Today I am testing out my First Rode mic, which happens to be a USB mic; The Rode NT-USB.
If you are interested in this microphone, it will set you back $170 on Amazon
What's In the Box
- Microphone
- Pop Shield
- USB Cable (6m)
- Mic Mount & Stand
- Carrying Pouch
- Documentation
- 2-Year Warranty
Performance / Features
The build quality of the actual microphone feels great. It is an all metal body with a metal grill and some substantial weight to it. On the side, there is a headphone port and two dials:
- Changes amount of sound source in headphones from Mic to Computer (i.e. Turning left puts more microphone in the headphones and less computer, and vice versa)
- Headphone Volume Control
The pop filter is metal but feels flimsy, and the USB Cable is a standard rubber cable. The mount is plastic and doesn't feel like it will last too long, so you will have to be careful with it. The stand also offers no shock absorption so you need a new stand, or you cannot bump your desk. Lastly, the pouch is rather nice and provides a bit of padding as added protection.
The microphone offers a cardioid polar pattern, a frequency response of 20Hz - 20kHz, and 16-bit 48kHz Resolution. The microphone did perform well on the voice, and did a nice job at eliminating background noise. When cranking the input gain on this mic, I found it to be a VERY quiet preamp which is great.
Pros
- Great sound on voice
- Decent build quality
- Plug & Play
- Good at eliminating background noise
- VERY quiet preamp
Con
- Very sensitive, led to distotion even at extremely low input gains.
Conclusion
Overall, this microphone is only decent, and I don't think the performance justifies the cost. At $170, the mic should perform much better on instruments. Even at low gain settings, singing too loud or strumming my acoustic too hard led to clipping. But, for speaking, I think it sounds GREAT, and the quiet preamp is also great for voice overs and commentaries on youtube.
Even though it does sound good for speaking, I don't think I can recommend it because of the steep price tag.
If you have any additional questions about this microphone, leave them in the comments on this site or on the youtube channel, and I will try to reply ASAP.
Buy the Rode NT-USB
US: http://amzn.to/24dP2ac
UK: http://amzn.to/1WkCBXn
