Tag Archives: Condenser Microphone

Inside the New RØDE NT1 Microphone

StudioMicZone

Microphone manufacturers seem to have a thing about being confusing about model numbers. The Shure 55 has been around since at least the 1940s and in many different incarnations from the original “fat boy” to the latest 55SH with its Unidyne 3 cartridge. AKG may have set a record with the many different versions of the venerable 414.

RØDE is no different with the NT1 which was their first studio condenser microphone. They then developed the NT1A. and now have released their new NT1 which has little in common with the original NT1 except for the headbasket. The new NT1 is far superior to the old one with a self-noise of just 4.5 dbA and a very smooth response as opposed to the original one’s hyped high-end response.

I see confusion on the forums all of the time where people think the new mike is the same as the old, a Chinese import with a hyped high-end, when in reality this latest version of the mike has a custom designed, edge-terminated capsule, and the capsule and the microphone are all built in RØDE’s factory in Australia.

My dislike for the name aside, this microphone is an amazing value and I would highly recommend it. It needs to be in your microphone locker.

We’ll take a look inside the new RØDE NT1 in this first new video of our “Inside” series.

Condenser Microphone Mods

StudioMicZone

Studio Projects C1 and C3 Microphones with new capsule and mod kit.It’s amazing the number of small manufacturers creating great microphones. It’s good to have a “palette” of different sounding microphones to record with, and the large number of companies building quality microphones and providing modification kits and services makes it easier to build a diverse microphone collection.

I’ve acquired Studio Projects C1 and C3 microphones as these microphones have outstanding electronics. Both the “B” and “C” series Studio Projects microphones use a transformerless circuit based on the Schoeps design. Brent Casey of PMI adapted the design and it is built with quality components. Some find the microphone a little too bright and there are a couple of solutions.

I have upgraded the circuit in the C1 with an upgrade kit from microphone-parts.com.  This mod kit provides an adjustable high-frequency roll-off to tame the brightness of the microphone. If you have never modified a microphone before, this kit is a good place to start because it is very simple, and the C1 and C3 microphones are large and easy to work on.

Another way to reduce the high-end on the mike is to replace the capsule with a darker capsule like the MicParts RK-47. With this capsule, the EQ kit isn’t necessary. I replaced the capsule in the C3 with an RK-47 capsule. I’m looking for another C3 that I will modify with the circuit upgrade kit and install an RK-12, AKG style capsule. I used these mikes on a brass section and they sounded great. I can’t wait to try them out on other sources including vocals.