Aussie audio guru’s Rode have today announced their latest innovation – set to reshape podcasting, streaming and audio production – the Rodecaster Pro II with all new features and sound performance.
The company describes this as “its most revolutionary audio innovation to date” – that’s a massive call given their vast history in microphones, and the impact of the original Rodecaster back in 2018.
While at a glance it may seem similar, there are some big differences on the outside, and huge advances under the hood.
Side by side with the original Rodecaster, the Rodecaster Pro II looks smaller, but it’s actually about the same overall as it’s a bit taller, deeper just not as wide.
In what may seem like a backward step, there are two less faders, now six on the Rodecaster Pro II. The big difference though, the faders on the new model are completely assignable. Any input can be mapped to any fader, allowing you to customise the setup to suit your production needs.
There’s no 3.5mm headphone output around the front, nor is there a TRRS input/output.
However, there are now two USB-C connections as well as WiFi and Ethernet connectivity hinting at a huge range of options from auto firmware updates to streaming.
From an audio perspective, the XLR inputs are gone, replaced by XLR/Combo inputs that are Neutrik and thus a stunning low noise high quality input for anything you want to plug in.
Sound-pads are back, but now with page turning buttons for shows with large numbers of audio samples, plus each of your “Shows” can have a profile allowing you to switch and save settings.
All that, designed and manufactured in Sydney. Will never cease to impress me.
That’s just scratching the surface, there’s in-board effects like reverb, echo and even pitch shifting, plus highly customisable audio processing on a channel by channel basis.
The 5.5 inch screen has haptic feedback, with a rotary dial for navigation, plus all the items are colour customisable like microphones and headphones so you can easily identify who’s who on a larger panel show.
Rode CEO Damien Wilson says “The RØDECaster Pro marked a monumental step forward in creative audio technology,”
“It was a truly groundbreaking innovation, the likes of which had never been seen before, and it has had a significant impact on the growth of podcasting over the last four years. When developing the RØDECaster Pro II, we went in with a similar mindset to the original: we wanted to create something truly revolutionary once again, but this time our focus was all creators, not just podcasters. We designed it completely from the ground up to deliver unprecedented performance and complete adaptability in any creative application, from gaming and streaming to music production. And, of course, it’s still the most powerful podcasting console available. This is not simply an evolution of the RØDECaster Pro. It’s a completely new beast unlike anything you’ve seen before.”
At first glance, it looks more than comprehensive, and of course we’ll put the Rodecaster Pro II through it’s paces on our podcasts over the weeks ahead, so stay tuned for a full review.
The all-new Rodecaster Pro II is available for pre-order today around $1,079
