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[Ed. Note: Rode The NT1 is a side-address mic with a cardioid pickup pattern. It is extremely low noise (4 dBA) and quite sensitive at -32 dB. It is a fine choice for the price. Note though, this microphone is sensitive to humidity. If you live in a dry climate or make fairly light use of the microphone, it may serve you well. In my Gulf Coast location under intensive use (2-3 hours/day, 5 days a week) it quickly became unusable.I can no longer recommend this microphone for outdoor recording.]
The Rode NT1 is a large-diaphragm condenser microphone suitable for a wide range of studio applications.
* Large 1" gold-sputtered capsule
* Exceptionally low noise (4.5dBA)
* Smooth frequency response (20Hz – 20kHz)
* True condenser operation with cardioid polar pattern
$159
Note in the above chart that the responce at zero degrees polar is plus 5 rather that a customary zero. I can only speculate that Rode marketing is attempting to "suggest" forward gain with their microphone. I find this plot deceptive and have digitized the curves to fix the deception.
Addendum: I have recently had to retire the RT1 from my setup. I record 2 to 3 hours a day, up to 5 days a week in a humid Gulf Coast (Houston) environment. The humidity has taken its toll. The above graphic shows a portion of a session with frequent sound cut-outs. If you live in a dry environment or if your usage is light then perhaps the NT1 is the right choice. For me it no longer works…
Therefore all “studio” condenser microphones are now suspect with respect to moisture unless specifically designed for it, ie: They must be RF-Biased condenser microphones.
KJS 04/2025