RØDE NT2-A Versatile Large-diaphragm Condenser Microphone with Switchable Polar Pattern, Pad and High-pass Filter for Vocal and Instrument Recording & PSA1 Professional Studio Arm

Mics are subjective, depends on your voice, some mics are more trebly some more bassy, you pick them to compensate and or enhance your voice... BUT...If you don’t have loads of money, in my opinion, this is a safe bet. You can tweak the range even before you record... the less post EQ you use the better in my opinion.It’s a good solid professional sounding mic... It sounds .... hmmm... yes professional is the word...For reference I also have the NT1a and that is more trebly and sounds ... yes cheaper, looser.... It’s a good mic, but personally I think the NT2a is MORE than worth the extra cash.Past this mic, you are talking a lot of money, and the difference between this and a well know brand I will not mention, does not equate to £3,700.... in my opinion.It’s more or less an industry standard, the popular choice for home studios. A Safe bet.

I have quite a few dynamic and condenser microphones at various price points (some well above this price point), but I wanted the NT2A strictly for it's optional Figure8 pickup pattern as a side microphone in a mid-side stereo recording array. Absolute tonal quality was therefore not vital to me.Having previously owned Rode's slightly cheaper fixed cardioid NT1A microphone, I was expecting the NT2A to exhibit a similar sonic characteristic... i.e. sibilant, overly bright and difficult to use in an untreated room, but with the added convenience of 3 selectable pickup patterns.Well I can tell you the NT1A and NT2A are different animals, and irrespective of the added features the NT2A is a much better microphone.Used in cardioid mode as a vocal mike, it is much more natural sounding than the NT1A and does not exhibit any of the sane excess sibilance or 'hyped' top end.I put it up against my more expensive Shure KSM32 (a £500+ single pattern microphone) and it did not disgrace itself. In fact it sounded better in some circumstances.With it's selectable pickup patterns, great sound quality, and bundled cable and shock mount for £209 all in (at the time I purchased it), The Rode NT2A studio pack is really great value.If I'd discovered this model earlier, I probably would've saved a small fortune by not buying much more expensive models from other manufacturers.Any downsides? Not really. However a word of advice to novice recording artists... if you need to maximise subject isolation in an untreated room, you might be better off with a good dynamic model (e.g. Shure's excellent SM7B) as they tend to pick up less of the room.... just be aware that if you go that route you'll need a pre-amp with at least 60db of clean gain. The NT2A does well off more modest pre amps.

So... I have started getting obssessed with voice recording. It started with wanting to do a good job for a little film I was making and has grown from there. I finally decided to get a good(ish) multi-pattern condensor microphone. The decision came down to the Rode NT2A bundle, the SE Electronics SE2200a II MP and the Audio Technica AT2050. All are around the same price point and all do the same thing (triple pattern, bundled with shock mount and pop filter, etc).Now nowhere does anyone review these mics head to head... and therefore I did rather get my knickers in a twist as to which was the right one. Sometimes I had to make do with reviews that compared different models (Rode NT1A with SE2200a, and so on) and some commentators would say Rode was harsher on deep voices (like my own) and the SE was warmer.In the end I went for the Rode... why? Well delivery times came into it, the AT and SE mics were not available next day... the accessories that they came with the Rode seemed better quality and safety in a proven product, the 10 year warranty. For every reviewer praising it with a "but..." there were others there that simply praised it. Also I realised that I had never seen or heard anyone on Youtube who sounded terrible with the Rode, even as they were declaring it was not as flattering or warm as the others.So it came. The box I received was a little beaten, the mic had marks on it (that rubbed off), the Mic bottom was not screwed on properly and I was concerned that I had received a reconditioned unit (I have not, at least it seems new and was sealed). But once I had unboxed the thing and cleaned it, it is impressive, heavy, well built. I have recorded a little on it and first impressions are good, easy to use, you get good results.Still 4*, so why? Well... someone said in the other reviews that they paid £209 2 years ago. Now a lot has happened economically in 2 years... prices have gone up. But if I had paid £209 it would be 5*.... but I paid £239 and although a lot is bundled with the Mic, you quickly realise that you will need more. Would if have killed Rode to include a ZP1 padded leather storage case (£12 from Amazon) instead of the fabric "dust" bag? Or a windshield (£15)? Both these items are provided on cheaper Rode products (the M3 Condensor Mic and NT3 and the NTG2. Still more the Mic is a beast, in terms of weight, so I have also gone for the Rode DP1 desk stand (£18)... furthermore the mic stand I have (Amazon Basics) topples with this rig on so add a sand bag, maybe some kind of padded storage/carry case. The last two I would not expect Rode to provide, but are added for a note to any potential buyer.Now my £240 starters kit is up to £285... with more to come. Looked at it that way the NT2, compared to competitors, looks expensive - although it would be worth noting that the competitors Mic might not have provided some of these items (windshield, sturdier case and desk stand) it is worth noting that they are cheaper and therefore when the extras are added on they do not approach the £300 mark.Still the decision has been made and in terms of build quality and performance so far (which is limited) I am impressed. Just wish Rode would consider bundling more for a modest price increase or simply dropping the price a little to make the other bits a pieces more affordable.TL:DR - Everything about the mic (build, performance) is cool, however you will need to buy extra bits and pieces, if you are starting out, which will add a significant amount to the RRP.

The Rode NT2-A is an amazing piece of kit which picks up sound in minute quality. The pick-up distance is incredible and the pick-up style can be altered onboard the microphone itself. This microphone kit is a necessity in a home recording environment, its build, its quality and features are all of professional quality and with a ten year guarantee it proves the realibility and the assuridness Rode has in its product. I would have no hesitation in recommending this microphone to any prospective purchaser. Again, well done to Amazon for a fantastic service.

I always stick to Rode as you can rely on their quality. My girlfriend makes covers on youtube and her covers sound studio quality with no background noise.

Excellent quality microphone and accessories. I bought the bundle for my home studio and it was easy to set up and easy to take down again. The mic has a couple of switches for filtering unwanted noise and for switching between the mic types.I will probably by a second one of these in the not too distant future

The microphone is greatThe iso mount is skewed. No matter what I do with the tension/ iso cables the mic will not mount vertically. Also, the supplied XLR cable is of poor quality