In this article, we’ll show you everything you need to properly set up and connect the Logitech Blue Sona Active Dynamic Microphone with the Rode Rodecaster Pro 2 Audio Mixer.
Quick Answer: Mount the Blue Sona to a Rode PSA1+ Boom Arm. Connect the Blue Sona to the Rodecaster Pro 2 using an XLR cable. Position the microphone 2-3” away from your mouth. Use the Shure SM7B in-built preset with the phantom power setting turned on. Plug in your headphones before you turn on the recording.
- Rode Rodecaster Pro 2 Audio Mixer: http://currentprice.io/rodecaster2
- Blue Sona Active Dynamic Microphone:http://currentprice.io/blue_sona
Logitech Blue Sona Microphone
When you buy the Logitech Blue Sona Microphone, the only thing that you will get is the microphone with a second windscreen. You don’t get anything else.
They come in two color options: black or white.
Mic Stand or Boom Arm?
There are two options you need to consider when mounting your microphone setup.
The table stand
Table mic stands are inexpensive, portable and practical. They can be folded down flat.
The two things we don’t like about these are:
- They don’t offer a lot of sound isolation
- They take up valuable table space.
The Rode PSA1+ Boom Arm
This is by far the best boom arm in the market. It is not the most expensive yet it is the most comfortable to use.
- No Tools Required
- Connects To Any Microphone
- Flexible
- Rejects external shock and vibration
Mounting the Logitech Blue Sona Active Dynamic Microphone
The Logitech Blue Sona is not a heavy microphone. Mounting is done by screwing the end of the microphone to the Rode PSA1+ Boom Arm.
The Rode PSA1+ Boom Arm allows you to mount your mic in a firm position. The arm will hold the position if you want to pretzel the stand. If you want the mic to hang over your head, the arm will hold the position.
We find that with other boom arms the springs aren’t that well calibrated and therefore when a mic is mounted on them, they’ll either start to float or drop.
Connect the Logitech Blue Sona Microphone to the Rodecaster Pro 2
Logitech Blue Sona Microphone > XLR cable > Rodecaster Pro 2
Connecting the Logitech Blue Sona Microphone to the Rodecaster Pro 2 is a super simple operation. You plug one end of an XLR cable into the mic and the other into the 1st XLR jack on the back of the Rodecaster Pro 2.
They are flexible and have the star-quad design you need for studio cables to reject all the background noise from the equipment you are working around in.
We prefer using the 10’ cable even though it is tempting to use the 6’ cable. This is because you’ll find that the 10-foot cable will give you enough length to run around the connections.
We also recommend using the black connectors because they look better on camera.
Phantom Power
The Logitech Blue Sona is a dynamic microphone and usually, they do not require any phantom power. That being said, the Blue Sona has a built-in mic-activator that must be powered externally by 48 volts of power.
48v of phantom power is required!!
Rodecaster Pro 2 Setting
There are three options for setting up the mic after selecting the first channel on the Rodecaster Pro 2 audio mixer.
The Dynamic Microphone setting
In the microphone setting menu, select the dynamic mic option.
Turn on phantom power to get level in the audio mixer.
The Condenser Mic setting
In the microphone setting menu, select the condenser mic setting.
Once again, this will turn on 48 V of phantom power.
This setting will not work that great because it’s geared toward sensitive condenser microphones. As a dynamic microphone, it does not possess the same quality as a condenser mic.
The Shure SM7B setting
In the microphone setting, select the Shure SM7B setting.
This setting is designed from the ground up for the Shure SM7B. The Logitech Blue Shona Active Dynamic Microphone shares a lot of characteristics with the Shure SM7B microphone and therefore it makes a lot of sense to use this in-built setting.
We reduce the level from 55db to 35db because we do not need that much level. Afterward, we turn on the phantom power. And then bring up the fader.
Mic Placement
The microphone will sound horrible if you do not have good mic placement.
We recommend that you have your mic 2″-’3” away from your mouth.
We recommend the mic position be at an off-axis angle so that it does not block the mouth while talking on camera.
The Blue Sona has pretty good plosive protection. It does not react badly to /p/ and /b/ sounds when you talk right into the microphone.
Foam Windscreen
The microphone comes with 2 color options for the foam windscreen: red or black.
There is no acoustic difference between the two. It is just for style points.
Processing Settings
By default on the Shure SM7B setting on the Rodecaster Pro II, you get post-processing turned on.
When we turn off the post-processing, we will get that flattened-out audio without the processing enhancement. It still sounds good for a bone stock dynamic microphone. The sound is nice and warm and not irritating.
When we turn on the post-processing, we’ll notice that the compression and the EQ sweeten up the mic a little bit.
Now, we’ll take a look at the presets built into the Rodecaster Pro 2.
Neutral – The preset backs down the audio by flattening it to a mid-level where post-processing is turned on and off.
Podcast – This is the default setting.
Broadcast – This is heavier and drier compared to the podcast preset.
Headphones
We recommend the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro Headphones because they are lightweight and comfortable for long wear. This makes recording a 3-hour podcast or live stream pleasant because they do not get too hot.
On top of that, they sound good with the Blue Sona Active Dynamic Microphone making this a great combo.
The cool thing about the Rodecaster Pro 2 is that not a lot of audio mixers can power a set of headphones like this.
Final Thoughts
We really think this is a great combination. It really does not get better in terms of:
- Ease of set-up
- Simplicity to set-up
- Good high-quality sound
- Portability
- Ability to record straight to SD Card
- Multi-track recording
Rodecastar Pro 2 & Blue Sona Setup Pricing & Specs
- Rode Rodecaster Pro 2 Audio Mixer: http://currentprice.io/rodecaster2
- Blue Sona Active Dynamic Microphone:http://currentprice.io/blue_sona
- Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro Headphones: https://currentprice.io/beyer_dt_990
- XLR Cable: https://currentprice.io/xlr_cable
- TRS Cable: https://currentprice.io/trs_cable
- Mic Stand: https://currentprice.io/desk_staand
- Rode PSA1+ Boom Arm: http://currentprice.io/psa1_plus
