Rode NTK on an RME Babyface Pro FS: a condenser that needs no phantom power — and why the button should stay off
Yes. At speaking level the NTK needs about 38 dB, and the Babyface Pro FS publishes 65, so 27 dB of gain is spare. Those are the published figures.
The RØDE NTK has enough preamp on the RME Babyface Pro FS for a normal speaking voice. You do not have to add a box in front of it.
RØDE rates the NTK at -38.0 dBV/Pa, the voltage from a loud 94 dB tone at the grille. A speaking voice is closer to 85 dB, so the preamp still has to find about 38 dB to land near −9 dBV. That −9 dBV figure is just a tracking level: high enough to use, with space before the converter clips.
Set the knob for the voice you actually record and leave a little travel for plosives, instead of pinning it because the spec sheet has a higher number. A booster on a chain that already has about 27 dB spare only adds a box. Most of those boxes also use the phantom power themselves, which will silence a condenser.