The World's First Broadcast-Grade Ambisonic Mic For Under $1000

April 9th, 2018 Just in time for NAB, Australian pro audio powerhouse, RODE Microphones, is proud to announce its first broadcast-grade, 360-degree surround sound capture microphone and flagship product of a new brand in the RODE family.

The SoundField By RODE NT-SF1

The first product for the SoundField By RODE family is a marriage of SoundField’s pristine ambisonic recording technology, and RODE ’s commitment to audio excellence accessible by all creators. Completely designed and made in Australia at RODE ’s Sydney campus, the NT-SF1 is a triumph of innovation and manufacturing quality. Featuring four of RODE ’s all-new, ultra-quiet ½-inch TF45C capsules in tetrahedral array, the NT-SF1 produces natural, transparent four channel A-format recordings which can be transformed and manipulated in B-Format, courtesy of the soon-to-be-released SoundField by RODE plugin .

And the sound? The NT-SF1 offers startling spatial accuracy, coupled with a natural transparency.

“When The Freedman Group acquired SoundField in late-2016, the aI'm was to continue producing the premier 360-degree audio capture loved by the professionals who bring us cinema sound and 7.1 broadcast,” says Freedman Group CEO Damien Wilson. “And we are. But, as is the RODE way, we have brought our manufacturing and design expertise to bear on this new family of microphones. The SoundField By RODE NT-SF1 is for creators for whom the ultra-high-end SoundField products are out of reach, and delivers results unmatched by all but the most expensive ambisonic microphones.”

Head of RODE ’s New Product Development and former Director of New Product at SoundField for 16 years, Pieter Schillebeeckx, says this is the most exciting development in the technology in decades. “Delivering this kind of professional-use technology at a sub-USD$1000 price point is a world first in the ambisonic world,” he says. “It gives budding VR creators, immersive filmmakers and videogame world builders an accessible and high-quality way to dive into 360-degree-with-height audio capture.”

Due to release soon in 2018, the SoundField By RODE NT-SF1 will democratise one of the last bastions of high-end recording the way RODE has always done: with precision, price and unbeatable after-sales service.