Rode M3 Versatile End-Address Instrument Condenser Microphone

I replaced a small diaphragm MXL mic (everybody's first condenser mic) with the M5 and can't believe the difference in the quality of my recordings. Close micing an acoustic guitar it captures every subtle tone and accentuates the differences in the attack with a pick or fingerstyle. I usually hang a blanket over a couple chair backs, position this mic in front and play into it. It gives me results that are very warm and true to the sound of my guitar. I'm thinking about using this as an overhead drum mic for my band, too.

Using to mic a guitar for live performance and recording. I'm not an expert on mic specs but am very satisfied with the mic sensitivity and sound quality. I was surprised by the weight and size. I thought the M3 was more like the M5. Not at all dissatisfied tho.

I have had many mics in this price range. This clearly outperforms them all. The sound on my acoustic guitar is smooth, clear and even. Does a great job with vocals as well. Very solid constriction. Excellent studio tool.

RODE is famous for their 10 warranty, and that is the main reason I bought this mic. Of course the quality is great, specially for the price. I use this mic for indoor video productions, but I guess in a pinch I can also use it in a blimp for outdoor productions. The only issue with this is that although it's not extremely heavy, it does start to feel heavy after a long shoot if you are the boom operator.

I really like this mic. It has a nice balance to its frequency response without harsh high end. The low end response is fantastic for a small diaphragm condenser and the high pass filter and pad is a nice touch.

I have 2 of these that I use in my recording studio for a variety of things. Great for vocals, snare drum and amplifier mic'ing. Recently used them for a podcast recording. Very rich in the low to high mids. I especially like them for recording mid-side "stereo" acoustic guitar. Because this is an end address microphone, I point it right at the 12th fret, with a 2nd figure-of-eight condenser just above it to catch the left and right. Then, once in the DAW, I duplicate the condenser track, pan the condenser tracks hard R & L and flip the polarity on one of the tracks. The Rode track stays right down the middle. This mic feels like a piece of lead in your hand - very heavy duty.

With this great Mike I have the option of using Phantom power of 48 Volts, or with a 9v battery(not included) will work just fine without phantom power.

Purchased this microphone to use with a Tascam DR-05 digital recorder and it works well with it. The mic is sensitive and does a great job.

Really impressed with the very low noise signal. This directional microphone also gives clean, crisp sound quality that sounds very true-to-life while effectively cutting down on background noises and ambient sound. Works very well with my Sony PCM-10 digital recorder. Going from using the recorder's internal omnidiretional mikes (which are great, but pick up everything) to this RODE M3 mike for recording vocals was a game changer. Very satisfied with this product. It lives up to its glowing reviews in my estimation, although for the purpose of full disclosure, this is also the first professional microphone I've ever purchased.

Excellent !

Micrófono muy bueno para su precio. Es un todoterreno. Yo lo uso para grabar voces con una tarjeta de sonido Focusrite Scarlett Solo, un previo Studio Projects VTB1 y una pantalla antireflexiones y el resultado es muy bueno. Para home studio lo recomiendo.

Over the years I have used (and owned) many, many microphones, some very expensive indeed, others more in the "value" bracket - but I have to say that while this is certainly one of the cheapest, it is also right up with those at many times its price in terms of quality and performance. The build quality is amazingly good. There is nothing about it that says "cheap". It is also made in Australia.... and has a 10 year warranty. While it runs from phantom power, it can also run from its internal 9v battery - useful in some situations, and particularly so if using portable flash recorders, many of which lack +48v. Visually, it looks a lot like the C1000s, but having used both, the M3 is a much nicer microphone. It sounds very natural, smooth, and has that certain "sheen" that you tend to only get from high grade mics. It is superb on acoustic guitar, mandolin, violin, etc. Run through a good preamp in the studio, it did not disgrace itself even up against a Neumann KM-184. In a live situation, it held its own against a Shure SM-94 and SM-81. All of these cost considerably more than the M3, yet the M3 put in a very creditable performance indeed. So much so, that I have ordered another one right away to use as a stereo pair. You just cannot go wrong at this price. Undoubtedly the best value in a microphone I have ever encountered. Whatever Rode did here, they did it right.

I use it as a boom microphone (setup on an elgato wave mic boom arm) for my client meetings, business presentations and recording talking head videos