NOTE: This help guide was prepared by Radio.co and is for reference only. We advise to check the developer’s help resources for more in depth support with their software.

Good audio recording software can be hard to find. If you’re new and just want something simple, then Rode Connect might be for you.

TL;DR: Rode Connect only works with Rode microphones. And the software is designed as a recorder, not a broadcaster (you'll need an encoder for that).

Rode Connect is a free piece of software designed for broadcasters and podcasters. The aim is to offer an easy solution for taking audio from your computer or isolating applications for recording.

Built-in vocal effects let you play with how your voice sounds, although the options are limited to a Noise Gate, Compressor, Exciter and Big Bottom. All these will affect your voice by highlighting certain frequencies or lowering background noise. Play around and see what works best for you.

Connect is only compatible with Rode microphones. At the moment it only works with the Rode NT-USB Mini, although they are planning on expanding the range of mics it works with.

It won’t work with internal computer or laptop microphones. Rode don’t have any plans on changing this in the future, so you’ll want to grab an NT-USB Mini if you want to use Connect.

Once downloaded, opening the Connect application will bring you to the start-up screen. The first thing you’ll be directed to do is connect a microphone to the software.

Make sure your Rode NT-USB Mini is plugged in and drag it into the first microphone slot. You may need to upgrade your microphones firmware. This should only take a minute.

Next, choose your virtual channels. You have 2 channels available that you can add System Audio or a Virtual Device to. System Audio takes all audio from your computer, Virtual Device will only take audio from a selected application.

To set up a Virtual Device go into the application you want to take sound from, go into its audio settings and set the output as Rode Connect Virtual. Now any audio played through that application will play directly through that channel, where you can adjust its levels.

Adjust your levels by sliding the faders to your liking. Access the microphone effects by clicking on the microphone channel symbol.

Record by clicking the green Record button at the top of the application. Click it again to stop recording.

Access your recordings by clicking the Menu symbol on the top left and you will have a bank of your recordings, which you can listen back to.

Clicking the arrow on any of your recordings will bring up the settings and export options. Here you can choose a colour for your file and what it will be called.

To export, choose Custom, and MP3, then hit Export. Select where you want your file to be exported to and save it. If you want to add that file to your Radio.co station, head to your Dashboard, go into your media library and drag and drop the files in.

Now you have your Rode Connect setup for radio, you’ll need to use it with an encoder to go live, here we’re using BUTT.

Set up your server in BUTT in the Server Settings. Add your station’s Host, Port and Password.

Go into the Audio Settings and for Audio Device, select Rode Connect Stream.

Hit live on BUTT and any audio processed through Rode Connect will broadcast live on your Radio.co station. You don’t have to be recording using the Connect for the audio to broadcast, but you can record them if you want the shows for editing or posting as a podcast.