RØDE Microphones Procaster Broadcast Dynamic Vocal Microphone

The Rode Procaster is a solid, high quality broadcast dynamic microphone, especially if you are on a budget and want something that gets you close to a Shure SM7B without paying SM7B money. With a bit of EQ, this mic sounds clean, professional, and very well balanced. I have been using it as my daily driver since I bought it and I could not be happier with it. It handles vocals really well, rejects background noise nicely with some extra EQ , and has a nice warm broadcast sound that really makes your voice pop in recordings. Once you phone that it in, it easily holds up in general content creation and podcasting. This was a clear step up from the Rode PodMic for me both in sound and overall presence. If you want to look and sound more professional without jumping straight to the SM7B price range, the Procaster is an excellent choice and still feels like a long term mic you will not outgrow quickly.

What a value! So smooth, beautiful, rich, saturated tone. Build quality is great. Just a heavy mic. Make sure you pair this mic with an interface with 60 or more decibels of gain because it needs 50 and you don’t want to max out your interface and get the noise floor(airy sound) creeping into your audio

I was using the Audio Technica AT2020 condenser mic for quite some time. While it is a very good microphone, it was very sensitive in picking up my background noise. I needed a dynamic mic that would only capture just my voice with very little to possibly no background noise. I read up on the Procaster and thought, even though it's a microphone that has been available for quite some time, it looks to be the mic that I needed. And that it was! First impressions, the mic is built like a truck. Solid metal casing, nice grilles along the top end, and even though I have no experience with any high end or expensive studio microphones, I just knew the procaster would meet my expectations based on the construction. Not only is it built solidly, but it has some serious weight to it. It's about 1.5 to 1.7 lbs, so my cheap boom arm was not going to handle it. I have read that you need a cloudlifter or some sort of preamp to use with the mic, which is somewhat true. The input or sound is very low. However, I didn't need one as the mixer I have had more than enough preamp ability to provide sufficient gain to the mic. If you have a mixer with a good preamp, then you don't need to spend the extra money for an additional preamp. The procaster is exactly what I needed. It captures my voice (which is deeper) extremely well. Most notably, it does not pick up much of the background noise that my AT2020 would. Perfect! I just had to adjust to keeping my mouth near the mic to maintain sound. It comes with a built in pop filter, which I can confirm works great. I could use the foam pop filter I had lying around, but the mic just looks sexier without it. It does not need any phantom power to work either since it is a dynamic microphone! The mic came in a nice leather pouch, with an adapter and some docs in the box. I was very please to see that I could register and get the 10 year warranty for the mic. 10 years! That tells me RODE is confident in their products. Overall, the quality, the performance, and price, just outstanding across the board! When I need additional equipment, RODE will be the very first in line for my business!

The Setup: I use the Rode Procaster as my primary microphone for home podcasting. It is mounted on a Rode PSA1+ arm with a PSM1 shock mount. Because this is a gain-hungry dynamic mic, I run it through a Triton Audio FetHead into my Pyle 12-Channel Mixer, which feeds my Tascam DR-60D MKII. ​Audio Quality & Performance: The Procaster delivers that deep, "broadcaster" tone that makes any voice sound professional. The tight cardioid pattern is its best feature; it does an amazing job of rejecting background noise like PC fans or room echo. With the FetHead providing clean gain, the signal is dead quiet and crystal clear—no hiss at all. ​Build & Design: ​Tank-Like Build: This mic is heavy and all-metal. You definitely need a quality arm like the PSA1+ to hold it, but the build quality feels like it will last a lifetime. ​Internal Pop Filter: It handles plosives well on its own, though I added a Rode WS2 for that extra layer of "safety" during high-energy segments. ​XLR Reliability: The connection is solid, and it plays perfectly with my mixer and live phone call setup. ​Final Verdict: If you want your podcast to sound like a professional radio station, the Procaster is the answer. When paired with a good preamp like a FetHead, it rivals mics that cost twice as much.

RODE Microphones continue to set the standard for great Mics, regardless of the price. I've been a fan since the original NT-1, and have NEVER been disappointed. This was a departure for RODE, and me - a dynamic mic, in my production studio? I've used countless SM7's and RE20's (and 27's) in voicework at other studios, but always favored the open, airy sound of a condenser for my home studio. This mic has been a revelation! I'm using almost no EQ or compression to get this thick, warm, rich sound - a sound that used to require 4-8 db of stomp and at least a few db boost on the lows. Finding the 'comfort zone' for nailing my work has never been easier. If the 'radio ready' sound is what you're looking for, this thing nails it!

I decided on this mic for my podcast after looking at numerous reviews of this and other mics. I was using the Samson Q2U which is a great mic also. The Procaster is a step up in quality. It is built very well and should last a very long time. It rejects room noise better than the Q2U and cuts down on the sibilance and "pops" that I was experiencing. The 10 year warranty is a plus also. Get a fethead or similar for this mic as it is gain hungry. For the price, it is the closest you'll get to the big boys ie Shure SM7b or EV RE20.

I just bought this mic and put it to the test over the past weekend. The bottom line is that to my ear, it compares favorably to my EV RE20, for a lot less money than the RE20 cost. Both mics have robust builds, and are clearly meant for heavy duty usage. Both deliver good clear sound that is well suited for vocals. I use both of these mics primarily for voiceover, and I do not detect a lot of difference between the 2. The EV might be just a tiny bit stronger in the upper mid range, but as I said, I can't hear a great deal of difference. If you're in a noisy room as many of us are, you are really better off with a quality dynamic mic such as either of these, because they do a great job of rejecting outside and room noise. Both mics do need a fair amount of boost, and you will need a pre-amp for either one in order to get good sound. I recorded both mics through my Zoom H4N recorder, as well as direct to my computer via my PreSonus Audiobox interface, and in both cases, the sound is excellent. In short, I don't think you would miss with either of these great mics. The EV RE20 is of course, a tried and true standard in radio stations around the world, so you just can't go wrong with one of those. However, if you're on a tight budget, I can recommend that you consider the Rode as an outstanding mic for a lot less money. In short, I love both of these great mics, and if you're looking for a good podcasting, broadcasting, or voiceover mic, I don't think you'll regret the purchase of either of them.

Much of the choice of a microphone goes through personal taste so what I can say is that the construction is incredible, made to last, definitely. It seems to me that the sound is quite clear and flat, which makes it very versatile for many types of voice, that is what it is made for. The proximity effect is notorious and although with good vocal technique and the wind / antipop screen you can avoid plosives and other noises, the ideal scenario is to use an antipop filter. The noise level it generates is very controlled as well and with an interface with a good amount of gain it can be used with great sound quality. At the beginning I used it with a focusrite scarlet 2i2 3rd gen, the gain should be close to 95% which introduced extra noise, although very usable and clean. I had to return that interface (faulty unit) and acquired a Motu M2 and the microphone now really has more gain room and the noise is even lower, it is definitely a great combination. I noticed two things in internet: One of the pins of the mic is larger than the others. In the Rode FAQ website you can see that this is normal. Is the ground pin and is made in that way to guarantee that this pin connects first and protect the mic. Some people show the pins being pulled of after removing the XLR connector. To avoid that, before connect the cable, just be sure that the bolt in the little hole near of the connector is tight enough.