Canadian Musician September / October 2019 | Page 20

ROAD TEST Rode PodMic & RodeCaster Pro Production Studio By Drew Robertson I recently had the chance to try out a pair of new podcasting tools from Rode: the Pod- Mic, a podcast-ready dynamic microphone, and the RodeCaster Pro, a fully-integrated podcast production studio. Build Quality Both the PodMic and RodeCaster have great build quality. The PodMic boasts an all-metal body and grille, which gives it a hefty, robust feeling. It stays in place very well though the weight may cause stand sag if you use too much extension. The RodeCaster is also notably robust, with smooth linear faders for each of its channels. I find the slight resistance on each fader quite nice as it makes them feel very precise. The Solo and Mute buttons are made of silicon rubber like the pads and Record button (more on that later) and are easy to use and distinguish even in bright light. The pads are customizable both in terms of what they trigger and their LED colours for optimal ease-of-use during a session. The touchscreen is fast and responsive and head- phone pots have a nice ratchet feel to them, which keeps the theme of precision going. Elaborating on the silicon buttons, down the entire right side of the unit are eight LED-lit sample pads. They come preloaded and ready to go and have a nice, rubberized feel to them. Personally, I’d prefer at least the master Record button be a physical switch, though I do appre- ciate that it glows a bright red when engaged. The unit boasts multi-track recording capabilities to either an SD card or to a computer via USB. There are four locking XLR inputs located on the back panel for your use as well as a stereo 3.5-mm jack to connect a mobile device. The RodeCaster also has built-in Bluetooth on its own dedicated channel, meaning you can eas- ily take calls live without any extra equipment. Sound Quality The sound quality of the RodeCaster is fantastic and when paired with the PodMic, they make a great-sounding and practical combination. The preamps are smooth and clear with no notice- able noise floor. The gain is set via the touch- screen when using the channel selector button and the setup submenu. I found this a bit cum- bersome, but overall, the setup process is fairly 20 C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N straightforward and you’ll have no trouble getting up and running. Included on each channel are various effects, like a compres- sor, de-esser, and noise gate. Each dynamic processor sounds good and does what it should; however, they don’t have much in the way of user control. Each effect has a simple on or off function and that’s it – great for some- one who’s looking to up their production value without much knowledge of audio processing but potentially limiting for the more advanced user that’s looking to tweak their sound. Also bundled with the unit are the onboard Aphex effects: the Aural Exciter and BigBottom. While there’s no technical documentation that indicates exactly what the effects do, they add a certain warmth and sound good. The included headphone amps are nice and loud and allow for each person on air and the engineer to hear the mix. If you’re mixing from another room, there’s a set of 1/4-in. outs for monitors with a dedicated volume knob. Another feature to elaborate on is the pre- set sound modes on each mic channel. The RodeCaster has dedicated presets for the most common Rode mics used in podcasting and broadcast, as well as generic settings if you’re not using a Rode mic. Ease of Use The RodeCaster Pro offers quick and easy set- up. I had it plugged in and ready to record audio in under five minutes. The touchscreen works well, making it easy to access most features quickly, though gain changes weren’t as simple as I’d like. It would be nice to have dedicated preamp knobs in a future version. I should also address the lack of detailed metering. While I realize the RodeCaster is de- signed to be plug-and-play for novice users, aiming to give them things they need with- out bogging them down with overly complex features, metering can benefit everyone. It’s important to know how loud you actually are and what that means for your audio. I do like the included target box on each mic channel that helps you get the volume right, though in the future, it’d be helpful to know where 0dB is. Each mic channel has a complement of audio effects, the most notable of which are the aforementioned Aphex effects. They’re all extremely easy to use as they only have simple on-or-off switches. Pairing a phone via Blue- tooth was also fast and simple to do and the audio quality was quite good, though that can depend on call quality. Summary I liked both of these products. They achieve ex- actly what they intend to and offer a great way to pump up the production value of a podcast or similar audio production in an affordable and very easy-to-operate package. Plus, the Rode- Caster Pro’s ability to directly interface with Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) makes it a great streaming solution for any host, be it for Facebook, YouTube, or Twitch. The built-in Blue- tooth means you can take calls on air and use your device for playback. The voice control is very user-friendly and the onboard sample pads and basic effects put everything you need for a slick production value right at your fingertips. Drew Robertson is an audio engineer, live sound tech, and educator. He is based out of London, ON, and is the co-owner of Prosperity Audio Works. He can be reached at [email protected].