Rode Procaster Broadcast Dynamic Microphone

It is pretty expensive for a mic arm but it is also significantly more sturdy and well designed than cheaper alternatives.The instructions didn't say to tighten the first screw in order to have it remain in place when using light mics but it was an easy enough fix.I am much more confident with this microphone arm than the ones I have used previously as this one has a much chunkier base and steel construction. The ones I've used previously were aluminium and the part where it attached to the base snapped off after about 6 months.The simple addition of velcro cable holders is very nice and helps keep cables out of the way.By spending more you get a significantly higher quality product and one that should last longer than 6 months. Worth it I would say.

Base to arm connection is wobbly?

The base of the unit is a cone shape with a cylindrical slot for the arm to slot into. The difference between the diameter of the arm and the slot is unexpectedly large, such that the arm is very wobbly when inserted into the slot. Seems like a bad design. Would have been good to have had a plastic insert or something to prevent this.Other than this it will not stay in the folded position unless a significant weight is attached. (Like a microphone or camera.) Less of an issue than the wobblyness.When in use it does hold equipment well but any slight knock or table wobble causes the attached equipment to wobble. Less of an issue for microphones, a much more significant issue when using cameras.

Best quality mic for the price

Microphone works excellent, good feedback from listeners on other end of video conferences. The cardioid pattern works great, filters out extraneous noise well. The big concern I had was picking up the noise of my keyboard when taking notes, but there is minimal sound heard (tested with friend over Zoom meeting, she could barely hear my keys typing). The microphone itself is a beast, very heavy compared to other microphones of similar or even bigger size. I have a Rode NTG4+ Shotgun Microphone and the Procaster is easily three times as heavy. The NTG4+ was super sensitive and picked up all sorts of sound, which is why I decided to switch the Procaster. Being a Dynamic Mic, you will get best quality when the mic is closer to your mouth. This is fine if I am not on a ... MoreMicrophone works excellent, good feedback from listeners on other end of video conferences. The cardioid pattern works great, filters out extraneous noise well. The big concern I had was picking up the noise of my keyboard when taking notes, but there is minimal sound heard (tested with friend over Zoom meeting, she could barely hear my keys typing). The microphone itself is a beast, very heavy compared to other microphones of similar or even bigger size. I have a Rode NTG4+ Shotgun Microphone and the Procaster is easily three times as heavy. The NTG4+ was super sensitive and picked up all sorts of sound, which is why I decided to switch the Procaster. Being a Dynamic Mic, you will get best quality when the mic is closer to your mouth. This is fine if I am not on a video conference, but if your audience is not expecting to see you with a huge mic in your face, then this mic may not be best for you. That said, I did position the mic out of camera view and bumped the gain up a bit and my friend said she could still hear me well, but I am guessing there was additional hiss and potential background noise being picked up. The sound quality is excellent for the price point of this mic (and I bought used so I spent even less than retail). The low end registers strong but not overly bassy, and I really like the mids and high tones are still crisp. Some mics fall off on the high ends and sound washed out - not the Procaster! I have a mid to low tenor-range voice and it does well with this mic, nice and warm but still bright enough to sound natural and full. If I sit my mouth right on the mic I can get a really strong proximity effect, giving that NPR-radio sound some people like! It is a bit bassy for me, but the mic can definitely serve well if that is your thing. The Dynamite Active In-Line Preamp by sE Electronics is great! I was able to turn the gain down on my audio interface from high 6/low 7 to a 4, which eliminated some of that hiss you hear in the background. Shock mount is a shock mount, it does it's job well, no complaints. The Mogami cable will be a back-up, I already had a cable set up for the NTG4+ Happy with the purchase, highly recommend the Procaster microphone, and if you can get the sE Electronics Dynamite preamp get it, you will not be disappointed.

Close to 5 Stars * Measurements Here*

Application: Doc doing teletmedicine call.Overall the boom is solid. In some ways I really wanted the Blue boom thinking it would be more suited for a Yeti mic, yet reviews were mixed at best, and the boom would take 3+ weeks to get from the manufacturer. So I opted for the PSA1. It's very solid and supports a Yeti mic effortlessly. Anchoring the mic so it doesn't pivot side-to-side seems to be the one week point in the boom. Tightening that is an effort in futility. It's not a huge issue for me, however, since the mic is level.Here is the one thing I had trouble finding online. Useful measurements as I needed to mount it behind my computer monitors and have it reach over the top. I drilled a hole in my credenza to mount the boom as there was no lip for me to ... MoreApplication: Doc doing teletmedicine call.Overall the boom is solid. In some ways I really wanted the Blue boom thinking it would be more suited for a Yeti mic, yet reviews were mixed at best, and the boom would take 3+ weeks to get from the manufacturer. So I opted for the PSA1. It's very solid and supports a Yeti mic effortlessly. Anchoring the mic so it doesn't pivot side-to-side seems to be the one week point in the boom. Tightening that is an effort in futility. It's not a huge issue for me, however, since the mic is level.Here is the one thing I had trouble finding online. Useful measurements as I needed to mount it behind my computer monitors and have it reach over the top. I drilled a hole in my credenza to mount the boom as there was no lip for me to use the clamp. Think of the base as the shoulder joint, the joint between the two pieces at the elbow, and the joint at the mic as the wrist. From the top of the credenza to the bottom of the forearm is just over 17. So if your computer monitor was right up against the boom, any higher than that wouldn't fit. Keep in mind though that the elbow pivots up so if you're in inch or so behind the monitor you could raise it and have a taller monitor. From the front of the upper arm to the wrist joint is about 18. 18.25 for me because I have the forearm tilted up higher to get the microphone shock mount high enough to be out of the camera view. Using a Yeti microphone, and a Blue Radius III shock mount, I have the tip of my microphone about a foot above the credenza just off camera to my left and about 21 toward me from the base.Delivery time once it was shipped is on UPS. The one challenge was the extended amount of time it took for B&H to ship the package once I ordered it. That was disappointing.

Good arm documentation not so great

Good arm, documentation not so great, took me a while to work out that the upper arm will not adjust and stay without the weight of the microphone attached to it.Also the lower arm is not adjustable until it is sat in the clamp, the clamp must at this point be secured to the desk..Just a couple of lines in the rode booklet could have saved me 2 hours of messing about watching not so great videos on this arm. Why don't rode do their own videos? maybe they do i couldn't find them.Moaning aside it does what it's supposed to once you're over that, it looks good and it is well built.I would buy another one. Decent delivery time from Scan. Many thanks.

Great. Just a step down from the SM7B

I have a podcast where I mostly interview a solo guest. For that we use two Shure SM7Bs. Whenever we'd have a pair of guests, we'd put them on the 7Bs and I'd just use a Rode Podmic. I wasn't happy with how thin the Podmic sounded compared to the other mics (not a fair comparison due to the price, I know) so I got this as an upgrade. I couldn't be happier.The sound is almost as smooth as the SM7B, but it doesn't have that dark feel to it. It also has bit more clarity on the high end. It's almost like using the 7B with both the low-cut filter and the presence boost enabled.If I were to compare it to Shure mics, it's somewhere between the sound of the Beta 58a and the SM7B, in terms of sound (and price).A couple of things I really about this mic...1) ... MoreI have a podcast where I mostly interview a solo guest. For that we use two Shure SM7Bs. Whenever we'd have a pair of guests, we'd put them on the 7Bs and I'd just use a Rode Podmic. I wasn't happy with how thin the Podmic sounded compared to the other mics (not a fair comparison due to the price, I know) so I got this as an upgrade. I couldn't be happier.The sound is almost as smooth as the SM7B, but it doesn't have that dark feel to it. It also has bit more clarity on the high end. It's almost like using the 7B with both the low-cut filter and the presence boost enabled.If I were to compare it to Shure mics, it's somewhere between the sound of the Beta 58a and the SM7B, in terms of sound (and price).A couple of things I really about this mic...1) Background noise rejection is great, comparable to some handhelds.2) It's gain hungry, but not as much as the Rode Podmic or Shure SM7B.A couple of things I wasn't too crazy about...1) The included mount isn't that great. It does nothing to stop bumps from the table. (I used a cheap shock mount for large mics and found that it did the trick.)2) The mic isn't good with handling noise. I know it's not meant for holding, but since a shock mount isn't included, you really have to be careful of noisy bumps.

Perfect for Podcasting

I am sure I am one of many people that did this during the pandemic but me and some friend's started a podcast summer last year. While trying to stay safe we invested into some USB Rode NT-USB Mics but felt it was necessary to make I had the best sound with an arm. Definitely loved the investment of getting this.Really it breaks down into two things, better sound and convenience. Since getting it I've been able to attach it to my desk and hide it behind my computer and just swing it out when using it. Since getting it the sound has been great, no weird like vibrations from it sitting on its stand. I've even used it for some Twitch streaming and having this arm has made getting the mic to a really good spot so clutch in that quality of that too.I believe it works ... MoreI am sure I am one of many people that did this during the pandemic but me and some friend's started a podcast summer last year. While trying to stay safe we invested into some USB Rode NT-USB Mics but felt it was necessary to make I had the best sound with an arm. Definitely loved the investment of getting this.Really it breaks down into two things, better sound and convenience. Since getting it I've been able to attach it to my desk and hide it behind my computer and just swing it out when using it. Since getting it the sound has been great, no weird like vibrations from it sitting on its stand. I've even used it for some Twitch streaming and having this arm has made getting the mic to a really good spot so clutch in that quality of that too.I believe it works with most Rode Mics, but can't speak for other brands. I know it worked for my Rode NT-USB if you are looking to find that out, as I know I was at first. Also it attaches via either a desk mount that tightens down or by drilling a hole through your desk, but believe that desk mount opens up to about an inch to 2 inches. Be careful tightening on your desk though, as if you over crank it, it could damage your desk.So if you've made the leap into podcasting or streaming this really is a great investment for your new fancy mic.

Quiet, Great Quality

I like that is quiet and it adjusts to the weight of my microphones. I like the quality compared to the looks (yet, hard to adjust to the weight of microphones) of comparable arms.CONS: Very dangerous, seriously. I put away my arm every so often; every time I untighten the arm, this just jumps abruptly and it may hit you or break something nearby. Also, be careful with your fingers when you are adjusting that arm; that-scissor arm can really hurt if you are not mindful upon moving the arm. I may be asking too much, but I wonder if Rode can make it so the arm opens up slowly in order to protect the buyer and their property.

Solid Build, No Complaints

I got 4 of these to hold Rode podmic's for a podcast I'm producing, and they've held up great so far (about 2 months being used ~3x per week). They balance great with the podmic's, and they feel very sturdy and high quality when set up. At first, I was hesitant because they just slide into the desk clamp, there's no lock holding them down. But I've never had a problem with them coming loose even when most of the speaker's I've worked with are very animated, stand up, move the arm around, swing it back and forth, etc. I would recommend to anyone who can afford.Also just a note, when there's no mic attached, the springs in them pull the arm fully vertical, and you basically can't adjust them or leave them in a certain position because they'll just snap back to ... MoreI got 4 of these to hold Rode podmic's for a podcast I'm producing, and they've held up great so far (about 2 months being used ~3x per week). They balance great with the podmic's, and they feel very sturdy and high quality when set up. At first, I was hesitant because they just slide into the desk clamp, there's no lock holding them down. But I've never had a problem with them coming loose even when most of the speaker's I've worked with are very animated, stand up, move the arm around, swing it back and forth, etc. I would recommend to anyone who can afford.Also just a note, when there's no mic attached, the springs in them pull the arm fully vertical, and you basically can't adjust them or leave them in a certain position because they'll just snap back to vertical. They need the weight of the mic to hold them down. I've never used arms like these before so when I got them at first I thought they were broken, but they're not, once the podmic was attached they adjusted perfectly.

This thing rocks!

This mic arm rocks. It supports the Shure SM7b well and stays exactly where you position it with no creeping down or anything! And if I move it while recording or streaming, it makes zero noise, and will stay there too.This is high quality for the price for sure. I didn't buy the + model due to the big white RODE branding on it, it doesn't look as good on camera as this one.Prior to this, I had the Elgato Wave Mic Arm LP, and that eventually started creeping when the mic was on it. This Rode one is a definite improvement in every way.