Rode has launched an up to date model of its NT1 giant diaphragm condenser microphone, an ordinary within the firm’s lineup and one in all its first merchandise debuting again in 1991. The microphone has principally the identical design that makes it a sensible choice for small funds vocal recordings, however this 12 months’s mannequin comes with a enjoyable twist: the microphone now helps each XLR and USB-C outputs, all throughout the identical slot.
This dual-connect improve has been a standard addition to podcasting and residential recording microphones for the previous few years, permitting the microphone for use for a number of recording gear setups. However Rode has designed the NT1’s a number of output jacks in a intelligent manner by becoming them cosy proper on high of one another contained in the round XLR connector. You may thank the age of the podcaster for this innovation.
Adjustments like this don’t occur with out cause. Most dynamic condenser microphones have been designed manner earlier than podcasting and USB ports existed, and lots of corporations have built-in USB into a standard microphone physique in sloppy methods. The Blue Yeti has been notorious for USB cables breaking steadily from the stress of the cable protruding beneath the microphone with no help — an unintended tug on a cable can doubtlessly snap the connector proper off.
Many USB microphones (and different USB merchandise!) undergo from this drawback. Nevertheless, with the NT1 fifth technology, the pins from the XLR connectors act like a stabilizer to the cable, retaining the connector from being bent if pulled. I’m uncertain if this was intentional or not, but it surely appears to be a slight profit to the design.
One flaw of the NT1’s new design, nonetheless, is that you simply can not plug in each XLR and USB-C on the identical time, one thing the dual-connect Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB can do with its side-by-side ports. Although the necessity for this isn’t so frequent, it may be helpful while you wish to plug the microphone into a pc for a video name and ship the analog audio individually right into a recorder (aka podcasting).
Might this imply there will likely be a customized twin USB-C / XLR cable for the NT1? I requested Rode, and apparently there aren’t any plans for such an adjunct. However right here’s what that would appear to be:
It’s already inspiring extra innovation.
Pictures by Andrew Marino / The Verge
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