The Rodecaster Pro 2 is an integrated audio production console like no other

Rode has revealed the Rodecaster Pro 2, which it says is a "revolution" compared to the original Rodecaster Pro. It's an integrated audio production console that's designed for content creators, streamers, podcasts, musicians and more. 

It's clear from the feature set that this is an all-singing, all-dancing device that's capable of being used for all sorts of things. Upping the level of your production quality in a well-thought-out package that's packed full of capabilities and promise. 

As you can see from the imagery, the Rodecaster Pro 2 offers nine different channels, with six hardware faders, three virtual faders and multiple inputs for different devices including XLR mics, guitars, gaming PCs and more besides. You can route all sorts of audio into the mix including Bluetooth devices, 3.5mm connections, smartphones and more, then control the audio of each source separately. 

Rode says it has upgraded the Rodecaster Pro 2 in numerous ways, the most important of which is an upgraded pre-amp which is industry-leading quality and offers a clean signal with more pre-amp gain than the original Rodecaster Pro. So it'll work with more microphones, even gain-hungry ones like the Shure SM7B. 

It's designed to be easy-to-use with an intelligent setup assistant to help you get great sound out of the box, but also with the ability to tweak all sorts of settings to enhance your sound further. There's a 1.5Ghz quad-core audio engine inside so it can handle processing multiple things at the same time and it's able to deliver ultra-low noise to improve your audio quality too.

The Rodecaster Pro 2 works with different microphones and has pre-sets various ones as well (e.g. Rode Podcaster, Procaster, NT1) so you can switch to the mic you're using for great sound immediately. There are also various processing and effects dials that are pre-programmed and can be easily applied. As you'd expect, these advanced settings include compressor, de-esser, noise gate, high-pass filters, equaliser settings, exciter and more. 

For fine-tuning the sound, there's onboard audio processing by Aphex that includes settings for Aural Exciter, Big Bottom, Compeller, Noise Gate, High-Pass Filter, Equaliser and numerous onboard effects too. At the hardware level, there are special buttons called smart pads which can be programmed for all sorts of things including pages of sound effects, ducking settings, live sampling of audio and much more besides. 

One feature that leaps out at us is the back channelling option which allows users to talk to each other without having it in the recording or live stream for managing the production as it happens.  

Other highlights include the ability to record directly to a MicroSD or SSD via USB while also recording or streaming on PC. There are also useful "show settings" for people who create different sorts of content. So if you stream, play games, do a podcast, make music all from the same device but use different settings for each, then you can do that and set different "show settings" for each and switch between them easily.

The Rodecaster Pro 2 seems like a content creator's dream and an incredibly useful device too. It's available to pre-order now from Rode and will cost $699 US, shipping in June. 

Source : https://www.pocket-lint.com/gadgets/news/pc-gaming/161193-the-rodecaster-pro-2-revealed