Content creators have longed for a hardware solution to the messy PC audio interfaces that plague the modern era - one that doesn't cost several hundreds of dollars for features users will most likely never use. Whether it's the incredibly expensive Rodecaster Pro II or the more popular GoXLR, there seems to be little of an entry point for simplified PC audio that isn't set at an exorbitant price tag.
Enter Beacn, a group of audio hardware and software professionals that incidentally made a name for themselves initially through the creation of TC Helicon's GoXLR and GoXLR Mini. Both products have no sooner become content creation must-haves, with more than most creators seen with the device as their main mixer.
But Beacn has something far sleeker and smaller up its sleeves. The firm has not one but two audio mixers and even its own noise-canceling microphone, all of which we were lucky enough to receive from the talented team. With the Mix and Mix Create specifically, Beacn has pulled out all the stops, delivering a product that may well be the end-all, be-all for serious content creators regarding simplified PC audio routing.
Beacn Mix
Marketed as the bare-bones cousin to the Mix Create, Beacn's Mix is, simply put more watered-down and less expensive version of the alternative model. Yet, despite that, it still holds some serious power and makes sound setups an absolute breeze, all for a mere $150.
Unlike the GoXLR's faders, both products feature four knobs, each of which can be programmed when pressed to either Mute to All, Mute to Audience, or Mute to Self, aside from the Mic input, which is already muted to the user. The knobs can also be long-pressed to switch between audio outputs, thus making it far simpler to change from a desktop speaker or monitor to headphones at a clip.
Within the software, the Beacn Mix can thus be programmed only with four main audio inputs. Users can essentially customize this. However, they prefer by way of simply dragging and dropping their varied sources into the appropriate knobs of their choosing. These changes will then appear on the 5" 800x400 LCD screen.
And that's about it. Although it may not sound like much, the Beacn Mix is intended to be for select content creators willing to sacrifice fewer features for less expensive hardware. The Create certainly has a whole suite of amazing additional features baked into it, but not everybody will need these. The Mix acts like a simplified entry point for content creators looking to make their PC audio far simpler to work with.
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That being said, though, I think Beacn could have easily added just a bit more functionality to its base model. At $150, you're essentially getting a relatively handy audio mixer that can only route four inputs and options to mute those inputs where necessary. It's quite an awesome product that, more often than not, can be easily forgotten in the shadow of its beefier counterpart. It's hard to overlook the Mix Create, given its elongated list of additional internals, making it stand out as the more obvious must-have. With the Mix, Beacn should consider giving it some additional functionality to make it stand out more.
Still, though, Beacn's Mix is an affordable option for those interested, and while it may be lacking in features, it's a worthy buy for those looking to turn their messy PC audio into a more streamlined ecosystem. For that, in tandem with the snappy and incredibly intuitive software (I've heard from others that it has some issues, but I didn't experience anything noteworthy), I have to give the Beacn Mix a solid 8 out of 10. I do think it needs some additional improvement in underlying specs and with what it offers, but beyond potential LCD burn, there isn't much else one can say that's bad about the device.
Mix Create
On the other hand, though, the Beacn Mix Create is an unparalleled form of audio mixer that leverages a ton of awesome features to make content creation a stress-free delight. Although it mau only have four knobs and accompanying buttons on the hardware itself, Beacn allows for practically an infinite amount of inputs for users to control every inch of their PC's audio.
Addiitonally, the Mix Create also allows users to more accurately rout necessary sounds using the onboard routing table, which can be found within the software. This makes video creation that much simpler, as Mix Create users can easily check off music or voice chat to rid their VODs of copyright songs and their teammate's banter.
Within the software, users can also find submixes, which gives them complete control over varied sound levels. For instance, music for the audience may be a bit too loud in the user's headphones, but with the Mix Create they can easily lower the music for them while still keeping it at a relatively higher frequency for the viewers. This goes for every input, and they can even be locked at a varied level so you can better situate the sound for both you and your audience much simpler.
Unlike the base Mix, the Mix Create has buttons located directly below each knob. These give users additional levels of control for muting, so one can Mute to Audience with the colored button and Mute to All using the knob, thus streamlining the control. At the end of the Mix Create are the two pointer keys, allowing you to switch between input pages (by fours or threes if you have one input locked to the main page), and the Audience Mix button, which allows you to hear what your audience hears at the push of a button.
The experience is well-crafted and essentially plug-in-play, though I did have to do some setting reworkings in Discord and OBS. These are quite simple to set up, though, and Mix Create does the hard part when selecting the automatic setup option once plugged in. Through Mix Create, there is a multitude of ways users can work their PC's audio. Now the software includes tables like Browser, Game, and even Hardware, which can be used for a secondary Mic where necessary.
I did have some issues, though. While the Game input may seem to make video gaming audio routing quite simpler, I couldn't seem to get it to work. With Dark Souls 3 running in the background, the audio input wanted to remain under System as opposed to Game and wasn't exactly cooperating. I wonder if this is more a Steam issue rather than a Mix Create an issue, but it's hard to pinpoint.
Additionally, as a proud owner of the Stream Deck Mini, it would have been really cool if Beacn included a wallpaper function when the device isn't being used for a whole. It might detract from the overall use case, but that beautiful LCD screen doesn't always need to be on my audio interface. It would be even cooler if I could set up gifs and movies to play when it goes into standby - a touch I understand may not be for everybody but it would be quite cool nonetheless.
All in all, the Mix Create is a fantastic device, one that only costs $50 more than its bare-bones counterpart. That's $200 for an insane suite of features, the most prominent among them being a full routing table in tandem with sub-mixes that makes audio setup a breeze. There are save functions for profiles that I do wish had autosaving built-in, but that's a minor gripe that is easily ignored in the face of Mix Create's immense potential for content creation.
With all that being said, I have to give Mix Create a 9 out of 10. It turns a user's entire PC into a GoXLR and allows them to control their audio via a simplified setup. It's a dream come true for those who may have been turned off by the GoXLR's condenser mic requirement or Razer's a bit more expensive fader-touting option.
Beacn's Mic, on the other hand, similarly captures the team's audio know-how, given its swath of incredible internals. We'll get to the Beacn Mic in a separate review. Still, from the outset, it is clear that the firm knows what and how it is doing, delivering some of the most impeccable audio-based hardware for enthusiasts at affordable rates.
