A mixed bag with a very un-Razer name

The Razer Audio Mixer is one of Razer’s newest launches in their product stack that specifically targets streamers and live broadcasters.

Shockingly not given a Razer-like name, the Audio Mixer is simply what it is — an audio mixer.

It sports an XLR input, a line-in, a line-out, an optical-in, four sound faders, four mute buttons for each specific fader, one overall mute button and a bleep button.

Yes, it comes with a bleep button you can use to censor swear words, just in case you or your teammates are tilted and being a bit mouthy on stream.

It also comes with a 3.5mm headphone-out and a 3.5mm mic-in at the front of the mixer, and is connected to the PC via USB-C.

If you have that feeling of deja vu, you are not alone.

The Audio Mixer is almost identical to TC Helicon’s GoXLR Mini. The two big differences you can notice on a hardware level are that the Audio Mixer is powered by USB-C, and that it has an external 48V phantom power button.

Out of the box, there is absolutely no way to plug and play the Audio Mixer. You have to install Razer’s Synapse software to get it to work.

If you were looking for a mixer that didn’t need some software to set up, this is not it. You are better off getting something like the Yamaha AG-03 (which is also much cheaper, just without the RGB and a tad more complicated to set up).

The functionality through Synapse is extensive, though. You are able to customise and route your faders to various functions like Game sound, Music, Chat and the like.

Once you have set up these faders, you can route programs like Spotify or your game sounds to each of these fader option on Synapse. You will then be able to control the volume of these programs through the physical faders on the Audio Mixer.

The mic input can be set to either use the XLR or the 3.5mm input on the mixer itself, and comes with some very nifty features like a noise gate and a compressor. These will help with reducing background noise and normalising your mic’s volume, especially when you inevitably end up shouting at your mic during intense sessions.

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If these features alone satisfy you as an end user, you are looking at the right product.

Doesn’t play nice with USB devices

However, you are planning to use the Audio Mixer as a standard audio mixer (without individually setting the programs to each of these faders via the Chat, Music or Game function), you will need to set your faders to the Mic option, Line-In and System through Synapse anyway.

The Mic option will either use the XLR or the 3.5mm input on the mixer, Line-In will use the input from the line-in at the back, and System will simply send your PC’s sound as a whole to the mixer.

Take note, though. If you set this up and uninstall Synapse, the controls will be a little finicky again.

I haven’t found a solution to this, and I would say that it is a limitation of the device itself — you definitely need Synapse installed to use this mixer to its fullest potential.

To be fair, the GoXLR Mini has this same problem, so I would generally advise people to get something else (like the aforementioned Yamaha AG-03) if they want a mixer that is software-free.

On another note, even if you are deep into Razer’s ecosystem, keep in mind that the Audio Mixer does not play well with other USB connected products.

For example, if you have something like the Razer Seiren Pro V2, (which is one of Razer’s most top tier microphones, which uses a USB connection to your computer), you will be unable to route its output to the mixer and control its volume, which makes the mixer absolutely redundant for microphone input.

You will have to find a way to route your USB mic and headset to either the XLR input or the 3.5mm input to get the most out of the Audio Mixer.

To me, that is quite the oversight, especially when you need Synapse to control both the Seiren and the Audio Mixer.

By going deep into the ecosystem, I would expect everything to work flawlessly with each other and in tandem. How can I call myself a Razer fanboy when my microphone is a Shure or an Audio Technica?

I jest, but you get the picture. If I were someone who valued brand loyalty to Razer, this would leave a little crack in my trust.

There are other fun features, like changing the RGB on the mixer and re-routing the bleep button to other functions, but those do not make or break the basic function of the product — to successfully mix your stream sounds for a pleasant streaming experience.

In conclusion…

All in all, the Razer Audio Mixer is really a mixed bag (no pun intended).

If you are okay with having Synapse installed on your computer, this mixer is really good.

It is easy to set up, and is fun to use, especially if you have a high-grade XLR microphone. If you are looking to have a plug and play option, though, this is not it.

If you have a USB microphone or headset (this includes wireless ones), tough luck.

You will have to find a way to connect it to the XLR or 3.5mmm input for the Audio Mixer to work with it, which I would say is the biggest con of this product.

Hopefully a V2 will fix this issue. Or in the most ideal scenario, this gets patched through a firmware update.

Dominic loves tech and games. When he is not busy getting headshotted in VALORANT or watercooling anything he sees, he does some pro wrestling.

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