Apologies for the lack of new material but the mobile and the studio are so busy at the moment that weve just not had time to put any new stuff up. We have some great new sessions waiting to go up and a sneak preview of a fantastic new compresser but thats all to come!!!!! In the meantime have a read about the first in our series of great mics under £100

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(May2007)A few years ago when the first reviews appeared for Rode microphones everyone seemed very excited by their matched pair of small diaphragm, condenser, cardioid mics the NT5s. It looked very similar in size and style to the Neumann KM 84s and was designed to provide a similar range of applications such as a pair of drum overheads or a stereo pair for recording a small choir or ensemble. All the reviews were positive and both the mobile and the studio decided to buy a pair as at just over £200 for a pair they seemed too good to miss. The mics are very nicely made and come in a foam lined plastic hard case with a couple of clips and simple foam shields. I have experimented with these mics as a stereo pair in different configurations and as single point mics for recording instruments. I think that they are just terrific value for money and with the exception of voice/over work they get used on all the sessions with the mobile and in the studio. I tend to set them up on a stereo bar in ORTF and I am particularly happy with them as drum overheads though they don't really match up to the Neumann KM 84s. They get used for general stereo instrument work and give a lovely clear picture with a bright smooth top end though they are perhaps a bit light at the bottom. However it would be churlish to criticise these mics at their price.
I recently had one take a hit distorting the vents which slightly dropped the output of the mic and while it wasn't the end of the world I thought it would be good to see if Ii could get a replacement capsule. I spoke to Rachid Amini at the UK distributers HHB and he sent me a replacement capsule for free. That's what I call good service! JR

(oct 2008)I'm always aware, when writing about mics, that I am in the lucky position of having access to lots
of them so making direct comparisons between models is easy. Also I don't generally buy these mics-they may be part of the studio collection, they may be loaned by to me by colleagues or sent by manufacturers for use and review on a long term basis.This luxury of choice is probably not available to many recordists, particularly home studio owners and I understand fully the deliberations which go on regarding mic purchase and the consequence of making the wrong choice on a limited budget.
If this sounds like I'm about to slate the NT5 then rest assured I'm not but it is a mic which certainly flatters to deceive in some areas.
Fairview Studio bought a pair of NT5s when one half of their matched Neumann KM84s was irreparably damaged. Now I obviously never expected the Rodes to be as good as the Neumanns but I was certainly quite surprised when I started using them.
First outing was as overheads on a kit. I had listened to the drums in the room and positioned mics accordingly. On opening the channels I was amazed at the brightness of the mics-a very shiny sound indeed and bags of gain (I think a 10db pad facility would'nt go amiss on the NT5-Rode do suggest it as suitable for drum overheads). I was initially a little concerned about the lack of some mid-range detail but pressed on with the set up.
On its own the kit sounded good and the metalwork sweet but as I added other instruments into the monitor mix it became apparent that there was very little body in the cymbal sound...plenty of splash and attack but no substance. I experimented with repositioning the overheads but there was little improvement.
Given that I tend to work on the sound source and record generally flat I carried on through the session. The next day, by which time two songs had been fully tracked, I was struggling to define the cymbals at all unless their tracks were disproportionately loud in the monitors and I had to work hard at the mix to get some definition into the sound.
The second outing was recording an acoustic guitar around which we were going to build a full-on track. The guitar sounded really sweet with the NT5s and if it had been just a guitar or guitar/vocal track then I would have been very happy with the sound. However deja vu struck and six hours and several overdubs later I found myself unable to pick out the acoustic guitar at all in the monitor mix.
The body of the sound had been swallowed entirely by the other instruments. Again much work at the mix was required.
These are two instances where an initially impressive sound failed to hold it's ground sonically because of an emphasis in the high frequencies and a lack of integrity in that all-important mid range....something to definitely be aware of.
Of course the NT5 has many good points. I recorded a piano/flute combination with them, also a fiddle/vocal session and was very pleased with the results
It seems that as long as the recorded NT5 instrument does'nt have to compete too much with other instruments then it can deliver the goods well. But you may struggle to sit that acoustic guitar into an electric track without some serious eq'ing.
Many people ask about which mic for which purpose. My stock reply is that wherever possible beg,steal,borrow or hire a selection before buying. Some manufacturers have a trial scheme in place which is always worth taking advantage of. There have never been so many microphones available to the public at such good prices so take your time and look around. If your mixes are going to end up as MP3 files on your Myspace site then they need all the help they can get at the recording stage.
One last thing on the NT5. I used a pair in an ORTF setup in front of a childrens choir recently (alongside a Soundfield and Hebden Omni rig) and was very impressed with the detail. I recorded all the mics to seperate tracks and was able to add the Rodes successfully into the final mix at the studio. I also know that JR has used them extensively on the mobile with good results but our studio pair hasn't been out of the cupboard for some time.
The NT5 is part of a large Rode collection and I hope we can get some other models to review at some point.
JS

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