Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware
On first glance, the Creative Live! Mic M3 does not really look much different from other USB microphones. It uses a typical cylindrical shape for its body. Its full plastic shell makes the whole thing quite light at 170g. The microphone should also blend into any environment with a full black exterior. Markings and legends on this cylinder have silver accents, and a Creative logo can be found near the bottom of this tube. The top part has a metal mesh grille to protect the dual condenser capsules inside while also allowing sound to travel through. This metal mesh is very hard and does not flex at all. It wraps around the tube to the other side, so it can be used in both of its polar patterns. Otherwise, the body has a couple of inputs on the front and back with a knob and button here, and second knob on the flip side. Moving down, you can see the base is attached at the bottom of the tube, and it provides a large bottom for the whole Creative Live! Mic M3 to stay upright.
Taking a closer look at the front of the Creative Live! Mic M3, you can see a few things of interest. At the top, there are three holes near the metal grille for magnets to hold the pop filter. The three holes ensure the filter stays in place and does not swivel about. It is pretty nice to see a custom pop filter provided by Creative, especially as it should help with reducing plosive noises while not needing to rely on a third-party solution. Underneath, we have a rectangle diffuser for the indicator light to shine through. When the microphone is powered on, the light shines blue. This changes to red when users mute the Mic M3. Muting the input can be done with the bottom button, which is indicated by the slash through the mic logo. Above this, we have a knob to adjust the output volume to the headphone jack underneath. I think this selection of inputs is handy for quick adjustments on-the-fly.
Inside, the Creative Live! Mic M3 records 24-bit audio at a 96kHz maximum sample rate. Two 14mm polarized condenser capsules are found inside the head of the unit. The microphone features a sensitivity of -35dB for its cardioid pattern and -36dB for its omnidirectional pattern. Otherwise, Creative does not provide other typical specifications like its frequency response or maximum sound pressure level.
At the back of the Creative Live! Mic M3, there is a single knob here. This knob allows users to choose between the two available polar patterns of cardioid and omnidirectional. The cardioid pattern is pretty typical here, as it is great for a single user and picks up noise in front of the diaphragm while also reducing noise picked up around the sides and back. However, if you switch to the omnidirectional pattern, this allows for equal pickup regardless of the orientation of the microphone. This is great for recording multiple sources of sound with a single Mic M3. Overall, I do appreciate the multiple polar options here, but we will see how they sound like later. The only thing I would say is that I would actually prefer some sort of switch, rather than a knob, because I found it tricky to know how to turn the microphone without just turning the whole unit around. With a two-position slider or switch, this would take out the guesswork.
On the bottom of the Creative Live! Mic M3, we have two main inputs plus one more hole. The first is a Micro USB connection that is used to connect the mic to your computer. This can be used with computers running Windows or Mac OS. I wish Creative used a USB Type-C connection, as it is both more durable and modern. It also makes it easier to plug in the connection since it can be oriented in either direction. Next, we have a headphone output for users to monitor the audio in real-time with as low latency as possible. Finally, the last hole is a mounting hole with an adapter inside. This allows users to either mount the Mic M3 to the included stand or to a third-party mounting arm. Finally, you can see some labels for certifications and the serial number of your product here.
Taking a look at the stand of the Creative Live! Mic M3, you can see it is pretty simple but offers a decent amount of adjustment. The stand is comprised of a large circular base with rubber padding underneath. This connects to a small arm that has a rotating head on top. In order to adjust the orientation, you can loosen the knob and move the microphone before tightening the knob on the side. The rotating head has a notch at one side so users can also make the unit lean back to point better at the intended source. This stand definitely makes up the majority of the weight, as the whole unit weighs in at 570g with the pop filter attached, and the base is 380g on its own. When the Creative Live! Mic M3 stands straight up on the table stand, the unit is 215mm in height, 96mm in width, and 88mm in depth. This is quite compact, even with the pop filter attached.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Recording Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
