PreSonus Revelator — a condenser USB microphone with hardware DSP for bloggers, streamers, and musicians
Grigory Liadov
The PreSonus Revelator USB microphone was designed for streamers, bloggers, podcasters, and musicians. It offers extensive controls and signal routing, plus built-in digital signal processing (DSP) for real-time hardware effects. Some high-quality algorithms come from flagship PreSonus StudioLive digital mixers. This makes the Revelator especially interesting.
No extra equipment is needed for computer use. The Revelator already has a built-in audio interface and a headphone output for latency-free microphone monitoring. The microphone level can be balanced against overall volume. Like other PreSonus products, it includes Studio One Artist so users can start creating immediately.
PreSonus Revelator specifications
| Microphone | |
| Capsule | 2 electret capsules |
| Polar pattern | Cardioid, figure-eight, omnidirectional |
| Maximum SPL | 110 dB (<3% THD) |
| Frequency range | 20 Hz–20 kHz |
| Sensitivity | 1 mV/Pa |
| Headphone output | |
| Connector | 1/8" TRS |
| Frequency range | 20 Hz–20 kHz |
| Power | 22.6 mW into 16 ohms |
| Distortion | 0,008% |
| Impedance | 16 ohms |
| Dynamic range | 77.5 dB |
| Audio interface | |
| Type | USB 2.0 |
| Operating formats | 24-bit, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, and 96 kHz |
| Signal-to-noise ratio | 110 dB |
| Power supply | USB bus power |
| Hardware controls | Gain, monitoring, headphone volume, preset selection |
| Software controls | Gain, polar pattern selection, mixer control, preset selection |
| Effects | High Pass Filter, Noise Gate, Compressor, EQ, Limiter, Comb Filter, Delay, Doubler, Ring Modulator, Vocoder, Reverb |
| Other specifications | |
| Dimensions | 225 × 130 × 130 mm |
| Weight | 730 g |
The Revelator follows traditional studio microphone styling. It has a cylindrical aluminum body and a familiar metal grille protecting the capsules. A special desktop base allows easy angle adjustment to match the source position.
The horseshoe-shaped base uses heavy metal to hold the microphone firmly. A rubber pad underneath reduces desk impact noise in recordings. Similar microphones often come with light tripods that do not balance a large microphone well. Accidentally pulling a USB or headphone cable can tip them over, which is especially unwelcome during a live stream. The Revelator base is stable enough that tipping it would take a deliberate effort.
For better isolation from unwanted noise, the microphone can be placed on a stand or boom arm. A special adapter screws into its housing. The desktop base can be removed and its mounting hole covered with the supplied plug.
Two identical electret capsules provide three polar patterns: cardioid, figure-eight, and omnidirectional. Special rubber supports isolate the capsules from housing vibration. Fine metal mesh protects them from physical damage, while a thin internal foam layer adds breath protection.
Two multi-function buttons and an endless rotary control adjust the microphone. Multicolor button illumination shows changes and the currently active mode.
By default, the rotary control adjusts headphone volume, with its indicator off. Press Monitor once to adjust the microphone balance against other application sounds; the indicator turns blue. Hold Monitor to select gain adjustment; the indicator turns green. A strong input makes it flash red to warn of clipping. Pressing the rotary control selects Mute. Preset cycles through the selected hardware-processing presets described below. Hold Preset to bypass all processing and record a clean signal.
Connections are on the bottom. A reversible USB-C port connects to the computer with the included 1 m cable. A mini-jack socket connects headphones.
The Revelator electronics are unusual; we have not seen a similar design in USB microphones before. An ARM Cortex-M7 processor runs the DSP algorithms. The 24-bit/96 kHz 4953A codec includes a headphone amplifier and microphone preamp with sufficient +29 dB gain. Converter specifications are ADC THD+N -82 dB and dynamic range 88 dB; headphone output THD+N -80 dB and dynamic range 96 dB.
Computer use requires the dedicated PreSonus Revelator driver, available on the manufacturer's official website . Note that only 64-bit Windows 10 and macOS 10.13.6 or later are supported.
Universal Control has the same layout for all PreSonus devices. It selects sample rate and buffer size. The most interesting options are in the advanced settings opened by clicking the microphone image.
This opens a full mixer with several channels usable in different audio applications. The system shows three stereo inputs and three stereo outputs. The first correspond to the physical microphone input and headphone output. Loopback 1 and Loopback 2 are virtual returns for recording or broadcasting between applications. Most devices offer one such path; the Revelator offers two. The mixer sets levels of all sources through buses for individual mixes. Users can choose which signals to return and at what level. The headphone output is also separate from Main, allowing a monitor mix different from the broadcast or recording. These extensive routing options pleasantly surprised us. They may be more than most users need, but are very useful for a shared stream with Skype or Zoom calls.
Hardware processing is also very interesting. A full set of effects provides professional sound. For easier use, the effects follow a defined order. Presets store their settings and load instantly. There are 8 factory presets and 8 user presets. The 4 most-used configurations can be assigned to a separate block and selected with PRESET on the microphone.
The Fat Channel chain has 5 processing blocks in this order: low-cut filter, gate, compressor, equalizer, and limiter. The equalizer and compressor can swap positions. This is effectively the signal path of PreSonus StudioLive professional live mixers, including the Fat Channel name. It may seem like a lot of processing, but real radio stations use a similar microphone chain with EQ and dynamics after the presenter's microphone. PreSonus has given a fairly affordable product genuinely professional functions. There is more: the DSP also provides creative processing in the Voice section and separate reverb on its own bus, outside the presets.
Beginners can use ready-made presets for typical situations. Advanced users can adjust all the main parameters in the detailed settings.
The equalizer and compressor each have three versions. These algorithms also come from StudioLive mixers.
Options include a traditional four-band equalizer with a familiar graphical display and vintage-model emulations with characteristic sound and fixed parameter values.
The compressor offers conventional controls and two emulations: tube and FET, with their characteristic saturation.
The Voice section includes Doubler, De-Tune, Vocoder, Ring Modulator, Filter, and Delay. These can change voice tone significantly and add deliberate distortion.
Polar pattern selection is in an extra menu. The same menu resets settings, selects the number of available presets, bypasses all hardware processing, and sets Mute behavior. By default, Mute turns off only microphone monitoring, leaving other signals active. To silence all headphone sound, select Monitor in the menu.
The Revelator's hardware processing is impressive. The control panel combines many settings with an excellent graphical interface. Effects quality is good, and dynamics processing and EQ provide professional results. Flexible adjustments adapt the sound to source level and distance. Processed voice sounds significantly better, clearer, and more pleasant. Extra effects help create different characters, from a robot voice to a tone changed beyond recognition.
Conclusions
The PreSonus Revelator proved to be a truly unusual device. At first, it looks much like other USB microphones. Hardware processing, however, clearly sets it apart. Similar results might be possible with a normal microphone, but would require post-processing, software effects with noticeable latency and routing complications, or a separate interface with comparable hardware features. With the Revelator, connect it and start working. Everything is close at hand: simple controls, professional hardware effects, advanced settings, and two extra loopback channels for streaming. Its price is comparable to an ordinary USB microphone. At present, the Revelator looks like a clear favorite.
Note. This is an adapted machine translation into English. It follows the “In simple terms” approach. Read the original article at https://prosound.ixbt.com/microphones/presonus-revelator.shtml.