Rode iXY Stereo Mic unlocks 24/96 Audio for iPad and iPhones

Rode iXY Stereo Mic

My Rode iXY just came in recently and I plugged it into my iPad 3 right away. I downloaded the Rode recording app from iTunes and began reading the manual to find out which gestures did what. Do that first and you'll get a lot more fun out of yours.

Not that there's a lot to read, but knowing that spinning your iPhone or iPad 180 degrees puts you in and out of edit mode is not something you might think of.

The iXY supports 24/96 recordings and also lower sample rates. More on this $199 wonder as I have time to work with it. 

Rode NTG-3 Shotgun Mic

NTG-3 and MKH 416 open for close inspection

A $699 USD street, the Australian-made Rode NTG-3 seems extremely well-placed for its price and performance. Like the Sennheiser 416, the NTG-3 is an RF-condenser that combines a somewhat sophisticated RF circuit with the capsule to reduce the deleterious effects of high humidity. Tricky to design, but worth the effort. That design element has contributed greatly to the 416ʼs “bullet proof” reputation and should do the same for the NTG-3.

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The RF environment is growing significantly more hostile, though, and Rode seems to have taken shielding a bit farther than Sennheiser did back in 1974 when the MKH 416 came to market. Attention to the mechanical and electronic lay out of the NTG-3 including the surface mount technology (SMT), PCB layout, component selection and dual chamber design of the internal brass tube that appears to separate most of the circuitry from the tunable RF section and capsule, all contribute to RF resistance and mic performance. Sennheiser has also gone to SMT and other upgrades with all of their later model MKH 416 mics.