Thronmax MDrill One Pro & Caster Boom Stand S1 - Review
With work-from-home arrangements not going away any time soon thanks to a global pandemic, the demand for home studio gear remains high and more options can only be a good thing. Enter Thronmax, looking to get into the Australian market, and providing Maxi-Geek with a review unit of its flagship microphone: the Thronmax MDrill One Pro.
Like most USB mics, the MDrill One Pro is an easily plug-and-playable mic that’s pretty straightforward to get going. On its front is a convenient light strip to indicate both volume and gain levels, as well as a mute button and mode button to toggle between its four recording patterns: cardioid, stereo, bi-directional, and omni-directional. On the back are the volume and gain knobs, which are indicated on that front light strip. Underneath the unit is a mounting screw with universal standard for mic stands or arms, as well as a USB-C port, 3.5mm audio port for live headphones monitoring, and clearly the most important feature of the mic: a 7-colour LED pre-set button to change the RGB light rim along the base.
But in all honesty, the MDrill One Pro quickly and easily became my USB mic of choice over the last month since receiving the kit. The convenience of the MDrill One Pro’s layout makes changing any settings a real breeze. For the last five years my Blue Yeti has served me really well, but having the recording mode switch on the back makes it a pain to check which modes I’m changing between, especially when mounted on an arm that’s fixed in one direction. The MDrill One Pro, on the other hand, simplifies the need for adjusting settings with all of the necessary information like mode changes, monitor volume, and gain level right on the front. No more twisting myself behind my desk to see if I’m in cardioid mode or how high my gain is.
As for the practical use of Thronmax’s mic, it records crisp and clear audio as you’d hope from a $179-$220 (depending where you look) studio-level, USB microphone. Compared with the Blue Yeti though, I did notice an interesting difference in tone when listening back to myself while editing. The MDrill One Pro definitely made me sound a little boomier, with more bass captured from my voice. Whereas the Blue Yeti eased off the bass a little bit, but was more sensitive to wider room tone and captured a little more reverb. These aren’t necessarily deal-breakers; if you’re looking to dabble in recording (whether for YouTube videos, VO work, or song-writing) you’ll need to do some post-production touching up anyway. This comparison just made me more aware of each mic’s differences and gave a clearer idea of what needs to be adjusted before exporting the final mix, and over time I’ll learn more.
The MDrill Pro records at up to 96khz—double the frequency of its slightly cheaper predecessor, the MDrill One, at 48khz. Unless you’re an enthusiast or professional audio engineer/musician, you probably know what you’re looking to get out of these frequencies, and likely desire a more expensive analogue setup that offers more flexibility and quality for what you’re trying to achieve. But for the average consumer or enthusiast streamer just wanting a solid mic for gaming, voice work, or a mid-tier mic to keep you going over the foreseeable years to come, the MDrill One Pro will take whatever you throw at it.
However, the MDrill One Pro’s usability is complimented when married with the Thronmax Caster Boom Stand S1 (also provided for review). The arm weighs around 1.5 kilos, extends to just over 80cm, and is made of aluminium. It has three points of articulation, and can also swivel a full 360 degrees to fit within your deskspace. It takes just minutes to setup and mount your mic into the standard ⅝” screw. Both the S1 and S2 models have integrated cabling: the former incorporates a USB-C cable, and the latter has XLR. Being able to work and stream without messy, visible clutter eases my mind knowing my cable won’t fall out of my mic or get caught in the arm’s joints somewhere when adjusting myself.
The downside to picking up the Caster Boom Stand is its roughly $150 price. There are significantly cheaper alternatives out there (previously I’d been using a $30 spring-loaded, metallic arm from Amazon… but it also made a lot of noise when I would accidentally bump my desk), and slightly cheaper options from Thronmax itself. But if you’re looking to splurge for the convenience, performance, and overall neatness of your setup, a combined $330 purchase of both the MDrill One Pro and Caster Boom Stand may not be too bad of a stretch. Otherwise, if you’re happy to keep things casual, the packed in mic stand will probably suffice for now.
If there’s one word I could use to sum up my experience with the MDrill One Pro, it’s “convenience”. I’ve spent less time having to fiddle with the mic itself, and more time happily using it. It also takes up little room, even in its out-of-the-box stand, compared to other higher-end USB mics (like my chonky Blue Yeti). Paired with the Caster Boom Stand, it provides an efficient and aesthetically pleasing experience—especially with the help of that LED ring. For anyone looking to buy a reliable digital mic that packs more oomph than something entry-level, I would confidently recommend this bad boy.
The Score
9.0
Review units provided by Thronmax
The Pros
+Solid performance
+Easy to set up and use
+Works best with the Caster Boom Stand S1
The Cons
-Plastic build to the mic body, but that’s negligible
-Price almost doubles when bought with the Caster Boom Stand S1
