This time, we’re writing our RODE Broadcaster Microphone review to discuss another product from RODE. The Broadcaster mic is a professional-grade product mainly designed for broadcast.
There are numerous broadcast-aimed microphones on the market today. But the Broadcaster isn’t among the category of dime-a-dozen streaming products. And even next to pro broadcast mics, it stands out.
It sports tons of excellent features and specifications that make it a hit. And you can learn everything about it in our review. We will discuss essential details like its performance, design, functions, packaging, and more.
But before we get into those, we’re checking out what’s inside the box.
RODE Broadcaster Microphone Packaging
The product arrived in time for this RODE Broadcaster Microphone review. And upon seeing it, we realised its packaging looks like the Procaster’s packaging save for the product displayed.
The front showcases an image of the Broadcaster, its name, and the company’s branding. You’ll also see the words “Precision 1 Broadcast Condenser Microphone”.
Inside the box, RODE packed everything securely and in an organised manner so no damages will incur during shipment. Aside from the Broadcaster microphone, you’ll also find an RM2 and a carrying pouch to keep the microphone.
RODE Broadcaster Microphone Review – Design and Functionality
Let’s look into the design and functions of the mic in this RODE Broadcaster Microphone review.
The Broadcaster is a condenser mic with an HF2 1-inch capsule and a gold-plated diaphragm. It’s also a specialised microphone designed to give you an outstanding sonic presence and broadcasting vocals. And unlike other streaming mics, the Broadcaster has a larger capsule.
Keep in mind that LDCs usually come with huge capsules. And since the Broadcaster has a full 1-inch HF2, it can provide more impressive, solid, and natural-sounding audio than microphones with smaller capsules.
Additionally, the Broadcaster is specifically-tuned to complement your voice. It’s also on the heavier side of mics weighing about 577g. When lifting it the first time, you’ll feel its weight and sturdiness while holding it, showing the mic’s potential durability.
RODE products are heavy-duty, so they’ll surely last. The Broadcaster sports a solid build with a metallic grille to protect the capsule. Its filter inside has a metal weave that prevents capsule muffling.
Aside from having a 1-inch capsule and gold-plated diaphragm, the Broadcaster’s body has an on-air LED indicator. It’s ideal for illustrating gain and output levels in the microphone.
The LED indicators are under the control of a 5-pin header that turns red when recording live. If these aren’t present, the Broadcaster will light up when you link 24V or 48V of phantom power.
Using the High Pass Filter with the RODE Broadcaster Microphone
The microphone has numerous notable features tailored for recording voices, like the voice-tuned highpass filter or low-cut filter. Toggling the switch provides a filter to silence anything that’s under 75Hz.
The range under this specific point is a low rumble. Examples are the sounds from an AC unit outside your recording area or a highway drone.
Keep in mind that PC fans don’t usually fall under this category. However, watching decibel metres displays several dB drops even with ambient room noise. The trade-off is you can make voices sound slightly thinner if you have deep-pitched pipes.
While continuously observing the mic for our RODE Broadcaster Microphone review, we can say the filter is an ideal inclusion. Also, it comes with another notable feature: the On-air Indicator.
It’s an indicator light controlled by a special 5-pin header that turns red when you’re sent live to the airwaves. Without the connector, the light will illuminate when the Broadcaster receives phantom power.
However, the issue is the microphone becomes tricky to use with a shock mount. And the sounds of moving your boom arm will make their way to the recording.
Key Features of the RODE Broadcaster Microphone
The features and characteristics either make or break a product. So, we’re sharing the mic’s different key aspects here in our RODE Broadcaster Microphone review.
Broadcast-quality Condenser for Radio Production, Podcasting, and Voice-overs
The Broadcaster is a big diaphragm condenser microphone with an end address. It offers the ultimate performance for broadcast vocal applications.
This microphone offers a rich, top-notch tailored response with an enhanced proximity effect, making it a standard for radio stations. It also works as a voice-over microphone for television and film.
Internal Pop filter
The internal pop filter minimises plosive sounds that overload the microphone capsule. As a result, it prevents producing distorted audio output.
High Pass Filter for the RODE Broadcaster Microphone
The Broadcaster has a native 20Hz to 20kHz response. It also has a selectable high-pass filter at 75Hz that prevents capturing low-end noise from air conditioners and traffic.
When we tried recording, the microphone excellently captured our voices, and we only heard minimal noise. We’ll discuss more of its noise filtering performance later in our RODE Broadcaster Microphone review.
On-air LED Indicator
The Broadcaster’s innovative On-Air indicator that you can wire for external activation via the Channel On/Mute function on numerous consoles. If not connected to a switch or console, this indicator will stay lit when the Broadcaster has power.
Specifications
We’ll also discuss the product’s specifications in our RODE Broadcaster Microphone review. Here, we’ll let you know more details that will help you determine if this is the microphone you need.
The Broadcaster from RODE is a cardioid end-address microphone with a 1-inch capsule. It uses a JFET impedance converter with a bipolar output buffer.
For its dimensions, it measures 167 x 50 x 65mm (H x W x D) and weighs a total of 577g. RODE provides a one-year warranty for this product, which you can extend to 10 years.
The Broadcaster has a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz and an output impedance of 40Ω. Its maximum SPL is 128 dB, while its maximum output level is 2.0mV (@ 1kHz, 1% THD into 1KΩ load).
This microphone’s sensitivity is -34.0dB re 1 Volt/Pascal (20.00mV @ 94 dB SPL) +/- 2 dB @ 1kHz. And its A-weighted equivalent noise is 14 dBA.
Running this Broadcaster microphone requires 24V or 48V phantom power.
Hands-on with the RODE Broadcaster Microphone
When we recorded for the first time, we immediately noticed the richness of the Broadcaster’s bass. We also made sure that we didn’t need to go too close to the microphone to achieve the best sound that we could.
Whilst recording with the microphone, our voices sounded realistic and were not being compressed or over tuned. This is easily one of the best sounding microphones that we have ever used. Its audio quality was similar to RODE’s Procaster but without the compression.
The audio clarity of the mic produced a smooth and natural sound that had wonderful, crisp high-end clarity. It allowed us to live broadcast while decreasing the need for EQ-ing. This feature made us realise the Broadcaster makes for a top choice mic for podcasting.
We set the low-cut switch to 75hz since some of us who tried the mic had naturally-deep voices. It worked great for streaming and broadcasting environments with ambient lower frequency.
While creating this review, we also saw the Broadcaster having a more bassy character, unlike most condenser microphones. to get a similar performance from other microphones you would need to do some serious tweaking to reach the Broadcaster’s range.
Unlike the Procaster mic that blocked most of the background noise, the Broadcaster picked a lot of these up. The Broadcaster performed better than other condenser microphones out of the box.
With minimal tweaking, the Broadcaster had low noise. It delivered significantly improved recording quality that’s excellent for various voice applications.
We also recommend a shock mount for applications where the Broadcaster can pick up vibrations from the attached stand/boom arm.
Remember, vibration equals noise. That means you can utilise a universal-fit shock mount for the Broadcaster.
Overall, the Broadcaster delivered exceptional performance, and it’s easy to recommend for podcasting, voice-overs, and more. Its audio quality is broadcast-grade, just like RODE claimed.
RODE Broadcaster Microphone Review Summary
The RODE Broadcaster is an impressive microphone with a rich, broadcast-grade sound. It also has outstanding construction and comes with a 10-year warranty once registered.
RODE invested a lot in making the Broadcaster a competitive choice among the top dynamic microphones. If you’re looking for a professional-grade microphone delivering clarity and realism, this microphone will accomplish and provide for your needs.
Whether streaming on Twitch or talking on the radio, the Broadcaster is a notable and ideal investment for your craft. It’s a microphone that delivers quality audio and will last for years. This product is an outstanding tool for content creators looking to turn this hobby into a business.
To learn more about the Broadcaster Microphone, visit RODE’s official product page for more details.
