Rode Podmic Usb Versatile Dynamic Broadcast Microphone With Xlr And Usb Connectivity For Podcasting, Streaming, Gaming, Music-making And Content Creation

Rode PodMic USB

The Rode PodMic USB is a broadcast-style dynamic microphone that offers both analogue XLR and digital USB-C connections in the same body, so it can start life plugged straight into a computer and later move onto an audio interface or mixer without being replaced. Its cardioid dynamic capsule is tuned for speech, delivering the full, close-up sound associated with podcast and broadcast microphones while rejecting much of the room sound behind and beside it. Over USB it adds Rode’s Revolution Preamp, APHEX digital processing and a zero-latency headphone output, turning the microphone itself into a compact recording system. An internal pop filter, internal shockmount, integrated swing mount and a supplied external pop filter complete a design aimed squarely at podcasting, streaming, voiceover, gaming and content creation.

Key features

• Broadcast-quality dynamic microphone with cardioid polar pattern and end-address design
• Dual connectivity: analogue 3-pin XLR output and digital USB-C output in one microphone
• Ultra-low-noise, high-gain Revolution Preamp on the USB path
• On-board APHEX processing over USB, including compressor, noise gate, high-pass filter, Aural Exciter and Big Bottom
• Built-in 3.5 mm headphone output with level control and zero-latency monitoring
• Internal pop filter and internal shockmount, with a studio-quality external pop filter included
• Robust all-metal construction with an integrated swing mount for boom arm or stand positioning

A dynamic capsule tuned for speech

The PodMic USB uses a dynamic capsule with a high-power neodymium element, a frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz and a sensitivity of -57 dB. As a dynamic design it handles very loud sources with ease, with a maximum sound pressure level of 148 dB, and it is less sensitive to distant room reflections than a typical condenser, which is an advantage in bedrooms, home offices and untreated studios. The cardioid pattern concentrates on the voice directly in front of the microphone, and correct close placement produces the familiar warm, authoritative podcast tone. Output impedance on the XLR path is 460 ohms, and equivalent noise is rated at 26 dBA analogue and 19 dBA on the digital path, reflecting the quiet design of the built-in USB electronics.

USB recording with Revolution Preamp and APHEX processing

Connected by USB-C, the microphone converts at 24-bit resolution and a 48 kHz sampling rate, powered from the host at 5 volts. The Revolution Preamp provides high gain with very low noise, so even quieter voices can be recorded cleanly without an external interface or inline booster. APHEX processing is available on the digital output through Rode’s software, giving a compressor for even levels, a noise gate for pauses, a high-pass filter for rumble, and the Aural Exciter and Big Bottom processors for presence and low-end weight. That processing chain lets a streamer or podcaster achieve a finished broadcast sound at the microphone itself. The headphone socket on the body provides zero-latency monitoring with its own level control, and the microphone works with Windows and Mac computers as well as iOS and Android devices, and with the Rode Connect, Rode Central, Rode Capture and UNIFY applications.

XLR for the longer term

The XLR output keeps the PodMic USB relevant as a setup grows. Connected to an interface, mixer or broadcast chain, it behaves as a conventional dynamic broadcast microphone, and the same microphone can be used over USB at a desk and over XLR in a studio or multi-microphone panel setup. This dual design also provides a fallback: if a computer or USB host is unavailable, the analogue path still works with standard microphone equipment. One connection is used at a time for a given recording path, so planning a session simply means choosing USB for the built-in processing and monitoring, or XLR for an external preamp and mixer workflow.

Build, mounting and everyday use

The all-metal body weighs 900 grams and measures approximately 123 by 109 by 110 millimetres with its swing mount, which attaches to standard microphone stands and boom arms and makes angle adjustment simple. The internal shockmount reduces vibration travelling through the arm, and the combination of internal and external pop filtering controls plosive bursts on close speech. The microphone is designed and made in Rode’s facilities in Sydney, Australia. In daily use it suits a single voice recorded close: podcast hosts, streamers, gamers, commentators, voiceover artists and remote workers who want speech to sound clear and present on calls and recordings. Set the microphone a short distance from the mouth, slightly off-axis to soften plosives further, run the Rode software to shape the USB processing, and the PodMic USB delivers a consistent broadcast result with very little surrounding equipment.