The only problem I've had with it is finding a decent outdoor windscreen for it. Dead kitten?
Yes that will work, the one that is designed for the stereo-video mic slips over the foam windscreen.
BTW: I use my NT4 in a blimp when outdoors. Great mic, the convenience of the NT4 makes it very pleasant to use.
It did look like the "kitten" was the right size to fit over the boxy foam that Rode includes with the mic. Thanks to your comment, I did a little digging (and listened to some of your "walk around" recordings) and a blimp really does sound (literally) like a good solution to wind noise. I may wait for Rode's blimp, if it ever makes it to production (and -more importantly- if the price is right). Most of my recording lately has been done indoors (Michigan winter) so wind noise isn't a big deal at the moment. I do have a definite outdoor gig this summer but it's not exactly paying the bills so I'm not too worried about it. Maybe I'll make a trip to the fabric store and look for some faux fur to experiment with building my own "feline".
The NT5's are not designed for audio recording. They are great for drum overheads though. I wouldn't use them for anything else.
if they arent designed for audio recording, do tell just what they were designed for.
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Sorry, Charlie, but Teddy's spot on. Judging by the gear in your sig, you've heard some pretty good stuff. Good for you. But maybe the OP isn't looking to drop $1k+ on a pair of microphones. Interestingly, you call the NT5 a "great" drum overhead. And my experience says that if a microphone is capable of accurately capturing a drum kit, you can record pretty much anything (up to and including amplified music) with it and be OK.
And, as for Teddy's second statement, I completely agree. A shitty recording made on "great" gear (and I've heard quite a few) is still a shitty recording. But a great recording made on mediocre gear takes talent (or, as Teddy wrote, "competence"). My personal take is that, if you can get the same sort of quality out of the NT5 that I can out of my NT4, a matched pair (in good hands) is worth every penny of $315 (when compared to anything I've heard or read about in the sub-$500 price range).
But if you have more disposable income, there certainly are "better" microphones to be had. The Busman pair mentioned above definitely doesn't sound bad (and comes with multiple sets of capsules, a T-bar, shockmounts, etc.) - in other words; the kit is a bargain at $525 (or whatever he's charging for it). The best advice I can give is to search archive.org (or whatever) for recordings made with a rig similar to the one you want to use. Listen to them. Then listen to stuff recorded on "better" microphones. Decide for yourself if the (generally small) difference is worth the (generally large) additional cost. Good luck!