Rode NT55 Small-diaphragm Condenser Microphone

The NT55 is a small-diaphragm condenser that ships with two screw-on capsules, letting one mic body work as either a cardioid or an omnidirectional. The half-inch gold-sputtered cardioid head handles focused sources like acoustic guitar, cymbals, and strings, while the included NT45-O omni head opens up for natural room and orchestral pickup.

A three-position pad and a three-stage high-pass filter let it sit close to loud sources or roll off stage rumble without an outboard box. Self-noise stays low at 15 dBA, and the kit includes the NT45-O omnidirectional capsule and an RM5 stand clip.