RODE NT2000 Large-Diaphragm Multipattern Condenser Microphone

I lovingly owned this microphone for nearly a decade and put it through all types of recording situations. Everything from isolation booths, diy home studios, stage vocals, stringed instrument recordings, and ambient/ nature fx. In every application the recording quality was exceptional, with high signal to noise ratio, excellent frequency response, gorgeous sound quality, versatility and superb build quality. Over a hundred voice overs recorded with this mic were sent to paying clients and the finishes were broadcast over radio, tv and the web. You must treat this mic properly and it will reward you handsomely. The high sensitivity of this mic means your voice will be heard, as will the lawnmower outside, down the street, through the trees, 75 yards away. Make sure you are isolated (but not boxed in) and this mic will absolutely shine. Use the directional pad to tune for duets (this is basically an NT1000 with 2x condensors back to back), switch to unidirectional and place it in front of an acoustic guitar, or double up again and place it right between a set of tabla. The only, and I mean only reason I switched for a dynamic mic was because as a traveler I never knew where I was going to wind up. Usually I was in a city, rental apartment, overseas, 1 year or less at a time, and a dynamic mic with less sensitivity just made more sense. Once my nomadic tendencies subside I will invest in this mic again.

It broke. So why did I give it 5 stars? Because Rode Mics went out of their way to make it right. Before I get into that saga, I will say out right it is a beautiful sounding mic. It has a slight emphasis of the lows and highs and a slight de-emphasis of the mid-range, but I tend to prefer that. I like knowing that I am getting the full spectrum of sound, and then If I choose to run it through the EQ to roll of the lows and highs a little, I can get the exact balance I'm looking for. It's particularly nice knowing that the highs are there should i want them. Now, what truly made my happy with my purchase. I had been using this mic for 3 or 4 years when I realized that I wasn't getting the high frequency clarity that I should be. I did a couple test recordings, compared them to a couple recordings from when I first bought the mic and found that there was a very significant drop in high band frequency response. I went to my paperwork to track down warranty information and was disappointed to find that it only mentioned a one year limited warranty. I decided to contact Rode anyway even though I felt like it was a long shot that they would be willing to help me. I explained my situation, and made it clear that I hadn't mistreated the mic, and in fact that I hardly every even moved it once I got it on my mic stand. A Rode representative got back to me and told me that if I registered the mic on their website I could get access to a ten year warranty that I believe they instituted after I had bought my mic. They wanted the original date of purchase (which I of course could not remember anymore) and the proof of purchase (which I had sense thrown away or lost) to register the mic, but accepted that I could not provide them. There are plenty of electronics companies that would have happily used these as excuses to void the warranty, it you could argue that it wouldn't have been unreasonable, but Rode didn't. They sent me an RA# and address for a service department and had me send it out. Two weeks later I got word that they could not fix my mic and were instead sending me a replacement, brand new and sealed in its box. To me, that is a big deal. Maybe this is the norm in microphones or studio equipment in general, but have dealt with other electronics companies enough to know that this level of customer service is not the norm for everybody. I have since tried to find out if this is a common problem with Rodes, and have found absolutely zero reference to this problem online, so it seems very unlikely that this is a design flaw. The reality is that all electronics will have some non-zero failure rate. It doesn't matter if it's Neumann, MXL, Shure, or Rode, a certain percentage of their units will fail, and I just happened to draw the short straw. What matters is what the manufacturer does about the failures, and Rode's approach was exemplary. I would highly recommend this mic, just make sure you keep your receipt or packing slip, as it will make things easier if something should happen to go wrong.

An excellent a mic for recording quiet events and ambience though it does take some extra effort to mount them in suitable stereo arrays, Unexpectedly, these studio mics also perform very well in outdoor recording applications. Ive found them to be very resistant to humidity and faithful to -35 F. Within traditional wind-protection schemes, they are as wind-resistant as any mid-size diaphragm mics I've used. I find their smooth lower-mid-range frequency response in conjunction with their very low self-noise worth the extra hassle of out-fitting them for the field.

I was impressed. I liked the microphone and the price. NT2000, is infinitely variable, gives you the freedom to achieve what you want in any situao. Very good quality.