RODE mics - general opinion?

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pk
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RODE mics - general opinion?

Post by pk » Wed May 03, 2006 8:40 am

Most people I've talked to about Rode mics either hate em or love em. Last night I went to a friend's studio, quite a modest setup, a couple of 414's, the usual arsenal of Sure condensers and then a Rode K2, which he says he uses on just about everything these days. I heard some recordings he's done with it and was blown away and how good this thing sounded. We even tracked some of our vocals over some bed music he already had and again, it sounded full, warm, not too much sizzle, not too much color of any kind, and this going through a pro-sumer Focusrite preamp (the Penta). I was thinking of getting a higher end Studio Projects mic but now I'm considering a K2 as my first good all-purpose mic. Any opinions on the K2 or other Rode mics?

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Post by mjau » Wed May 03, 2006 8:48 am

The only one I've used a lot is the NT1000, which is really quiet, a little bright, and more or less without any character. Not a bad mic, and not great either.
Last edited by mjau on Wed May 03, 2006 10:10 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by kayagum » Wed May 03, 2006 9:09 am

I think people rag on Rode mics unnecessarily...

Some of them can be bright, but it matters how you handle or manage it. The main "bright" culprit is the NT1 or related (NT1-A, NT1000)... Maybe it's too bright if you're printing straight through an MBox into PT, but there are plenty of other applications:

* If you're printing to analog tape, I think it works great. Even cassette!
* I've had really good luck with the NT1 as a distant mic. Once I put a single NT1 4' in front of a jazz kit, and it was phenomenal.
* If you need something to cut through a mix, it's cool too. I sometimes think of it the same way Andy Hong might use a C1000.
* Not the best with cheap preamps, but even a moderate bump up in quality helps (e.g. RNP).

Just like an earlier thread about not using a SM7 for quiet sources, it's all about application or YMMV.

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Post by nestle » Wed May 03, 2006 9:21 am

I've got an NTK, it's dynamite on acoustic guitar and LOUD male yelpy singers, its all about the right application...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... %3AIT&rd=1

here is a great deal, check it out lol.....

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Post by Harry » Wed May 03, 2006 10:09 am

I have a K2...I like it.
It can be bright but it's easy to work with.

From some other posts here I think they have some pretty amazing customer service,and that says a lot IMO.

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Post by joel hamilton » Wed May 03, 2006 11:25 am

I have a rode classic and it is a cool microphone. Really well made (except the shockmount that never seemed that cool). The shockmount always was kinda "saggy" right where the adjuster knob thingy is. Not like I think it is going to fall off the stand, but it certainly will droop under the weight of a heavy mic like the classic.

The classic is the only one i have really liked, though i did get a good vocal on an NT2 once.... I used that first tube mic cardioid thingy, the NTK? the NTV? I dont remember. that was pretty ok as well.

The classic is the only one I feel is worth owning, and only if you have a few othe rmics to choose from as it is not a "do it all mic" but then again, what is?

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Post by JWL » Wed May 03, 2006 12:14 pm

Rode mics are awesome. If you can't make a good recording with them, then let's just say the problem isn't with the mics. I have the NT1 and a pair of NT5, and have used several others.

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Post by kayagum » Wed May 03, 2006 12:24 pm

Per TapeOp #39 interview with the Shins- the NT1 was all over their first album. Maybe not THE best recording of all time, but it didn't stop them from selling a few CDs. :D

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Post by pk » Wed May 03, 2006 12:58 pm

Thank you for all your replies so far. The NTK I hear is also great but has no variable pattern, which is why the K2 is now very appealing. I will look into the Rode Classic as well per Joel's comments.

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Post by joel hamilton » Wed May 03, 2006 1:06 pm

pk wrote:Thank you for all your replies so far. The NTK I hear is also great but has no variable pattern, which is why the K2 is now very appealing. I will look into the Rode Classic as well per Joel's comments.
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Post by pk » Wed May 03, 2006 1:09 pm

Thanks Joel, how have you been anyways? I'd love to stop by G sometime and catch up. Finally have a budget to get some decent gear and could use your advice (ie: Groove Tubes Supre or that new API 2 channel? Mics, etc.)

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Post by JWL » Wed May 03, 2006 2:16 pm

The K2 is awesome, but check out the NT1-A depending on the budget. It's about half the price, has the same capsule, has 3 patterns. Not tube, though.... but still a similar sound.

EDIT:That should say NT2-A above there. The NT1-A is even cheaper and a nice mic for less money, but it doesn't have the same capsule as the upper-end Rodes....
Last edited by JWL on Wed May 03, 2006 9:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by T-rex » Wed May 03, 2006 4:00 pm

I have been borrowing an NTK for the last 5 months from a friend who doesn't use it and it's fantastic on acoustic guitar. I really haven't found much else I like it on but I can't let it go cause I love the guitar sound so much.
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Post by Everybody's X » Wed May 03, 2006 5:50 pm

Damnit, the studio name is escaping me right at the moment, uh.....the badass studio in the bahamas, multi-platinum left and right.. somebody knows who I am talking about. Anyway the studio owner loves RODE enough to dedicate a whole page to them on the studio website, seemed like a hell of an endorsement

Also Richard Dodd has spoken highly of them on Gearslutz
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Post by Everybody's X » Wed May 03, 2006 5:54 pm

OK, Compass Point, heres the page

http://www.compasspointstudios.com/rode.html
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