Rode’s iconic NT1 microphone has a special place in the company’s history and is now in its fifth generation.
Rode
Rode has revealed a fifth-generation refresh to its iconic flagship studio condenser mic the NT1.
The original Rode NT1 was essentially the one that started it all for Rode and now the latest iteration has been crafted with a few updates that should make it highly appealing to podcasters, content creators and more.
Those updates include dual analogue XLR and digital USB connectivity, making it more accessible thanks to a plug-and-play design. It’s also the first microphone ever to feature a 32-bit floating point digital output, which Rode says means there’s “no risk of clipping” and should make it much easier for people to set up and use but still have great sound.
Rode claims the NT1 is now the quietest studio condenser microphone in the world thanks in part to the onboard DSP (Digital Signal Processing) which means that noise gate and compressor settings can be applied to the mic directly via Rode’s own software.
These tweaks are usually reserved for audio interfaces like the Rodecaster Pro II, which of course you can use the NT1 with as well thanks to the XLR connection. So this is now a flagship studio microphone that offers more flexibility in terms of connectivity options but also is more accessible to a wider range of users too.
The Rode NT1’s 32-bit float recording option means that the microphone also offers a wider dynamic range than other mics. This helps eliminate the danger of clipping where your audio might be too loud and distorted but Rode also says you do not need to set your gain before recording. So if you’re the sort of streamer or content creator that likes to get a bit shouty or enthusiastic during recording or streaming sessions then you’ll have fewer worries about audio quality.
The NT1 is available to pre-order now and will set you back around $259.
