Pro-quality mic for home studios!
Up until the late 80's, high-quality condenser mics were only offered by boutique manufacturers at boutique prices. None but the biggest corporate recording studios could afford them. Around the same time, many bands were abandoning the "big-studio" model and adopting DIY production ideals made popular by the hardcore punk scene. More musicians recorded and released their own music, and Rode recognized new demand. Starting in 1990, their now-legendary NT1 condenser mic brought studio-quality performance to the emerging, budget-conscious home-studio market. For today's Do-It-Yourselfer, Rode's anniversary edition NT1-A continues the tradition of quality and affordability, with redesigned features for the latest digital recording methods.
True-condenser operation
Most low-cost condenser mics use an electret design, where a small electrical bias, or charge, is permanently attached to the condenser element. This technique is cost effective, but it can't match the quality of the traditional condenser design. Unlike electret mics, the NT1-A is a true condenser microphone, externally biased like its boutique cousins, but at a fraction of the cost. State-of-the-art surface-mount electronics and transformerless circuitry used in the NT1-A make it one of the quietest microphones in the world - at any price range. The internal shockmount system further isolates the mic from its environment to prevent floor vibration and handling noise from entering the signal path. With a self-noise rating of just 5.5 dBA, any audio source can be captured with sparkling brilliance and clarity. Your recorded tracks will be filled with the subtle characteristics that used to only come out of professional studios.
Cardioid pickup pattern
You may worry the NT1-A is too quiet, too pristine for your needs. After all, digital production techniques leave no place for mistakes to hide. Fortunately, Rode designed the mic with a cardioid pickup pattern. Ambient noise from the back and sides of the condenser element are automatically rejected, leaving nothing but your intended source. You get all of what you want, and none of what you don't. Your tracks will be clean and tight, making the editing and mixing process much smoother. Project studios live and die by their output quality and quick turnaround. The NT1-A gives you more of both.
The specs
As with any home recording gear, a microphone must be versatile if it wants to stay in the budget. The NT1-A gives professional results with any input source. It features a wide 132 dB dynamic range and a maximum Sound Pressure Level of 137 dB to cover the quietest cymbal chimes to the boomiest bass parts with equal clarity and presence. The full-range frequency response from 20 Hz to 20 kHz is capable of reproducing whatever you record with spot-on accuracy. Use it as a room mic for rhythm and instrument tracks, then prop it up on a boom stand for rich, warm vocals. Why spend your money on a bunch of 'source-specific' mics, when the NT1-A will do it all?
Get a matched set
For many engineers, the quickest way to a great-sounding track is to set up a pair microphones and record the music in stereo. The thinking is, capture what your ears normally hear and you can't go wrong. If this sounds good to you, Rode offers the NT1-A as an acoustically matched pair. You'll receive a certificate of testing to ensure proper balance and equal sensitivity on each mic. There's no need to compensate between one mic and the next, just set 'em and forget 'em. NT1-A's require 48v phantom power, so be sure your mixer or preamp supports this feature.
Included accessories
Rode includes an external shockmount and soft zippered pouch with an individual mic, or two shockmounts and a molded plastic carrying case with the matched pair.
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