Transcript
E Q U I P M E N T T E S T
Røde NTV tube condenser microphone Rode has released a new valve microphone promising great looks and great sound. Konrad Skirlis says, “I want my NTV”.
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ode has built itself a worldwide reputation for making great sounding microphones at an affordable price. Their new NTV is a valve studio condenser suitable for highend recording that performs as well as more expensive competing models. The package includes a power supply, 30 foot doubleshielded cable, a shockmount, and basic standmount adaptor, all packaged neatly in an attractive foam-lined heavy duty aluminium equipment case. Even before I lifted the flightcase’s lid, my first impression was that there was something special inside. The NTV looks and feels solid – it has a vintage design and, with its cylindrical shape, certainly looks retro in appearance. Anyone wanting a mic that stands out in the looks department should consider checking it out. But beauty is only skin deep, and as my mum used to say, “it’s what’s on the inside that matters”. So, let’s open her up and take a look.
Inside Story The NTV is a tube mic and, as such, is surprisingly reasonable in cost. Although manufacturing a good vacuum tube mic is not cheap, Rode has been able to produce less expensive mics by offering cardioid-only models for those who can’t afford the more expensive multi-pattern equivalents. The NTV is a fixed cardioid pattern capacitor microphone with a large one-inch gold sputtered Mylar diaphragm and utilises the ECC81 dual triode valve (readily available if replacement is required). A dual layered stainless-steel mesh guards the sensitive contents inside. The outer mesh is course while the inner mesh is much finer. Circuitry capacitors are made by Wima, Solen and Black Gate, while the output transformer is custom built by Jensen. The preamp design is based on a minimal signal path approach. The NTV measures eight inches long and is over two inches in diameter. The CNC-machined stainless
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steel case has a cylindrical body with a silver grey non-reflective finish. The only real feature on the body is a gold metallic stud to indicate the front of the capsule – as well as being Rode’s calling card. The mic itself has no switches and displays, just a serial number and a ‘Made in Australia’ logo. Like other valve mics, the NTV has an external power supply with standard features including an on/off switch, fuse holder, mains voltage selector, IEC socket and earth-lift switch. A standard balanced three-pin XLR audio output links it to a mic preamp. However, there is no pad switch or low cut filter. The mic itself connects to the power supply with a 12-way, 30 foot double-shielded OFC multicore cable, with sockets firmly screwing in place. The locking ring on the multicore cable’s connector holds the mic firmly in place to either a stand mount or a large plastic suspension cradle. (When loosened, the locking ring system allows virtually 360 degrees of rotation, making accurate placement easier.) The stand mount supports the capsule very well, while the suspension cradle helps to isolate it from shocks and vibrations. Both require a bit of pressure to be locked in – the NTV is not light and therefore needs to be safely secured. At times I found this a little too fiddly for my liking. The NTV does not come with a frequency response plot, although nominal response is quoted as being 20Hz to 20kHz. The mic’s self noise is fairly typical for a valve at better than 19dBA and its sensitivity is 15mV/Pa. Even without a pad the NTV can handle SPLs of up to 130dB, and therefore can cope with several ‘loud’ applications. With a relatively high input capability, it’s no surprise that the NTV is not equipped with a pad. Also, most mixers are equipped with an input pad to protect the preamp from excessive level.
In Use Hooking up the NTV was simply a matter of connect-
ing the mic to the PSU with the supplied multi-pin connector, then using a regular XLR mic lead out of the PSU to the mic input of a mixing desk (or outboard mic preamp). On a vocal session, the NTV performed very well, capturing a wide frequency response successfully. While there was a need to use a pop shield on vocals at close range, sibilance was not a problem. However, a low-cut switch to offset the proximity effect would have been useful (although most mixers come equipped with such a facility). Subjectively, the NTV has a slightly heightened sensitivity for high frequencies – a trait it shares with other tube condensors that cost up to four times as much – but without a frequency response curve I cannot relate this to measured performance. Looking at it from a price/performance perspective, the Rode option is very favourable considering the overall natural sound reproduction delivered. Several affordable condensers are made with a fixed cardioid polar pattern and, as such, are well suited to the project studio/semi-professional environment. In such a situation, a cardioid-only pattern will suffice, as the mic is typically used for vocals only. The NTV could quite easily conform to this generalisation – if it wasn’t so adept at recording a variety of other instruments. As a room mic the NTV gave a great drum sound, producing a vintage sound like that found on old jazz records. Transient response was good, capturing the initial attack of sounds quite well. Using the NTV on percussion produced excellent results, yielding a smooth and warm overall sound. The end result was a ‘fatter’ drum sound. Acoustic guitar was also nicely reproduced, with the NTV placed about six inches away from the sound hole and pointing slightly towards the fretboard. Again I found the NTV to have a natural tendency to sound warm without being fuzzy. The guitar sound was bigger yet maintained the openness of the room it was recorded in.
NTV Reception The NTV picks up sound with clarity, and exhibits a good transient response. It appears ‘sonic’ like a tube mic, yet remains natural and open with good definition in the mid range and a full low frequency spectrum. The high end is responsive and smooth, and this is most appealing. Overall, the NTV is forward sounding and has that slightly ‘pushed’ (i.e. compressed) valve quality that is so sought after. The NTV sounds big, making it a good choice for vocals and room mic recordings of louder instruments. But even at close range it maintains warmth and clarity. Furthermore, it provides ‘valve magic’ without drastically changing the character of the sound. Rode carries on the tradition of making affordable fixed cardioid condenser mics that perform well for less money. The NTV is the equal of any other for warmth, and, if you can only afford one good valve mic, it would be a wise investment. It is well suited to being a general purpose mic in a commercial environment, and maintains a classy valve sound at all times. Using the NTV will make an obvious improvement to vocals but also works nicely on acoustic instruments and electric guitar. In short, the NTV has both a big bottom sound and an articulately detailed smooth high end. Amazingly (considering the price), it also has a sturdy foam-lined aluminium flight case for storage, which rounds off very attractive microphone package. AT
Distributed by • Rode Microphones Phone: +61 (0)2 8765 9333 Fax: +61 (0)2 9638 7505 Rode on WWW: ‘www.rode.com.au’
Price • RRP: $1650
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$299
ntroducing our favourite snare and rack tom Mic. This Dynamic, Hi Energy, Hyper-Cardioid Mic has been specifically designed to offer an extremely low profile and robust package, tailor-made for the high SPL environments of drums and guitar amps or other highly dynamic instruments such as pianos and bass cabinets.
