RØDE’s NT-USB Mini is a cardioid condenser USB microphone.
A USB microphone is a microphone you can plug straight into a computer by USB. You can start streaming or recording without an audio interface.
In this article we rate it on 4 criteria using only the specifications the manufacturer publishes, and show how it ranks among the 11 USB microphones we compare.
Disclosure: This site takes part in affiliate programs. Specifications are as of the date we checked them and can change.
Score 2.5 / 5 (average of the 11 models compared: 3.0)
- Specs last checked
- 2026/10/19
- Type
- Condenser
- Pickup pattern
- Cardioid
- Recording
- 24bit/48kHz
- Connection
- USB
- Price (store, date)
- Not disclosed
Figure: SoundBounty
Summary
Among the 11 USB microphones, NT-USB Mini is rank C. The ranks run S, A, B and C, and C is the lowest. Averaging the scores for each criterion (out of 5) gives 2.5.
Things to keep in mind
- Switchable pickup patterns (1 pattern, 1 point): It has one pickup pattern.
Main features of NT-USB Mini
A compact condenser microphone
It is a cardioid condenser microphone, 141 mm high and 89 mm wide. A detachable magnetic desktop stand is included.
A headphone jack with volume control
The 3.5 mm headphone jack has a volume control, and there is also a switchable zero-latency monitor.
Shape your sound with RØDE Connect
With the free RØDE Connect app you can use a compressor, a noise gate and APHEX processors.
Where it is useful
- Recording vocals or narration at a desk without taking up much space
Rating by criterion
Recording detail: 3 / 5
How finely it can record the sound (the sampling rate).
NT-USB Mini: 24-bit/48 kHz. That is a standard rating among the products we compared.
Switchable pickup patterns: 1 / 5
How many pickup patterns (directions it listens in) you can choose from.
NT-USB Mini: 1 pattern. That is a modest rating among the products we compared. It has one pickup pattern.
Controls at hand: 3 / 5
How many controls you can operate at hand, such as mute, a gain knob and a headphone jack.
NT-USB Mini: 2 of 5. That is a standard rating among the products we compared.
Range of connections: 3 / 5
How widely it connects: an XLR output, and whether it can be used with a smartphone.
NT-USB Mini: 1 of 2. That is a standard rating among the products we compared.
The gray marks in the figure below (the dotted line on the pentagon) show the average of the 11 products we compared. Price is not part of the score.
How we score (USB microphones)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recording detail | Highest supported sampling rate | 192 kHz | 96 kHz | 48 kHz | 44.1 kHz | Lower |
| Switchable pickup patterns | Number of selectable pickup patterns | 4 or more | 3 | 2 | — | 1 (no switching) |
| Controls at hand | Mute, gain knob, headphone jack, headphone volume, mix control | 4 to 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | None |
| Range of connections | XLR output and smartphone (iOS / Android) support | 2 | — | 1 | — | None |
Scored only on the specifications published by the manufacturer. Price and accessories are not part of the score. USB microphones often do not publish the sensitivity or self-noise that ordinary microphones do, so they are compared on the things that make a difference when you plug straight into a computer: recording detail, switchable pickup patterns, controls at hand and range of connections. Smartphone support counts only where the manufacturer states iOS or Android compatibility. Weight is shown in the table for reference.
NT-USB Mini connection and getting started
| Connection | USB-C |
|---|---|
| Power | USB bus power |
| Other | Supported OS: macOS 11 or later and Windows 10 or later. iOS 14 or later and Android 9.0 or later are also supported |
Checked on the manufacturer’s official pages on October 17, 2026.
Compared with other USB microphones
Click a heading to sort. On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.
| Product | RankAvg. score | Type | Pickup pattern | Recording | Connection | Mute | Headphone jack | Weightg | Price (store, date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audio-TechnicaAT2020USB-X | B 2.8 | Condenser | Cardioid | 24bit/96kHz | USB | ● | ● | 373 | Not disclosed |
| Audio-TechnicaAT2040USB | B 2.8 | Dynamic | Hypercardioid | 24bit/96kHz | USB | ● | ● | 600 | Not disclosed |
| Audio-TechnicaATR2100x-USB | B 3.3 | Dynamic | Cardioid | 24bit/192kHz | USB / XLR | ● | ● | 268 | Not disclosed |
| RØDEPodMic USB | B 3.0 | Dynamic | Cardioid | 24bit/48kHz | USB / XLR | — | ● | 900 | Not disclosed |
| RØDENT-USB+ | B 2.8 | Condenser | Cardioid | 24bit/48kHz | USB | — | ● | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Logicool GBlue Yeti | B 3.3 | Condenser | Cardioid / bidirectional / omni / stereo | 16bit/48kHz | USB | ● | ● | 880 | Not disclosed |
| ShureMV7+ | B 3.3 | Dynamic | Cardioid | 24bit/48kHz | USB / XLR | ● | ● | 574 | Not disclosed |
| ShureMV7 | A 3.5 | Dynamic | Cardioid | 24bit/48kHz | USB / XLR | ● | ● | 550 | Not disclosed |
| SamsonQ2U | B 2.8 | Dynamic | Cardioid | 16bit/48kHz | USB / XLR | ● | ● | 320 | Not disclosed |
| SamsonQ9U | B 2.8 | Dynamic | Cardioid | 24bit/96kHz | USB / XLR | ● | ● | 970 | Not disclosed |
| RØDENT-USB Mini | C 2.5 | Condenser | Cardioid | 24bit/48kHz | USB | — | ● | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
Specifications are the manufacturer's published values (official pages and datasheets), checked October 19, 2026. The official page for the RODE NT-USB+ does not state a weight. The weight of the Blue Yeti is the microphone body without the stand.
Before you buy
- It connects straight to a computer by USB. You can start recording without an audio interface. It cannot connect by XLR, so if you plan to use an audio interface later, compare models that also support XLR.
- It records at up to 24-bit/48 kHz. For ordinary streaming and singing, 48 kHz is enough. A bigger number records in finer detail, but the files are larger.
- Controls at hand: headphone jack, headphone volume. Anything not on that list (gain, for example) is adjusted in software on the computer.
Read next
- MV7: features and rating (rank A)
- ATR2100x-USB: features and rating (rank B)
- Blue Yeti: features and rating (rank B)
- MV7+: features and rating (rank B)
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