Australian microphone brand Rode is a big name in pro audio and a growing technology brand, primarily in the podcasting space. Podcasting borders on other forms of content creation, such as Twitch streaming and professional gaming, but not close enough for Rode.
Rode decided it needed to officially enter the world of gaming peripherals, so today the company launched a new division dedicated to streamers and gamers. A new division, Rode X, will focus on developing audio solutions for streamers and gamers. We’re not exactly sure what this means, as streamers and gamers seem to face roughly the same audio issues as podcasters and indie filmmakers, but we’ll have to reserve judgment.
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Rode X launches in a modest three-piece line-up — two USB mics and it looks like it has the potential to be a very impressive piece of multi-channel mixing software. (Again, I reserve judgment.)
first new mic XCM-50 (opens in new tab), a compact and rugged condenser USB microphone with a built-in 360-degree swing mount. It’s small and tanky (it weighs just over a pound) and looks almost identical to the Rode NT-USB Mini. And that’s because it’s the same on the outside, but only on the outside, says Rode.Inside the XCM-50 is his DSP chip, which is “much more powerful” than the NT-USB Mini. . Rode promises the chip will unlock “a world of powerful processing” both at launch and in the future.
In addition to its extremely powerful processing, Rode says the XCM-50’s mic capsules are “tuned” and “optimized” for streaming and gaming, but more on what this means. I did a quick side-by-side recording test with the XCM-50 and the NT-USB Mini and found that the audio profiles of the microphones differed (although mainly the XCM-50 seemed to improve the volume). But nothing life-changing.) ). The XCM-50 costs $149 (NT-USB Mini costs his $99), but comes bundled with Rode’s multifunctional tabletop tripod 2.
The second new mic is XDM-100 (opens in new tab)This is a broadcast-style dynamic USB microphone with “premium circuitry,” internal DSP, and an ultra-low noise, high-gain Revolution preamp. The XDM-100 is priced at $249 and bundles a Rode PSM1 shock mount and removable pop shield.
Both XCM-50 and XDM-100 include unlimited lifetime access to the 3rd product. Road X Unified software. I usually despise peripheral software (for good reason!), but this isn’t exactly the case — Unify is a standalone program, not a companion app designed to support branded hardware. . (That said, the firmware update was automatically downloaded when I plugged in the NT-USB Mini, which may have been a coincidence.)
I haven’t had much time to play around with Unify, but for now it’s becoming a virtual version of Rodecaster Pro II, Rode’s popular (and expensive) multi-channel audio mixer and all-in-one podcast studio.
Unify obviously lacks the hardware aspect of the Rodecaster Pro II, but it does more for relatively simple multi-channel mixing with multiple sub-mixing options (loosely preconfigured for gaming/streaming), multi-channel recording, etc. Provides access to the more advanced features of While it doesn’t intend to replace any physical pieces of hardware, Unify definitely has the potential to be a decent virtual alternative for those who aren’t prepared to spend $700 on a Rodecaster Pro II.
Unify also gives you access to the Rode X mic’s advanced audio processing controls (unlocked by a powerful DSP chip). This includes gain control, high pass filters, compression, noise gates, and APHEX processing. All of these are tweakable. Rode X Unify is free with the purchase of any Rode X product, but is also available as a standalone subscription ($5/month or $45/year).
All three Rode X products are available now. Reviews of the XCM-50 and XDM-100 will be up soon.
