Rode NT-USB

Rode NT-USB | Reviews
83
T
here are plenty of USB-
equipped microphones
around these days offering
the convenience of being able
to be plugged directly into your
computer without needing a separate
preamp or audio interface. A whole
genre of mics has in fact been designed
with an integral stand so they can sit on
a desk or tabletop at all times, ready for
use at a moment’s notice. While you
might not want to use one of these for
making serious master recordings, they
can be perfect for podcasting and very
useful for ‘quick and dirty’ recording
when you might just get a musical idea
in your head that needs to be recorded
before it gets forgotten.
The new Rode NT-USB can be
lumped into this category as it comes
with a cute tripod stand and integrated
pop shield. But the Australian company
believes that it offers much more than
‘just’ a podcasting mic in that it
features a condenser capsule of the
same quality as those found in their
studio-grade microphones.
The NT-USB is a very solidly built
and classy-looking mic. It doesn’t come
with a suspension cradle but has a
nicely-engineered standard mounting
that allows it to be angled anywhere
within a 180 degree arc and either
attached to a mic stand or the supplied
plastic (but pretty stable) tripod for
sitting on a tabletop. You also get a
curved pop shield that sits about an
inch in front of the capsule’s grille and
attaches firmly between the mic’s base
and its mounting ring.
The USB connection is exactly
where you would connect an XLR cable
on a conventional mic, while a stereo
minijack headphone output nestles on
the side of the mic’s body below a pair
of conveniently-sized knobs – one to
control the minijack output’s volume
and the other to set the balance
between the dry sound at source and
that coming back from your computer.
Use with a Mac, a Windows machine or
an iPad needs no extra drivers to be
installed but you will need Apple’s
Camera Connection Kit or similar to
interface the USB with an iPad.
Quality recordings
We used the mic to record into Logic on
a Mac and Garageband on an iPad and
found it very easy to use – it’s a case of
just plugging in and getting on with it.
With a cardioid pattern, no pad and no
low frequency roll-off switch, there’s
nothing to adjust apart from the
recording level on your connected
device (if needed) and your preferred
monitoring level and mix.
The first two things we noticed
about the NT-USB were that there was
little in the way of self-noise and that
the built-in headphone amp was loud
and clear, providing plenty of volume in
our AKG K702s. On spoken voice and
sung vocals it delivered with no lack of
bottom-end warmth or top-end clarity
and no obvious tonal anomalies. The
pop shield does a good job, allowing
you to get close in and exploit the
low-end from the proximity effect. There
was no sense that this was a mic just to
use for demos with a view to replacing
the vocal later; while it’s not going to
rival a U47/Neve combination, it will
provide results on a par with many of
the commonly-used lower-priced
non-USB large diaphragm condensers.
We also used the mic to good effect on
acoustic guitar and tambourine.
For a device that encompasses the
actual microphone, preamp and digital
conversion, you may not be expecting
too much in the way of performance for
just £129, but the NT-USB offers
exceptional value. It’s robust, couldn’t
be simpler to use and will give you
decent quality recordings. If you don’t
already have a large diaphragm
condenser and XLR-equipped interface,
one of these could be the ideal
companion to your DAW.
Rode NT-USB | £129
A studio quality condenser with USB? Trevor Curwen sticks its tripod on
his table and starts tracking
WHAT is iT?
Large diaphragm
cardioid condenser
microphone with integral
USB audio interface
ConTACT
Who: Source Distribution
Tel: [phone]
Web: www.rodemic.com
HiGHLiGHTs
1 Sound quality
2 Ease of use via
USB connectivity
3 Integrated pop shield
speCs
Type: Condenser
microphone with
USB connection
Polar pattern: Cardioid
A/D conversion:
16-bit/48kHz
Frequency range: 20Hz
- 20kHz
Maximum SPL: 110dB SPL
Connector: USB, minijack
for monitoring
Included accessories:
Tripod mount, pop
shield, soft carrying bag,
6m USB cable
Dimensions:
184 x 62 x 50mm
Weight:
0.52kg
VeRDiCT
BUILD
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
VALUE
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
EASE OF USE
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
VERSATILITY
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
RESULTS
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
Your computer’s perfect partner for
recording vocals and acoustic
instruments with minimal fuss.
FMU285.rev_rode.indd 83 10/8/14 2:04 PM