
The last thing to mention is how beautiful the overall design of the board looks and feels. The sliders are slick and feel smooth, FX knobs are set up in intervals so you can feel how much you are increasing or decreasing and effect. The last thing is the RGB LED back-lighting. The board is separated into 4 zones, each one can be independently changed or set to match the board throughout. I really like the gradient option for the faders that allow you to set a top and bottom color and as you move the slider, the colors transition and it just looks amazing. Also the buttons, like mute or any of the Sound Sample buttons can be programmed in different colors, when they’re active. Example, when unmuted, my mute button is blue, but when the mute is active it turns red, but those colors can be changed to any color the owner likes.
Weaknesses
The GoXLR has so many features and looks and feels nice, it’s really hard to find something I dislike about it. However, I did. The initial set up, which I stated before, is just a piece of paper instructing you to plug in the device and download the app. If you don’t have a lot of audio engineering background, or just never worked with a digital board before, there will be a slight learning curve. Even with 5 years in the AV industry I was yelling at some points because what made sense in my head was not working on the board. There are some videos you can watch that TC Helicon has made, but they do not always do the best job of explaining how to do what you want to do.
Conclusion
In summation, this is the perfect piece of audio equipment for the more advanced audio geek like myself, and is perfect for single or dual PC streaming. If you know anything about sound engineering or have any audio industry background, it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out what makes it so great. Other then the lack of setup instruction, the board is one of the best on the market, and at its price point, you’d be hard pressed to find something of the same quality. Solid 4.5/5 and would be a 5/5 if there was a written instruction manual or videos that did a full explanation on how to set some of the more advanced settings.
PROS
Beautiful design
Impeccable control over all aspects of audio
Many customization options
Great software
CONS
Lack of manual
Difficult learning curve
Company supplied instructional videos are not always clear
Neutral
Expensive compared to analog mixers
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