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TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
Audio Media editor Jory MacKay finds out more about the development of the NT1 and M5 from RØDE new product development project manager Sun Kyung Sunwoo.
that is actually a proprietary ceramic coating which is more durable than paint. Characteristic low noise and the user-friendliness of a simple fixed- cardioid pick-up pattern were obvious standout features of the earlier microphones that we’ve retained. While these key elements have
remained consistent, internally this NT1 is completely new. The microphone capsule and electronics are an all-new design.
The original NT1 was one of the mics that put RØDEon the map internationally. How did you go about updating such a classic design? This new NT1 has inherited the essence of the original NT1 microphones as well as the NT1-A. The iconic silhouette remains, albeit slightly larger, while the exterior has been updated to a sleek black finish
What were your main concerns when defining the mic’s sound? We wanted to build upon the success of the NT1-A, creating a warmer, richer sound while still maintaining a characteristic RØDE flavour – essentially a microphone that would find an even wider acceptance than the already successful NT1-A.
How has your relationship with Rycote influenced the mic’s design? RØDE’s relationship with Rycote
gives us access to their world-class Lyre system. We’ve implemented this not only on the SMR shockmount that is optionally available with the NT1, but also internally on the capsule shockmounting. This dramatically increases the microphone’s isolation from vibration and handling noise. As far as I am aware this is the first (and only) microphone that has integrated the Rycote Lyre at an internal level.
Moving onto the M5, what was the inspiration behind this new microphone? The NT5 has consistently been one of our most popular microphones, however we now have the manufacturing capability to create an electret 0.5in condenser that offers outstanding performance at a price point significantly lower than the NT5. Customers who don’t need the superlative quality and interchangeable capsules of the NT5 can now look to
including the close miking of sections of a small orchestra alongside my Neumanns and as overheads on a drum kit. I was immediately impressed with the quality of the RØDEs – brighter than the KM84s certainly, but not oppressively so, though the supplied chart shows a similar high-frequency lift as the NT1. The recordings obtained
from using the M5s as an XY pair over the woodwinds were excellent and the microphones mixed well with the Neumanns. I have found that some other microphones I’ve tried using alongside the KM84s can lead to problems when mixing, even though the solo’d stereo recordings sounded fine. I’d definitely be happy to use a few M5s in my recordings – although I didn’t have enough of them to check how they’d cope with a full orchestra! As drum overheads, the
M5s again produced a rich sound, not overly harsh and able to cope with loud splashy cymbals with their rated maximum SPL of 140dB. I’d probably still prefer to use my Neumanns in this application, but I definitely couldn’t blame
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our value-oriented M Series for a matched pair of small diaphragm microphones.
What are some of its unique features/selling points? The M5 is supplied as a matched pair, with low noise and a full frequency response. Like the NT1, it also uses our proprietary ceramic coating. The main selling point however is the value for money – customers are getting incredible audio quality for very little investment.
Who are the primary users for these microphones? Traditionally a matched pair of small diaphragm condensers or ‘pencil’ mics are used for recording in stereo arrays. Many of the M5 customers will use these for that purpose, however the M5 can be used as a single microphone for instrument recording, or alternatively as an indoor dialogue microphone for video.
the RØDE M5s for any poor recordings. As they performed so well I thought I’d try recording the drums ‘garage style’, with two M5s overhead and the NT1 on the bass drum. Although I was performing this test in a decent sounding room using high-end preamplifiers along with an excellent musician who could tune his drums, I was still impressed with the sound I managed to achieve using these inexpensive microphones. We’ve come a long way since the 80s.
SUMMARY The M5s are a perfectly sound (ho ho!) matched stereo pair of microphones that would make a decent addition to
INFORMATION Feature set
NT1 • 1in gold-plated diaphragm • Transducer suspended using Rycote’s Lyre system • 4.5dBA of self-noise M5 • Compact 0.5in cardioid condenser matched pair with no more than 1dB sensitivity between units
• 140dB max SPL
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February 2014 35
anyone’s audio armoury, while the NT1 could easily be the best-sounding choice for certain vocalists. These two microphones are now top of my list when asked the question ‘what’s the best low-cost microphone you can recommend?’ and, like the fabled SM57 before them, no one is going to be embarrassed when hearing the results in years to come.
THE REVIEWER STEPHEN BENNETT has been involved in music production for over 25 years. Based in Norwich he splits his time between writing books and articles on music technology, running Chaos Studios and working in the Electroacoustic Studios in the School of Music at the University of East Anglia.
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