So, this is a closeup (or an attempt at one, anyway) of my new mic - a RØDE NT1. I spent a while looking at mics, and read quite a lot over a couple weeks, and I settled on this as my 'starter mic'. There were several reasons - here's a few.

First, it's a large diaphragm condenser mic - I limited my selection to that, as I wanted as close to 'studio quality' as I could get...if I only knew. I had misconceptions about that mythical quality level, and I had no idea that pretty much any real mic would give it to me - I really didn't need a mic quite like this. But with that said, this mic is $269 at full price, full retail, brand new. That's not that bad, and the fact is it's very worth it.

For instance, in the other pic I posted you can see the mic sitting in a shock mount and with a pop filter in front - that's all part of the 'mic' - it comes from the manufacturer as a kit. So it's not just a simply mic body...

Also, this mic gets very good reviews pretty much everywhere, and now I know why. It's touted as 'super quiet' - meaning that it has no noise/hiss it introduces into the recording. Or at least, what it does introduce is supposed to be minimal - but I have to say, it's really silent. Completely. To whit - as I sit here I have my 'phones on and I'm still monitoring the mixer. The mic is picking up things I can't hear with my ears (even without my headphones on) and making them perfectly audible - all without any noticeable hiss. Part of that is the mixer, but most of that is the mic itself - it's seriously epic.

Other things I like about this mic are the fact that it sounds very clear - it doesn't have any issues with high frequency response, and I think that's due to it not using foam as a 'pop filter' - the actual diaphragm is open to air through the screens. And this matters - if you don't use the included pop filter, it's very noticeable. I might do a quick recording to illustrate...possibly.

But yeah, I really just wanted to gush about this mic a bit - it really is a very nice, high quality piece of gear. If you're looking for something like this, I'd definitely give this some serious consideration - I had it down to this or a Shure PG42 for my first 'real' mic, and this having the 'kit' sold me. And while I do still want to get a PG42, I know I can be perfectly happy with this, and I'm not normally as satisfied with a blind initial purchase like this. So yeah, definitely worth considering if you're in the market.

K Fox