After unveiling its new game streaming lineup of gear as well as the RODECaster Pro II before that, Rode is back today with the latest version of its NT USB mic. The next-generation iteration of its popular NT-USB solution that launched years ago, Rode has upgraded, enhanced, and modernized the form factor with built-in DPS FX features in a more compact package to deliver studio-quality recording to your content creation rig. Now available for purchase, head below for more details and a closer look.
Rode unleashes new NT-USB+ USB mic
Rode has been releasing both higher-end and midrange recording equipment and microphones for years. It sits nicely in between those game-streaming brands that happen to also sell microphones and higher-end recording studio offerings that reach far deeper into your pocket. Its latest carries that sentiment over to a USB-C solution that focuses on sound quality without requiring an audio interface.
The new Rode NT-USB+ features what the brand refers to as a studio-grade capsule with a “tight cardioid” pickup pattern for vocals and more, as well as some of the technology introduced in the brand’s RODECaster Pro II controller on the preamp side things. It is capable of delivering 24-bit/48kHz audio to digital conversion rates.
The NT-USB+ harnesses the pristine audio quality of a professional condenser microphone and combines it with the convenience of USB connectivity, making it the perfect solution for recording studio sound at home. It features a studio-grade condenser capsule with a tight cardioid pickup pattern, so your recordings are always rich and focused, and its ultra-low-noise, high-gain Revolution Preamp and high-resolution analog-digital conversion deliver incredibly clear sound.
Get a closer look below:
The USB mic features a plug-and-play, bus-powered setup over USB-C (iOS and Android included). The USB port sits alongside a “zero-latency headphone output” with a dedicated volume and mix control so you can balance the sound of your voice (or other recording source) with files and tracks playing back from your system as well as providing connectivity with Rode Central – an “easy-to-use desktop and mobile companion app for the NT-USB+ that allows you to unlock its on-board processing.”
Rode Central features recallable FX chains, including compression, noise gates, and filters alongside the “legendary APHEX Aural Exciter and Big Bottom.” That’s on top of compatibility with the Rode Reporter mobile recording app and Rode Connect – the brand’s free podcasting and streaming software that “allows up to four physical guests to connect to a single computer using a combination of devices.”
The new Rode NT-USB+ USB mic ships with a detachable pop filter and desktop stand at $169 shipped, or about $21 above the price of the previous-generation model.
9to5Toys’ Take
At the risk of sounding like a broken record (again), this is another perfectly capable USB microphone from a trusted brand with onboard FX that is likely as useful as it is unremarkable. It’s not easy to innovate in the microphone space, and the slew of new releases we have featured this year further highlight this with what feels like the same iterative upgrades and feature set across just about every one of them – USB-C connectivity, DSP FX, and a companion app. There’s nothing wrong with any of this, and Rode is certainly a brand just about anyone looking for a solid mic in this price range will be happy with (if any of the previous models I have tried are any indication), but Rode will have to rely on brand recognition to beat out some of the more hyped-up game-streaming and podcasting brands at this point.
FTC: 9to5Toys is reader supported, we may earn income on affiliate links
Subscribe to the 9to5Toys YouTube Channel for all of the latest videos, reviews, and more!
