Rode PodMic: The Complete Guide
Did you know that 28% of the US population listens to podcasts on a weekly basis, and 41% on a monthly basis?
Stats like these show just how much opportunity there is to gain an audience and create a stream of revenue through podcasting.
But, there is also a lot of competition in the podcast space. Currently, there are over 2 million podcasts in existence.
How do you stand out from this 2 million-strong crowd? One way is through stellar audio quality. And the route to top-notch audio quality for your podcast is through a standout mic.
Which brings us to the Rode PodMic.
Choosing a podcasting microphone can feel like tricky work. With all the options, guides, and reviews out there, it can feel just about impossible to isolate the best option for your needs and budget.
However, there is one podcasting mic that really ticks all the boxes, and it’s the Rode PodMic.
If you’re looking for a mic that produces stellar audio, cuts down on post-processing, is newbie-friendly, and won’t burn a hole in your bank account, keep reading.
Price
Unless you’re Kylie Jenner and you’re starting a podcast, price is probably one of your top priorities in choosing a mic.
Depending on the format of your podcast, you may need several microphones, if you’re hosting multiple guests at once. If you’re laying out a few hundred bucks per mic, the total cost can add up quickly.
Fortunately, the Rode PodMic’s price tag isn’t out of the average person’s budget. Clocking in at $99, it’s definitely not the cheapest microphone on the market, but it’s a lot more affordable than many alternatives in its class.
What’s more, a hundred bucks isn’t a massive investment to make for a piece of equipment that’s pivotal to the quality of your offering.
And spoiler alert, the Rode PodMic could seriously upgrade the quality of your audio. The price on this podcast microphone is a serious steal when you consider what it’s capable of.
Build and Housing Quality
The first thing you’ll notice when you handle the Rode PodMic is its sheer weight and sturdiness.
Clocking in at 937 grams, which is roughly 2 pounds, the Rode PodMic definitely feels like it’s built to last. An all-metal body gives this podcast microphone a high-quality look and feel.
Not only is it heavy in the hand, but the metal grill has almost zero give, which is just what you want in a microphone. In short, this little beast of a microphone feels incredibly well put together.
If you compare the body and housing to most dynamic mics on the market today, the housing quality in the Rode PodMic is definitely one of, if not the, highest, of microphones in the same class.
Rode PodMic SpecsMoving on past the housing, let’s take a look at the Rode PodMic specs.
This solid little dynamic mic definitely packs a punch on the specs front. It has a cardio polar pattern, which is what you want for podcasting. Additionally it has a frequency response of 20 hertz to 20 kilohertz. This ensures it captures the full range of the human voice.
It also has an attached mounting system featuring 5/8 and 3/8 threading and built-in articulation. The attached mounting system is ideal for portable podcasting setups and studios alike. When podcasting you want to be hands free, so you can look at your notes or laptop. Thus, I recommend pairing the PodMic with the Rode PSA1 boom arm.
If you’ve done any research on podcasting microphones, you’ll know that the PodMic specs made it inherently designed for capturing speech. Thanks to this, as well as its finely-tuned default settings, you can record podcast-grade audio right off the bat with a minimum of post-production tweaking and cleaning up.
A Built-in Pop Filter for Those Pops and Plosives
Another standout feature that the Rode PodMic has hidden in its robust body is a built-in pop filter.
If you’re new to mics, pop filters catch and eradicate explosive speech noises. And no, we’re not talking about that heated-up guest that’s shouting down their microphone. Well, maybe a little bit—but pop filters are designed to catch and soften the explosive sounds that are part of normal speech.
“P”, “K”, and “T” are the main culprits. Have you ever listened to a poor-quality audio recording where every “p” and “k” that comes from the speaker causes a popping sound and makes you feel like they’re spitting into the microphone? That’s what we’re talking about.
If you don’t want your audio to sound like this, then you need a pop filter. Pop filters usually look like small disks or rectangles with a mesh center. The mesh disperses the audio and helps to soften and spread out explosive syllables, making your voice sound the best it can.
Please Don’t Pop Your P’s
According to reports, young adults listen to almost 3 hours of streamed audio per week. This is a lot of audio, and if a listener dips their ear into your podcast, only to hear poor-quality sound full of harsh pops and explosive disturbances every time you say “p” or “k”, they’re probably going to swipe right to another podcast.
Pop filters can also cut out a lot of post-production work, which is a boon for any podcaster.
While an external pop filter is almost always a good idea for podcast recording settings, where guests are sitting close to the mic, there are times when you might not have one on hand.
Because the Rode PodMic comes equipped with its own built-in pop filter, this makes it ideal for impromptu recording sessions where you might have forgotten to pack a pop filter.
What’s more, the in-built pop filter feature will enhance the effects of any external pop filter you choose to add, resulting in smoother, more balanced audio in all situations.
What the Rode PodMic Is Designed For
As you can probably tell from the PodMic specs, this robust podcast mic, is just that, a podcasting microphone.
With this mic, Rode has specifically set out to design a microphone that fully caters to a podcaster’s needs, while not breaking the bank.
Everything from its sensitivity to its impedance, built-in pop filter, and standard settings screams podcast setup. Thanks to this, you can whip this baby out of the box, connect it up, and be recording top-notch podcast audio within half an hour.
This is truly a game changer for beginner podcasters who are looking for a mic that will deliver studio-grade audio quality with a minimum of intervention and post-production refining.
Because the Rode PodMic is specifically designed for recording speech, it delivers clear spoken word audio with great intelligibility.
Stats show that portable gadgets like phones and tablets are by far the most popular devices for listening to podcasts. If you’re lucky, some of your audience members are listening to you with great headphones on.
In reality, however, many of your listeners are tuning in with a knock-off pair of AirPods. Or, they might be listening to their phone playing a podcast, while washing up dishes or loading up the dryer.
No matter the situation, you need to ensure that your audio recording is as intelligible as possible.
How It Performs in Podcast Settings
We can’t stress it enough. If you want to hook listeners as a podcast host, you don’t just need engaging conversations, you also need top-quality audio.
Like we said above, the Rode PodMic is specifically designed to deliver in podcast settings—but does it?
Fortunately, since it’s not a new release, the PodMic has been put through its paces since it came on the market. And the resounding consensus is, yes, it really does stand out for delivering premium podcasting audio capabilities.
For instance, even if your guest leans away up to 20 degrees off-axis, the tone won’t change dramatically. Thanks to this, you can position the Rode PodMic close to a wall or other solid surface and the mic will still yield excellent capture.
This capability also allows the PodMic to give almost as good capture as any popular shotgun mic. Shotgun mics are a favorite among sound engineers at large studios, so this is saying a lot.
Another reason why the Rode PodMic is so superbly suited to podcasting is its flexibility and high rejection notes. The sensitivity levels on this exceptional mic allows it to crisply separate up to four PodMics, even if they’re in close proximity. This is ideal for podcast settings and makes edits much more flexible. Nothing is worse than trying to mix a podcast that’s full of microphone bleed.
Most podcast episodes are between 20-40 minutes long, and any podcast producer or host knows that the raw audio files are usually a lot longer. If you have to fine-tune and hours of audio, that consist of intermeshed captured audio, you might need to a) download a mediation app, and b) order a month’s supply of coffee pods.
Pros of the Rode PodMic
Now that we’ve covered the PodMic specs and how it performs in podcast settings specifically, let’s quickly run through the pros and cons.
As far as pros go, here is the outstanding list of advantages this affordable, high-quality little mic has.
Does a Great Job of Reducing Background Noise
Another impressive pro of the Rode PodMic is it does an outstanding job of reducing background noise. It is more resistant to handling background noises than most other mics on the market, especially at its low price point.
Specifically Tuned for the Spoken Word
The big reason why the Rode PodMic is one of the best mics for podcasting is that it’s specifically designed for the spoken word. It’s fine-tuned for interview settings and podcasting.
Less Post Processing
Because the PodMic is pretty much solely meant to be a podcast microphone, everything about it is designed for killer podcast audio. Because of this, it records audio that requires the minimum of processing. Thankfully it rejects most room tone and ambient noise.
Clean, Rich Sound
Besides isolating background noises, the Rode PodMic also delivers a clean, rich sound. If you want to make money with your podcast and sound like a pro, this is what you want in a mic.
Sturdy as Can Be
If you hate cheap feeling plastic mics, then this is the podcasting microphone for you. As we said above, with its ultra-sturdy housing the Rode PodMic is built to last and should see you through hundreds of shows with minimal wear and tear.
Compact
Although somewhat on the heavy side, thanks to its durable housing, the Rode PodMic is incredibly compact for its capabilities, Measuring only 6 cm across and 12 cm in length, it is far smaller than other pro-level mics of this caliber.
Thanks to this, the PodMic is a great travel-ready option if you need to hit the road with your show.
Cons to the Rode PodMic
If you’re looking at the Rode PodMic purely for podcasting purposes, we can truly say we see few to no flaws in this podcasting microphone.
However, if you want to use it as a multi-purpose mic, it does lack some versatility. For instance, while it does a decent job of picking up vocals, we wouldn’t use this as a dedicated mic for music recording.
It also doesn’t come with any adjustable settings on the mic itself. If you want to make adjustments to your recording parameters, you will need to pair it with the Rodecaster Pro, or tweak it’s sound in your DAW.
The Rode PodMic Is an All-Round Podcast Winner
If you hadn’t gathered this already, the Rode PodMic is an all-around winner if you’re looking for a podcast microphone. In summary, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a mic at the same price point that has the same level of capabilities for podcasting.
Are you looking to take your podcast to the next level? Choosing a stand-out mic is a great place to start, but crisp audio isn’t the only component of a successful podcast.
*As Amazon Associates we review products independently, and may receive a commission if you choose to purchase something though one of our links.*
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