I was looking to get a Shure SM57, for acoustic guitar, when this mic caught my attention. At the time, they were both the same price. I am very happy I chose the M3 over the SM57. The Rode M3 is a very flexible microphone. It works great for studio work, and in a live environment. Having it's own power source, in the 9 volt battery, lets you use this on locations where a mixer would not be available. It sounds incredible for the price. As many others have said; it sounds much more expensive than it is. It is large and heavy, but that has not been a problem for me. I've used this for vocals, and acoustic instruments - especially guitar - at church, playing out at gigs, and in my home studio. I am no expert when it comes to recording, or playing live, but this microphone is perfect for my needs. I am sure that I will purchase another M3 in the future (and other Rode microphones as well). I have a small, tube preamp that I use with this and it sounds fantastic. It works well with my solid state preamps as well. If you are on a budget, this mic really delivers. I recommend it whole heartedly!

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I lot of people find this mic to be one of the best mics for record various instruments, particularly acoustic guitar, but what many people do not know is that this mic is a great mic to use for miking instruments live. The first reason why this mic is great for live use is that fact that it's a condenser mic. We all know that condenser mic require phantom power in order for the mic to pick up the source and provides a lot more gain before feedback. However, the mic dose not require you to have a mixer with phantom power built in it, because it provides its own built in phantom power from a 9v battery. The second reason why it is great live is the adjustable roll of the bass and pad which are great for cutting off pop, clicks and reducing the risk of feedback. The last reason is the windscreen and I don't need to tell you why having a windscreen is great for live work. So while this mic is great in the studio, you may just want to try it out live and see for yourself how great is.

P.S. I am not sponsored by Røde.

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I have used many microphones throughout the years. It's important to know this for what it is. It's an all around mic, but a very good one at that.

The M3 Reminds me of a cross-over vehicle; good on the highway and able to hold its own off-road as well. Because it does both well, there will be some compromises. On the highway it might not be the most quiet, and off-road it might not be able to manage the biggest bumps.

So it goes- we have the Rode . A combination of condenser and dynamic characteristics...has the frequency response of a condenser (40-20k) and smooth highs (just a tad bright but in NO way hyped), with a lower sensitivity like a dynamic and a natural bass roll off for noisier environments. The Bass roll-off is fairly steep up to around 200 Hz. Has a 3-way switch--Off , On, and High pass filter to extend bass roll off even more ..great for outside noisy environments and when one encounters wind noise.

The M3 can be used with phantom power; or without if you not supplied (just pop in a 9v battery which will power the mic. If you leave it the mic can still connect it to phantom power..the battery will automatically not be used. Rode claims battery will last 200 hours). Construction seems tank-like.

How does it sound? to my ears very'good'..not hyped, natural, with a slight 'crispness' in the top end akin MXL mics, but unlike MXL not cheap sounding in any way.The M3 Sounds much more expensive than its price would suggest (I agree with the Sound on Sound review)

I would recommend this for mic vocal, acoustic instruments(especially guitars), snare drums, overheads...interviews and spoken word dialogue as well, and recordings made outdoors. Because of its natural bass roll-off vocals and acoustic guitars would be my first choices.

Downsides: it is really heavy for its size, and really long, so not suitable for every placement situation... the M3 is much more susceptible to wind noise than a dynamic or LDC..so if outdoors, the provided foam windscreen is a must, and engaging high-pas filter often a necessity.

If you need one mic that can do a lot, this is it.Can it replace an LDC? YES... SDC? yes.. Dynamic? yes, in certain situations.For a mic to elegantly go from a recording studio to an interview to an recording an outdoor event says a lot.

Should this be your only mic? No, but it would be difficult to outgrow, as I'm sure you'll always find a use for it. I HIGHLY recommend it.It truly is a bargain.

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Really like this mic. Exactly what I wanted. Picks up acoustic instruments nicely and does voice too. Great low cost mic. I would get anothet

Superb multi-use mic. The roll offs works well when needed, the battery feature is nice to have, best of all it sounds really good and clear. I'm very happy with mine.

I use this mic for my choir, percussion set and even lead vocals, and sounds amazing. the quality is just nice and rich as well as the build of the actual microphone, nice and sturdy!

I bought one of these recently after wanting a good microphone for accoustic guitar project in my studio. The local guitar expert guys state this is the one to have. I purchased it and found out it was a excellent mic for guitar and vocals, but learned to put a preamp in front of it, and it went from excellent to WOW ( blown away)

I brought this mic a week ago.

I put the 9v battery inside and connected it to my equipment. I was pleasantly suprised how this mic delievered. It has the plus of a high pass filter and a -10db pad.

When close miked it sounds warm and full, it actually sounds more expensive then it is .

Vary pleased with it . I will be using this regularly.

I also have the Rode Nt3 which I am also pleased with.