This microphone is the Rode NT1, and this is the Rode NT1 5th generation, and
this is the Rode NT1 Signature Series.
So while NT1 of these microphones would be a great choice, I want to
compare them against each other and explain why I think that the Signature
Series is not only the best of the bunch, but one of my top condenser mic
recommendations in general, even compared against my beloved Lewitt LCT240 Pro.
Thank you to Rode for sending out the Signature Series to me for free.
But as usual, this video is not sponsored.
I don't have to make a video about it.
The reason I'm making this video is because I'm really impressed
with this microphone for a whole bunch of different reasons.
In addition to sounding great the NT1 Signature Series also comes in
a variety of colors including blue, which blue my mind when I heard that.
So I know Blue Microphones are like not in business or kind of in business now
but if you get a blue Rode microphone, then Rode makes Blue Microphones?
So let's look at the price for these three microphones right now.
And I'll switch between them.
Oh my gosh, okay.
Jumping over here to the old school, 4th generation, I guess we'll call it, NT1.
This was my very first condenser microphone.
This microphone...is discontinued.
So, uh, they don't make it anymore, and you probably can't buy it anymore.
So this is the 4th gen NT1.
The NT1 5th generation, on the other hand, was released more recently
as an update to the NT1, and it did change the sound profile a little
bit, although they're pretty similar.
But it also added in USB functionality, so XLR / USB combo functionality.
It is an amazing sounding microphone, but those added USB
features did raise the price.
So the NT1 5th generation retails for $249.
And then over here, the NT1 Signature Series is really the most direct
update to the 4th Gen NT1 in that it is an XLR only microphone.
It's a pretty simple mic.
It's supposed to basically have the same sound profile as the 5th Gen, so
slightly improved from the 4th Gen.
There's no USB functionality, but that means that the price gets to be lower.
So the price for the Signature Series is $159, and that does include the shock
mount, the pop filter, and an XLR cable.
So that's a pretty decent little kit for a very reasonable price.
So with that in mind, let's now dive into some comparisons and see
how these mics stack up against each other in terms of sound.
Now I already have, I don't know where to put all these microphones, I already
have made dedicated videos about the NT1 4th generation and 5th generation.
So rather than just repeat all of those same comparisons here, especially
because the microphones kind of sound the same, I really want to focus
on comparing the Signature Series against three microphones: the NT1 4th
generation, the NT1 5th generation, this is where things get quite
interesting, and the Lewitt LCT240 Pro.
And I'll explain why as we go through all of these different microphones.
So first up is the 4th gen NT1, which as I mentioned earlier is discontinued, and
even mine comes in this like older school shock mount, which is actually really
cool, I love this metal mesh pop filter.
You need a pop filter or a windscreen because all of the
microphones are prone to plosives.
Peter Piper pitched a plosive prone podcast, and you can
just kind of hear that there.
So whether you're just putting a windscreen on top of the microphone
or a pop filter in front of it, it is something that's really important with
all of these microphones because they're, they're all basically the same body and
they perform exactly the same when it comes to plosives and also handling noise.
They're not mics you would want to handhold.
But once they're in their shock mount, you know, you can move
them around and things are great.
So they're, the basic NT1 design has been around for many years and is
a very tried and true microphone.
Now if you already have this version or really kind of any other older
version of the NT1, it's probably NOT worth upgrading to any of the new ones,
unless you really, really need the USB functionality of the fifth generation and
you want this specific microphone's sound.
But otherwise, this microphone sounds awesome.
Even though it does sound a little different.
All the mics are running into the Rodecaster Pro 2 on the generic condenser
setting with no effects and no processing.
And this over here is the Signature Series.
So at least in my headphones, I can hear a bit of a difference
when we go side by side.
Here's the Signature Series.
Here is the 4th Gen NT1.
It is very, very subtle.
But going back over here to the Signature Series, I do hear a difference.
To my ears, I would describe it as this being a little
more rich and full sounding.
Whereas the fourth gen has a slightly, very slightly boxy sound to it.
But it sounds amazing and if you're only using one of these microphones and
you're not doing what i'm doing going side by side back and forth between them
I don't know that you would ever really notice a difference, but if I had to
choose based on just pure sound quality, I do think that the Signature Series
sounds better, which is great because you can't buy this microphone anymore.
So if you want an XLR only NT1, you kind of got to go with the Signature Series.
Now I did say that i'm running these without effects and processing,
but the RODECaster Pro 2 does have an NT1 preset and of course
through any interface or software.
You could add in your own EQ and mixes and stuff.
So let's turn that on just so you can hear what it sounds like
when I do add a little bit of EQ.
This is the NT1 Signature Series with no effects and no processing.
And this is the NT1 Signature Series with the NT1 preset in the RODECaster Pro 2.
Similarly, this is the NT1 fourth generation on the generic condenser
setting with no effects and no processing.
And this is the NT1 fourth generation with the NT1 preset in the RODECaster Pro 2.
I really like the RODECaster presets.
Most mics really do seem to benefit if you add a little bit of EQ, especially
to tailor, you know, to your specific voice and your specific environment.
And these microphones both sound excellent.
I think that EQ brought their sound profiles much more in line
with one another and now it's very difficult to tell them apart
as I'm switching between them.
To my ears at least in these headphones.
I really can't hear much of a difference at all as I'm switching
between these microphones.
So out of the box, there's a bit of a difference, but once you add an EQ, you
can kind of eliminate that difference.
And that's a great thing because it means that the Signature Series
is a really just solid update or refresh of the existing NT1.
And if you already have an NT1 or an NT1-A or an older version, You
don't need to feel the need to jump out and buy a new microphone.
So now I've turned off the processing and the EQ on the Signature Series, and
we're just going straight out of the box.
No effects and no processing.
I really now want to compare it to the Rode NT1 5th generation, because
these are both current microphones that you can buy right now.
But there's nearly a $100 difference in the price between
them, and both of them come with the shock mounts, the pop filters.
It's very similar other than the 5th generation has USB functionality,
and the Signature Series doesn't.
So you can choose which one you prefer.
They should sound exactly the same though.
So here's the Signature Series, and here's the NT1 5th Generation.
I'm talking into the 5th Generation, and now I'm talking into the Signature Series.
They're basically the same sounding microphone, which is awesome because...
over here on the fifth generation.
I love the way this microphone sounds every time I use it
I think it sounds great I've ended up using it in a lot more like podcasts,
streams, online courses than I would have expected just because I like how it sounds
so much and so I just find myself using it more often, which is a really fun thing.
But again, it is incredibly similar to the Signature Series.
In fact, if we look at the bottom of the Signature Series, you can
even C a spot where there would be a USB C port if this was the 5th
Gen that had that functionality.
I should mention too, though, that all of the microphones I'm comparing today are
condenser microphones, which does mean they need phantom power in order to run.
But fortunately, basically every interface, every mixer offers
phantom power, so they should work with pretty much anything.
And condenser mics require much less gain than a dynamic mic does so you don't
need to worry about boosters or anything like that just plug it into an interface
turn on phantom power and you're going to be good to go And that's the Rode
to great audio so finally the only non Rode microphone that I want to compare
the Signature Series to today is right here and this is The Lewitt LCT 240
Pro, which I think is one of the most underrated and best sounding mics around.
As I've said before, I abso-Lewittly love the Lewitt.
I mean, this microphone sounds awesome.
Again, no effects, no processing.
All of these also only have 29 decibels of gain out of the available
76 decibels on the Rodecaster Pro 2.
And you know, pretty much any interface, any mixer is going to give
you 30 clean decibels of gain, so that means any of these microphones,
really any condenser microphone, is going to run great on pretty much any interface.
Now the thing about the Lewitt LCT240 Pro is that it has been my go to
condenser mic recommendation for a long time now, because it retails for $119.
That is an insane price, and just like the NT1s, all the different
ones here, the Lewitt is pretty prone to handling noise and plosives.
The microphone doesn't come with this shock mount unless
you buy a kit that does.
It comes with one of these like traditional mounts here, which
is fine, but it does make the mic more prone to handling noise.
And it doesn't come with this super cool metal mesh magnetic windscreen.
It just comes with a regular foamy one that you can pop on here.
And then Peter Piper pitched a podcast.
Just like the NT1, it's very important to use the windscreen because without
it, Peter Piper pitched a podcast, you can really hear those plosives.
I really love the design of this microphone.
I have the white version, there's also a black version.
And I just feel like, you know, this is fine, and obviously this helps
it to sound better, so probably an important thing to use, but...
this little metal mesh windscreen, which magnetically attaches to the shock mount,
keeps that really cool design and, and also helps the mic to sound better.
So this is just a great setup right here that I really love and have
been recommending a long time.
However, since the microphone itself is $119, that's significantly cheaper than
the $159 price point of the Signature Series, but this shock mount right
here retails for $40, and this metal mesh windscreen is usually another $35.
So when you add those two things, which I think are necessities to the
price, that makes this closer to a $200 microphone rather than a $120 microphone.
But in general if you buy the mic and then you buy the shock mount that is
about $160 which just so happens to be the exact same retail price as The Rode
NT1 Signature Series so that puts these two microphones pretty head to head
in a lot of ways obviously the Lewitt in its full setup takes up a lot less
space than the NT1 does because this is you know, covering my face over here.
So with that in mind, with both of these microphones sounding great and
having similar price points, it really does just come down to what you prefer
in terms of sound and what you think might sound best on your specific voice.
Again, this is the Lewitt LCT240 Pro and this is the Rode NT1 Signature Series.
They still both sound great.
They don't sound incredibly different, but there is more of a difference
between these two than any of the other microphones because we're
also dealing with totally different capsules, totally different companies,
like the very different manufacturing processes between the two microphones.
So the Rode NT1 Signature Series and the Lewitt LCT240 Pro.
But now the Signature Series I think is a great choice because
this price, especially because you get the whole kit, is really nice.
And I've heard some people say they don't like this shock mount.
But I'm shocked at how much I do like this shock mount.
I think it works great.
It's the same one as the NT1 5th generation.
Even have a little telescoping thing here so you can adjust the windscreen.
And it works incredibly well.
It's made out of metal.
I don't know, I don't know what more you would want out of a shock mount.
I talked about this in my NT1 video.
There's not a reason to buy these microphones.
I just don't understand how this works.
There's a RODE logo on this windscreen, right?
And if I turn it over...
there's a Rode logo on this windscreen, and if I look through it, I can't see
two logos, but the logo is always facing the right direction on either side, and
I don't understand, I just don't, it's like the most magical thing I've ever
seen, I don't understand how this...
Now if you don't want to use the pop filter, the magical logo changing pop
filter, you can take it off of course and if you just want to keep the microphone
open, which you know, I love the way this microphone sounds, I have had good
luck kind of positioning it off at a 45 degree angle and just being careful not
to get too close with my plosives and just sort of speaking, projecting my breath
this way past the microphone and that has allowed me to use this microphone in
more compact spaces without this thing kind of, you know, getting in the way or
blocking my view or your view of me or whatever it might be so it is possible to
use these microphones without pop filters and windscreens Now going back over here
to the Lewitt if you're looking at these two microphones And you really don't
have a clear preference, and you kind of figure like well they are basically the
same price it is kind of a coin toss.
You can't go wrong either way.
They're both really awesome microphones.
One thing you could do if you're on a budget, is get the base model $119
version of the Lewitt LCT 240, use that by itself, and then later down the
line, you could add the shock mount, and then later down the line, you could
add the magnetic pop filter, so you'd end up still spending that same amount
of money, but you could do it over
a more spread out period of time if you're on a budget, but that's
really kind of the only difference.
So honestly, that means that for me, both the 240 and the
Signature Series are really my go to condenser mic recommendations.
And I think I kind of lean towards the Signature Series because for
its price, you get everything you need, And I always love being able to
recommend stuff to people where they don't then have to go out and buy a
bunch of other stuff to make it work.
So as we're looking at these comparisons, let's look at the Signature Series versus
the NT1 5th Generation a little more closely because even though both of these
microphones sound super clear, this is where things can get a little bit muddy.
The NT1 has always been a great choice, whatever version you choose,
and the 5th Generation did improve and change the sound just a little bit,
but it also added USB functionality, and that USB functionality lets
you use all of Rode's super awesome DSP, Digital Signal Processing.
Basically, you can go to Rode Connect and you can dial in the sound, almost
like having a RodeCaster Pro just built into your computer for this microphone.
And it also has 32 bit float in USB mode, which basically means it's
virtually impossible to make this microphone clip with really loud audio.
But, as I go over here to the Signature Series, using the USB functionality
of the 5th Generation in practical use is actually pretty limited because,
as you can see between all of these microphones, they look pretty much
exactly the same, and that means there are no physical controls on the 5th Gen
and as I pointed out in my full review, that also means that there is no
headphone output, so that means when you're using the NT1 5th generation
as a USB microphone, there is no way to monitor your audio without latency.
You have to wait and see, because there's always going to be latency.
And for me, as someone who would typically be using the microphone for
spoken word, that kind of makes the USB functionality useless in this microphone
because I cannot imagine working with a microphone for any period of
time where I can't monitor my audio in real time, in genuine real time.
But, going back over here to the 5th Gen, I have been loving
the sound of this microphone.
And it's a terrific XLR microphone.
But it just seems weird to have a mic at this $250 price point, where I
don't use one of the main features of the microphone, the USB functionality.
And to me, that's where the Signature Series saves the day, because it has
the same sound quality as the 5th Gen at a much lower price, at that $159
super reasonable price point, so that definitely does make the Signature
Series my recommendation, unless you have a very specific need for the 5th
Gen's USB functionality, and you're okay and understand its limitations.
So as much as I do love the 5th Gen and its sound, I would not recommend it for
most people since the Signature Series, over here, covers all the best parts
of this microphone at a lower price.
So, the Rode Signature Series, I think, is the Rode I would recommend taking.
And speaking of Rodes worth traveling, thank you to everyone who helps
support my channel through Patreon and YouTube channel memberships.
You can sign up and support the channel on either platform, whatever's easiest for
you, the perks are the same between them.
And be sure to check out my NT1 4th and 5th generation reviews for more
in depth details and mic comparisons.