Good-bye GoXLR! It's Time to Say Goodbye
It finally happened: I have removed my original GoXLR and it's giant stand from my main desk setup. I still have one running my retro corner audio that I use for some streams and videos, but that might change, too. As the Stream Professor, I've had the GoXLR in my setup for quite some time, and I must say that it has been a reliable companion. However, like any piece of equipment, it's not immune to its own set of issues.
The GoXLR was a hard-to-beat value proposition, but not impossible-to-beat. For certain streamer-focused use cases, the GoXLR may as well have been the perfect product. But it did have its limitations and wasn't perfect for all workflows. As I've said before, the competition has slowly started to rise with the release of new products like the AVerMedia Live Streamer NEXUS and Elgato Wave XLR.
In this article, I'll be discussing my experience with the PreSonus Revelator io24, a new audio interface that's been catching my attention. This little guy is meant to be a badass multi-purpose USB interface for vocals, music, and creators of all kinds, but it actually seems to be perfect for my desk setup too! The price point of this device is comparable to the GoXLR Mini, but it packs a punch when it comes to power and functionality.
A Look at the PreSonus Revelator io24
One of the first things I noticed about the PreSonus Revelator io24 was its design. A pair of XLR and quarter-inch jacks sit right on the front, which is already an upgrade over other streamer-focused products for those doing content with either more than one speaker or needing an extra hookup for an instrument. You also have a teeny tiny LCD screen, input configuration buttons, mute buttons, and a clickable dial for quick volume adjustment.
The rear of the device is where things get really interesting. Around back, you'll find a Kensington lock, USB type C, MIDI in and out, quarter-inch main outputs for running to speakers, studio monitors, or another mixer - THANK YOU PreSonus, finally someone doesn't forget us speaker users! And, as an added bonus, there's also a quarter-inch headphone jack. I have to say that having the headphone jack on the front would be my preference, but this is still a great setup.
A Perfect Fit for My Desk Setup
I've had the PreSonus Revelator io24 hooked up to my PreSonus Eris 5" studio monitor for a while now, and I must say that it's been a perfect fit. The interface is powerful enough to handle even the most demanding audio needs, but it's also lightweight and compact, making it easy to integrate into any desk setup. As a streamer, I'm always on the lookout for equipment that can keep up with my demands, and this device has certainly exceeded my expectations.
So, what does the future hold for me and my PreSonus Revelator io24? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure - this little guy has won me over. It's not perfect, but it's definitely close, and I'm excited to see how it holds up in the long run. For now, I'll just have to bid farewell to my beloved GoXLR and say hello to this new addition to my audio arsenal.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enGood-bye GoXLR! It's time to bury you. You served me well, but off to the audio hardware graveyard with you!It finally happened: I have removed my original GoXLR and it's giant stand from my main desk setup. I still have one running my retro corner audio that I use for some streams and videos, but that might change, too.I'm EposVox the Stream Professor and I've said for a long time that the GoXLR was a hard-to-beat value proposition, but not impossible-to-beat. For certain streamer-focused use cases, the GoXLR may as well have been the PERFECT product, but it did have issues and wasn't perfect for all workflows. We've seen competition slowly start to rise as the AVerMedia Live Streamer NEXUS and Elgato Wave XLR released, and more are coming.One release I wasn't sure I'd love so much is this little guy right here, the PreSonus Revelator io24. This new audio interface is meant to be a badass multi-purpose USB interface for vocals, music, and creators of all kinds, but it actually seems to be perfect for my desk setup, too! This thing is the same price (or cheaper) as the GoXLR Mini, but much more powerful and competes with the full-size GoXLR in many respects.A pair of XLR and quarter-inch jacks sit right on the front - already an upgrade over the other streamer-focused products for those doing content with either more than one speaker, or needing an extra hookup for an instrument. You also have a teeny tiny LCD screen, input configuration buttons, mute buttons, and a clickable dial for quick volume adjustment.Around back you have a Kensington lock, USB type C, MIDI in and out, quarter-inch main outputs for running to speakers, studio monitors, or another mixer - THANK YOU PreSonus, finally someone doesn't forget us speaker users - and a quarter-inch headphone jack. I would have preferred the headphone jack up front and XLR on the back, but this is fine. I have this hooked up to my PreSonus Eris 5\" studio monitor speakers, funny enough.The box is sleek and clean in its presentation. There's a subtle blue LED ring around the main dial and backlighting to the buttons, but it's not in-your-face RGB or anything.The XLR pre-amps provide 60dB of gain - which appear to be enough for the ElectroVoice RE20 and Shure SM7b without a cloudlifter as long as you don't plan on whispering - and 48V of phantom power is also available.The headphone amp works with an impedance range of 32 to 300 ohm, so it should work with most headphones but perhaps not all crazy high-impedance ones.The cool wizardry is the internal DSP. Yes, much like the GoXLR - and unlike the Wave XLR or Blue's mic effects they've been adding to their microphones - the PreSonus Revelator io24 seems to have a pretty beefy DSP - or digital signal processor - onboard. This not only gives you a variety of goofy voice effects, reverb, vocoder, etc. but also a proper \"Fat channel\" audio chain including a high-pass filter, noise gate, EQ, compressor, and limiter built-in.And unlike the GoXLR's super basic and limited graphical equalizer, I can actually achieve the sound I like because the main EQ mode is a proper parametric EQ with adjustable Q-width and everything! I was able to basically copy-paste my exact post-processing settings from Adobe Audition right in here and it matches up almost exactly. Previously this has only been possible with Reaplug VSTs and that only got close, not quite the same. And it's all being processed in the box itself, not using CPU cycles, and not being limited to OBS or anything like that.This, right here, was the deciding factor for me to swap from the GoXLR to the io24 for my main setup. As cool as the GoXLR is and for most people who aren't obsessing over audio details, just making some tweaks in the GoXLR EQ is probably fine - I have ALWAYS had issues getting sound that I like out of its EQ, and felt its compressor left a lot to be desired.The io24 gives a full proper Parametric Equalizer - OR a passive or vintage style one if desired - along with full normal compressor AND limiter controls. Plus you can change the order to have the EQ happen before the compressor or vice versa, which I LOVE.The compressor also has 3 different modes: Standard, Tube, and FET which is more of a vintage hardware compressor style. I stuck with standard since it's what I'm familiar with, but you can get more unique sound out of the different modes here.The only thing really missing from this fat channel is a de-esser. I was disappointed to not see it here, but realistically I don't struggle with it that much and can easily slap that on my OBS profile for a final \"safety pass\" in my recordings and streams, while it won't be necessary for voice calls or anything like that. Not a huge deal, even if disappointing.Here's a sample comparing my ElectroVoice RE20 raw versus my processing chain in Audition versus the processing in the DSP on the io24:(RAW) Three rings for the elven kings under the sky, seven for the dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, nine for the mortal men doomed to die...(AUDITION) Three rings for the elven kings under the sky, seven for the dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, nine for the mortal men doomed to die...(IO24 DSP) Three rings for the elven kings under the sky, seven for the dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, nine for the mortal men doomed to die...The Revelator io24 also gives you sub-mixing, which the GoXLR does not. You have a main monitor mix for your headphones, and a separate stream or recording mix. You can also link your stream mix to your monitor mix if you don't want it, or swap your headphones to any of the mixes.There's also 2 loopback submixes that I haven't entirely figured out yet. This will only be part 1 of my adventure with this interface, get subscribed for a part 2 where I provide a proper \"tutorial\" once I've figured it out.I dislike that I can only move my headphones to the different submixes and not the speakers, but I understand why it works that way. What's really cool here is the main outputs could actually be paired with a bigger mixer for a proper mixing experience. I could just use the io24 as my interface and mic processor and then route it through my big SoundCraft mixer to get full mix controls and outputs to my headphones and speakers with more granular control.Headphone volume, main volume, and monitor-playback blend can be adjusted with the dial on the front of the interface.The mixing outputs can be a little confusing, as you have output devices in Windows for the Main output, then the two loopback devices. These loopback devices can also be sent to other applications to pair program audio with your mic audio. This is useful for programs that only let you record one audio device at a time, or looping relevant audio back to podcast guests over Zoom, etc.I find the overall UI for this software a little confusing, actually. It has been frustrating at various points trying to get the right settings. Be it the confusing mix UI, the difference between the individual effects in the fat channel being enabled vs the whole fat channel being disabled, or the big preset knob that doesn't save your settings if you turn it and generally sucks to use as most screen dials do. The GoXLR got a huge thing right with their routing table, and I hope to see other programs learn from it in time. Also on-screen dials never provide a good user experience, especially when I'm just selecting presets which would work fine as a list.This little box is a small chunk of the footprint of the GoXLR, has a much better processing chain for making your mic sound better and cleaner, has higher-quality audio recording overall, and allows for two mics. The only thing it's missing is the sampler - which is whatever and there are alternatives for - and I guess the physical faders. The physical faders will be slightly missed, but I know plenty of people don't actually use them at all. And a later upgrade to the PCPanel Pro could be a more universally-compatible pairing to use to control specific application audio anyway.The io24 isn't quite as compelling if you're a streamer that uses multiple PCs or a game console, due to the lack of auxiliary and optical inputs. For single PC streaming or non-game streaming, this could be a lot better, though. And again, it almost seems most perfect to pair with a basic mixer that perhaps isn't great for your raw mic audio.Let's test a few of the more common mics here so you can compare to the GoXLR and other interfaces I've reviewed lately. Playlist link below.Three rings for the Elven kings under the sky, seven for the dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, nine for the mortal men doomed to die...Three rings for the Elven kings under the sky, seven for the dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, nine for the mortal men doomed to die and one for the dark lord on his dark throne. In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie.For $200, you're getting a box that strongly competes with the GoXLR and other devices, but has a slightly different target use case. The parametric EQ immediately saves me a ton of time and frustration was an easy switching choice, and I may eventually set up my mixer again to make up for any mixing deficits here, but I'm not sure it's even needed.I haven't given this out in a while, but this interface is the latest product to receive the official \"Stream Professor Approved\" badge. The value per cost, and efficacy of features makes it one of my top recommendations for streamers and content creators today.Choosing audio gear is great to improve your setup, but you know what makes your content even better? Improving your actual skills with our sponsor, Skillshare.Skillshare is an awesome online learning community where millions come together to take the next step in their creative journey. They have thousands of inspiring classes on topics such as productivity, film and video, photography, and even web development. Skillshare is for beginners, pros, dabblers, and masters who want to improve their skillset or learn a new skill entirely. No matter your goals, Skillshare has classes to fit your schedule and skill level.If you want to do what I do, I highly recommend checking out the YouTube course from Marques Brownlee or MKBHD. It's got some good stuff in there, I enjoyed seeing how his team's workflow works, too.The first 1000 people to use my link in the video description will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership. Check it out!Product links are in the description below, as always. Hit the like button and subscribe for more streamguides. Consider watching this other video on choosing a $100 mic for streaming, and remember: Be kind, rewind.\n"
