Rode makes some of the best microphones for home recording, and its software could be a breakthrough in creating your own group podcast or live stream.

Rode Connect is a new free app for Windows and macOS that allows a single computer to record and stream input from multiple microphones at once. However, it only supports the Rode NT-USB Mini microphone, so Blue Yeti fans will have to stick with the more complex setup.

Usually, using multiple microphones on a single PC or Mac is difficult because the computer can only recognize one USB microphone at a time without additional hardware or software. Therefore, purchasing specialized equipment such as a USB audio interface is a common, albeit expensive and inconvenient, solution.

In contrast, Rode Connect is free to install, uses a simple UI, and integrates multiple audio peripherals without the need for other external hardware. up to four NT-USB Mini microphones can be connected, and volume levels, including mute, can be Controls can be made from a single screen. Podcast hosts will appreciate the ability to add fades and compression, and to set up separate "virtual" and "system" channels.

These allow for simultaneous recording of music and soundboard ditties from the same computer, or streaming the audio of someone on a Skype or Zoom call. The host can apply the same controls as a locally connected microphone.

By and large, Rode Connect sounds like an excellent solution to a problem for which there is not yet a truly accessible and easy-to-use solution. Solo streamers may need multiple microphones, and aspiring musicians may use multiple microphones to record their instruments.

However, the fact that it is only compatible with the NT-USB Mini is a major limitation. The Rode Podcaster, our favorite dedicated podcasting microphone, also won't work; the NT-USB Mini is priced at $99, which is not expensive by the standards of the best microphones for gaming, streaming, and podcasting, but we hope that Rode will at least find a way to expand support to other models of their products. Hopefully, Rode will at least find a way to expand support to other models of their products.