This Is Why I RETURNED THE RODECASTER PRO

Finally got a chance to sit down with the RØDECaster Pro and consider it for replacing my Presonus AR8.
This thing has almost perfect scores across the internet...and it is rumored to be able to do a few things that my personal rig can't!
Problem is...I ran into a few problems with the drivers...and at this price point...well...

Am I the only person that finds enough fault with this thing that it is impossible for me to commit to it?
There is one major problem with this mixer...and it is big enough for me to return it.

There was at least ONE MAJOR FLAW that has me boxing it back up and returning it.

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My Gear -

[marcoantonioregiltv]

I love my RØDECaster and I respectfully disagree. I highly recommend it!

[Joeofalltradess]

THE RODECASTER FIRMWARE HAS BEEN DRAMATICALLY UPGRADED SINCE 2019!!! Using it now in 2021 I have to say it is beyond amazing. I think you should try it again.

[Podcastforthewin]

I’m from the future and they updated the drivers just a week ago in beta. And they’re great

[musicgearnetwork]

I was using a Presonus AR12USB and I recommend the Rodecaster Pro to anyone. Nothing comes close in sound quality at its price point. I have on for my Mac. Zero driver issues. My son has one on his Windows 10 pc. Zero issues. And the preamps in this are incredible. It is light years ahead of the Presonus in quality. I’m not biased I have both. Bummer you returned it.

[PatrickCSullivan]

I would also mention that those issues only have to do with windows. In MAC it just works natively as an interface without issue.

[KrisArkade]

Love mine as well. Literally had zero issues on 4 different PC’s and 2 macs. Plugged it in, boom! Everything worked like a charm. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[nata.sasmita]

I am an audio enthusiast and have some mixing equipment like Allen&Heath, Tascam, Mackie, Yamaha, and some others. I really disagree with your opinion. Lots of people say that Rodecaster gives very good audio quality with tons of features, and I am behind them. If you say opposite opinion about Rodecaster, I feel doubtfully about your capabilities in audio equipment. If you give judges a product in term of its physical durability, then you better go to 60's era. And you'll get what you are looking for.

[StruggleSwingGolf]

As much as I was attracted to this thing, especially after the firmware update, it is the price that has ultimately turned me away. I am producing podcasts from my sleeper berth in my semi truck, and need a smaller footprint for recording. Thus, the Zoom Podtrak P4 will be the choice.

[dexgray]

Hey great video!
Was curious… Any updates or fixes since you’ve made this video, that change your opinion overall? As far as for podcasting goes, this looks to be my main contender! Any recommendations on a soundboard like this one, that also have the possibility of in real-time voice effects (like reverb or pitch/frequency)? I was really into the goXLR, but they don’t support MAC, which at this point with Apple’s new M1 chipset seems to be an oversight being how powerful the new CPU is. Thank you so much for your time and help! :-)

[garrettdavis]

User error. Go to rode.com for driver issue.

[PadreLeonel]

Hello (I'm Portuguese so my English might not be that good). 
I watched your video and I honestly want to thank you. 
As you know, Rode did update the drivers and made it possible to do multichannel via USB.  
I believe that its because people like you, that do honest reviews like yours, that Rode (and other manufacturers as well) step up and try to respond and fixe the problems that some people find. Honestly we can't expect that when the engineers think and design a product that they can imagine every single case of use for that product. But Rode seamed to have listen to people and their problems and said well, some of that we can fixe, and they did.  
So thank you, I bought a Rodecaster pro this month and I'm very happy with it (I'm a Mac user so I don't know how it behaves in windows). It's my belief that its better today (not perfect, there will never be such a product) than wen you did your review because of reviews like yours. 
So keep up the good work.

[Borisav]

I work at a radio station as a presenter, I work from home on the Internet, I am thinking of buying this product, plus I put music in my interviews. do you think this mixer will give my show a certain level?

[Jbandes]

Great video. The effects on board were too simple but in the new firmware makes them customizable. ASIO and WMD Windows 10 drivers have never played nicely together. They do listen and I am confident that they will fix it. Why not just record locally and then adjust the files in post later? Not ideal I agree but the pros still seem to outweigh the cons ?

[brainpower]

Low and behold they fixed the issues. The firmware update is perfect. I love this thing. I use it for live-streaming, and podcasting, and VO’s. Paired with a battery on the go it’s also great! Cheers.

[wrongway]

A little late in the commenting I know but came across your video. IMO This is still a great unit, I bought one and had the same issues myself with the drivers. I was so disappointed I also thought about sending it back. It's such a cool and fun unit I decided to keep it and, I'm glad i did. I was running Windows 8.1 on a PC and it doesn't see it as a audio device. I finally bought a copy of Windows 10 and it works perfectly with it to any DAW. I've used it with Audacity and Reaper. (Rode's Website fully states this about the Rodecaster, I just simply overlooked it.) Firmware updates could bring more great features, who knows.

[ConsumerTeamPete]

Your comment about Adobe Audition is interesting. I’ve been using the Rodecaster Pro to record content for commercial radio programs for about 2 years. I’ve never had an issue with it working with Audition. We’re you using a ‘purchased’ version of Audition or the current ‘subscriber’ model (which updates drivers, etc. automatically)? We’re using the subscription model and it’s flawless. When we’re remote recording we record to Audition as our primary and the internal SD card as a back up. It’s a great system.

[JudgeFredd]

The audio driver issue is more due to Windows than the product itself - no problem with Apple CoreAudio (no driver required)

[jamestheradioman]

Ok, I'm a PC guy. I've also worked in radio broadcasting for 19 years and have done voice-over work as well.

I've helped a family member record podcasts using my old Mackie 802VLZ3 and an ASI5111 PCI Soundcard in my desktop with breakout XLR cables going to the Mackie and XLR cables back into the ASI sound card stereo input cables. I had to manually configure the Mackie board to create a mix minus for phone calls via cell (using an Irig device also). It was a bit of a pain.

The Mackie board still works, but it's getting old. I'm looking to upgrade without spending a fortune.

I want the functionality of a radio station production studio at home😁: Voiceover recording to DAW(sound forge, Vegas Audio, etc.).

I've looked at the Zoom L8 & the Roadcaster Pro by watching your videos.

Based on what I've told you about my audio experience professionally, what would you recommend?

[talkingbuffalo]

I bought the RCP last week and I confirm literally what this video concludes about the drivers and recording via USB into Audition Furthermore, even if you transfer files recorded on RCP onto Laptop and then put in Audition, it's the same thing. Insanely low sound levels. I'm still keeping mine because there's just too many things I love about this machine and it fits my needs to a tee. Having said that though, it's very frustrating. My workaround has been boosting my audio after recording into Audition by Normalizing before anything else, then I can go about my editing with wavs I can see and hear... But normalizing is probably not idea. But anyway, I can confirm this has been a problem with me, and I wonder if it's a Windows thing or the same deal with Macs as well.

[GrillWarrior]

I am thinking about getting one, which one would you get if you had to choose again? Both have some awesome options. I was going to go with the Zoom, but thinking twice about the Rode.. hum..