Rode NT-1a

Iv'e been playing in excess of te yars now - mostly just for fun. Got the recording bug when I was in the Army - not much to do when you're half way up a mountain/desert/no go area in the midle of nowhere - helped relieve the boredom in between the exciting bits!

Record to a Fostex MR8 MkII via a Tapco Blend 6, then burn to disc.

A really nice condenser mic - super quiet. Got two of these which I use for vocals/acoustic guitar. Suites my needs perfectly. I also have an SM57 which is pretty good as well.

I would strongly recommend this mic to anyone who wants quality on a budget.

I've been making music for 25 years, but off an on. I'm a causual musician and it is hobby and nothing more. I've been recording since the days of the Tascam 4 track home recording mixer using those old cassettes. I currently record to PC.

The Rode NT1A is a cardioid condenser with a fat 1" condenser. It has the usual 20~20kHz dynamic range and requires 48v phantom power.
I have this mic going through the Behringer T1953 preamp and feeding an ESI Juli@ sound card. It's a cheap set up and it was designed that way becuase I'm just a musical hobbyist and don't want to spend thousands of dollars.

I bought this mic because their advertisement sold me with prmises of 5dBA equivalent noise and 88db signal/noise ratio. I realized it is a cheap mic and really didn't expect absolute truth from their advertisements but I still bought one because the reviews here were favorable.

Boy was I pleasantly surprised. This mic is undoubtedly one of the best value for the money. The clarity and the quality of the tone output from this mic is very very good considering the price. The sound could be a little bottom heavy at times, but it's nothing an EQ can't fix. And the noise! Or rather the lack of noise, I should say. Rode really does deliver on their promise.

I'm recording to a PC and noise was always my number one concern. With all the electronics in a PC, one can't help but expect some sort of interference. The Juli@ card is a very good card when it come to clean ADC, but coupled with this Rode mic, it really did outperform all my expectations. I'm hearing no noise at all. Sure if I measured it with equiment there will undoubted be some noise, but the important thing is, I can't hear it. And that's really all that matters to me.

Another thing that I liked about this mic (but may not work for you) is the very narrow cardioid pickup pattern. I record at home, so it's never a "studio quality quiet" environment. This mic does well to leave out a lot of sounds coming from the rear and sides. It's not perfect, but then again, what mic is?

I paid $200 for this mic because I currently live in Korea and imported electronics tend to be more expensive here, but I just gotta say, it's still a bargain for a mic this good. If you're a hobbyist like me and performance per dollar is your main concern, I highly recommend this mic.

I've been making demos for our band for a few years now.
I'm using Presonus Firepod and Cubase for my recordings.

You can listen to them here:
http://www.myspace.com/comaofloss

I've mixed and mastered our demos using my AKG K240M headphones.

Large diaphgram condenser, sounds pretty good as overheads/space
mics for drums and works well with vocals too. (Especially the
more aggressive kind).

I chose the mic based on reviews and price.
Considering the price, it sounds very good.

But here's the bad part:
I've owned three of these so far and two of them has broken on me
about a year from purchase. Both times has been due to some of the
soldering coming loose. (This is just speculation, I haven't actually
opened the mic up yet.) But it definitely is some kind of contact
failure.

This kinda ruins it for me, I really don't think I can trust on
the mic much anymore.

I have been writing and recording my own music for over 2 years now, I have been working towards making professional sounding records for as long as I remember. I use Cakewalk Home Studio 2004 to record all my tracks and use an M-Audio Audio Buddy pre-amp. I use a Marshall amplifier for guitar/bass and a paid MIDI drum sequencer for drums.

This condenser microphone is amazing. I cannot stress enough how usable this microphone is. Beforehand I was using a cheap JHS microphone, but this Rode microphone has opened up many avenues for me to take in my musical direction. I use this microphone for everything I do, mainly vocals, but with acoustic tracks especially this microphone is the bee's knees.

I was looking through Studio Spares and it took about 5 different microphones I liked to find this one that I could buy on a budget that was also made by a quality manufacturer. I then searched the net for reviews and most proved to be positive.

So far I have found no area of which the microphone falls short. I've tested this microphone out for hour upon hour and even managed to record some new acoustic tracks with it. This microphone is a dream, it's even the world's quietest microphone as well. What more could you ask for?

I would DEFINITELY recommend this microphone to others, however it's not very usable for live use, where a dynamic microphone would be more suitable for many reasons, mainly feedback and phantom power wise.

I've recorded on everything from a cassette 4-track 10 years ago to stereo-miked live performances to a Pro Tools-based project studio. I monitor on M-Audio Studiophile BX8's.. not the best monitors in the world but i know them pretty well.

My mic locker is small but growing:
R0de NT1-a
Okatava mk-012 (2)
Shure SM57 (2)
Sennheiser MD421
Shure Beta 52a
Sennheiser e609
Sennheiser e604 (2)
AKG c419
CAD e100^2
Shure KSM27

It's a cardiod LDC. I got it primarily for vox, it was my first LDC.

I have found that it is outstanding for drum OHs - I have never heard a ride cymbal with such clarity, and the hi-hats, crashes and chinas were beautiful.

but it is not so hot for lead vox. It is really strong and harsh in the upper mids, especially when run through a compressor (pro tools comp, vintage warmer, Massy CT4, T-Racks comp, RNC, 3630, URS 1970, Metric Halo Channel Strip, all of these didn't help) and corrective EQ didn't help much. the warmth and crispness was okay , but the mids were pretty raunchy.

You can't mike a guitar amp because it can't handle loud signals, as there is no pad. It is okay as a room mic for drums, but a bargain-basement dynamic worked better for me. I'd never use it on a bass amp. I don't really record much with traditional strings, brass or woodwinds, so I have no idea how it would sound, but it would not be my first choice out of my mics.

I've been making music for about 10 years now. I started playing the guitar when I was 6, moved to bass at age 12, picked up some drum and piano basics, and got heavily into synthesizers and sequencing at around 19. At that time I was in a band, and when that fell apart I started to get into writing and recording my own stuff track by track. Initially I was using a Tascam 4-track, then stepped up to a PC with Cool Edit Pro 2.1. I have a large selection of mics, preamps, compressors, synths (including a Clavia Nord Lead II), guitars, basses, a V-drum set, and all the other types of gear one will find in a home studio. By the way, don't ever, EVER dog someone who uses Cool Edit. I know it seems cheesy and like, maybe, kind of a soft option, but believe me, I make complex music and it has never failed me. I've gotten to the point where the software is transparent to me, so I can't imagine changing. Adobe thought it was good enough to release as Audition with only minor changes, so I would advise anyone to give it a shot. It has served me very well; I swear by Cool Edit Pro 2.1

The Rode NT1-A is a large diaphram condenser microphone. Myself, I don't care for the way it makes my vocals sound... my voice is kind of nasally and the Rode's presence peak accentuates that nasal quality. But overall, on acoustic guitar, other people's voices, various percussion, drum kit, ambient miking, etc., this mic is phenomenal. For the price, it is without equal. I like the NT2-A for it's switchable polar pattern, and the two together work wonderfully in a M/S configuration, but if you can only have one general purpose large-diaphram condenser, the NT1-A is a fantasic choice. It's price is unreal, and it's self-noise (5dB) is truly unbelievable. Check it out, you'll like it.

25yrs...I started young!!! I was recording on tape, then had an early Tascam, then a hard disc recorder. I've always loved recording - laying down loads of harmonies & the occasional acoustic guitar.

I'm a pro session singer, so the voice is my instrument & using the best mic I can lay my mitts on isn't just important, it's VITAL.

I have a Pro tools set up and regularly record vocal sessions for record labels, producers & writers all over the world, without leaving home :)

After much research & deliberation I purchased the Rode NT1A. The mic is purely used on vocals. My set up is designed to produce a very 'naked' vocal. As the producers of the tracks do all the mixing, all they want is my voice, not EQ or compression or anything else getting in the way. The mic needs to be stable & reproduce with subtle flattery.

I have worked in multi million pound studios and used mics costing thousands of ????????????. For my personal used I have owned Studio Electronics SE2200A, Studio Projects C1 and a third hand Neumann U87.

The best one for the job overall, was the C1, but I always felt it was a little flat & whilst very clear & faultless for the price, I felt it was a little middy for me.

I chose the Rode because I had read more good than bad about it. I was prepared to sell it if I didn't like it, but it was love at first breath...

I wasn't impressed with the flimsy shock mount, of which the elastic snapped straight away & could really do with a hard case, BUT the mic itself is very full sounding, rich bodied and I defy you to find anything under ??1,000 which sounds better.

In terms of placement, it is standard - I use a metal pop filter, but everyone needs a shield. It does pick up every sound & I need to keep the gain down, but it handles beautifully, is very stable (for what I do) and subtley flatters.

There is no other for me.

30+ years of making music and occasionally getting paid for it . - Both as a singer and guitar player.

I've been paid to do voice over work and back up vocals in pro studio settings - and I do a great deal of home-recording.

I'm now using Sonar 4 on my PC for 'home-work'

As someone said earlyer... if you can't get good recordings with this mic, you should be looking at your other toys or your skill level to find the problem. I've used U-87s and I would MUCH rather have one of these... and use the cash saved for other upgrades in my studio.

I've been making music for 12 years, at home and earlier in my life, in clubs. Although I wouldn't recommend the NT1A in a nightclub, when it comes to a studio application...HOLY WOW! I would put the Rode NT1A up against just about any high priced "legendary" microphones. I Use the NT1A for voice-over work and it comes through clytal clear, but still plenty of fat bottom where it's needed too. I've had more comments on quality since I switched to Rode products and I'm not leaving. COnsider me one of the Rode faithful. I run it through a Mackie DFX-6 as a pre-amp, then into a Fostex 8 track recorder, then minxing it through the main computer with Adobe Audition 2.0. I litereally get everything I could ever want with this combination of products. Thatnks, Rode. And keep the great suff coming.

Jim
Chico,California

I highly recommend the Rode NT1A to anyone on a budget that thinks they'll never get a great sound out of something that's not as expensive as the upper eschelon. WRONG! Rode delivers every time in the stuido.

How long have you been making music?

About 20 years.

What kind of recording experience do you have?

I've been recording my stuff for about 15 years.

What are you recording to?

Nowadays mainly Pro Tools on Mac. I study recording and mixing at aschool and there I've recorded stuff on 24-track analog tape.

What is your primary listening equipment?

At school all monitors are Genelecs (1030, 1038) and I'm in the process of buying monitors at home. Probably not Genelecs, they are great, but so is their price though.

Condenser mic. I've used it for a lots of things, vocals, acoustic guitar, tambourine, violin etc. Placement varies a lot depending on what I'm recording and in what kinda room. I was considering other mics as well, but a friend of mine had NT1 and he talked highly of it. I also got to test his mic and was convinced it is a very good mic. NT1-A is a very good all round mic, nothing extra, but if you know what you're doing you can get great results.

Any areas where it falls short? Well, it is a bit "tight" in higher frequencies and it can be a bit tricky to get relaxed sound when recording high female vocals. If I was to record a classic ensemble, this probably wouldn't be my mic of choice to record any strings.

I would recommend this mic to anyone needing a basic all round mic. For this price, it is an amazingly great mic. For example, Neumann U87 costs about ten times more than NT1-A and is only a bit better mic in my opinion, and not necessarily on all areas. Truly, great value for your money!