Yamaha ZG02 Streaming Mixer review: "Aesthetics aren't the only thing that disappoints"
Apr. 4, 2024Simple, but effective mixer
Great for console streamers thanks to USB-C
Fun audio effects
The software feels very limited
Setup is a headache
Missing volume knobs
The chassis is plain and feels cheap
Controlling chat/personal mixes could be better
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Streaming gear for gamersfeels like an inexact science, even for well-known brands in the space. As someone who reviews that technology for a living, I can safely say that this subset of hardware feels like a solution to something that just wasn’t meant to work. That’s true enough for the established companies that design this hardware, so when a brand that’s had little to no experience tries to make magic happen, it seldom goes well.
Design
I don’t think you need theRodeCaster Duo’s LED pads or theBEACN Mix Create’s swanky display, but something with a bit more flare would certainly be welcome on a device like this. Not least because streamers need to be able to glance down at it in a dark lighting scenario and know exactly which volume knob does what. I’ve tested this product for well over two weeks now, and I still have to squint at it to know which buttons are which, and where those buttons even are.
The ones Yamaha has put in place are for your mic, voice chat, and game audio, so no matter which way you configure things, you’re going to need to double something up if you want background music in the mix. I just don’t get the design choice of putting effect buttons where more volume adjusters could be. I don’t know any gaming creator that would rather have their game audio distorted instead of having dedicated volume knobs for creator and broadcast mixes. Moreover, I don’t know of a streamer who’s so hell-bent on using vocal effects that they’d gladly forgo a dedicated way of fading out background music.
The only fader you’ll get here is one for the XLR mic’s output level, but confusingly, there’s a switch to the left of it that controls its gain in three increments. The top volume knob controls how loud your microphone’s monitoring level is too, so it’s a bit confusing knowing which one to adjust mid-stream. There is a handy mute button since a lot of thebest microphones for streaming and gamingin the XLR category miss those out. There’s also a phantom power 48V button and one for switching between the headphone and speaker outputs.
Connectivity is one of this mixer’s biggest strengths, however. The back IO has an XLR mic in port, a speaker out port, and two USB-C bays. One of these, which is clearly labeled, plugs into your gaming PC and powers the device. The other is an open port for a secondary USB-C connection. If you stream gameplay from a PS5, this will slot in here, but I’d imagine a second gaming PC could potentially work as well. On the front, you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack and a secondary jack for wired gaming headset mics - which is useful if you don’t have a bespoke XLR mic yet.
The Yamaha ZG Controller app opens up to a home page that’s very stripped back. It only gives you some quick functions that are already on the mixer, as well as an overall output level that feels glaringly lacking from the console’s face.
After digging through tabs for controlling the microphone and game sound effects, you’ll find a very thin mixer menu. In most gaming-centric audio software, this is front and center and usually features a simple drag-and-drop system for mapping audio sources to volume knobs. ThinkSteelSeriesSonar or BEACN’s software, for reference.
That issonot what you find here. In fact, mapping audio sources to volume knobs is a very confusing process that’s done manually in each application you want to use in your live stream, not in the app at all. On the bright side, I love that this is an audio program that doesn’t dominate my CPU’s processing abilities. On the other hand, this makes it a nightmare to set up and means you’ll likely need to readjust your in-app settings between streams.
The one saving grace of the streaming mixer tab is its linking buttons that distinguish what you hear from what your audience will hear. These can be indicated by small “link” LEDs on the console’s facial panel, but they don’t prevent it from being really confusing to use. As well, the in-app sliders effectively make the device itself a bit pointless. If people have spent money on a bit of hardware, they shouldn’t need to control their personal audio mix in the companion software alone.
The biggest performance hiccups with this device are due to design choices. The lack of a fourth fader and the inclusion of bespoke effect buttons tell me Yamaha doesn’t actually understand the market it’s trying to service here. Either that or this is a repurposing of an audio interface that was initially designed for a completely different use case.
Thankfully, I’m testing the Shure SM7dB at the moment, and the XLR capabilities on this mixer harness that microphone’s power with ease. Recording VO works well, and the audio effects, as silly and pointless as I think most creators will find them, are good fun. I did enjoy briefly testing out the voice changers when live, and I know my chat probably appreciated them too. The echo button, when I remembered to use it, was good fun as well. Like I said, this mixer isn’t all bad - I just think its priorities are askew.
Unfortunately, beyond the absolute basics of stream mixing, I’m not sure this is the stream controller for many people. If you’re reading this review and you’re enraged by my critique of the audio effect controls, maybe you’re the exact streamer Yamaha was thinking of when it designed this. I just think that, for the money, you can get something a lot more useful from the likes of Elgato, BEACN,Razer, or even TC Helicon with its GoXLR series.
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One of my earliest memories is playing SuperMario64 and wondering why the controller I held had three grips, but I only had two hands. Ever since I’ve been in love with video games and their technology. After graduating from Edinburgh Napier University with a degree in Journalism, I contributed to the Scottish Games Network and completed an Editorial Internship at Expert Reviews. Over the last decade, I’ve been managing my ownYouTube channelabout my love of games too. These days, I’m one of the resident hardware nerds at GamesRadar+, and I take the lead on our coverage of gaming PCs, VR, controllers, gaming chairs, and content creation gear. Now, I better stop myself here before I get talking about my favourite games like HUNT: Showdown, Dishonored, and Towerfall Ascension.Location: UK Remote
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