Rode NT-USB USB Condenser Microphone Review

There has never been a greater time for people to start investing in a good quality microphone.

With more and more of us making an income from the internet, there are all kinds of jobs and hobbies that have become incredibly popular in the last decade. 

Whether it’s hosting your own podcast, streaming video games to an online audience, or even recording your own music, you’ll need a high quality microphone. 

However, you’ll soon find that the best microphones can cost a fair bit of money. Not everyone has that sort of money to spend, especially if you’re just starting out with your new project. 

Thankfully, there are a few affordable microphones that offer great quality at a reasonable price. One of these is the Rode NT-USB condenser microphone. 

But what else does this high quality microphone have to offer?

Well, we’ve got the answers for you!

In our detailed NT USB microphone review below, we’re going to explain everything that the Rode NT-USB condenser microphone does well, with a breakdown of all its great features.

On top of that, we’ll also look at what it doesn’t do so well, and tell you whether it’s worth your money.

An Overview Of The Rode NT-USB Condenser Microphone

Rode is a company that excels at making products all to do with sounds.

With their extensive range of both microphones and headphones, you can see that they have a lot of experience when it comes to getting audio right. 

As a result, the Rode NT-USB USB condenser microphone offers plenty of quality and builds on Rode’s previous experience to deliver a product that shouldn’t disappoint. 

One of the best things about USB condenser microphones is that it’s incredibly easy to get started with. It’s a USB microphone, which means that you can simply plug it into your computer via the USB cable (also see, ‘Best USB Podcasting Mics‘). 

You won’t need to install any special drivers to then get it working, nor get any other 3rd party equipment or software to make use of it.

The microphone should begin working as soon as you’ve connected it to the computer, allowing you to start recording and not waste any time. 

Typically, though, USB microphones won’t offer as high a quality of sound as microphones that can be used a different way.

This isn’t the case with the Rode NT-USB USB condenser microphone, however, because it still offers a very impressive recording quality.

Better yet, you can often find the microphone at a very affordable price.

Most microphones of this quality will cost a few hundred dollars, but you can regularly find this for under $200, making it both cheap and reliable.

What Does The Rode NT-USB USB Condenser Microphone Offer?

USB Connectivity

While other microphones can be a lot more complicated to get working, the Rode NT-USB USB condenser microphone connects to your computer via USB and can be used very soon after. 

Typically when you connect a new device to your computer via USB, you will need to install some sort of special driver in order to get it working.

Either that or you have to get third-party extras. This isn’t the case with this Rode microphone, which you can simply plug in and get using. 

This ease of access is a massive selling feature, because you don’t have to waste time fiddling to get it working.

Instead, you can get using your microphone straight away, jumping straight into recording.

The microphone comes with a 6-meter (equivalent to 20 feet) long USB C cable, which makes using it even easier.

If you’ve got your recording table set up a little way away from your actual computer, then this long cable should easily allow you to use the microphone at a distance. 

Flexibility in where you can put the microphone is a major benefit because you aren’t restricted to uncomfortable recording positions.

On top of that, the long USB connection cable will also allow you to attach the microphone to a mic stand or even a boom arm, allowing you to record the way you want to.

Simple Controls And Adjustments

Another way that the Rode NT-USB USB condenser microphone is very easy to use is in its straightforward set of controls. 

On the side of the microphone, you’ll notice two dials. One of them allows you to control the monitor volume, while the other allows you to control the microphone’s gain.

These are two handy elements that you will want to adjust for your recording. 

The microphone doesn’t have a pad for you to adjust, nor does it have a low frequency roll-off switch.

As a result, the microphone is very straightforward and simple to use, meaning that anybody can immediately get to grips with it, even if they have little experience using microphones before. 

Intelligent Design

On the topic of simplicity, the Rode NT USB microphone is intelligently designed too, with a stylish and sleek body that has all its features carefully plotted out (also see, ‘Mic Aesthetic‘).

The two adjustment dials we just referred to are both clear and easy to use, as well as being the perfect size for fiddling with.

Below them is a 3.5mm stereo minijack headphone output, which will allow you to plug your headphones in and use them to listen instead. 

This USB mic also comes with a desktop stand for you to mount it from, meaning that you don’t have to go and buy a stand beforehand just to use it properly.

This stand is intelligently designed too, essentially a stable plastic tripod that balances the microphone well. 

On top of that, it allows the mic to be angled anywhere in an arc of 180 degrees, giving you some room for flexibility when it comes to positioning the microphone in front of you.

It may not be all of the movability that you want, but it’s a decent amount that should accommodate you easily. 

The microphone even comes with a detachable pop filter that’s specially made to be fitted onto this particular model.

A pop shield is an essential addition to any microphone, because it reduces or eliminates popping sounds being picked up when you speak in a plosive way. It also reduces background noise and increases the intelligibility of your voice when recording.

ALSO SEE: How To Reduce Background Noise On Mic

This means that you can be up close to the microphone without their being annoying audio anomalies picked up. 

It’s great that you don’t have to go and buy one yourself on top of the cost of this microphone.

If there is a flaw, however, we have to admit that the pop shield which comes with the mic is not made of the strongest material.

It’s made of plastic, which certainly does the job, but is a little weaker than it could be.

Low Self-Noise

When you get a microphone, you might notice that it makes a noise even when no source of sound is actually present.

This is known as the microphone’s “self-noise” and it can result in an annoying effect on your audio, giving it hissing noises that ruin it (also see, ‘How To Fix Mic Static‘).

Thankfully, the Rode NT-USB USB condenser microphone has very low self-noise, meaning that your audio should remain crisp and error-free.

This is actually not the case with most USB microphones, which have annoying levels of self-noise.

Brilliant Sound Quality

Most importantly of all, the Rode NT-USB USB condenser microphone offers brilliant quality of sound.

Whatever you record on the microphone, whether it’s spoken audio or sung lyrics and music, you should get high-quality audio.

This isn’t always going to be the case for most USB microphones, because they have a reputation for being a “plug and play device” quick ways to get audio – audio which you then improve later, or audio that didn’t need to be totally crisp and clean in the first place. 

That isn’t so with this microphone from Rode.

Along with the low self-noise that we mentioned earlier, it has a good amount of bottom-end warmth to the sound, as well as plenty of top-end clarity. 

Better yet, you can get up close and personal and the audio will be protected from too much “pop” by the pop shield.

This recording quality is very impressive to begin with, but especially so when you consider that this is a well-priced USB microphone. 

Pros

• Simple to use
• Great value price
• Simple controls
• Brilliant sound quality
• Come with a stand and a pop shield
• Intelligent design
• Low self-noise

Cons

• The pop-shield could be sturdier

Is The Rode NT-USB USB Condenser Microphone Worth Buying?

The Rode NT-USB USB condenser microphone is worth buying for many reasons. It’s got a simple and intelligent design, with easy-to-use controls that make it perfect for microphone newbies.

On top of that, the audio quality is brilliant for a USB microphone, giving you impressive recordings with low self-noise.  

Better yet, the microphone has great value, affordable price. You’re unlikely to get a better microphone at this price, so it’s more than worth it.

Final Thoughts

The Rode NT-USB USB condenser microphone is a well priced mic with great quality audio. Better yet, it’s quick and easy to get started!