recordinghacks

RØDE M3

Cardioid Condenser Microphone

Rode’s M3 is an electret condenser designed as a multipurpose mic for stage or studio use.

It has a permanently-polarized 19mm condenser capsule and a fixed cardioid pickup pattern.

The mic can be powered via phantom power (24-48V) or a 9V battery.

An unmarked switch on the mic body provides control over the high-pass filter (-12dB/octave @ 80Hz), which can be enabled or disabled; a third position on the switch will both power off the mic (when used on battery power) and mute the mic’s output (when on phantom power).

The mic has a 3-way pad (0, -10dB, -20dB); the switch is inside the microphone body. Unscrew the lower casing to access the switch, which can be toggled via a small screwdriver or the tip of a pen.

The M3 includes a rigid plastic “lunchbox” case, a mic clip (Rode p/n RM3) and a foam windscreen (p/n WSM3).

The mic’s standard 1 year warranty can be extended to 10 years by registering the product online.

SoundOnSound, 2007

It sounds clean, crisp, full-bodied and smooth, and can cope with pretty much anything a project studio is likely to require… There are several established ‘jack of all trades’ microphones around… Shure SM57, the Sennheiser MD421 and the Neumann KM184 would be the top three on my list — but the Rode M3 could become another: it is that impressive. And it would certainly be an ideal first microphone for anyone setting up a new project studio on a tight budget…

Electronic Musician, 2008

The M3 quickly proved itself to be worth every penny of its low cost…I was surprised at how good the mic sounded with both male and female vocalists during a country session I engineered.

Permalink: RØDE M3

The mic was released in 2007.

Specifications

Frequency Response - CardioidClick Graph to Compare!

Pickup Patterns	Pads & Filters
Cardioid (6.3 mV/Pa; 40 - 20,000 Hz)	Pad: -10dB (Via Switch) Pad: -20dB (Via Switch) Filter: HPF: -12dB/octave @ 80Hz (Via Switch)

Capsule Dimensions	Impedance	SPL/Noise
Diaphragm diameter: 19mm	200 Ohms (Low)	Max SPL: 142 dB Self-noise: 21.0 dB(A)

Weight	Length	Max Diameter	Interface(s)
390g (13.76oz)	225mm (8.86'')	33mm (1.30'')	3-pin XLR male (1)

Power Specifications
Requires phantom power Has battery compartment (9V) Phantom voltage: 24-48v

Did we get anything wrong on this page? Please let us know!