RODE RODECASTER PRO II

£699 / bit.ly/rodepro2

Podcasting: it’s dead easy, right? Plonk yourself down in front of a microphone, hit record, and you’ll be top of the charts in no time. Sorry, but there’s more to it than that: controlling volume levels, mixing channels and balancing EQS makes all the difference. And without dedicated hardware, that can be a fiddly job.

Not so with the Rodecaster Pro II. This compact audio mixer has all the inputs, sliders and FX pads a budding podcaster could want, and is flexible enough to also appeal to music producers and game streamers.

Recording is brilliantly slick, either directly on the unit with a microsd card or to a connected computer. The 5.5in touchscreen shows the most important info – volume levels, active channels, recording time – while Rode’s PC software lets you split multi-track recordings and apply presets for specific podcast-hosting services before you upload.

It’s got enough ports for a presenter and three guests to record and simultaneously monitor their audio, and the four inputs are wired through good-quality preamps with plenty of gain so you don’t need to invest in signal-boosting add-ons.

Six physical faders can be assigned to any input, including USB and Bluetooth for mixing in-game audio or dialling in a guest using your phone. Each channel has a three-band EQ, compressor, high-pass filter, de-esser and noise gate. Anything more and you could run a commercial radio station through it.

Those colourful ‘smart pads’ are completely customisable: as well as triggering sound clips, they can smoothly fade channels in and out, or play nicely with MIDI commands to control your third-party streaming software. You really can do everything on this thing.

Key specs

● 5.5in touchscreen ● 4x jack/xlr combo in, 2x line out, 4x headphone out ● 2x USB-C, Ethernet, Wi-fi, Bluetooth ● microsd storage ● 305x270x60mm, 1.96kg

STUFF SAYS A capable mixer with fine-grain control that also nails the basics ★★★★★