Some microphones try to do everything. They record vocals, acoustic guitars, podcasts, conference calls, gaming, and whatever else you put in front of them.
The RØDE Procaster takes a different approach. This is a microphone built mainly for the human voice.
Its broadcast-style design makes that obvious the moment you look at it. Put it on a boom arm, connect it to an audio interface, and it looks right at home in a podcast or radio studio. But looks aren’t enough.
The Procaster has been around for years, and today it has to compete with plenty of excellent podcast microphones. Some have USB connections. Others offer both USB and XLR. And several newer dynamic microphones are surprisingly affordable. So, is the RØDE Procaster still worth buying?
For someone building a proper XLR podcast setup, I think it makes a lot of sense. It sounds natural, has good rejection of unwanted sound, includes internal pop filtering, and is built like a microphone that should last for years. Let’s take a closer look.
What Is the RØDE Procaster?
The RØDE Procaster is a professional dynamic broadcast microphone designed for spoken-word recording. Podcasting is one of its main uses, but it’s also designed for radio, streaming, and voiceover work.
The first thing beginners need to understand is that this isn’t a USB microphone. You can’t normally connect it directly to the USB port on your laptop.
The Procaster uses XLR. Your setup will usually look something like this:
RØDE Procaster → XLR cable → Audio interface → Computer
That adds some cost and complexity compared with a USB microphone. But XLR also makes the Procaster easy to use in a traditional studio with mixers, podcast consoles, and multi-microphone audio interfaces.
If you’re planning to build a podcast studio rather than simply record an occasional Zoom call, that’s a useful advantage.
RØDE Procaster Specifications
The Procaster is a dynamic microphone with a cardioid polar pattern. It has a frequency range of 75 Hz to 18 kHz and an output impedance of 320 ohms.
Sensitivity is rated at -56 dB re 1V/Pa, or 1.6 mV at 94 dB SPL. It’s also an end-address microphone. That last part is important. You speak into the end of the Procaster rather than the side.
Point the grille toward your mouth, position yourself relatively close, and adjust the gain on your audio interface until you have a healthy recording level. The microphone also includes internal shock mounting and an internal pop filter.
RØDE builds the Procaster with an all-metal body, so this isn’t a particularly lightweight microphone. That’s something to remember when choosing your stand or boom arm.
How Does the RØDE Procaster Sound?
The Procaster has the kind of sound you’d expect from a microphone designed for broadcasting. It’s focused on voice.
Speech can sound full and clear without the microphone trying to capture every tiny detail in the room.
That’s an important difference between a broadcast dynamic microphone and many condenser microphones. A sensitive condenser can sound wonderful in a controlled studio.
But put that same microphone in a bedroom with a computer fan, traffic outside, hard walls, and someone typing nearby, and you may hear more of the room than you wanted. The Procaster is designed to be used fairly close to your mouth.
That helps you get a strong direct voice signal while reducing the importance of sounds farther away. It doesn’t magically delete background noise. No microphone does.
But in a normal home podcasting environment, its design can make getting a clean spoken-word recording easier.
Cardioid Polar Pattern
The Procaster uses a cardioid pickup pattern. That means it’s primarily interested in sound coming from the front. Sounds arriving from the sides and rear are reduced. This is useful for podcasting.
Imagine your computer is behind the microphone. The fan is making a quiet humming sound.
By pointing the front of the microphone toward your mouth and the rear toward the computer, you can take advantage of the microphone’s directional pattern. The same idea applies to multi-person podcasts.
If two people are sitting opposite each other with separate microphones, careful positioning can help reduce how much each person’s voice gets into the other microphone. You’ll still get some bleed. But good microphone positioning makes editing much easier.
Internal Pop Filter
Plosives are annoying. Say a strong P word directly into a microphone and you can send a burst of air toward the capsule. In the recording, that may sound like a large low-frequency pop.
The Procaster has an internal pop filter designed to reduce this problem. That’s particularly useful because broadcast microphones are normally used close to the speaker.
Still, I wouldn’t assume the internal filter will stop every plosive. If you’re particularly prone to them, you can add RØDE’s WS2 foam windshield or use a separate pop filter. You can also change your microphone technique.
Instead of speaking directly into the center of the grille, move the microphone slightly to one side so the air from your mouth doesn’t hit it straight on.
Sometimes that simple adjustment works better than buying another accessory.
Internal Shock Mounting
RØDE also gives the Procaster internal capsule shock mounting. This helps reduce handling and mechanical noise reaching the microphone. That’s useful, but it doesn’t mean an external shock mount is pointless.
If your microphone is connected to a boom arm that’s clamped to your desk, vibrations can still travel through the setup.
For better isolation, RØDE offers the PSM1 suspension shock mount for the Procaster. You don’t necessarily need to buy it immediately.
Start with the microphone’s included RM2 stand mount. If mechanical vibration becomes a problem, then consider upgrading.
Does the RØDE Procaster Need Phantom Power?
No. The Procaster is a dynamic microphone and doesn’t require 48V phantom power to operate. That’s different from many studio condenser microphones.
You simply connect the Procaster to a microphone preamp using an XLR cable and set your input gain appropriately. But don’t confuse “doesn’t need phantom power” with “doesn’t need amplification.”
Every microphone produces a relatively small signal that needs amplification. And the Procaster isn’t particularly sensitive. Its rated sensitivity is -56 dB.
That means having an audio interface with a decent amount of clean microphone gain is important.
Does the Procaster Need a Cloudlifter?
Maybe, but don’t automatically buy one. A Cloudlifter or another inline microphone preamp can provide additional clean gain for low-output dynamic microphones.
Whether you actually need one depends on your audio interface. Modern podcast interfaces can provide a lot of gain.
For example, the RØDECaster Pro II offers up to 76 dB of preamp gain. With an interface like that, buying another gain booster may be unnecessary.
If you can achieve a healthy recording level without excessive preamp noise, you’re done. Only add an inline preamp if you actually have a gain problem.
Build Quality
This is one area where the Procaster feels reassuring. It’s built around an all-metal body. This is the kind of microphone I’d be comfortable leaving permanently mounted in a podcast studio.
It doesn’t feel like something that needs to be handled delicately every time you move it. The tradeoff is weight. The Procaster is a fairly substantial microphone, so use a decent stand or boom arm.
RØDE lists its PSA1 and PSA1+ among compatible accessories. A weak budget arm may slowly drop under the weight of the microphone, particularly after you add a shock mount and cable.
What Comes in the Box?
RØDE keeps things fairly simple.
- You get the Procaster microphone.
- You get an RM2 stand ring mount.
- And you get a padded zip pouch.
You don’t get an XLR cable. You don’t get a desktop stand. And you don’t get an audio interface.
That’s important when comparing the Procaster with a USB microphone that includes everything required to start recording.
The microphone itself may only be one part of your total purchase.
RØDE Procaster vs PodMic
The RØDE PodMic is an obvious alternative. Both are dynamic XLR microphones aimed heavily at podcasting. The PodMic is generally positioned as the more affordable option.
The Procaster has a longer-established broadcast-style design and is aimed at professional voice applications.
If you’re putting together a podcast on a tight budget, I’d compare the PodMic first.
If you’re willing to spend more for the Procaster’s design and sound, it remains an attractive step up.
Don’t assume price alone determines which one will sound better on your voice. Listen to recordings of both if possible.
RØDE Procaster vs Shure SM7B
The Shure SM7B is probably one of the most famous podcast and broadcast microphones available. It’s also more expensive than the Procaster in many markets. Both are dynamic XLR microphones designed to perform well with voice.
The SM7B has its own recognizable smooth broadcast sound and selectable frequency-response controls.
The Procaster offers a simpler design focused squarely on spoken-word recording. If you’re choosing between them, I’d listen to both on voices similar to yours.
Microphone choice becomes surprisingly personal once you’re comparing good broadcast microphones.
The more expensive microphone isn’t automatically the better microphone for your voice.
Is the RØDE Procaster Worth It?
Yes, for the right setup. The RØDE Procaster is a straightforward professional broadcast microphone.
It doesn’t have USB. It doesn’t have RGB lights. There are no buttons, software effects, or complicated controls.
Instead, you get a dynamic XLR microphone designed around one job: Recording voices well.
Its 75 Hz to 18 kHz frequency range is tailored toward spoken-word use, while the cardioid pattern, internal pop filtering, and internal shock mounting all make sense for podcasting. The main thing you need is a capable audio interface.
Give the Procaster enough clean gain, position it properly, and it can produce the kind of full, controlled voice recording people associate with professional podcast and radio studios.
Final Thoughts
The RØDE Procaster isn’t the newest podcast microphone. But that’s not necessarily a problem.
Microphones don’t become obsolete the way computers do. What mattered when the Procaster was designed still matters today.
Your voice needs to sound clear. You want less unwanted room noise. You don’t want every plosive ruining the recording. And you need a microphone that can survive years of being moved around on a boom arm. The Procaster handles those basics very well.
For beginners, I’d think carefully about the additional cost of an audio interface, XLR cable, and boom arm before buying.
But if you’re already building an XLR podcast studio, the RØDE Procaster remains a strong broadcast microphone that does exactly what it promises without making the setup unnecessarily complicated.