Razer Seiren Mini review

Gaming mics can be pretty pricy and often include bloated software, unnecessary features, and loud designs. While this can be fine for some people, not everyone wants to spend hundreds of dollars on a flashy piece of equipment. In that case, the Razer Seiren Mini may be more your speed. This compact microphone is reasonably priced, and a great option for green podcasters and streamers alike. Let’s see if the Razer Seiren Mini is a good gaming mic for you.

Editor’s note: this review was updated on July 11, 2023 to fix formatting errors, and update information.

What’s it like to use the Razer Seiren Mini?

You don’t have put much thought into using the Razer Seiren Mini — all you have to do is plug in the included cable to the back of the mic and connect it to your computer. You can easily use this mic for video conference calls as well as gaming sessions.

The Seiren Mini is sleek and subtle, with a pill-shaped chassis that hides the cord flush with the back of the microphone. The microphone is lightweight, and can fit in the palm of your hand — but it doesn’t feel delicate or fragile by any means. Because it’s small and compact, it can live on your desk without getting in the way, and you can take it with you on the go.

There’s one step to assembling the Seiren Mini: attach the mic to the rod and mount it on the stand. A ball head allows the mic to swivel around in all directions, so you can easily point it towards the sound source. The stand is sturdy, so you don’t have to worry about it falling over while you reposition it.

One of the biggest downfalls of this mic is the rod. The rod is less than three centimeters (one inch) long, and you can’t extend it, so the whole unit is only about 15 centimeters (six inches) tall. While this makes the mic portable, it means that if you’re properly postured at your desk, the mic likely won’t point straight at your mouth. This is true even if you tilt it back on the swivel stand. This creates a less directional and more “hollow” sound, regardless of the supercardioid polar pattern. Pro tip: if you have a boom arm with a 5/8″ thread, you can mount the mic to it for better placement.

Razer includes the condenser microphone, a little round desk stand, a rod to screw into the bottom of the mic, a microUSB to USB-A cable, and some documentation.

Does the Seiren Mini include a lot of features?

The Razer Seiren Mini has few features, but lacks onboard buttons and inputs, save for the microUSB input. If you want to adjust the gain, you have to use the input settings on your computer — or whatever software you use to record or stream audio. While this makes it a plug-and-play mic that’s very easy to use in almost any scenario, it can be annoying if you want to mute yourself or monitor your gain levels.

The Seiren Mini has only one polar pattern: supercardioid. This means that the sound field it picks up is very directional. It has a narrow pickup pattern in front of its capsule and a small amount behind, but it rejects noise from the sides. This very directional pickup pattern is likely intended to combat the “distant” sounding effect that happens when a mic stand is too short. Unfortunately, with this type of polar pattern the keyboard sounds will be almost as loud as your voice.

How does the Razer Seiren Mini sound?

The Seiren Mini has a 14mm condenser capsule that records 16-bit audio at a 44.1kHz to 48kHz sample rate, and the mic accurately records vocal frequencies across the (vocal) frequency spectrum. So whether you have a high or low-pitched voice, this mic will make you sound pretty decent — or at least, how you do normally.

However, the audio isn’t crystal clear. Since the microphone is only around $50, this is likely due to the cheaper electronics with a high noise floor. Generally, you could do better when it comes to sound quality. Again, it doesn’t sound awful. On the contrary, the Seiren Mini sounds very good for its price, just don’t expect near-studio-quality like you get from HyperX QuadCast S or Blue Yeti X.

One nice thing about this mic is that you don’t need to add a pop filter into the mix (though it can help). When I recorded my mic demos down below, I didn’t have any issues with plosives (p-, t-, k- sounds). The mic also has an internal shock mount, which reduces internal vibrations from handling. Unfortunately, the microphone does amplify sibilance sounds (s-), and adding a pop filter doesn’t help much.

Razer Seiren Mini sample (10-inch distance):

Razer Seiren Mini sample (6-inch distance):

Razer Seiren Mini polar pattern sample:

Razer Seiren Mini with typing noises:

Razer Seiren Mini singing sample:

Razer Seiren Mini acoustic guitar sample:

What is the Razer Seiren Mini compatible with?

The Razer Seiren Mini is compatible with Windows 10 (64-bit) and it’ll work on your MacOS device too. The Seiren Mini works with XSplit Broadcaster and Open Broadcaster Software and it will work pretty much anywhere that accepts a mic — though it doesn’t work with Razer Synapse, so you need to download third-party software to take basic control, including the ability to mute the mic.

Should you buy the Razer Seiren Mini?

The Razer Seiren Mini isn’t for everyone. It doesn’t have the best sound quality in the world, and its limiting recording pattern has its drawbacks. This feature-starved mic isn’t a very versatile pick, but this might be good as a simple solution to a desk warrior’s microphone problem.

This mic is small and has a subtle enough design to be transferable to a non-gaming setting. It’s also very easy to use and you don’t have to think about it at all during gameplay thanks to the lack of any distracting lights or features. While some may see it as a downside that it has no onboard volume or mute controls, this could be a positive if you like the simplicity of plug and play.

The price of this mic this might be a compelling enough reason to go for it. The Razer Seiren Mini retails for $49 USD. At this price point, it’s unlikely you’ll find something much better unless you wait for a sale. Plus, if you buy the Seiren Mini from the Razer store itself you have a 14-day grace period for returns. Regardless of where you buy it from, you will have a one-year warranty through Razer which is always nice. If you want a more exciting design, you can go for the pink Quartz or white Mercury color options as well.

What should you get instead of the Razer Seiren Mini?

If you’re willing to save up quite a bit of money, we highly recommend the Shure MV7. This hybrid USB/XLR microphone is about as versatile as they come, and Shure’s desktop software streamlines the experience. You can either set it and forget it, or get a bit more granular in the manual mode settings. Sound quality is very good, as it rivals its big brother, the Shure SM7B. It’s not quite as compact as the Seiren Mini, but it’s small for all that it affords.

Another popular option is the Razer Seiren X, which is currently available for just $69 USD. This includes a few more features than the Seiren Mini: you get a hardware gain dial and mute toggle, but Razer Synapse doesn’t support this mic either. The taller mic design may pick up less keyboard noise, but don’t expect a miracle as it uses a unidirectional polar pattern.

Of course, you could always use the gamer stalwart Blue Snowball if you’re looking for a dead-simple option that works without fuss. Of course, it’s more expensive than the Seiren Mini, but it’s a tried and true option that many gamers swear by.