Rode Podmic Review

When it comes to choosing a mic that is great for your content whether that is a podcast, live stream or just recordings can be difficult since there are so many out there. So if you are looking for a great mic for your vocals then the Rode Podmic is the mic for you. It comes in at $99 and price to performance there are a few mics that come close to the quality of this mic.

The Rode Podmic is a Dynamic XLR mic, meaning you will need an audio interface to use this mic, but with the amount of affordable interfaces out there it shouldn’t be a problem for most. The Rode Podmic does come with a 2 year warranty, making it great for peace of mind, but let’s take a look at the specs of this mic.

Tech Specs

When it comes to tech specs there aren’t a lot that matters, but the Podmic has a frequency range of 20Hz to 20 kHz, it has a cardioid polar pattern and it’s frequency response graph is fairly flat. The mic is fairly directional and since it is dynamic it should help reduce those background noises, even though it doesn’t remove them. The Rode Podmic also has a built in shock mount and pop filter to help reduce plosive sounds and noises traveling into the mic when attached to a desk.

The Podmic is also fairly simple in design and doesn’t have any buttons or knobs to worry about and no switches to adjust and doesn’t require phantom power to run. And then lastly the Rode Podmic also has no monitoring on the mic itself, so you won’t be able to plug in headphones to monitor your voice from the mic directly.

Build Quality

Build quality is something that isn’t an issue when it comes to the Rode Podmic. It is available in a Black casing with a silver grille and is a full metal design that really makes it not only feel expensive but also makes it really good quality. The Rode Podmic measures in at 937 grams and has dimensions of 172 mm long, 109 mm wide and 62 mm thick in the thinnest part. The Podmic also has a swivel mount that makes it easy to position the mic perfectly after attaching it to a mic arm and is very sturdy and has great build quality.

Overall, the Rode Podmic is made really well and all the materials used are high quality and makes for a really good mic.

Sound Quality

When it comes to the sound quality of the Rode Podmic, this is really where you get value for money. The Rode Podmic does offer a fairly “uncolored” signal since it has a fairly flat frequency response curve and all that means is that you get a really accurate representation of what you are recording with the mic. The Podmic sounds really good even when compared to more expensive mics like the Rode ProCaster or even the Shure SM7B. Since the Podmic does has a flat response curve it can easily be adjusted to sound better with simple EQ and makes it great for anybody whether you are a streamer, Podcaster or even looking to sing or do voice over work.

The internal pop filter also does a good job with reducing plosive sounds but if you are going to be speaking directly into the mic I would still suggest a pop filter extra and the internal shock mount also helps reduce noises from traveling from your table into the mic making it really good for streamers as well.

Tech Focus

The Rode Podmic is a fairly straight forward plug and play type of XLR mic and doesn’t have any switches or buttons on the mic itself that can be found on other mics like the Shure SM7B. Now just because it doesn’t have buttons doesn’t make it worse as most studio mics don’t have any buttons or switches on them and this only means you will need to add High Pass filters etc via software instead of with a switch.  The Cardioid polar pattern also makes it ideal for streaming or podcasts as it does well with rejecting noises that doesn’t come from the addressing side of the mic and does a good job with recording vocals of any kind.

Verdict

If you are looking for a great mic at a great price then the Rode Podmic is the one for you. It has a lot of great features like the built in pop filter and shock mount, it has a really solid build and it comes with a 2 year warranty to add just a little more peace off mind. The fact that the Rode Podmic also has a fairly flat Response curve makes it easy to use with almost any type of voice and makes it a great buy for podcast setups where you will interview different guests or just as an easy choice if you don’t know what to buy for yourself.

Now that you have chosen your mic, maybe check out how to EQ your new mic to make it sound professional here.

And lastly, if you want to hear how the mic sounds or just want to see my video review on the Rode Podmic, you can watch it here.