recordinghacks

RØDE NT1

Cardioid Condenser Microphone

The Rode NT1 was a large-diaphragm FET condenser microphone designed by Jim Williams of Audio Upgrades. It was received as a remarkable microphone at its price point (£329 = ~$530 in 1997 dollars).

The mic pictured on this page was the second NT1 from Rode; the first shared Jim Williams’ circuit, but had a different body, grille, and possibly also a capsule. See sidebar link for more information.

The amplifier circuit employed high-grade components from Röderstein, Hitachi, and WIMA. The output circuit was electronically-balanced and transformerless.

Some disparity exists between published specifications. For example, a 2002 spec sheet from Rode cites the self-noise at “<13dBA” and the sensitivity at 20mV/Pa, whereas a 1997 SOS review claims 17dBA self-noise and 18mV/Pa sensitivity. This could reflect a change in test methodology, or an improvement in the product over the 5 intervening years.

Michael Joly

The NT1 and NT1a mics use three different capsule variations based around the K67-type backplates. One of them is center-terminated and is basically a K67 recreation (intentional 8kHz boost). Another … has a HF resonator plate for even more HF [boost]. And the third type of capsule uses the K67 backplate pattern, but the diaphragm is edge-terminated and has a very unusual drilled aluminum plate on the back side instead of the usual back diaphragm.

The mic had a painted finish that was variously described as “creamy gray,” “reassuringly vintage” (SoundOnSound) and “public hospital blue” (Audio Technology). It shipped with a vinyl storage pouch and a ring mount.

Capsule/circuitry photo credits: Ryan Fisher, Tom Drinkwater

Jim Williams

I designed it with super low-noise Hitachi transistors and a Siliconix rf JFET. As you can see it has German Roederstein metal film resistors and Wima polypropylene film caps. As it is there is little to do to improve it. It was built “modified.”

SoundOnSound, 1997

This is one of the nicest sub-£1000 mics I’ve heard to date, and at £329 it must qualify as one of the best bargains around…

The RØDE NT1 is also known as: NT-1.

The mic was released in 1997.

Specifications

Frequency Response - CardioidClick Graph to Compare!

Pickup Patterns	Pads & Filters
Cardioid (20 mV/Pa; 20 - 20,000 Hz)

Capsule Dimensions	Impedance	SPL/Noise
Diaphragm diameter: 27mm Capsule diameter: 34mm	40 Ohms (Low)	Max SPL: 128 dB Self-noise: 13.0 dB(A)

Weight	Length	Max Diameter	Interface(s)
326g (11.50oz)	190mm (7.48'')	50mm (1.97'')	3-pin XLR male (1)

Power Specifications
Requires phantom power Phantom voltage: 24–48v

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