Is the Rodecaster Pro Really Worth It?
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For me personally, the original Rodecaster Pro, and since last year, the Rodecaster Pro II have been some of the most awesome and useful tools that I've ever used, but that really doesn't mean that they're right for everyone.
When it comes to why I love the Rodecaster Pro so much, it really goes back to before the original Rodecaster Pro came out and I spent several years piecing together podcast setups. Using just different pieces of gear because there was nothing like the Rodecaster.
Ultimately what you ended up with was a whole table filled with different gear pieced together and a mess of cables and wires. So when the original Rodecaster Pro was announced I ordered it right away and was amazed by it because it just solved all of those problems.
It was originally meant as a podcasting tool, but over the years the Rodecaster was adopted by the streaming community. It was even used for a lot of people for live events, even a little bit of music production, which is not really what its original intent was. And so Rode released a number of firmware updates to try and make the device more capable for those uses.
The Rodecaster Pro II picked up where the original left off and from the ground up is designed to accommodate podcasters, streamers, and even a bit of live event or music production. I had very few complaints with the original, but the Rodecaster Pro II addressed all of them:
You don't need boosters anymore because the preamps are so clean. The headphone amps are super clean, so you don't hear any hissing or buzzing. The EQ has gotten a little bit better too. You can custom assign your faders. You can custom assign your outputs to every different output source, and you can create custom output mixes for every headphone and monitor.
But despite that, I do think it can definitely be overkill in a lot of situations, so let's look at who the Rodecaster Pro is for. Ultimately, the bread and butter of the Rodecaster Pro is mixing multiple XLR microphones, and the Rodecaster Pro II does have combo XLR and 1/4” jacks so you cna connect instruments as well.
If you have multiple microphones and you want to connect them all to one device, this is a very easy way to do that, especially because you have individual phantom power for every XLR channel. And the preamps are so good that you don't need any boosters with dynamic mics, even the Shure SM7B.
You can use the Smart Pads for effects, eq, and to load in interviews or sound clips. Super helpful for creating a fully-produced show on the fly. You also have the option to do multi-track or stereo track, or both.
If you want, you can connect the Rodecaster Pro II to two computers or two devices at the same time as an output source. It’s also got four built-in headphone amps to send four different signals out, and you have the flexibility to change all of the channels. So while there are six physical faders , The Rodecaster Pro II has nine channels and you can assign mix and match whatever you want between physical channels and virtual channels.
And while all of that is great, that doesn’t mean the Rodecaster Pro II is the right fit for everyone. If you just need an interface and you don't built in recording, EQ, or effects and you just want a way to get the signal from a microphone into a computer, the Rodecaster is definitely overkill and you can just get an interface like a Focusrite Scarlett.
Simple XLR interfaces don't usually have EQ, but they will let you plug in an XLR microphone and connect it to your computer. And then that's all you need to do. But even though they're super simple, they are super solid and they work really well and they're great on a budget.
Talking about overkill, one thing I do want to touch on is the idea that you need to “deserve” your gear. I always think you should be financially responsible. You shouldn't go into debt to get new pieces of gear. I think that you should always evaluate your needs to get what's best for you. But if you're somebody who wants a Rodecaster Pro II, even though you're only plugging in one microphone, there's nothing wrong with that.
If someone wants to get an Arri Alexa to film talking head YouTube videos, more power to them. As long as you're having fun and the tools you're using let you do what you want to do, that's really all that matters.
But what about someone who already has the original Rodecaster or a similar device like the Zoom PodTrak P8 or Tascam Mixcast4?
If you’ve already got one of those devices and it's meeting your needs right now, it's still going to meet your needs, even if there's a better option out there. So if you take an honest look at what you do and whether or not your current device meets your needs, that I think is the best way to decide whether or not an upgrade is worth it.
If you finding yourself doing a lot of workarounds, or maybe you're using a whole bunch of boosters and you don't want to deal with that, then maybe upgrading could be worth it.
The things that the Rodecaster Pro II would give you over a first generation mixer include better preamps, more control over eq, and more versatility when it comes to assigning channels and inputs.
Depending on your workflow, those improvements may or may not be a big deal. If you use condenser microphones, then the amount of clean gain in the preamps doesn't really matter. If you don't use a lot of built-in EQ and processing, then who cares that the Rodecaster Pro II can do more than the other ones because you don't use it!
But if you are feeling limited by your current device, then an upgrade might actually make a difference. I do have a full video that covers this discussion and some of the alternatives in more depth: