Review on Rode NT1 Condenser Microphone & AI-1 USB Audio Interface Pack: Experience Studio-Quality Sound by Robert Cooper

Okay let me start by saying I've been a Revain customer for over 20 years and I can't recall ever writing a review before. However, the reason I'm writing this is to highlight the product set, it's fantastic. I'm new to audio recording and needed equipment that would produce professional narration/voiceover results, hopefully at no extra cost. The range of good and excellent microphones is known to be simply overwhelming. This NT1 condenser microphone is fully professional. It's built like a work of art and the sound quality is better than it looks. There is literally so much crap out there that finding it was a real treat. The included shock mount is a premium resin product that is also of the highest quality. In fact, the only thing you'll find on eBay is a shock mount for about $70 with a beautifully crafted two-layer metal mesh pop filter (also in this kit) that integrates directly into the shock mount. In my case I mounted it upside down on the Rode PSA1 RODE PSA1 Swivel Mount Studio Microphone Arm and the pop filter compression connection to the shock is bulletproof. By the way, I'm not sure I'll be writing a PSA1 review, but suffice it to say that even at $100, it's a quality instrument that I'd be very happy to buy again (someone posted a video about it being awful squeaks when moved, but that's not my experience, and if it's defective he should send it back). I started out on YouTube and it looks like I went to the destination for mics and gear, there was a guy named Mike Del Gaudio whose channel is called Booth Junkie. Mike is a professional voice actor, incredibly knowledgeable, articulate, organized, he does incredible head-to-head comparisons of various condenser mics and dynamic mics, and teaches "Reaper," a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) gem and a great value money ($60). individuals) with the support of a large community. It also covers other related hardware and should be visited by all newbies and those looking to buy. I can't thank him enough for enlightening me (through his YouTube channel) and making a difficult decision that much easier. First full disclosure, I'm not Mike, never met or interacted with him. but I will thank him soon. As important as choosing that NT1 mic and the top-of-the-line Lyra-based shock mount that comes with this kit, I still need a USB audio interface. Here the difficulties began. I've watched many YouTube channels on various audio interfaces (Audient, Audiobox, Scarlett) and most of the reviews have been either inadequate or superficial. One of the strongest exceptions and another great YouTube channel is PodCastAge. It amplifies the good points of this interface, super clean preamps, great build quality, zero-latency headphone monitoring, is virtually silent even at 100% gain, and is even powerful enough to drive power-hungry dynamic mics like the Shure SM7B. Unlike many others in this price range it only has one combo jack (XLR/6.3mm) instead of two BUT it can also record at 24bit and 96kHz which is amazing. I'm sure you could spend three times as much on a USB interface and not get the same quality even using a different combo input, but let's face it, even most home studio musicians rarely take more than one track at a time on. . All said and done, this $350 bundle is a great purchase and enough to get me splurging on a PSA1 swingarm. Since the mic alone is $250 but gets a $270 Rycote shock and pop filter (sold for $70), you save $50 right away. If you buy this entire $350 kit, you save an additional $60 by purchasing the $80 AI-1 interface over the $140 priced individually. I didn't even mention the high quality USB-C cable that includes the 5/8-3/8 inch adapter and XLR cable which makes it even more valuable. And if you register these products on Rode.com I believe they will extend your warranty and be able to download a lite version of Ableton(?) DAW. Now I will let you know that I had a problem with the RF capacitor in the microphone failing, which caused feedback and rendered the microphone unusable after a few days. California , I immediately contacted their product support team and they gave me a quick fix that got the mic working again without sending it in for repair. Also because the problem started so soon after purchase they sent me a new one Kit to replace the one I had and paid for return shipping on my original purchase (through a Revain partner). This is how CUSTOMER SERVICE should work! Kudos to Rode! With this disclosure, I declare that I have not received any compensation from any of the parties listed in this review.