Item: RØDE NT1-A Studio Condenser Microphone
Price: £159 (UK), $189 (US)
Quick Singer Assessment:
Rode’s NT1A is one of the top choices for recording great sounding vocals on a budget. It is perfect for demo-ing tracks at home or for recording your voice for an online video. It also works great on other instruments, such as acoustic guitar, making it a great all-round mic to have in your home studio.
At a Glance
It may look similar to the old NT1 (first released around 20 years ago), but RØDE’s new NT1-A has been completely redesigned from the ground up. Intended as an all-round studio microphone, it is equally capable of recording vocals, guitars, drums, or anything else you might want to perform with. It features a new capsule to the NT1A that has been developed with a focus on detailed midrange response, coupled with silky smooth high frequencies, and warm, round, bass reproduction to make the NT1-A an absolute standout in its class.
High Notes
The NT1 is cable of producing clear and detailed vocal recordings that pick up every nuance of a performance. With some gentle processing it is easy to get a sound that sits well in a mix and sounds a lot more expensive than the mic’s price-tag might suggest. It can also produce quite usable results for other instruments such as acoustic guitar or piano – although it doesn’t quite have the same high frequency clarity that you can get from higher-end microphones or a small-diaphragm condenser mic. Like all RØDE microphones, The NT1-A is designed and made in Australia and is covered by a 10-year warranty.
Off Pitch
Singers wanting the best possible vocal sound might want to go for a mic that adds more character and warmth to their voice than the NT1A’s clean and almost clinical sound. It also faces strong competition from other manufactures such as Aston Microphones (see our review of the Origin here), Audio Technica ( see the AT2020 review here) and sE Electronics, just to name a few.
Audio-Savvy Reviewer Says…
If you are looking for your first recording microphone you should certainly put the NT1A on your list. It is a surprisingly capable microphone that is well suited for home studio use. The NT1-A is also available as a kit that comes with a shock-mount and pop shield, which is a great option if this is your first setup (you will still need a mic preamp / recording interface and stand). If you have a much larger budget, there are better sounding microphones on the market, however for the price there is little to fault with the NT1-A. – Chris Kennedy
Manufacturer’s Website: http://www.rodemic.com
More on Mics for Singers
5 Top Vocal Recording Microphones under $1000
Chris Kennedy is a songwriter, producer multi-instrumentalist and freelance journalist from the UK. He has performed extensively over Europe and written and produced over a dozen albums. Chris also has a passion for music technology and was the principal product reviewer and tech expert of the original Voice Council magazine.
