RØDECaster Pro

One volume dial per headphone jack, so each person around the table can set their own comfortable level without affecting anyone else.

tip: These only change what that person hears — they never affect the recording or what other listeners get, so turn them up freely to catch problems.

One slider per microphone. Push up to make that person louder in the mix, pull down to lower them. The printed '0' mark is the normal, unity-gain sweet spot.

tip: Set your mic gain on the touchscreen first so faders sit near 0 during normal speech — that leaves you headroom to ride a quiet guest up or a loud one down without running out of travel.

The volume slider for anything playing from your connected computer, including remote guests on a video call.

tip: Use the mix-minus feature (set in the USB channel settings) so remote callers hear everyone but not their own delayed voice back.

The volume slider for a phone or device connected over Bluetooth — good for wireless call-ins or playing music from your phone.

tip: Pair devices from the Bluetooth channel page on the touchscreen; Bluetooth audio uses phone-quality codecs, so use it for calls and casual clips rather than critical music playback.

The volume slider for a phone plugged in with a headset cable — the classic way to take a phone caller onto your show.

tip: A wired TRRS connection sounds cleaner and more reliable than Bluetooth for phone interviews; the board automatically feeds the caller a clean mix so they don't hear an echo of themselves.

The master volume for your jingles, stingers and sound effects — pull it down if your intro music is drowning out talking.

tip: Ride this fader down slightly under a talking bed so a music loop plays behind speech without competing with it.

Your big 'go' button for capturing the episode. Press once to record, press again to stop. It glows red so you never forget you're rolling.

tip: Enable multitrack recording in the settings so each mic, USB, phone and Bluetooth source is saved as a separate file — it makes fixing one loud guest in post-production far easier.

Eight buttons you tap to fire off sound effects, intros and music at the perfect moment. Each lights up in its own colour so you know at a glance what's what.

tip: Long-press a pad to edit it: load your own audio, pick a colour, and set 'loop' for background music beds or 'one-shot' for stingers. Swipe on the touchscreen to reach additional pad banks for more than eight sounds.

This is the brain and dashboard. Anything that isn't a fader, pad or knob is adjusted by tapping here. Tap a channel to open its settings, swipe to reach the sound-pad and settings pages.

tip: Tap the metering area to swap between showing all channels' levels and a single big meter — handy for setting mic gain accurately before you go live.

Four full-size headphone sockets so a host and up to three guests can all monitor the show at once.

tip: Use full-size 1/4" plugs or a good adapter; wiggly mini-jack adapters are a common cause of one-ear dropouts during a session.

The on/off switch. Give the touchscreen a few seconds to fully boot after switching on.

tip: Power down properly with this button rather than pulling the plug, so any in-progress recording is closed cleanly and not corrupted.

The four sockets where your microphones plug in. Each has its own built-in amplifier and effects so mics sound broadcast-ready with no outboard gear.

tip: These are XLR-only (no line/instrument input), so use dynamic or condenser mics; enable 48V only on channels running condenser mics — dynamic mics don't need it and some ribbon mics can be damaged by it.

Connect these to a pair of desk speakers if you'd rather listen out loud than on headphones.

tip: Speakers auto-mute the mics near them to prevent feedback isn't automatic here — mute mic monitoring or lower speaker volume while mics are open to avoid howling feedback.

The cable to your computer for recording into software, live streaming, and bringing remote guests in over apps like Zoom.

tip: Update to the latest firmware to unlock multitrack USB audio, which lets your recording software capture each source on its own track.

Plug a phone in here with a headset-style cable to bring a phone caller cleanly into the show.

tip: Because it uses the phone's own cellular/app connection, this works with any phone call or audio app while giving better, more stable quality than Bluetooth.

This is where your episodes are recorded and where your jingles live. No card, no recording.

tip: Use a fast, decent-capacity card (format it in the unit first); this is your primary recording, so back it up to your computer after each session.

Where the power adapter plugs in. The RØDECaster Pro is mains-powered, not USB-powered.

tip: Use the supplied adapter — the board draws more than a standard USB port can deliver, so it won't run reliably off computer USB power.

A little anchor point for a laptop-style security cable if the board lives somewhere public.

tip: Handy for shared studios or classrooms where the desk might grow legs.