Reddit reviews Rode NT1KIT Cardioid Condenser Microphone Package

Personally, I think the MXL V67G is a good mic choice for beginners. It has a warm tone that's pretty forgiving for a lot of voice types, it takes EQ decently, and it's only ~$65. It has a good bass response, which many cheaper mics lack, and the upper frequencies are fairly smooth.

For the interface, pretty much any full interface will work. I normally recommend the Behringer UM2 for the price (~$40), but as long as you avoid stuff like the Neewer phantom power supply (which isn't an actual interface) you'll be fine. If you have extra money, something like the Audient iD4 (or iD14 if you need two inputs/think you will in the future) or Apogee Duet are good choices. They both have a good amount of clean gain (no hiss from the preamps) and they don't color the sound much, if any.

You will also need a mic stand, XLR cable, pop filter, and headphones. To get all that, it's going to cost about the same as a Blue Yeti (minus the headphones, but you'd need to buy those for the Yeti as well) and will sound far better.

If you have the money though, look around and test mics out before you buy. Every mic is going to sound slightly different, and just because one mic is popular or fits one person well doesn't mean it's the best choice for you. There are plenty of mics under $1000 (even under $500) that are phenomenal, you just need to find the one that suits your voice the best. As for mid-price mics that you may be interested in, there is the Lewitt LTC 440 Pure, Aston Origin, Rode NT1, CAD e100s, and Audio-Technica AT4040. This is just a list to get you started looking, and by no means covers all the good mics, so look around for what you think will suit you. Test out what you can, because you don't want to spend that much money without being sure it will sound right for you.

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More important than mic selection though, is acoustic treatment. Even the best, most expensive mics are going to sound terrible in an untreated space. You can buy panels or foam squares, but if you're tight on money you can improvise this pretty easily. There are tons of youtube tutorials, so I won't spend too much time on it, but some good materials are blankets (moving blankets, quilts, comforters, basically anything really thick with lots of dead space), cushions, and pillows. If you have a fully stocked walk-in closet, that's even better.

You could go for the Røde NT1 kit which includes a microphone, a shock mount, and a metal pop-filter, and connect it to a Scarlett Focusrite Solo (2. gen). This way you get 24 bit, 48 kHz recordings, which ought to be enough for most of your clients :)

How well does it sound? Well, here's a comparison with the Neumann U47 ($4000 mic).

How come, that such a price difference is so hard hear? The room is treated very well. You can do something like what I did.
I would not recommend a box - it can sound "boxy", but it might work...

Standard setup for bedroom production is something like a Scarlett 2i2 with varying mic choices based on budget. Two sweet spots as far as price/performance ratio for me:

Rode NT1:
New version of the classic NT1a with clear performance representation and a crisp high end. Metal pop filter is also dope. Sensitive to background noise.

https://www.amazon.com/Rode-NT1KIT-Condenser-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B00GGGQK56

Shure SM7b:
Widely used for a reason. Everyone and their mom has one of these because they sound so good. Bonus for non-studio work is that it isn't going to pick up a fly farting in the room next to you because it's dynamic. You need a cloudlifter tho so keep that in mind.

https://www.amazon.com/Shure-SM7B-Dynamic-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B0002E4Z8M

"That I can use anywhere..."

Eh, that's not really a thing. Microphones are space dependent.

If you're just doing Youtube, talking head style videos, you don't even need to spend that much money.

Get yourself a condenser mic. I use a Rode NT1 Kit. I like that the pop filter is right on the mount and it sounds "fine". You can get a lot of opinions, with a lot of cork sniffing. In a mix, with proper compression and filtering, there are differences, but it's real small. Diminishing returns is strong with mics. I was using a Neumann TLM104 before, and honestly, not that big of a difference. It's a sensitive mic though, so you'll want a quietish room.

https://www.amazon.ca/Rode-Large-Diaphragm-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B00GGGQK56

Now you need an audio interface to hook the mic up to the computer. Really, you don't need to go that wild. You're just getting your talking voice in there.

https://www.amazon.ca/Focusrite-SCARLETT-2I2-3RD-GEN-2x2-Audio-Interface/dp/B07QR73T66/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?keywords=focusrite+scarlett+2i1&qid=1573845792&s=musical-instruments&sr=1-2-fkmr0

Real simple, and will work fine enough, and has a second input, if you ever need one.

Some people will tell you to get a compressor, to run the mic through that on the way in. It's not really necessary and at this point, hardware compressors and software are indistinguishable in a mix or outside of an AB test scenario. Just shoot your video, and record your audio. After, run your vocal through some compression and a high pass filter, and you'll be good to go, for relatively cheap.

I started with a Rockband mic (lol), moved to a CAD USB mic, and now that I'm serious about music, I use a Rode NT1, which I really love. However, if you are really serious about making music, I would recommend spending a little more and focusing on quality up front, because eventually you will want to upgrade anyway when you realize the limitations of cheaper microphones. Another thing to consider is buying an interface (I needed one for the NT1). This will allow you to connect XLR microphones (like the NT1) and eliminate the annoying latency associated with USB mics.

I have the Rode NT1-Kit which is an XLR mic, and that pics up a lot of the sound around me (When I have my headphones on I can hear the washing machine which is about 10-15 metres away and through multiple doors.

Get the Blue Yeti and configure a noise gate to not pick up everything (Have to be above a certain loudness before the mic activates on OBS).

This is what I use:
Rode NT1KIT Cardioid Condenser Microphone Package https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GGGQK56/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_7l5XDbZC65NET

Thanks man I'll check out your stories! Mic wise I'm using a RØDE NT1KIT and I edit with adobe audition / izotope noise reduction BUT I reckon my recording room is too reverb-ish?

Man am I glad you commented on this post. I'd just like to take a minute and thank you because without you I would've been fucked over and either have to drive 25 miles to my "local" music shop or wait another week for those cables to come in.

I bought one of those sound shields, actually I'll link you to these couple of things I bought. I'm wondering if you've got any clue if these will fit together? I feel like if I put the sound shield and the mic on the stand it might be a little wobbly. Just speculating tho.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GGGQK56/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BPBKQ9C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C05AL74/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also, I bought this headphone adapter. It was the only one I saw when I searched it on Amazon... this is what you're talking about right?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073NYPYVR/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Im looking to upgrade my audio into a xlr setup from a usb mic. I broadcast on Twitch (live streaming service) and I have some questions about what equipment would be best for my application.

For my mic, I was going to purchase the Rode NT1
Is a condensor mic best for what I'll be doing? (Disclaimer: I yell a lot)

I was going to purchase the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
Is it worth it to purchase this two channel audio interface, or should I buy the single input version for a cheaper price? I'm only going to be using a single mic, but I read that the quality of the 2i2 build is a bit better.

My final question is on whether or not I should purchase a Compressor/Gate to reduce clipping when I yell, or is it possible or to compress my audio with a software program? Trying to see if dropping the money on the compressor would be worth it. This is the compressor/gate I was looking at: DBX 266xs

Thanks ahead of time! I really do appreciate your help! :)

I was going to with those being my preference, but if condensers are yours, no worries there! My recommendations are purely going to be in the XLR domain, mind you.

Personally, I'd go for something like the Blue Spark or SE X1 on the lower end of the scale, similar in price to the 2035.

If your budget could stretch to include the Rode NT1 (note very specifically the black NT1, not the silver-ish NT1-A), that would 100% get my recommendation as the best "mainstream" condenser you'll ever own under $700 or so.

I didn't see this post up here. This guy wrote what I was going to say. The 2i2 interface is excellent and is what I use. I have this mic https://www.amazon.com/Rode-NT1KIT-Condenser-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B00GGGQK56

If you want a good example of what this interface and a condenser mic is capable of here https://soundcloud.com/user-420962322/01-flex

Topping D30 doesn't work with a boompro. You would need an AMP/DAC combo unit that has headphone out and MIC in, or you will get buzzing issues.


If imaging accuracy is your goal, I find the AKG 712 Pro to be damn near cheating, even better than my DT 770. My HD 800 crush it in sound stage width of course, but the imaging is actually fairly close between the two in games like PUBG, Battlefield 4, and Apex legends. Not bad for a $270 headphone! That leaves you in a tough spot if you want a boom mic. You COULD get an in-line mic like this:


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NXY5H9L/?coliid=I24BOF07FMCL76&colid=KE3MOM1DD6I5&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it


But your voice will sound thin and you would have to use push to talk so the mic doesn't pick up keyboard/room noise.


Best is to get a nicer USB mic and mount it on a boom-mic streamer-style. Something like this can get you started cheap:


https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Microphone-Suspension-Broadcasting-Recording/dp/B07DKB68DL/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=USB+mic&qid=1565999441&s=electronics&sr=1-5


Or you could go ALL THE WAY to the top with a Rode NT-1


https://www.amazon.com/Rode-NT1KIT-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B00GGGQK56/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Rode+NT-1&qid=1565999578&s=electronics&sr=1-3