I’m Hank Davis, and this is Podcast Gear News for August 2025 (Your monthly podcasting equipment news show).
NEW PRODUCTS & SOFTWARE:
The new RØDECaster Video firmware update introduces a powerful suite of updates designed to elevate live production. Key features include full NDI (Network Device Interface) support with PTZ camera control, updates to RØDE Capture for seamless IOS video integration, and creative tools like luma keying, key masking, and layer stretch for professional overlays. Users can now add inputs as overlays, enable auto-switching with the RØDECaster Pro II and Duo, and customize visuals with rounded corners. Alongside these, the release delivers minor UI improvements, new output mixes, and ISO recording synchronization, ensuring smoother workflows and more dynamic video content creation.
HyperX has introduced a new gaming and podcasting mic called FlipCast which features XLR and USB connectivity. The FlipCast has a multifunction wheel that lets you adjust mic gain or control a monitor mix, a tap-to-mute button, and a couple of onboard audio filters (a voice clarity mode, a high-pass filter). There's also RGB lighting, and the LEDs function as an input level meter during recording. The microphone supports 32-bit recording up to 192kHz when in USB mode. The FlipCast retails for $229.99 US.
Gator Frameworks has released a new low-profile broadcast microphone boom arm. This low-profile boom ensures an unobstructed view of the host or guest, making it ideal for video recordings and live streaming. It securely clamps to desks up to 2.17" thick, offering a stable and space-saving configuration. It has a 33″ arm extension, 360° rotation, 90° vertical movement, and an integrated cable management channel with a magnetic cover to hide XLR or USB cables. The boom arm retails for $99.99 U.S. which is $30 cheaper than the exact same looking boom arm Gator Frameworks makes for Shure Microphones. Please note that reviews for the version made for Shure are littered with complaints that the arm can’t hold mics at the intended height no matter how tight you twist the tightening knobs. Gator Frameworks support told me that the arm can hold microphones weighing 4.4 pounds.
There’s a new compact audio interface that shows some promise. The Blackstar Polar Go is a 2-channel portable USB-C audio interface that retails for $129.99 US. The Polar Go has dual USB-C ports with one dedicated to power and the other to data. It has a 3.5mm stereo output for headphones, a combo jack, 48v phantom power, and a power button. The Polar Go is only 3.1" long with an internal battery that provides up to six hours of operation, and a built-in metal plate for use with magnetic phone holders. The Polar Go works with iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and a whole host of applications. The Polar Go app provides video capture, presets, and the intelligent Magic Wand tool for analyzing your audio and creating the perfect mix with a single swipe. The Polar Go doesn’t even require an external mic as it comes equipped with their ProCapture stereo microphone technology, (which they claim delivers stunning detail that far surpasses your phone’s mic). The interface is 24-bit and 48kHz, and the combo jack provides 46dB of gain.
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CAD has launched the PA28 inline preamp for dynamic and ribbon microphones. As the name suggests, the CAD PA28 provides 28dB of clean gain. The PA28 is in the build style of a Fethead (and many other inline mic boosters) which allows you to plug the device directly into the XLR port of your microphone so you don’t need another cable for use like some of the Cloudlifter style units. The PA28 is low impedance and ensures a clean signal over long cable runs. The CAD PA28 retails for $49.99 US.
Vortex and RODE’s collaboration called CallMe was released for public consumption last month. The CallMe service first appeared on my radar in January of 2024. RODE released a follow-up firmware update that addressed some overall improvements to the new service. With both free and paid tiers, CallMe looks to potentially take a bite out of podcast guest connection services like SquadCast and Riverside. For a full rundown check out my YouTube channel (link in the description).
Audio gear retailer B&H has once again partnered with RODE Microphones to bring a special version of the RODE WS14 windscreen for the B&H PodMic 50th Anniversary Edition (Red). B&H's PodMic has a red grille that differs in color from RODE's typical red WS14 windscreen and of course it’s exclusively on sale at B&H. It’s also right in line price-wise with the rest of RODE’s PodMic windscreen colors coming in at $29.
COMING SOON:
It looks like next month I’ll be greenlit to talk about at least one of the three new microphones I alluded to last month.
SUBSCRIBE/SHARE:
PODCAST: https://feeds.captivate.fm/podcast-gear-news/
YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@FreePodcastTools
ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
I shared the gear I use for a portable podcast setup.
I discussed the delay of Zoom’s wireless microphone capsule 3.0 system, a new timecode device, plus the updated firmware for the H6essential handy recorder.
I also talked about RODE’s CallMe service and updated firmware.
ERRORS OR OMISSIONS: If you’re a product manufacturer and I got something wrong, feel free to use the contact email in the podcast feed or my contact on the freepodcasttools.com website.
Thank you for listening to Podcast Gear News. I’ll catch you next month.
