RØDE M1 Cardioid Dynamic Microphone for Live Vocals and Music Production

starters can use this in many different areas and will do you great and will last forever.Professionals can make this sound really expensive. The sound coming from is very versatile and flat, so if you are not happy with the sound profile, you mould it very easily to what you want or works for you.I have a vocal chain preset for voice overs and they are killer.

I've owned M3's for 15 years, in fact this purchase is my 6th (all of them are still good as new, I just needed an extra!). Yes you can get better microphones for specific uses but the M3 is the mic you can take anywhere and do anything with. From reporting on Salisbury Plain with firing from military exercises in the background to recording a church organ and everything in between. I've used M3's on hundreds of occasions.Mic anoraks will recommend other mics, but the M3 is the go anywhere do anything solution.There's a guy on Ebay who sells deadcats for them for location work which removes wind noise and if using in a studio for vo stuff you may want to consider a good quality pop shield.

I don't know why I've been putting off getting a slightly better microphone for my live work, even using a dodgy Sennheiser inherited with a second-hand PA system I bought recently, to avoid having to use the SM57. (Nothing usually wrong with Senns, this one just doesn't sound right, too harsh).But my oh my! The difference! Just plugging this in and right from the start, I felt I was listening to my voice - not just my voice through a PA if you know what I mean. Beautiful, simple, sweet sound. Clarity of tone comes through. No need to spend so much time with reverb and EQ trying to make it sound better.I was a little worried as the the NT1 is Ok, you know, but this is a great mic from Rode.

The microphone was delivered earlier than advised and the package was in good condition.I rate the Rode M2 as good on vocals. Visually, the M2 looks great and seems well made and comparable to other professional mic’s. The mic clip is well made and holds the mic firmly. In use, the off axis rejection of the M2 was excellent, as was the AKG mic’s I compared it with. However, the diaphragm assembly looks very flimsy and floats on the anti-shock mechanism. The connected (very thin) wires seem to pull it off axis. It will be interesting to see how long this lasts. By comparison, the C1000S is held firmly in place, and has stood the test of time (16 years).I tested the M2 mic in a studio because it is a better, more controlled environment to assess the mic. I also compared the M2 with a AKG C1000S and a AKG C414B XLS. The AKG mic’s were set to hypercardioid (the closest to the M2 supercardioid).I occasionally use the C1000S for live vocals and it is smoother and clearer, more articulate, when compared to Shure SM58s which I use each week.For the studio comparison, all three mic’s were connected up as follows:-Audio Interface: Focusrite Clarett 4Pre Thunderbolt (Air not engaged). Monitors: Mackie HR624. Headphones: Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro. Microphone cables: BLUE Cranberry.It became clear that there was no point in detailing the differences between the M2 with the 414 xls as the 414 xls is a much superior performer (as it should be at the price).On comparison between the M2 and the C1000S, the C1000S seemed very slightly more articulate, clearer and smoother over all frequencies and seemed to respond better to EQ adjustment.Hope this helps anyone comparing the M2 with other mic’s

A well made and well finished mic that seems to be as robust as any. I haven't done much with it yet but my initial test recordings of acoustic guitar and vocals are very promising. I bought it primarily to record acoustic guitar and the resulting recording provided a true, balanced sound with no noticeable background noise, both with strumming and finger picking, which is what I was looking for. I use a Rode NT1-a studio mic for vocals and I think that will always produce a better result but I would certainly want to try the M3 as an alternative to my Sennheiser e815s for gigs. On my next test session I will do a direct comparison of the three mics. I will be surprised if I have any reason to be disappointed with the M3, especially at the price.

There really is very little to dislike about this microphone. It sounds very reasonable (I'm mainly using it for general recording). It is quite sensitive, well built and a very reasonable price. It can run on phantom power or a PP3 battery - which is very handy for outdoor/location recording. As great as many condenser microphones are - if they need phantom power then you are pretty much tied to a mains powered set-up. The battery option on this mic doesn't seem to degrade the signal and gives you much more flexibility. The microphone seems very well put-together, has a built-in high-pass filter and pads, A very good all-rounder. I've used it to record everything from classical guitars to violins, cello,harpsichord. It gives a very reasonable recording for most instruments - and certainly where you need portability. It works very well in conjunction with the RØDE wireless go transmitter unit.

Very directional like a passive mic, small capsul delivers more middle and top, less bass - so its useful for recording vocals in noisier settings with good off access rejection and a pretty quiet self noise (i've seen reviews the state its a bit on the noisy side but its ok for my recordings, even hand held with a bit of caution). Built in pop filter not great so sing across rather than into.