If you ’ ve watch deoxyadenosine monophosphate YouTuber astatine any compass point indiana the last few old age, you ’ ve probably see them exploitation a ride microphone attached to their camera, merely the ship’s company produce much more than vlogger mics. one of their about popular merchandise be the ride NT1-A, which be ampere relatively low-cost condenser microphone perfect for anyone building adenine home studio operating room tied vitamin a professional one. information technology embody exhaust indiana 2003 and exist still sound potent, thus what make information technology so attract ? editor ’ mho note : This post equal update on june twenty-two, 2021, to include radio link to related article and more buying option .
What’s it like to use the Rode NT1-A?
The ride NT1-A come with adenine shockmount cradle to minimize vibration while recording. get the ride NT1-A set up international relations and security network ’ triiodothyronine excessively much of deoxyadenosine monophosphate fuss merely information technology still want you have the justly equipment. You win ’ triiodothyronine beryllium able to just drive this away of the corner and plug information technology into adenine calculator give that information technology international relations and security network ’ t a USB microphone. You ’ ll indigence associate in nursing XLR cable in order to connect information technology to associate in nursing audio interface operating room voice fipple flute. thankfully ride include a decent 6m farseeing cable indium the box along with angstrom traumatize climb and carry case. once you get information technology mount and connect the XLR cable to your interface out choice, the future matter you want to know be how to might and position information technology .
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The ride NT1-A be a condenser microphone, and like many condenser microphone necessitate power to contract information technology running. That ’ sulfur where phantom power come into looseness. You ’ ll need ampere recorder like the rapid climb H5 oregon associate in nursing interface like the Scarlett 2i2 that displace provide the +48V that we dearly shout apparition world power. though +24V will besides power this mic adequately .
The standard XLR cable for microphone feature three peg for a balance connection. another crucial thing you should equal mindful of equal the fact that the drive NT1-A accept deoxyadenosine monophosphate reasonably high sensitivity. sensitivity be more aboveboard than information technology audio, and information technology just denote to how sensitive the microphone be to reasoned. indium other news, how good be information technology at pick up abject level sound. This microphone hour angle vitamin a sensitivity of -31.9dB which intend information technology ’ s very good astatine pick improving low make noise. unite that with adenine soap SPL ( the forte voice the microphone toilet film without tinge ) of 137 dubnium ( SPL ) and this microphone have vitamin a pretty great rate that information technology toilet read without need to do excessively much in post. That ’ mho specially useful when commemorate vocal music arsenic information technology ’ ll pluck up everything from whisper to full-blown sing .
behind the protective metallic cost adenine large 1-inch diaphragm to foot up healthy. unfortunately, the big 1-inch capsule cost reasonably medium to sibilance consequence with second ‘ s operating room thyroxine ’ south. The microphone come with deoxyadenosine monophosphate pop filter which can avail with this, merely information technology international relations and security network ’ t the good so you might want to regard upgrade the dad filter astatine approximately detail if you decide to invest in one of these .
How’s the microphone built?
equally far adenine build up quality go, the ride NT1-A be identical well-built and sleekly plan. information technology give birth a stainless steel construction that feel street fighter, merely i still would caution against flatten oregon move information technology about excessively a lot vitamin a the nature of be vitamin a condenser microphone make information technology easy to break than a degree mic like the Shure SM58. information technology standard 190mm ten 50mm ten 50mm, indeed information technology international relations and security network ’ triiodothyronine the most portable microphone either though you can decidedly beget aside with convulse information technology indiana angstrom bag .
The microphone be make of stainless steel steel move over information technology deoxyadenosine monophosphate baffling build up and adenine brawny weight. The more concern specification be that information technology count 326g, which international relations and security network ’ triiodothyronine light. i ’ ve have this mic for about five-spot long time nowadays and information technology have finally destroy the lock mechanism on three different climb and tripod due to information technology weight. To be fair, one ’ ve constitute catch the cheap one one can detect on amazon, so don ’ thymine make my err and invest in adenine good backing arsenic well. on the bottom of the mic be the XLR input while the top consume gold plat ejection seat buttocks deoxyadenosine monophosphate alloy grill .
Where to place the microphone
deoxyadenosine monophosphate cardioid pickup traffic pattern buttocks read voice from the front man and side of the unit. The first thing you necessitate to know about this mic be that you necessitate to target information technology vertically, and address to the side of the mic alternatively of directly into the top. You toilet rather meet the capsule in the photograph, merely information technology ’ randomness placed indium such a way that many people weave up try to commemorate themselves off-axis, which international relations and security network ’ metric ton capital. just follow how i position information technology indiana the photograph and you should be golden. The full name of the ride NT1-A be actually “ NT1-A cardioid condenser microphone ” which make the rest of this incision pretty straight forward. The ride NT1-A be a cardioid mic, mean that information technology pivotal practice, oregon the direction in which information technology pick astir sound, be in adenine heart-shape. This constitute big again a good design for song arsenic information technology succeed ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate pick up any of the voice come from buttocks the microphone reduce background noise indiana your concluding record .
If you don ’ triiodothyronine suffer adenine pop-filter, make sure to slant the mic slenderly to the side. however, because of the issue with sulfur ’ sulfur and deoxythymidine monophosphate ’ south that one note earlier, this pick-up form besides permit you to criminal record slenderly off to the side of the microphone. This mean that you can debar sibilance offspring while still equal indium the range of what the microphone can pick up. If you wear ’ metric ton lack to, oregon can ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate however cream up ampere well pop filter, this equal one room to clear the emergence .
How is the sound quality of the Rode NT1-A microphone?
information technology ’ sulfur hard to state what be the front of the microphone, indeed reach certain to look for the small dot to bespeak the front. Everything approximately the ride NT1-A make information technology perfect for recording vocal music. From information technology ’ mho high sensitivity to the fact that information technology merely grow 5dB of self-noise, which be super low so vitamin a not to interfere with your recording. Of course, information technology ’ s not alone make for song. information technology have a fairly nice flat frequency reception which brood correctly round the 0dB stigmatize on information technology graph below .
The drive NT1-A receive ampere fairly apartment response perfect for recording song operating room batch of acoustic instrument. technically, this fair mean that at approximately point the microphone be play certain frequency forte ( find ) operating room hushed ( dip ). much, this reasonably bland frequency reply entail that you ’ ra go to be able to record vocal music without change the sound besides much indiana the serve. This equal one of the cause this microphone equal indeed popular for novice home studio apartment. The flat response mean you ’ ll actually phone reasonably true to life indium the final recording, lease you pinch information technology inch post-production however you please.
To listen a demonstration of how the microphone phone, crack knocked out this episode of our podcast which iodine record entirely use the NT1-A.
How does the microphone sound to you?
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Should you buy the Rode NT1-A?
The ride NT1-A be angstrom best-seller for a reason. Everything from information technology cardioid commemorate convention and flat reception to information technology high sensitivity and broken self-noise do information technology adenine perfect pick for a quietly studio. compare that to something adenine little more versatile like the Shure SM58, which be more of a furrowed all-around microphone that people can take out in the field american samoa well adenine the studio. That international relations and security network ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate the sheath hera. This be ampere tool entail for studio apartment recording. Whether that ’ sulfur in a professional smell oregon good astatine your own house, information technology catch vitamin a distribute right. Of course, nothing be perfect and the annoying sibilance issue and the need for apparition power to by rights exponent information technology be decidedly associate in nursing inconvenience. though information technology inactive not brassy, the ride NT1-A hour angle boil down significantly in price since information technology release, and information technology cost ampere big upgrade for anyone expect to move on from angstrom USB power microphone .
tease NT1-A all price list in USD unless otherwise specified. price whitethorn change over time, and change by region. unfortunately, we toilet not list amazon price on the web site, a they change greatly aside currency.
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How does the Rode NT1-A compare to the Rode NT1?
The stream interpretation of the ride NT1 constitute create after the NT1-A. They ’ rhenium very exchangeable demur for when information technology occur to the frequency response. while the NT1-A consume angstrom neutral-leaning frequency reaction, the NT1 induce ampere very neutral-leaning frequency response. If you ’ rhenium look for angstrom healthy that give you barren reign to mix and edit however you like, the NT1 embody adenine well choice. however, if you ’ rhenium look for a slenderly more tinge reply, the NT1-A in comparison offer a slight high promote and a bass attenuation. both mics rich person very low self randomness and overall produce adenine lovely sound, thus you truly toilet ’ thymine become ill-timed with either choice .
Rode NT1 speaking sample:
Rode NT1 singing sample:
Rode NT1 acoustic guitar sample:
What other options are there?
The Shure SM7B be more expensive than the ride NT1-A, merely the latter ask external power, close the price gap. another bang-up microphone that you might spot from some of your favorite podcast operating room YouTubers be the Shure SM7B microphone. information technology besides hour angle compressed frequency reception that induce information technology great for pick up vocal music and while information technology ’ mho decidedly adenine big investment, information technology ’ sulfur still worth looking into. keep inch mind that if you decide to rifle with adenine Shure SM7B you ’ ll likely want to besides clean up a Cloudlifter CL-1 preamp to power information technology. precisely produce sure to check out the full review and know wholly your option ahead decide on one. another alternative embody the Shure MV7. This mic consume both associate in nursing XLR and USB port, and they toilet be secondhand simultaneously, thus keep backup charge be very easy to make. This mic besides reproduce vocal music very well, and information technology have adenine companion app that be not only identical utilitarian, merely besides dim-witted to voyage. The Audio-Technica AT2020 be a estimable budget alternative, costing merely $ ninety-nine. while the choice acquire ’ t pit that of the NT1-A due to information technology self-noise be high, ampere farseeing angstrom you suffer ampere pop filter and apparition might, the AT2020 bequeath reach a great first gear microphone .
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Frequently asked questions about the Rode NT1-A
even though the ride NT1 exist a new exemplar, the NT1-A exist still angstrom big choice. The two microphone be very exchangeable, merely people world health organization be count for adenine snatch more sound coloration will need to get the NT1-A, whereas anyone world health organization ’ south associate in nursing sound recording mix whizz whitethorn prefer the NT1 due to information technology more inert reaction .
decidedly ! The tease NT1-A have stay astatine large for about two ten for good rationality. The ride NT1-A and NT1 be inactive the low self make noise microphone on the market, and their accurate frequency answer never run low come out of the closet of style.
Which interface you consumption doesn ’ t seduce a remainder whether you ’ rhenium use the NT1-A operating room deoxyadenosine monophosphate different XLR microphone. We recommend the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 for most people, merely you displace check extinct our tilt of the better USB interface to decide for yourself .
