Rode NT-USB Mini USB Condenser Microphone Reviews

I am thoroughly impressed! I highly recommend this brand and microphone! I did my research on this microphone and after many raving reviews I decided to take a chance on it and I'm really glad that I did! I can't believe the quality and sound of this microphone! I would 100% buy this again!

This mic produces great recordings at a very affordable price. Nice design and convenient magnetic stand.

Solid USB mic, works v well for VOIP stuff like Zoom, replaced my Blue Snowball and couldn't be happier, though of course it'd be even nicer with an adjustable gain knob rather than just a headphones knob, but i assume that's the difference between the full size and the mini ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I had no idea what I was looking for other than I needed a microphone to improve my sound quality for videos, meetings and such. Sweetwater's website made it easy to narrow it down to a USB microphone and the prices seemed reasonable.

I placed my order and then the magic happened. I received phone call from a representative from Sweetwater inquiring into my purchase and if I had questions. I wasn't sure about my decision being a newbie and this gentleman answered all my questions and explained he would be available after my purchase arrived should I have more questions.

The package arrived well packed and in excellent condition. The support emails I received showed the attention to detail this company has for its customers.

Loved everything about this experience.

I was looking for an affordable, decent-quality, convenient usb microphone to use in my home studio, and I'm very pleased with this purchase. I'm quite new to recording so I'm not an expert in microphone quality, but I like the way this sounds quite well. It's super easy to use, compact, and seems sturdy and well-made.

I am a total noob. And the guys at Sweetwater called me after my order to make sure I was taken care of. We talked for a bit- I told him I was starting a podcast and that maybe I should get a studio arm along with this mic- so he added it to the order for me. Such great service!
The mic is super easy to use. It has a magnetic mount that I love the ease of. It also plugs in and automatically is picked up by GarageBand. All that is left is to click the red circle!
I'll be shopping here again- and telling all my friends.

This thing is amazing, it filters out a ton of noise, and I live on a turnpike with no soundproofing.

The mike arrived perfectly packed. It is a real "Mighty Mike" and handles all of the vocal narration that I do with ease. I love not having to have an interface, this USB mike will give me all the response I need while taking up much less desk space.

I used to sound very nasally, now I sound like a radio star!

Great microphone

Arrived on time and in great condition. This is the perfect mic for better voice quality on calls. The setup insuring were easy to understand, and plug and play works without any issues.

First -- as always, Sweetwater's expertise and helpfulness is always appreciated. Thanks, Stewart Hisey!

This is an excellent sounding mike for the price, and very easy to use. It works wonderfully with my Windows laptops and Android phone.

For Windows users, Røde supports WASAPI. That means if you have a Surface or other portable Windows computer (and audio software that supports WASAPI), you can work on music projects, record and perform without having to tote around your ASIO interface or struggle with the incredibly clumsy ASIO4ALL software drive. WASAPI performance doesn't equal ASIO, but it's still within tolerance for performance and is a very handy option for portable/on-the-go situations.

A quality microphone at a great value. Ordering from Sweetwater is a no-brained, too.

Immediate improvement to my recordings for youtube and Zoom teaching sessions. My set up is simple, just Quicktime on a laptop. I've used Rode mics in performance for years and this little usb condenser with it's sturdy stand and nice aesthetic is easy to use and improved the capture of voice, guitar and ukulele. I'm a big fan of Rode products.

I'm a Classical Guitarist and mainly record with 2 Neumann KM184s and AEA R84 Ribbon mics. Also have some Audio Technica Condensers.I bought my son one of these for his EDM projects. Fast forward a few weeks and I needed something that was a good quality mic that I could plug in to my laptop via USB. I ended up really loving this little guy. It has a nice warm sound, and simple controls on the front, one knob you push to turn on "zero-latency" mode and turn to control headphone volume, also the stand is sturdy (though my son cautioned me that it doesn't screw in and is held by a magnet, I found this to work perfectly). I've used it with Audacity, Zoom, Google Hangouts, FL Studio. No problems. Nice heavy mic and good pop shield built in. I've recorded examples for students and used it for hours of online lessons thanks to the Coronavirus. I get lots of compliments on sound quality from my students. I ended up buying a second one since my son wanted his back. Highly recommend.

I can't speak to sound quality since I'm only on the transmitting end, but this mic reportedly works very well for its intended use during online meetings, Zooms, etc. Monitoring with headphones reveals very high sensitivity, picking up even soft whispers at normal distance ~2 feet. No feedback issues at all even though it's placed within a foot of my Bose Companion2 PC monitors.
Very happy with my purchase; good price compared to some other options.

Just got my NT-USB Mini in and I love it right away.

Small, but great sound. Well built, but not over engineered.

Easy plug and play connectivity. Being a more "mini" mic, you do have limited on-mic controls however.

My two small complaints are:

The packaging is ridiculous, ha. It seems so simple, but to get the mic out you basically have to yank it off it's magnetic base, finagle the rest of the packaging out, then fish the base out of it. Could be better designed.

The volume knob is not super easy to adjust.
It's flush with the mic and the barrel protrudes out of the bottom. But it's got some serious (but nice feeling) tension on it. So you can't turn it with one finger or even one hand with ease.

Noticebly improved sound over my old mic. Using for a cappella vocals. Easy to use, easily portable, feels durable. Plugged in and used right away with Audacity, Skype, Zoom. Haven't tried with simultaneous online singing (the Holy Grail!) might not be good enough for that.

Whenever I review a mic, I take into account ease of use, sound quality, and build quality (perceived durability). I also ask myself who the product is for and what part it plays in the market as a whole. In this case, the buyer is also given the option — take it! — of downloading a mic-specific software package, in this instance Rode Connect. The build quality is impressive, given the affordability of this condenser mic. The microphone comes with a proportionately small base, but unless you set the base on something to bring it up closer to head level, you will not optimize your recording experience. So, I bypassed that base entirely and attached the mic cage to a FrameWorks free-standing boom and adjusted the arm to the desired level; you could have as easily used a full-on boom arm like Rode's PSA-1 (I have one), but I wanted to try out the Mini and rode Connect post haste, and did not want to remove my Rode NT 1-A from its accustomed "throne." I needed to purchase a quality USB-C to USB-C cable, because the cable packaged with the Mini is USB-C to USB-A, and my M1 iMac is all USB-C. The Mini is fully plug and play: plug your USB-C end into the back of the Mini and the other end of your cable into a port on your computer. Also plug your headphones (I have a good quality closed-back Audio Technica set) into the back of the Mini and you will have zero-latency monitoring. Download Rode Connect software after updating the Mini's firmware. On your computer, go to System Preferences > Sound and select your microphone for both Input and Output. You are almost ready to record. After adding your Mini in Rode Connect — there are several excellent videos online that explain the basic functions of the software — begin recording!

I would recommend that you try the various setting options in Rode Connect and find those that are most suitable for your voice; we're all different. The Noise Gate option works well enough, but it's an all-or-nothing Noise Gate and may cause you to lose some of the nuanced sound that you would get in, say, the Rodecaster Pro and its companion software: I've done side-by-side comparison with the Rodecaster Pro, and it's just not the same. The Connect software is minimalist and will not allow you to achieve the nuanced, smooth-as-butter sound of the Rodecaster Pro, but the Connect software is also free. 'Nuff said. Note, the Mini is a condenser microphone, so you will likely want to use the Noise Gate. When you do, the proximity effect with cross-axis delivery keeps those pesky plosives and extraneous noises to a minimum, even if you live next door to a rowdy bar (I do); the Mini also has its own built-in pop filter. I would also recommend using the Compressor while recording; it works very well. Unless you have a Rodecaster Pro, this is quite serviceable. The aural effects options are not necessary, but they may enhance your delivery, depending on the natural timbre of your voice. You can now directly export your recording to the basic hosting platforms; recordings are by default in .wav file format, but you can (and in most instances must !) select MP3 for export.

What do you lose and what do you gain by using the Mini and Rode Connect? The Mini is a very good mic in its price range but I would not put it on par with a high quality large capsule condenser like the the NT 1-A; on the other hand, it's considerably less expensive. Also the Connect software offers few options for fine-tuning your recording and there is almost no post-production. The emphasis all the way is ease of use and demystifying the occasionally mysterious world of full-featured DAWs and post-production. For the seasoned sound engineer — which I most assuredly am not! — this will appear very limited; on the other hand, for the fledgling podcaster overwhelmed by the expense and sophistication of the tools of the trade, the Mini and Rode Connect offer a very affordable way to "get the message out," with the proviso that there are still rungs to ascend as one becomes more experienced. If you have a computer and a Mini, you can now podcast! The wall has come tumbling down, and your voice, crisp and clear, will be heard. At last!

As a radio DJ, my regular sound is either an Electro-Voice RE20 or AKG Perception 100 into PreSonus USB96, so naturally the sound captured by my webcam (Microsoft LifeCam Studio) was appalling.

I have used the NT USB-Mini in A/B for recording spots against the AKG, and it's not as warm or rounded, but requires less gain, and is sensitive enough that I can place it out-of-frame.

Plug it in, select in Sound Settings, rock on.

The Rode Connect software tipped my decision toward this mic to be sure, but I'm glad it's not a required element for using the hardware.

Because of the onboard 3.5mm monitoring on the NT USB-Mini, the software installs a virtual output, which on my Windows 10 machines interferes with existing (not complicated) configuration. Your Mileage May Vary. I uninstalled the virtual soundcard element and left the Connect and Application Fonts to remove that hassle. No issues since.

I kept Connect specifically for the noise gate, compressor, and Exciter/Big Bottom effects.
The Sound board has no appeal to me.

(Note: photo shows it on the K&M 23250 Design desk stand)

I am a rookie with microphones. Because of Covid-19 I needed a USB microphone to record some presentations for work. This is a simple plug and play option with one minor quirk with my Mac; I have to restart the computer for the mic to record well. Phenomenal sound quality for the price; Executive Director was amazed it what I could produce with it. Highly recommend

First of all I love Sweetwater. I love almost everything I buy. I have bought two of these. The first was stolen from my car before I had a chance to use it. I bought a second one because I love the size. It's so compact and easy to travel with. But, there were two major problems for me. #1 was that you MUST record in 48K with this mic. That wouldn't be a problem but all the other tracks are being recorded in 44.1. I found it crazy that I had no choices. The other problem was that in DP Not only does it force the project into 48k but it also removes the ability to use my speakers AND the mic at the same time. So even with headphones on and the track I'm recording volume all down I can't listen to the master fader :( I call Sweetwater and they called Rode for me and Rode had no answer. So I'm back to my Rode Podcaster USB when I'm traveling and it's awesome. Just wanted something smaller.