Skip to main content

Rode launches streaming and gaming division with new mic line, software

Rode — the Australian company known for high-quality audio equipment for video, studio recording, and podcasting — announced today that it is launching a new division focused entirely on streaming and gaming.

Rode X, the company’s first sub-brand, will have its own specialized research and development department. The line will kick off with three products: Unify, a virtual mixing solution custom-designed for streaming; the XDM-100 dynamic USB microphone; and the XCM-50 condenser USB microphone. The new line has been in development for over three years.

Unify is a game-changing streaming studio software that allows for routing and mixing up to four USB microphones or other audio devices and up to six virtual audio sources (including game, chat, music and browser applications) in one intuitive interface. The easy-to-use software gives streamers advanced, studio-level control over the audio production of their stream. The software comes free with all RØDE X products or is available for purchase as a monthly or yearly subscription for use with any other USB audio product.

“Unify is a huge step forward for streaming and gaming audio technology,” said Rode senior product manager Chris Beech. “Throughout development, we spent countless hours researching exactly what streamers and gamers need from audio software and worked tirelessly to implement every feature while ensuring it is as simple to use as possible. From professional streamers with complex technical requirements to casual gamers who want to take their audio to the next level, Unify is the perfect solution.”

The XDM-100 is a professional dynamic USB microphone that delivers rich, broadcast-quality audio with “superior rejection of room noise and keyboard or mouse clicks.” The XCM-50 is a condenser USB microphone that’s a bit smaller than the XDM-100, but still packs a punch.

Both microphones feature powerful internal digital signal processing (DSP), which can be unlocked using Unify. This allows users to add advanced Aphex audio processing to their voice –including a compressor, noise gate, high-pass filter, and more — with full granular control over every parameter for crafting their own signature sound. This feature will come with a software update in late 2022.

“The launch of RØDE X marks an exciting new era for RØDE,” said Rode CEO Damien Wilson. “In addition to these two incredible microphones and Unify, we have a suite of groundbreaking products currently in development that are going to shape the future of audio for streaming and gaming. This is just the beginning.”

Editors' Recommendations

Sam Hill
Sam Hill is a journalist and the gaming guides editor at Digital Trends. He's also written tech guides for Input and has…
Everything we know about Blade’s Shadow game streaming service

Cloud gaming services are having a bit of a moment. PlayStation and Nvidia are already in the ring, while Google Stadia and Microsoft xCloud are gearing up to join the competition. Another option from a lesser-known French company, called Blade, is already available, too. Dubbed Shadow, Blade's service is more of a complete cloud computing service centered on game streaming. If you're interested in game streaming, you should get to know all of your options. Here's everything you need to know about Shadow.
What is Shadow?

Shadow is a cloud gaming service that gives you virtual access to a beefy PC rig. To put it simply, Shadow broadcasts a virtual machine on your devices. You're simply controlling a high-end PC without actually owning one. How high-end? When using Shadow, you have access to a Windows 10 PC with the following specs: Eight-thread Intel Xeon CPU, Nvidia Quadro P5000 GPU/GTX 1080 graphics cards, 12GB of RAM, and a 256GB solid-state drive.

Read more
Microsoft’s ID@Xbox stream reveals over 20 new indies coming to Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Series X Stylized Graphic

Over 20 new indie games are coming to Xbox Game Pass. The news comes from Microsoft's ID@Xbox showcase, which spotlighted several unannounced indies and gave updates on games like Second Extinction.

The lengthy Twitch presentation focused exclusively on indie games coming to Microsoft's platforms through its ID@Xbox program. As part of the show, Microsoft revealed a long lost of games that will release on Xbox Game Pass when they launch.

Read more
Razer launches the Kraken V3 X, a new $70 gaming headset
razer kraken v3 x news https  hybrismediaprod blob core windows net sys master phoenix images container ha2 h38 9081219973150

Razer's Kraken series gaming headsets have long been a popular go-to option, and today the company is releasing yet another new iteration. This one is called the Kraken V3 X, and with a lightweight design, new drivers, and Chroma RGB lighting, it might just be another big hit.

The headset weighs in at just 285 grams (1.63 pounds) without accounting for the cable. To achieve this low weight, most of the construction is plastic, but you'll appreciate the feather-light design when you're in extended gaming sessions. It's not as light as the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro, but that's a much more expensive option.

Read more