RØDE Procaster Professional Broadcast-quality Dynamic Microphone for Podcasting, Streaming, Gaming, and Voice Recording

This is a superb dynamic mic that is a serious alternative to the Shure SM7b. Whilst the SM7b has some advantages like better internal shock mounting, I prefer my voice on the Procaster. As many people have pointed out, this mic needs a lot of gain and +50dB without hiss is a lot of ask of many interfaces, hence the advice to use a Fethead or CloudLifter. An interesting, albeit slightly more expensive alternative is to get a dbx286s. This is a slim 1U rackmountable unit that gives you a lot of clean gain, it also includes a de-esser, a gate you can use to hide background noise, along with a low frequency control that gives you that "radio voice" and a high frequency alternative that adds a pleasant crispness. Now you could do some of those things in post-production if you are recording, but it is a great option if you are live (or like me have a huge problem with external noise from the street). I realise I'm in danger of reviewing the dbx rather than the Rode, but they make such a perfect combination for live streaming I think it is worth mentioning. This setup really brings out the best in the Rode mic. The Procaster itself is incredibly solid. I think it benefits from the Rode shockmount and boom arm, but that's a personal choice depending on how you intend to use it. I think it needs some sort of pop filter, you can get 3rd party alternatives to the Rode foam pop filter, which is a bit expensive. A more visually attractive option is the metal grill available from Roxdon. It is expensive but custom made for the Procaster. If your mic is in shot then it looks really nice. It is great for use in untreated rooms or noisy environments, so a very forgiving choice if you are recording or streaming from a room you cannot treat for sound. To some extent this would be true of any dynamic mic, but this has a large diaphragm to capture a full rendition of your voice and rejects lots of sound from the sides and behind. Naturally the Procaster will work better with some voices than others e.g. I'm not a singer, but if I were I'd be a light tenor. I use some breathing exercises so I am speaking from my diaphragm and not my throat, which would have a more constricted sound. So while this mic is good out of the box, you can also learn to sound better on it e.g. finding the sweet spot in terms of distance. BTW if you literally just want to record straight onto your computer and avoid all XLR type stuff then there is the Rode Podcaster, which is basically the same mic but with USB and a socket for your headphones. XLR mics give you more options for the future, but I appreciate some people might want to just plug it in and record.

Where do I start with this microphone? The build quality is superb, it has been my daily driver since purchased, I feel it compliments my voice very well. Being a dynamic microphone it is front facing so back ground noises are very good even out of the box without any fine tuning. Like the SM7B and the RE20 you will need a lot of gain to power it, I have mine running into a subzero microphone booster which can utilise phantom power on my audio internet, the sensitivity of the mic is 56db so this helps to not stress the interface too much, I find that it doesn't need much calibration on OBS to get good audio For the price I think it is very competitive to some of the other higher end broadcast mics, be it podcasts live streaming or voice over work. As far as design I think it is a very well made and fits that professional look. As far as cons I would say it's plosive rejection isn't the best and like I mentioned earlier it requires alot of gain to power so many audio interfaces won't be enough without a mic activator like a cloud lifter or fet head As far as value this is almost impossible to beat, the SM7B is double the price and the RE20 is almost 3 times the price I chose the rode for that reason

I couldn’t be happier with this microphone. I choose to use this microphone over the SM7B which should speak volumes about how much I like to Rode Procaster! This microphone has excellent build quality and has the heft to back it up, this microphone is much heavier than most people might be used to, reassuringly so! It also comes with an excellent leather padded carry/storage case as well as a 7 year warranty. The top of the microphone screws off which will allow you to access the internal pop/wind shield which slides over the top of the capsule, shielding it from pops and “plosives”. Although it has to be said when speaking up close it does leave a bit to be desired, and as you can see in my photos I have opted to use a much more substantial cover. One of the great things with buying a Rode microphone is the eco system, Rode makes a shock mount that fits this microphone specifically, a boom arm that is designed to carry the weight of this microphone no problem, external wind/pop shields that will help you improve the performance in different environments... The list goes on. Gone are the days of checking if a random stand or mount fits your mic, Rode has you covered! This microphone for me personally blows the SM7B out of the water, so much so that I sold mine. Out of the box it has a much fuller sound, picking up on more of the low end “bassy” tones in your voice as well as delivering great performance in the middle and highs. This microphone sounds full and bright and is great if you don’t want to have to do “too much” post processing. Of course, the sound can be improved with post processing but this mic needs less than most on the market. The bottom line is that this microphone punches far above its weight and you will often see it compared with microphones 2x-3x it’s price, and it even beats some of them! It has an eco system of compatible accessories behind it AND comes with a 7 year warranty and all microphones are made in Australia!

This is a professional, quality mic. I use my for streaming and the sound quality is superb. Please be aware though that if you are plugging this mic in to a PC then you will most likely need a small amp (with USB out) such as a Scarlet Solo which will add significantly to the price. Please be aware, because this is a processional recording mic, it does not have a USB output. You will also need to get yourself an XLR cable to plug the Mic in to the Scarlet (or similar) USB amp. I purchased a quality, "No Bull" premium cable for just over £6. This mic is heavy (quality heavy), so if you are going to be using a mic boom make sure it can handle the weight. I use a TONOR Adjustable Suspension Boom Scissor which currently cost around £24. You could buy the RODE arm which will cost around 3 times more but doesn't seem to add anything that I can see that the TONOR arm doesn't so I recommend that you save yourself around £40. Oh, the gold metal dot that you will find on the mic indicates where the front of the mic is. Have this facing you when talking in to the mic. The areas to the left and right of this dot will also have good pick up. In summary, for a PC setup I use the following with this mic which should give you a good start in knowing what you will need to look for: - RODE Procaster Mic - Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface (amp) - No Bull Premium XLR Cable (2m) (High Quality Balanced Male to Female Microphone Lead) - TONOR Microphone Arm Stand (Adjustable Suspension Boom Scissor Mic Stand with Pop Filter, 3/8" to 5/8" Adapter, Mic Clip, Upgraded Heavy Duty Clamp)

Excellent quality mic. I have only used it for a streaming radio show but it is a vast improvement on what I have before. I fed it into my DJ mixer and had the gain about 2/3rds of the maximum and it was fine.....didn;t feel like it needed the high level of gain as what many have said, but perhaps the pre-amps in my mixer are really good (for £3.5k I should hope so!) The build quality feels great, it is reassuringly heavy. The sound quality is excellent and very natural sounding. I am waiting on the Røde PSA1+ arm as the existing arm I have is not solid enough for this weighty beast. Very happy with it, like I am with all of the Røde products I have.

I use this in a podcast and I think it's an excellent sounding microphone. When I first started using it, I got several emails from listeners asking if I'd upgraded my mic, so it was definitely noticeable. One thing I'd say about it, is that it is quite bass heavy, so depending on the vibe you want, you might need to tinker with your EQ in post, but I find it to provide a very intimate and soft warmth. Rode have always made quality mics and this is no exception. The build quality is insane, it's heavy and feels like it's built like a tank, every part of the mic is made from metal and there's no plastic in sight. It might seem quite pricey if you're new to podcasting but once you feel and hear the sound quality I think you'll appreciate the step up from cheaper, entry-level mics. My one gripe would be the soft, leatherette carry case, which I wish had some padding, although to be honest if I dropped this thing I'd be more concerned for the floor rather than the mic, so it's not a big deal really. I use it plugged into a Scarlett 2i2 and before that, a Scarlett Solo and both drove it just fine, although I did have to turn the gain up to maximum, it was still silent and didn't pick up any unwanted room noise or white noise from excessive gain. If you're looking to get that broadcast feel to your voice and want to either upgrade your podcasting setup to something a little more professional, I couldn't recommend this highly enough.

This is a truly great mic which we use for a very busy three-person podcast. The sound quality is exceptional, and the build quality is superb. We have used a lot of other mics over the last two years of podcasting and this mic is by far the best mic we have used. We use it in studio and the clarity of the sound is exceptional. We have also used these mics “on location”, interviewing on noisy film sets and in a crowded London pub. In both cases this mic isolated and almost eliminated background noise. This mic really delivers that professional “broadcast” sound. The only downside is that these mics need a lot of gain to get the best sound out of them. We use a Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 audio interface and have to have the gain cranked up to almost maximum to get a good clear signal. The sound quality is so good that we have now bought the same mic for all three members of the team.

Good sound quality. Worth buying. Well made