These images were to document a pure facepalm moment. I’d been trying to mount my Rode NT-USB microphone on a standard floor stand and could not get the angle to set right. No matter what I tried, it came in contact with the microphone stand boom arm, which prevented an appropriate setback angle.
When I suddenly realized the simple fix, I took this quick series of images to document it and put them in a photo album which I shared to clients and students in my Intro to Home Recording class. Since then, it has become a highly shared resource, and so I moved it to the website here.
It’s weirdly non-obvious…
The Rode NT-USB microphone is ostensibly designed to be placed on a desk or table top. It mounts on a standard 5/8″ tripod thread via a jointed ring which threads into the bottom of the microphone body. The ring tightens the pop screen and allows the USB cord to be connected at the base. Here, the mic is in the upright (grille facing the ceiling) position.
Detail of the Rode NT-USB ring, adjustment knob and threaded base which connects to tripod or mic stand.
Rode NT-USB – USB standard cable attached to microphone.
Rode NT-USB microphone mounting upright on the microphone stand boom arm.
Rode NT-USB – when inverted on the arm, the mic body comes in contact with the composite part of the ring base. This causes the angle to be less than optimal for voiceover recording.
The ridiculously simple fix which eluded me for a long time – remove the thumbscrew from the ring base and flip the ring part of the mount. Shown here with the Rode NT-USB microphone still attached.
Yep – I missed this for a while. But unthreading the thumb screw let me flip things over.
Rode NT-USB with ring mount reversed and thumbscrew reattached on the mount.
Reversing the ring base on the Rode NT-USB microphone mount allows you to set the correct angle when inverting it from a boom arm.
Rode NT-USB microphone mounted the the grille faces toward the floor. Reversing the ring mount and reattaching the thumbscrew allows this positioning.
So remember – to use the Rode NT-USB microphone (or similar mics such as the AT2020 USB which also uses a similar ring mount), simply remove the thumb screw, flip the ring and replace the thumbscrew. Be careful not to misplace any spacers or rings. Also, the thumbscrew needs to come in from the side opposite the threads, or it will not tighten into place.
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