Tier 3 · Rank #8

Rode — the Australian brand that took over the content creator era

Rode (officially RØDE, with the slash) was founded in Sydney in the 1960s and reborn in 1990 as Freedman Electronics. They did one thing better than anyone: read the YouTube/podcast revolution coming and built every product around it. The PodMic, the Wireless GO, the NT1 — all on creator desks worldwide.

Founded1990 (modern era)

HQSydney, Australia

OwnershipPrivate (Freedman family)

OwnsMackie, SoundField, Aphex, Event

What they make

Designed and made in Sydney — every single one

Almost no one else at this scale builds microphones in their home country anymore. Rode has a 30,000-square-meter factory in Sydney. They own their own injection-molding tools, their own capsule machines, and they pay the workers who build the mics on Australian wages. That’s rare.

Their range is huge: shotgun mics for video (the VideoMic line), dual-channel interfaces, broadcast dynamics like the SM7B-style PodMic, the NT1 condenser line that’s on more home-studio bedroom walls than anything else, and the Wireless GO/PRO — the gum-pack-sized wireless lavalier that took over TikTok and YouTube.

The famous mics

Rode microphones worth knowing

NT1 — large-diaphragm condenser. Quiet, clean. Bedroom-studio standard since the 1990s.
NT1-A — slightly brighter version of the NT1. Often sold in a kit with shock mount, pop filter, and cable.
NT1 5th Generation — the latest revision: USB and XLR in one, with on-board DSP.
PodMic / PodMic USB — broadcast-style dynamic. The friendly alternative to the SM7B.
VideoMic Pro / NTG line — on-camera and boom shotgun mics for video shooters.
Wireless GO II / PRO — pocket-sized two-channel wireless lavalier system. Took over TikTok.
Rodecaster Pro II / Rodecaster Duo — desktop podcast mixer/recorders.
Procaster / Broadcaster — older broadcast mics still in production.

Should you buy one?

The short answer

Get a Rode if You’re a podcaster, YouTuber, streamer, or video shooter. Their gear is designed end-to-end for that workflow. The PodMic is a real SM7B alternative at a third the price. The Wireless GO is unbeatable for run-and-gun video.

Skip Rode if You’re mic’ing classical music or a serious vocal session in a great-sounding room — that’s where Neumann or DPA still rule.