Founded in Sydney, Australia by Peter Freedman in the early 1990s — building on Freedman Electronics, established by his parents Henry and Astrid Freedman in 1967 — Røde has grown into one of the world's most prominent microphone and audio technology companies. The brand name, with its distinctive "ø," pays homage to the Freedman family's Scandinavian heritage. The company designs and manufactures the vast majority of its products in Sydney, exporting to over 100 countries.

Røde first gained widespread recognition with the NT1, a large-diaphragm condenser microphone that became one of the best-selling studio mics of all time, prized for its exceptionally low self-noise and versatility. The company expanded into on-camera audio with the VideoMic in 2004 — the world's first compact on-camera shotgun microphone — and into podcasting with the Podcaster USB mic in 2007 and the RØDECaster Pro integrated podcast production console in 2018. The Wireless Go, a compact clip-on wireless microphone system launched in 2019, became a staple for content creators and filmmakers. Other notable products include the NT1-A, NTG series shotgun mics, NT-USB, PodMic, and the M1 dynamic stage microphone.

Røde's product range spans studio condensers, USB microphones, shotgun mics, wireless systems, audio interfaces, headphones, and dedicated podcasting hardware and software. The company also owns Mackie, the American professional audio brand, and Event Electronics, a loudspeaker manufacturer.

Røde has 148 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Condenser Microphones, Dynamic Microphones, and Wireless Microphones. Their gear is featured by 233 artists, with the strongest followings in Electronic, Rock, and Pop. Notable users include Ian Roberts, Andrew Huang, and Tyler Larson. Røde's catalog spans the full price spectrum — from entry-level options to high-end flagships.