Rode NTK? What's your experience

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I used to own an NTK and sold it. I willingly admit I bought the tube hype and the rave reviews. But after having owned it for about six months I started wondering how it could be that my use of de-esser had increased tremendously...and I started to really listen. To my ears, the precense peak is plain overdone. The only use I've found for the NTK was acoustic guitar, but I still prefer Oktava MC012 or AKG C451.

To my ears, it's not a warm, large mic. It's quite the opposite: Tinny and cold.

Best to all,
Henrik
 
I've had a pair of NTKs for over two years and like any mic they have their uses.

I never understand those that trash mics because they never find a use for that mic. All mics can't be general purpose good for everything.

The NTK is a decent mic... it's not a piece of shit... it's not tiny and cold... it has it's limited uses (like most mics)... it's not going to fit every bill... very few mics do... very very few that cost less than $500.

IMO it's a good mic for the price... just know it's uses.
 
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I noticed the NTK can be rather bland and stiff sounding, perhaps cold to some ears, with low end preamps. In sounds top notch with a good quality pre however.
 
To my ears, it's not a warm, large mic. It's quite the opposite: Tinny and cold.
Click to expand...

You took the words out of my mouth. Since I don't own the mic, I don't doubt it's ability at performing specific duties well. A GREAT preamp can make even an sm57 & sm58 sound fantastic too. glad to see some persons not supporting the "hype" and sharing my own perception :) (reassures me that I'm not insane! :D ).

-dejacky
 
NTK is a great asset to any locker. If you eq a bit, yoiu can use it on mant vocals. Great on acoustic guitar and phenominal tambourine
In His Name
BK
 
dejacky said:
You took the words out of my mouth. Since I don't own the mic, I don't doubt it's ability at performing specific duties well. A GREAT preamp can make even an sm57 & sm58 sound fantastic too. glad to see some persons not supporting the "hype" and sharing my own perception :) (reassures me that I'm not insane! :D ).

-dejacky
Click to expand...

By your own admission, you don't own the mic but feel the need to bash it? :confused:

I like mine, and I do own and use it.

To each his own i guess.

Blessings, Terry
 
Yeah, it's not a "warm" mic. It's a mic with a decent low end and hyped (in a good way) high end. The high end is present, but not brittle at all, especially when compared to mics in its price range. It can get very essy, and this annoys me with many singers. On other singers, it's a dream.

It's good on:
strummed acoustic, upright bass (oh man, this mic rules on that source), cello, drum overhead, and non-essy vocalists that you want a high-end sheen on.

It's bad on:
trumpet, harmonica, and essy vocalists.

So, in the end, IMO, it is very good on certain sources and not so hot on others.

Henrik, who told you that the NTK was "warm?"
 
What I like most about the NTK is that it's proximity field is not that different from the vintage AKG dynamics I'm used to on stage. The NTK is easy to find the sweet spot, and to work, if you're used to stage mics. I have better mics for most instruments, but thanks for the tip on upright bass. I haven't tried that.-Richie
 
Essy vocalist here.

Yes the NTK when I tried it was too hyped,,
but IMHO a good pro AE can usually de-ess a vocal into submission.

BTW dejacky, there has been considerable criticism for the CD mastering done on the Beatles early albums compared to the original
LP's.

Just to name one example, if you listen
to a nice vinyl LP of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" vs. the CD version, I bet you'll be very surprised at the difference.

The vocals are warm, not strident.
And the mono version on LP sounds yet more
punchy than even the stereo one does.

Generally studios today are trying to achieve what George Martin & Co. did way back when
sonically IMHO.

Also a great performance doesn't NEED a
great mic pre to sound great, as long as
the pre or mixer is reasonably OK.

"Sarah Smile" (Hall & Oates) was cut on a SM57 going through a Spectrasonics mixer,
for example.

Chris
 
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