The Rode NT2000 is a large diaphragm condenser microphone designed for use in the recording studio.  I wouldn't use this mic outside the studio at all and I imagine that most would be smart enough not to do so anyway.  It has three knobs on it that each control a different aspect of the mic.  It has one to choose your pick up pattern (between figure eight, cardioid, and omni) and it also has a high pass filter and a pad.  Beyond this there isn't much to learn about the characteristics of the mic...

OVERALL OPINION

I've only used the Rode NT2000 a few times, but in the few times that I have used it I have really liked what I have heard.  I have used it in a home studio to record vocals and it definitely did the job quite well.  It paints a pretty accurate portrait of the sound that you are recording as I found that it will pick up a good amount of detail.  It is more of a clean mic than a warm one as is the case with most solid state microphones, but this is a good thing as far as I'm concerned as I can get warmer sounds from a tube mic and I usually look for a cleaner sound from mics like this.  It is definitely cool to have all of the options in the same spot on the mic so you can easily access them and mess around with the different pick up patterns.  While I've only used this mic for vocals and one time as a room mic for recording electric guitar, I believe that because of the detail that it has it will be a good fit for just about any application that you would want to use a large diaphragm condenser mic for.  The price of the Rode NT2000 isn't all that expensive when compared to most microphones of this caliber, making it a great choice for home studio owners.  Rode makes some great sounding mics that are very reasonably priced so I would definitely recommend checking out the NT2000 and the other mics that they have to offer if you are looking for a great mic or two on a budget.