Røde NT-USB Review: an example of efficiency

8/10

Editor's rating

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GOOD POINTS

Good recording quality
Equipment included
Plug & Play

NEGATIVE POINTS

Single directivity
No proprietary software

Summary

Design

The Røde NT-USB has a rather basic design. The microphone itself shows a high material quality, especially thanks to its metal body.

The packaging contains a good amount of accessories with a (particularly effective) anti-pop filter, a tripod, a protective case, a mounting bracket and a 6m USB Type-B to Type-A cable. Unfortunately, most of this equipment is made of plastic and can appear rather fragile.

Only the tripod stands out for its high rigidity. Once properly positioned (microphone located between the two longer legs), it is very stable and lifts the microphone high enough to be able to place it at a good height when it is placed on a table.

The mounting bracket connecting the microphone and the tripod allows to adjust the inclination. It also incorporates a 3/8″ screw pass-through that allows it to be attached to a telescopic arm.

As for the controls, a pair of potentiometers are used to adjust the listening level and the mix between the signals from your device and your microphone. Connection consists of a USB Type-B port for the PC and a 3.5 jack port for connecting headphones or earphones.

Recording quality

As you would expect from such a famous brand, the recording quality is very, very good with faithful performance and a more than adequate sound level, even if the microphone is placed more than 30 cm away from the mouth. The pop filter also does its job well and attenuates these annoyances perfectly.

On a technical level, the NT-USB covers frequencies between 20 Hz and 20 kHz with 16-bit resolution. Only cardioid directivity is available. It covers a wide range of applications, from vocal recording to instrument or music recording.

Microphone sound performance:

As far as sound filtration system is concerned, we soon realised that this microphone is able to effectively reduce unobtrusive disturbances (e.g. the hum of the PC tower), but not so much louder noises (e.g. the sound of typing).

Compatibility & Software

To use the NT-USB, you simply plug it into the USB port… And that’s it! It can therefore be used with any computer running MacOS or Windows, without the need for any specific software. You can even connect it to an iPad as long as you have a suitable adapter and an application that supports external microphones.

Therefore, Røde allows you to use the sound recording program of your choice to set up the microphone (although it is always a good idea to have the manufacturer’s software).

Conclusion

8/10

For us, the Røde NT-USB is one of the best microphones on the market, even if it is a little less complete than the Blue Yeti, which has been the top microphone for several years.

Although it has only one directivity and no proprietary software, it is a very relevant and competitive product.