NT1-A

“Immediately upon receiving the NT1-As I started using them for recording vocals and guitars and I haven't looked back. I have yet to find an application where these mics didn't sound good.”
- Electronic Musician

“It is well suited to a wide range of recording tasks, and is built to a high standard of manufacture... If you don't like hiss building up in your recordings, courtesy of noisy mics and preamps, have a listen to the NT1-A - you won't hear a thing.”
- AudioTechnology

“This mic is worth every cent! This mic has such an incredible dynamic range that it'll catch everything from blaring cymbals to a vocal breath ten feet away! I've used it for all my vocal and guitar tracks and have even been surprised with it's piano capability!”
- Travis Cullman, Sweetwater (Customer Review)

“ I have been working in the live sound reinforcement industry (mainly as an FOH engineer) for about 10 years. In that time I have worked with countless local, national and international acts of all different genres including, Fall Out Boy, Richie Havens, The Street Dogs, The Wallflowers, GZA, Gym Class Heroes, The Eclectic Collective, Adrien Belew and too many others to name. Anyway, I just wanted to say that throughout the years I've found the NT1-A to be one of the most reliable and best sounding mics I've ever used. I've been using the NT1-A for many years in many different applications and I now consider it to be an essential part of any mic box that I use. In fact the Sam Bayer record I recently produced and engineer was recorded almost exclusively with RØDE mics. Sam has been a hardcore Beyer user for years but is now a devoted RØDE fan. I wanted to thank you for making my life/job that much easier by making it that much simpler to get amazing sound right from the get-go. I love your mics ”
- Jason Benjamin (Customer Review)

“I have been recording birdsong and other sounds in nature since almost twenty years. I produce CD records containing 30-60 minutes of what I call 'Acoustic landscapes' i.e. natural sound environments with birdsong, sound of ocean waves, etc. The most difficult problem has always been the quality of the microphones, as I have had to stick to a somewhat modest budget (7-10.000 USD). So far, the best recordings were made with small parabolic microphones, but the low sensitivity and high self noise levels of all mics I've tried has caused problems that no software could repair (not even Soundtrack Pro). In addition, the parabolic mics have a tendency to amplify and distort ambient sounds. This spring I renewed my entire equipment, I scrapped the old DAT, M- Audio Firewire and my microphones and bought a couple of state-of-the- art recorders plus three RØDE mics, 2 x RØDE NT55s and one NTG-3. I was still disappointed, too much noise. But then, in desperation I asked the salesman, what is the quietest microphone he can sell me, no matter the price. And I ended up buying four NT1-As. Judging from the price, I was very, very suspicious, but I quickly found out that I now own almost perfect microphones, the self noise is so low, that it is virtually impossible to notice, and the sensitivity is so high, that the mic records sounds perfectly that are very hard to hear. The NT1-A is far better than any parabolic mic I've ever used, so I just threw away my parabolic dishes. I believe that the NT1A is the best buy I ever have made, so thank you for bringing it to the market and especially for that unbelievable price! ”
- Trygve Roos (Customer Review)

“There are few things in this world that offer value. But when I hear the word value, I often think of "average". So I put off buying this mic for a while having been seduced by Neumann, AKG, etc. This mic takes value and slams it on it's face! The sound is celestial to say the LEAST! Even before I used it, I marveled at the SM6 Shock Mount for like and hour! I was expecting it to be a plastic nightmare, but yes folks, it's SOLID metal and the hottest design I've seen in years! Marry this mic to a great Pre, and you'll never say Neumann again! RØDE is running circles around everyone right now! I'm buying another before the price inflates!”
- Eric Raines, USA (Customer Review)

“Excellent Mic. I bought this based upon a friends recommendation to record some scratch tracks for upcoming demos. After working with it, I found it to be very smooth and clean. I now use it for most recordings and highly recommend it to my recording customers. Once they hear the sound (I do use a tube preamp) they are blown away. This mic sounds more like the $2000 - $2500 price range of microphones. You should buy this. I did .... and bought a second! It will be in my mic locker for years to come.”
- Allen Sound & Recording Company (Customer Review)

“This is a great multi-purpose mic for any engineer. The sound is highly detailed and transparent. This mic made my guitar shine, even while connected to my lower end mic pres. Sounds good on everything I have tried it on so far...drum overheads, acoustic guitar, vocals. For the price you cant beat it. If you are in the market for an all-purpose, affordable mic, look no further.”
- Phil, USA (Customer Review)

“For the money, it's absolutely unbeatable! I use it to record hip-hop and techno vocals. I personally have tested at least 50 mics in my life ranging from $100 to the $3000+ U57 tubes. This is the quietest mic, hands down - which is great if you live in a busy city like I do. The clarity and presence of the mic is significantly better than others in the $150-$250 range. It sounds like a $1000 mic. The included pop shield and XLR cable make it an even better deal. I can't say there are any negatives to this mic. It's THE best microphone in this price range.”
- MC, USA (Customer Review)

“I expected quality from RØDE, but I didn't expect such excellence in a mic with a price range so far below the competitors. I will definitely continue with such a rewarding company.”
- Millenium Knights, USA (Customer Review)

“The reason that you constantly see this Australian designed and built microphone popping up in a lot of recording sessions is purely because it is so excellent to record with. The fact that it doesn't cost thousands of dollars is questionable, but there are no complaints from the consumer side with this. What makes the RØDE NT1-A so astonishing you might ask? It features a large gold-plated diaphragm along with gold-plated CLR connectors to say the least. Powered by phantom power, this microphone features an internal shock mount so you don't have to cringe every single time you accidentally let it slip from your hands - by now you're probably familiar with RØDE's superb build quality. An obvious highlight of this microphone is the low-noise, thanks to the 'transformerless surface mount circuitry". This is extremely useful if you choose to drive your tube preamps hard with vocals. The end result is a warm sounding, dynamically broad true condenser. Essentially RØDE have brought a bazooka to a gunfight. It doesn't matter what kind of project you're working on, the NT1-A will excel beyond your imagination and if you think it stops there, think again. Now you receive a shock-mount, a studio grade popshield, a dust cover to be used when in storage or when being unused in its shockmount and also a six metre XLR cable. RØDE are the company that keeps on giving (and at a low price!), which is incredibly rare these days and this microphone is nothing short of perfect. ”
- The Drum Media

“The NT1-A is one of the most transparent sounding microphones on the market, making it the perfect tool for home recording artists and major studios alike to have in their mic lockers. This microphone is a key to keeping the most realistic sound to your voice or instrument, allowing you to tweak your sounds to perfection later, or keep everything natural and untouched to create an intimate listening experience. For those just getting into recording, the RØDE NT1-A comes packaged with everything you need to start recording other than the mic stand and an interface. With a 20′ XLR cable, there’s plenty of length to cover the distance between the mic and interface/mic panel in almost any situation. There’s also a shock mount included with the microphone, that provides plenty of separation from the mic stand and has a built in pop filter to prevent transient pops in your vocal recording. These accessories can get expensive with other companies, especially with some shock mounts costing $100+. RØDE really makes it easy for their customers to get everything they need in one conveniently priced package. In addition to what’s already mentioned, the NT1-A includes a dust cover for better storage and to keep out the dust that can pack in your microphones capsule, deadening your sound over time. Finally, there is a DVD included with the package giving beginners some tips to get the best sounding recording out of their microphone. The NT1-A is truly a crystalline sounding microphone, capturing a clear sounding recording of virtually everything we threw at it. With such low self-noise, every breath taken during vocal recording was caught by the microphone with haunting brilliance. The NT1-A’s capsule (1″ diameter) has its own shock mount within the unit, stopping any vibrations resonating with the body of the mic from muddying up your sound. The microphones frequency response is relatively flat, with a slight boost around 3kHz adding a brighter sounding clarity to your recording. The microphone’s cardioid polar pattern spreads very evenly throughout all frequencies, making an exceptionally flat recording when addressed straight on. You shouldn’t have any issues miking most instruments upfront and head-on with the NT1-A with a Maximum SPL of 137dB, aside from maybe a really heavy-footed drummer’s kick or directly in front of the horn of a brass instrument. Should anything happen to your microphone, RØDE guarantees its microphone’s continued quality with a 10 year warranty.”
- digitalrecordingarts.com