Rode PSA1: The Original Studio Boom Arm Rode Built Their Broadcast Reputation On

The PSA1 is the spring-loaded, two-section studio boom arm Rode designed for broadcast microphones — the arm that sat behind XLR studio mics in radio booths and home studios long before the PSA1+ refined the formula. Steel construction, 32 inches of horizontal reach, 33 inches of vertical reach, full 360-degree rotation, and microphone capacity to 2.4 lb. The same desk arm Rode ships behind their broadcast and USB-C studio mics, sold here on its own — the proven hardware for podcasters, streamers, voice-over artists, and broadcast hosts who need their microphone positioned silently at the desk and held there for the duration of a take.

32-Inch Horizontal Plus 33-Inch Vertical Reach for a Full Broadcast Desk

The PSA1's two-section spring-loaded arm extends to 32 inches of horizontal reach and 33 inches of vertical reach — enough to cover a standard broadcast desk from edge to host, and enough vertical range to pull the mic up for a standing reading or down for seated close-mic work. The full 360-degree rotation lets a podcaster swing the arm aside between takes, a streamer point the mic in from camera-right or camera-left depending on rig position, and a two-host setup share a single mic by rotating it between speakers. Reach is not a number on a spec sheet — it is the difference between adjusting the chair to fit the mic and adjusting the mic to fit the host.

Internal Quiet-Operation Springs — No Spring Creak on a Hot Mic

The PSA1 hides its spring mechanism inside the arm sections instead of mounting external coils to the outside of the linkage. The advantage is acoustic: reposition the arm mid-take, adjust the angle during a long voice-over session, swing the mic out of the camera frame between segments — and the cardioid capsule one inch from your mouth does not pick up a spring creak in the recording. Mechanical noise that an exposed-spring arm makes audible on a sensitive condenser stays under the surface here. The buyer test is simple: move the arm during a sound check and listen to the headphone return.

2.4 lb Microphone Capacity Covers Every Rode Studio Mic and Most Shockmount-and-Mic Combinations

Rated for microphones up to 2.4 lb (1.1 kg), the PSA1 handles every Rode studio microphone Rode currently ships — NT1, NT2-A, NT-USB+, PodMic, PodMic USB, Procaster, Podcaster, Broadcaster — plus virtually every USB and XLR broadcast mic from other manufacturers. The capacity comfortably accommodates a microphone plus a typical shockmount, which lets users pair the PSA1 with a Rode SM6 or SMR shockmount without exceeding the rated load. The 3/8-inch threaded mic mount with included 5/8-inch adapter means thread compatibility with virtually every microphone clip and shockmount on the market — no extra adapter to source separately.

Desk Clamp and Threaded Desk Insert — Two Mounting Options in the Box

The PSA1 ships with both a desk-clamp attachment and a desk-insert attachment, so the same arm can be configured for the desk it actually sits on. The clamp fits desk edges up to 2.16 inches thick — covers standard office desks, sit-stand workstations, and broadcast tables with a finished front edge. The threaded insert installs into a drilled hole and fits surfaces up to 2.75 inches thick — the cleaner mounting option for permanent studio setups where the arm should be slot-mounted from above instead of clamped from the edge. Velcro cable wraps included in the box secure the XLR or USB-C cable cleanly along the arm: clean cable run, no swinging-cable noise transmitted into the capsule, no signal-path snag.

Who the PSA1 Is For: The Buyer Who Wants the Proven Broadcast Arm

For first-time podcasters and streamers, the PSA1 is the upgrade from a wobbly desktop stand to a real broadcast studio arm — the same arm Rode bundles behind their broadcast microphones. For upgraders coming off a cheaper arm, the PSA1 is the proven Rode design with internal quiet-operation springs and the steel build that holds position without sag. For comparison shoppers choosing between the PSA1 and the PSA1+, the PSA1 is the original two-section spring-loaded design with 2.4 lb capacity and 32 inches of reach — the PSA1+ adds dampened parallelogram linkage, slightly higher 2.7 lb capacity, and a longer 37-inch reach, but the PSA1 is the established broadcast hardware that has lived under Rode microphones in radio booths and home studios for years. Order yours today.