RODE HAS PERFECTED THE USB/XLR MIC!! | PODMIC USB REVIEW

the last time I reviewed the Pod mic it was 2019 and let's just say I did a horrendous job at it at the time this was a cheaper option for the broadcast style of microphones and to be honest I didn't get any wow Vibes it sold for 99 bucks and in my own ignorance I didn't bother using it with the very brand new road Caster Pro and that was a short-sighted decision and very much the kind of decision that 2019 me would make that affects processing made this original pod mic a much better value at the price but the times have most certainly changed and I have a bit of a different approach to reviewing products so then let's see exactly how this new pod mic USB stands up to the original an answer if it's worth it either to buy this as a first mic or to upgrade from this the original so there's a couple big notes here though to start outside of it being black there's nothing really different about the build on this microphone the body is basically the same that is until you get around to the back of the microphone of course it is a combo USB and XLR mic so you do have the additional controls the scroll wheel for volume also operates as a button allowing you to mute your headphones the scroll on it is tactile and it does feel good all in all nothing feels cheap on this microphone whatsoever two things stand out for me though I love the Yoke connection the fact that you don't need the 5 8 to 3 8 reducer in this mic as it's built in I love that road is making that a feature on all the mics they roll out and the weight of this microphone is also actually quite impressive it's two pounds now this thing is an absolute unit and it could possibly double as home protection at first though I thought it was heavier than the original but after holding both at the same time I'm not so sure about that I'm gonna have to break a to scale soon and of course I can't fail to mention the pop filter one of the coolest things out of the last few waves of rode products I personally love these things and think that road should release a whole lineup of these to cover all of their microphones no word yet on whether or not they're going to go on sale though they do have other clown noses on their website so can't imagine they're not going to this is a dynamic cardioid microphone it's 20 Hertz to 20 kilohertz has a sensitivity of neg 57 dbv per Pascal which is just a touch less sensitive than an sm58 and it works with all the rode software including unify as well as with mobile now for the off axis rejection test of the Pod mic USB this is me speaking about three inches off the front of the capsule now I'm speaking about three inches off the side of the capsule and now I'm speaking into the rear of the microphone like an idiot now for the plosive rejection test of the Pod mic USB Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers now let's do the proximity effect test of the Pod mic USB this is me speaking about three inches off the front of the capsule right on top of the microphone three inches off right on top this is the road pod mic without any of the effects processing on now we have the rode Apex processing on and this is what it sounds like with the AFX processing on what do you think now I'm back to not having any processing at all and now I have the processing on again what do you think let me know down below this is the rode pod mic with the XLR connection I don't have any of the Apex processing on this is just the microphone going into the road Caster Pro and into the computer this is what it sounds like now we have the rode pod mic USB with the USB connection going into the computer none of that road Caster Pro stuff all we've got is straight out the USB into the computer and none of the a facts are on and this is what it sounds like which one do you like as we go between the two that guy's an idiot that guy's a jerk now we're gonna put the new rode pod mic USB up against the original pod mic okay and this is going to be a back and forth between these two microphones now this is just to find out whether or not the sound has changed between these microphones I'm very curious to see how they hold up now both are going into my road Caster Pro both have the AFX off so we're not going to be looking at that but we'll we'll see how both mics handle the exact same settings with Apex but what do you think as I go between these two microphones again this is the only real comparison that matters we've all heard the comparisons of the Pod mics and how it compares to other microphones like the sm58 but how does it sound when it goes side by side with the older generation this is the Pod mic USB at about one inch away this is the original series pod mic at about one inch away now I've turned on the exact same settings between these two microphones uh the Apex processing is on the only thing I don't have is the noise gate turned off on both of them and this is what it sounds like as I go between the two microphones what do you think does it make a difference now that the processing is added let's address all those comments out there about the pricing of the new pod mic you have to remember that both of these mics are still available to purchase it isn't like Road dropped the cheaper version to boost sales of the USB one here and I think that's where any and all conversations about the price of this microphone kind of have to end this the Pod mic USB is more of a microphone with way more options and versatility than the original and for that I think the pricing's fair this offers people the chance to bind to the road lineup and get the Apex processing as well as the usability of this mic with unify without going full ham into one of the road Caster Pro options this microphone offers so much more to the end user Than This original did that said the original is still a great buy at 99 bucks if you already have a road Caster Pro or if you just have no use for the USB options literally everybody wins here so I don't know what the argument's about so should you buy it now first up I think we need to talk about how this pod mic did in the comparisons I could hear a slight differential between the original and this the USB version the new pod mic sounded a bit warmer and the original was a bit harsher in the top end now applying the Apex processing didn't do much to hide that very small difference but both mics took a step forward without processing on and when the pop filter clown nose was applied to the new pod mic the differential just grew as for the USB and XLR comparison I heard even less differential considering that the mic is going through the exact same preamps in the road Caster Pro 2 versus the internal preamp on this mic it's kind of to be expected so with all that in mind there is sufficient reasoning if you wanted to do an upgrade to the new microphone from the original pod mic it's an ever so slightly different profile and with the addition of the new pop filter clown knows there's a lot of upswing to this new mic as for those of you that might be looking at the new pod mic USB as your first purchase well it's really hard to find any downside to it from Aesthetics to Performance this is Road flexing their Superior USB research and development Again by taking a fan favorite and turning it into a USB microphone and with that this microphone is making it even harder to recommend any other mic without that rode logo on the side with the whole Suite of options available to you with the rode solution including unify I can't think of a better XLR and USB combo mic on the market right now and that's saying a lot I hope all the other companies are taking notes here but what did you think though are you planning on picking up the new rode pod mic USB and if you're on a bit of a road kick check this out here plenty to keep you busy for a while

Channel: Dark Corner Studios

Views: 61,308

Keywords: Dark Corner Studios, Aiden Wolf, Rode Podmic, rode podmic review, rode podmic usb, rode podmic usb review, rode podmic usb vs original podmic, rode podmic usb dynamic broadcast microphone, rode, podmic usb, podmic, best usb/xlr mic, best usb/xlr combo microphone, best usb mic, aiden wolf, microphone, home studio, rode mics

Id: oHtak7ZZK-w

Length: 7min 52sec (472 seconds)

Published: Mon May 29 2023