The AVerMedia Live Streamer Mic 350 is an ambitious USB-C microphone, aimed toward content creators, streamers, podcasting enthusiasts and other demanding home users. It's tuned by DIRAC, a respected Swedish audio technology company, and it's backed up by a surprisingly powerful VibeEngine software suite, which gives it a hefty amount of useful features.

From a purely hardware standpoint, the AM350 is a very good microphone. It boasts an all-metal build, two integrated 14 mm capsules, two polar patterns, practical onboard microphone gain and headphone/microphone monitoring controls, as well as a low-latency 3.5 mm monitoring output. The integrated USB-C input gives it a seamless plug-and-play connectivity for computers (Windows, macOS) and mobile devices (Android, iOS) alike. The supplied stable metal stand is a welcome addition for when you want to use the microphone on a table, and the integrated 5/8" mount makes mounting it on a boom arm a breeze.

Then there's the VibeEngine software suite. This is where we really start to tap into the various possibilities of the AVerMedia Live Streamer Mic 350, such as Scenarios (think microphone sound profiles), effective AI Noise Reduction, 15-band equalizer, noise gate, compressor, de-esser, and other effects and filters. VibeEngine also offers a separate Mixer Mode, which adds virtual sound cards to your system and lets you mix audio channels for live streaming, just like you would if you bought a dedicated audio interface.

The sound quality of the AVerMedia Live Streamer Mic 350 is very good. I like how AVerMedia doesn't color the sound of the capsules in any way, giving us the option to tailor it to our preference instead. This is why we get a quickfire way to make ourselves sound like professional podcasters, with the dedicated Podcast Scenario. It all kind of reminds me of shooting photos in RAW and doing whatever you want with them in post-processing.

With an asking price of $200, the AVerMedia Live Streamer Mic 350 strikes me as a good choice for demanding home users and enthusiasts. If you're thinking about starting your podcasting or singing career from your bedroom, it will take you a long time to outgrow the Live Streamer Mic 350 and start craving an upgrade.

If you buy it right now, the $200 price also includes the Live Streamer Pop Filter and Live Streamer Shock Mount. That's $70 worth of accessories AVerMedia is giving away to celebrate the launch of the Live Streamer Mic 350. It's not known when exactly will the promotion end, but it could happen at any time, so don't take too long to make up your mind.