Are you looking to easily get your radio shows, podcasts, or Twitch streams off the ground? If so, we’re offering you our Maonocaster Lite review today to show you what’s the best gear to use.
The Maonocaster Lite is an intuitive and portable podcasting gear that’s extremely easy to use. This product will allow you to podcast within minutes and focus on offering quality content for your audience.
It’s a bundle that’s perfect for everyone who’s just getting into podcasting. And, it’s also ideal for musicians searching for a more affordable alternative.
Maonocaster Lite Packaging
Let’s start off our Maonocaster Lite review by looking at its packaging and the contents.
When it arrived, the bundle came in a thick and sturdy-looking cardboard box. It sports a black and yellow theme that looks good, while a few elements are present on the package.
The front displays an image of the podcast console and its microphone. Maonocaster Lite is set on the upper-left corner, while the company’s name is seen on the opposite side. There are a few brief details about the product which you can see just next to the image.
Inside, everything is neatly packed and kept in place. So, you won’t have to worry about anything breaking when the box is shipped to you.
What you’ll find inside includes the following: the AM200 podcast console, a microphone, tripod, earphones, and a widescreen cap. Then, there’s a 3.5mm TTRS audio cable, USB-A to C cable, and an XLR cable.
Maonocaster Lite Review – Design and Functionality
When we finished unboxing for our Maonocaster Lite review, we automatically thought it looked like a miniature DJ turntable. That’s because of the two mini platters which function as the volume knobs for the music and mic.
It’s a three-channel mixer audio interface that features a total of five outputs. These inputs are also designated for microphones and/or other instruments as well as other music inputs. Here, you’ll also find three outputs for smartphones so you can easily and simultaneously stream on various platforms.
A separate primary and monitor output is present, allowing you to listen to what your audience hears during streams. Remember that all the inputs and outputs are for the 3.5mm jacks. So if you’re thinking of plugging an instrument directly via PL cable, you’ll need a 3.5mm adapter for it.
Along the middle selection, you’ll find the LED indicator with a battery indicator too. Interestingly, the product is also battery-powered, though this makes it convenient when you’re streaming out of your home. With this, you can readily recharge its batteries with the USB-C cable.
Moreover, there are audio sample pads, pitch shifters, and buttons for sound effects too.
Two crossfaders are present for controlling the echo level and monitor volume. The monitor crossfader controls the main output’s volume level as well as the monitor output. We think it would’ve been better if the company installed separated levers for each, allowing them to be controlled independently.
This is also the case for its microphone volume knob. It manages the levels for mics 1 and 2. But again, it would be more convenient if there were separate knobs each. Though despite the design they chose, we’re assuming the company went for this to fit in a compact box.
The AU-PM360TR Microphone
Of course, we’ll also discuss the microphone in this Maonocaster Lite review. It’s a condenser mic that doesn’t need any phantom power.
It runs at 5V or below using the XLR to 3.5mm cable. This is compared to the industry-standard condenser mics. And because of its cardioid polar pattern, the mic is more sensitive to sounds captured in front of it.
Out of the box, the tripod is attached to the included microphone. It’s a mini tabletop piece so you won’t have to worry about it taking up a lot of space.
However, do note that the mic can be detached from the tripod. But if you use it as a handheld mic, it’ll surely pick up hand noises during streams. So, we highly suggest that you leave it attached to the tripod.
Key Features of the Maonocaster Lite
Let’s find out what makes this product unique by discussing its key features in our Maonocaster Lite review.
Plug-and-Play for Ease of Use
The Maonocaster Lite is a plug-and-play podcasting interface. All you have to do is connect it to a computer with the included USB-A to C cable.
You don’t need any drivers to set it up; just plug it in and it’s ready to use.
Advanced Engineering for Audio Control
The Maonocaster Lite utilises advanced engineering, allowing sound level control and adding effects with a comprehensive set of tools. With that, you can avoid the tedious process of editing and post-production.
Special Effects
The Maonocaster Lite offers eight built-in special audio effects to enhance your content creating experience.
Multiple Outputs
With multiple outputs, you can connect up to three devices simultaneously, giving you more possibilities.
Denoise and Music Only
The Maonocaster Lite offers features for cancelling noise and muting vocals. Denoise eliminates background noise for a clearer audio experience. Music Only, on the other hand, minimises the vocals in the music that you are playing.
Maonocaster Lite – An All-in-One Product
The Maonocaster Lite also works as a USB sound card plus mixing station. It’s an all-in-one product that will surely give you the best during your streams or podcasts.
Cardioid Microphone
The Maonocaster Lite comes with a cardioid polar pattern microphone that reduces the pickup of sounds from the sides. It also improves the isolation of the desired sound source to capture clearer and more realistic audio.
This microphone is excellent for Google Voice Search, Network Youtube Recording streaming, podcasting, and desktop recording.
This time, our Maonocaster Lite review will discuss the specifications of the product.
Specifications
The Maonocaster Lite is a podcasting interface with a frequency response ranging from 20Hz to 20kHz. Its headset output power is 35mW with an impedance of 32 ohms.
Its battery is 1,200mAh which lasts up to eight hours when fully charged and connected via Bluetooth. Charging is via USB-C and takes three hours to fully charge the Maonocaster Lite.
For the podcasting interface’s body, it’s made from metal and ABS. Plus, its dimensions are 24 x 14 x 4.2 cm. The microphone that comes with the Maonocaster Lite features a cardioid polar pattern and a total pickup distance of 50cm.
We also tested the product for our Maonocaster Lite review to see how well it performed.
Hands-on with the Maonocaster Lite
The Maonocaster Lite was easy to use for podcasting and it did its job well. Its inclusive microphone delivered a clear and loud output unlike integrated mics in laptops and smartphones.
Since the Maonocaster Lite has a wheel knob, adjusting the volume of music and voice was easy. We were also able to experiment with different voice pitches and effects. Although we noticed that the audio vanished when we spoke softly, most sounds were fine
The sound samples like cheering, laughter, and applause were nice additions for impromptu streaming segments. Auto-tune also worked well and we found it useful for a little music work.
The noise reduction feature was a game-changer. It efficiently reduced ambient noise like keyboard noise and electric fans when we tried podcasting. However, there were instances when it completely cut out the audio when we weren’t speaking.
Our recording software detected the Maonocaster Lite immediately. Output via USB-C to our computer was flawless and we didn’t have issues like crossfading through music and sound effects.
For the Maonocaster Lite’s controls, these were responsive and resistant enough, giving precise and smooth adjustment control. With numerous inputs and outputs, beginners can start song production with the Maonocaster Lite.
The included AU-PM360TR microphone worked well. Of course, it’s not a fully optimised podcasting mic, so its quality wasn’t that impressive and special. Also, its output was weaker than classic condenser microphones since it’s not compatible with phantom power.
But what we liked about the Maonocaster Lite’s microphone is it did its job well. It worked properly for voice-overs and its overall audio quality was good. However, we advise investing in a high-quality microphone for better audio quality and recording.
Maonocaster Lite Review Summary
The Maonocaster Lite is an impressive podcasting interface for beginners and intermediate users. It’s also excellent for those who want to do basic voice-over work.
Since it comes with a range of accessories, it’s a great all-in-one bundle that you can take anywhere. It is also easy to use, doesn’t have a huge learning curve, and offers a solid audio experience.
For its price, it’s one of the most capable podcasting solutions we’ve used. While there are a lot of options on the market, they’re often more expensive. And, not all of them offer the same performance.
Overall, we were satisfied with the Maonocaster Lite and we highly recommend it to all beginner podcasters and content creators. To get your hands on this product, it’s available from the company’s official website.