Rodecaster review12/16/2023 ![]() ![]() This last change solves one of my main nitpicks with Rodecaster Pro II, which only had headphone ports around the back. Two other small changes include the removal of the “record” button, which is now virtual/on the display, and there’s also a headphone port on the front edge. Rear view of the Rodecaster Duo showing the main input and output ports. The second version also came in with a smaller footprint, removing two physical faders and making them “virtual.” The pads were upgraded from simple audio triggers to multi-purpose smart pads that can be used for MIDI, vocal effects and more. The Rodecaster Pro II ($699) went in a slightly different direction, introducing the ability to route different audio sources to different places, an essential tool for game streamers. The build-quality, price, ease of use and simple workflow struck a chord with pros and amateurs alike. The original Rodecaster Pro was the first mixing desk specifically designed for podcasters to really catch people’s attention. But, with the new, smaller, more affordable and very capable Rodecaster Duo stream mixer, this move toward general creators is basically official. The company, of course, still makes a microphone or two. That includes the new, gaming-focused “Rode X” sub-brand and products like the Streamer X capture card. The original Rodecaster Pro podcast mixer was the first big step in this evolution. Today, it’s positioning itself more as a one-stop-shop for creator tools. Plus it’s compact, making it perfect for traveling (or small desks).A couple of years ago, you might have described Rode as a company that makes microphones. It’s an excellent USB gaming microphone for beginners, producing full, natural vocals out of the box, and it offers plenty of advanced features for professionals, thanks to its internal DSP and bundled access to Rode’s Unify software.Īt $149, the XCM-50 is on the pricier side, but it at least feels worth it with its solid, study build and premium accessories (extra-long cables and a versatile tripod mount). The Rode X XCM-50 is a more impressive update to the Rode NT-USB Mini than its minimal redesign suggests. But once it’s configured, it works pretty seamlessly. You’ll probably need to take a look (or three) at the user guide and video walkthroughs to get everything set up. The software isn’t immediately intuitive, even if you’ve used the Rodecaster Pro II or other hardware decks previously. It can’t replace the hardware elements of the Rodecaster Pro II, but it’s a pretty powerful app for streamers and gamers looking to level up their audio with mixing and processing. It also has a built-in recorder and supports multi-track recording. Unify does a pretty good job of streamlining multiple audio sources in a virtual mixing deck, with sub-mixes, sound effects, and advanced audio processing. ![]() Unify grants you granular control over each of the parameters within these processors, so you can create the perfect custom sound. This includes a compressor, noise gate, high-pass filter, and Aphex’s “legendary” Aural Exciter and Big Boom enhancements. Thanks to its internal DSP, the XCM-50 can also access advanced Aphex audio processing through Unify. Unify lets you connect up to four microphones (or other audio input devices) and control six virtual audio interfaces (system, chat, music, game, browser and virtual), which it creates on your PC. Unify is a virtual mixing deck that lets you connect, route, and control multiple audio sources (virtual and not). All Rode X products include lifetime access to Unify, which can also be purchased as a separate subscription ($5/month, $45/year) if you want to use it with different devices (including regular Rode devices that are not part of the Rode X line). One of the most streamer and gamer-oriented features of the XCM-50 is its bundled access to Rode X Unify, Rode’s new audio mixing and processing software. This was easily fixed with a restart and some cable shuffling, and it didn’t happen too frequently - but it happened more than once, so it’s worth noting. This seemed to be an issue with either the port it was plugged into or perhaps the number of USB devices I had plugged into my PC overall (.a lot). A handful of times during my testing, it stopped working abruptly and I was unable to get my PC to recognize it. The Rode XCM-50 can be a little finicky when it comes to connection ports. ![]()
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