The Rode NT1 has picked up a modestly iconic reputation since it was one of the first genuinely affordable large-diaphragm condensers to come out right around the time that home recording started to become more prevalent.
I’ve found that this is a historically divisive microphone, sparking either love or hatred in those who have used it, but let’s get into it and see what it has to offer.
Final verdict
My experience is somewhat lukewarm here. When it works it’s quite enjoyable, but when it doesn’t it can be pretty lifeless. I’ll leave it to your preferences as to whether or not it’s a great mic.
The 32-bit floating point A/D conversion, while undeniably cool, isn’t really that useful for me and, I imagine, won’t be for most people out there.
What I like
- Lively high-end.
- 32-bit floating point A/D conversion.
- Low self-noise.
- Affordable.
What I don’t like
- Not super-versatile.
Why you should trust this review
I’ve been writing, performing, recording, mixing, and producing music for over 15 years.
I have had experience in a vast array of genres, studio settings, and have worked and collaborated with countless artists and brands.
Working with names such as Shure, AKG, Neumann, and Sennheiser, among many others, has lent me nuanced insights into the practical application of audio equipment, and what value it provides users ranging from novice to seasoned professionals.
Contents
Use these jump links to navigate to the desired section of the review.
Polar pattern and frequency response
The Rode NT1 5th Gen is a cardioid large-diaphragm condenser microphone with a frequency of 20 Hz – 20 kHz, a max SPL of 142 dB, and a low self-noise of 4 dB (A-weighted).
The lows and lower mids seem to be a bit unruly to my ears, and I more often than not found myself reaching for the EQ to tame them when testing this mic out.
The response here is mostly flat up until around the 4-5 kHz mark, where there’s a bit of a presence peak at play. Overall, I felt this mic to be rather mid-forward in spite of its flat response. It’s definitely enjoyable to use and listen to in most situations, but worth taking note of.
Now, let’s go over some common applications for the NT1 5th Gen microphone.
Vocals 4.0
Recording vocals with this microphone was quite fun actually. I found it worked with my voice rather nicely.
For the price, it’s a good vocal mic. Would I recommend it for every singer? Most likely not, although I wouldn’t shy away from shooting it out with a few other options.
The cardioid pattern here will help with rejecting feedback, and the high SPL of 142 dB means it can take quite the auditory beating without having to worry about distorting the capsule. It definitely wouldn’t be my first choice for live vocals, but it’s more than capable.
Guitar amps 4.7
I really enjoyed recording electrics with this mic. The mids and presence peak added this liveliness to the tone that stuck out to me. Especially with slightly more metal-centric tones.
Bass amps 3.0
If you want a slinky metal bass tone, go for it. This wouldn’t be my first choice but I support anybody willing to experiment.
Acoustic guitars 3.5
Again, for the price, it’s good for acoustic guitars, but this is not my favorite application with this mic. The low-end and lower mids were a bit overwhelming, and ultimately I found the performance somewhat lifeless and flat.
I think that if the mic had more of a high-shelf boost rather than a presence peak that the acoustics could shimmer a bit more. It’s not the worst-sounding mic for this, but absolutely not the best.
Drums 4.0
The NT1 5th Gen works really well on snare in my opinion. Others might disagree but I was fairly pleased with the results. I didn’t find much more that I really liked on the kit, so it’s not the most versatile drum mic, but maybe I was feeling lazy.
Build quality 4.0
The body is metal, and the grille is solid and has no give. You could probably drop this thing off a building and have it be fine. Don’t hold me to that, but I think it’s possible.
This microphone not only connects to XLR as one might expect, but tucked away in the XLR port is a USB-C port. What makes this a particularly interesting feature is that the USB-C connection actually offers 32-bit floating point A/D conversion. This means that if you’re recording via USB, you can actually salvage your audio if you accidentally run into clipping.
This hasn’t been possible until recently, and while this is undoubtedly an extremely cool technological innovation, it won’t be useful to a large majority.
It may be useful to voice actors who quickly switch between whispers to full out belting and shouting, or gamers who find themselves yelling at their teammates. However, for the rest of us, it’s pretty easy to set your gain properly. Also, this feature only comes in handy if you’re not expecting to run the mic through an interface.
Lastly, while we’re still on this subject, not every DAW is capable of supporting 32-bit floating point. So if this feature is at all interesting to you, at least make sure whether or not you can make use of it beforehand.
The microphone comes with a dust cover, a shock mount, a USB-C to USB-C cable, as well as an XLR.
Compared to other microphones
The NT1 5th Gen is a moderately versatile microphone: it’s a great choice for recording vocals on a budget. It also works surprisingly well for guitar amps and snare drums.
Anyway, here are a few comparisons to the NT1 that might be worth your consideration.
Rode NT1 5th Gen vs NT1-A
I would personally have the NT1 over the NT1-A. I find the NT1-A to be pretty harsh and sibilant at its worst, and requiring a lot of effort in post at best.
See Rode NT1-A’s current price
Rode NT1 5th Gen vs Shure SM7B
The NT1 is a pretty bright-sounding condenser that is very sensitive to background noise. The SM7B is a warm dynamic mic that rejects close to all unwanted noise and requires a good amount of gain.
They’re both worthy mics, but it totally depends on your needs and what you’re after.
Read the full Shure SM7B review
Rode NT1 5th Gen vs Audio-Technica AT2020
I’m pretty partial to the AT2020 since it was among some of the first microphones in my collection, and I’m very used to its sound and character.
It’s warmer than the NT1, which isn’t a bad thing, but it could be depending on preference. It’s also half the price of the Rode.
Read the full Audio-Technica AT2020 review
Who is the Rode NT1 5th Gen best suited for?
The NT1 5th Gen microphone is best suited for anybody looking for an affordable large-diaphragm condenser to add to their collection.
See current price at: SweetwaterAmazon
