RØDE Rodecaster Pro II Temporary action bundle with free Wireless ME TX

General

The first edition of the RODECaster proved to be a success story, many now have one. Everyone is vlogging and podcasting, it seems. You sometimes see the RODECasters on YouTube in the videos of vloggers, and in terms of design it is quite a recognisable machine. But as always: developments continue, and now we have reached the Red RODECaster Pro 2. This RODECaster Pro II is another all-in-one solution for your audio during a vlog or podcast, completely redesigned from scratch. The idea of this machine is technically similar to the capabilities of an audio interface with the right software, and a little techie could mimic in many ways what you can do with a RODECaster. However, the beauty of the RODECaster is that all those ideas are in one device, which is not even crazy pricey. Moreover, this device is exactly made for podcasts and vlogs, exactly all the functionality in one handy machine.

Possibilities with the Rode RODECaster Pro 2

At its core, it's about having several connections and managing them all with this machine. For instance, you can connect four microphones and four headphones (with their own levels), so that's a nice round-table discussion. So what's important then is that the preamps are of high quality, well, Rode managed that. The preamps are comparable to those of very expensive studio gear. Extremely transparent, you don't need boosters for your microphones - Rode even advises against it. Adding an effect is no problem. Here, Rode has once again enlisted the help of studio veteran Aphex. The Aphex effects are simulations of vintage effects and give your voice a quality boost. If you don't feel like programming all this (it's not really difficult, mind you), then choose VoxLab: a few parameters that are just good and clear. More effects come in the form of a robot, a megaphone, pitch and more. These effects are also assignable to the pads.

Controls

Let's talk about those pads! Of course, you can use them to play a jingle, but these pads do much more. So they can control effects, but also send MIDI commands out. You could use the pads for a fade-out, fade-in, ducking (useful for suppressing a cough) and more. Are eight pads not enough? They're not eight either, there are 64, thanks to the banking buttons. The faders are another story in their own right. Anyone familiar with the first RODECaster will see that there are fewer faders on the second edition. Physically, that's true too, but these new faders are programmable. You could place a stereo source (which uses two mono inputs) linked under one fader. You can really link those faders to anything, the whole routing system is mighty elaborate.

Huge ambition

The connectors have also received a quality boost: Neutrik, suitable for mic, line and instrument. A very special feature is the dual audio interface, how often do we see that! You can connect two computers to this device, or a computer and a phone, or two phones. And as stated in the previous paragraph, the faders again you can programme precisely to control the loudness of this kind of source. Meanwhile, you wonder if it's not all becoming overkill, but Rode just wanted to put a nice device on the market. So it's not just an upgrade of the first version, but really a totally new architecture, one within which so much is possible.

Wireless aspects, storage and firmware

We are not there yet; there is bluetooth support, there is MFi for iOS, there is wifi and there is an Ethernet connection. So streaming audio is allowed! Which is also nice to realise: eventually, you can update the firmware via wifi. And this really isn't just about some rare and almost invisible bugs, Rode is in fact going to proactively add new features to this machine. Recordings then; these may be stored on a microSDHC or microSDXC. You get your channel files or a mixdown, in full-quality audio. Want to use an app to control parts of the RODECaster Pro II? You can, with Rode Central. Clearly, this is a fantastic device for podcasting, perhaps 'the only device that really matters. Rode has raised the bar quite a bit here, and podcasters may eagerly try it all out in the coming years!

Expand your Rode Wireless wireless microphone set with this Rode Wireless ME transmitter. Thanks to the built-in microphone and internal battery, you can get straight to work. Of course, you can also connect an external microphone with 3.5 mm mini jack plug. The Wireless ME transmitter works with both Rode Wireless Go II and Wireless ME receivers.