The world of gaming and streaming and even podcast has experienced a massive surge in popularity over the last few years. With so many people turning to streaming as a career, it’s no surprise that more and more are looking for the necessary professional equipment without breaking the bank.
Enter the Maonocaster E2 (AME2) bundle that is jam-packed with features and does not overwhelm you as a beginner and even more so, does not overwhelm your wallets.
We’re no stanger to Maono. We’ve bought several equipment from them before, including a couple wireless microphones for our video production.
Table of Contents
What’s in the Box?
Before diving into the nitty-gritty of the Maonocaster E2 set, let’s take a look at what’s included in the box. Here we have a considerably compact packaging that actually fits in my backpack, making it highly portable.
Open it up and you’ll be greeted by the manuals and audio interface underneath.
Everything here is apparently made of plastic making it very light to hold.
There’s a condenser mic (model AU-PM320T) on the side and a smaller box containing a 3.5mm (TRRS) audio cable, and a USB-C to USB-A cable.
In the second compartment, we see more accessories including the stand set for the mic. The shock mount here is made of steel and is quite heavy, although it doesn’t have rubber stops underneath. So, you have to be careful in placing it on a table with a smooth surface.
We also have a pop filter, a pair of earbuds, and a three-pin XLR cable for the mic.
Not to brag about it but the first time assembling it was a piece of cake, even without me referring to the manuals. But it’s still good to keep the manuals to see if you got them right.
The mic stand is easy to assemble; height is adjustable, and you can change its angle to your liking.
Note that these accessories are all plug-and-play that is extremely helpful for a beginner like me when it comes to audio equipment.
Interface
Now to the Maonocaster E2’s interface. At first glance, I really thought there’s a lot of stuff going on here, but I got the hang of it eventually.
The top view protrudes the knobs, keys, dials, and buttons. As well as backlit indicators for volumes, status, and auto-tune?! We’ll explore more on that later.
The sides are blank giving a clear look to it. While the rear composes all the available inputs and outputs including the power button, two USB-C ports: one for your PC, and one for charging.
There’s the XLR three-pin port, and even a dedicated 6.35mm audio jack for your instrument like an electric guitar.
Interestingly, there’s a toggle for mic setting to set preamp from 40 decibels for condenser microphones, and up to 50 or 60 decibels for dynamic microphones. Which is neat if you have other mics to use.
Not to mention, the sound card supports 48 volts of Phantom Power that condenser microphones require to work.
And at the front, it has two 3.5mm audio jack for monitoring audio via headphones.
Experience
Moving on to my experience. Like I mentioned, I got the hang of it in a while but that’s after I did some research on what these buttons and keys do.
Thank goodness, Maono itself has provided a user guide video, so it makes things easier to understand. And it’s gonna be redundant already if I describe them one-by-one.
I really appreciate the range of customizations this product offers. In addition to the usual equalizer dials and onboard effects, there’s a soundpad for recording snippets. The three main buttons (A-B-C) can capture up to one minute of audio, and there’s a loop button beside them to mix your next track.
The eight additional pads below can record up to 20 seconds of sound effects. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to assign your own sound effects from a PC via audio files to each sound pad.
On the right side of the interface, there are more buttons essential for podcasting. The denoise feature is excellent; with just one tap, it eliminates background noise, whether you’re speaking or not.
There’s also the side/chain button that automatically lowers down the music volume from AUX input as you speak. I mean that’s how I hear DJs on the radio, you know what I mean?
Anyway, the auto-tune feature is the only one that doesn’t have a physical button. It uses a capacitive touch instead.
It’s fun to mess with auto-tune, especially this doesn’t require any software to use. The feature is already built-in, with 12 different keys to tune your voice to. I would find this feature useful for livestreaming and music recording.
You can also connect a Bluetooth device here, such as a microphone or a sound input for music. For example, you can use your phone as a background music source. Especially now that most phones don’t have a headphone jack anymore.
Maono says that this audio interface can last up to eight hours of battery life, and based on my experience, it has gone down to 50% with almost 3 hours of use.
Well, for the benefit of the doubt, I haven’t charged it yet since I received it.
Sound Quality
When it comes to sound quality, I would say that the bundled microphone does deliver great studio-quality audio. Take note that the mic has a cardioid polar pattern, so it will record the best audio from the front where the Maono moniker is printed, and not anywhere else.
Meanwhile, it is the opposite with the included pair of earbuds, with its mediocre sound output. This led me to use my own headphones for monitoring sound. But yes, it’s decent enough to hear the overall audio clearly.
Besides, the inclusion of earbuds is already a win, especially on a budget.
Conclusion
To wrap this up, the Maonocaster E2 bundle is a solid start to making your streaming and podcast dreams a reality through its great sound quality, wide range of customizations, and ease of accessibility.
Priced at only Php 7,990 pesos, it makes an ideal package for both beginner and professional streamers, podcasters and music producers alike.
Additionally, with its highly portable build, you can take your studio anywhere you go. So, if you’re looking for a great way to get into streaming on a budget, look no further than the Maonocaster E2.
