Stellar RM3

The Stellar RM3 is very nice, smooth and a forgiving midrange sound that sits really well in a dense mix. If i was going to fingerpick, I'd prefer the Neumann, but the Stellar RM3 does a surprisingly respectable job on that as well. I can't wait to try these on snare and guitar amps where they have the most proven track record. In closing, I am absolutely shocked at how great this mic is! I'm even more shocked that it cost pretty cheap especially if you can get it used.

OVERALL OPINION

I finally get why some people are so into Chinese microphones. If I could go back in time, I should have purchased this as my first microphone (actually I should have gotten a pair of them). A person could record a whole album with just the Stellar RM3 and it would sound darn good. Anyway, if you're just starting out, then this is the perfect mic for your. It is far better than a condenser if you are working in an untreated space because it has a tight cardioid pattern that rejects most room noise and other problems. If you have a cheap preamp and are having trouble getting enough gain to this mic (or even if you're not), buy a Cloudlifter by Cloud Microphones, it uses phantom power to generate up to 25 db of super clean FET pre-preamplification., that gives any old dynamic or ribbon mics low noise and high gain and interfaces them perfectly with modern recording systems. If you're thinking (just as I was a week ago) that this mic is far too common and old to sound as good as some people say. You are wrong, buy this one and save your self a lot of money, it will last you a long time as well. There are a lot of sites online where you can order it from.

The Stellar RM3 is a Chinese made ribbon microphone, that is put out by a few different companies. The RM3 is the only version of the mic that I've used, but I know Nady also puts out the same mic. It's basically a cheap Royer clone for use inside the studio. I don't have much info on the specs of the RM3 since I sold mine a few years ago, but it did come with a velvet pouch, a wood carrying case, and a shock mount, which I'm sure is what all versions of this mic come with.

OVERALL OPINION

The Stellar RM3 is a pretty decent sounding ribbon microphone for the price. Like most ribbon mics, it has a very low output, but this one seems to have a lower output than most. I owned the RM3 for a few years but decided to sell it off a few years ago when I moved to LA. It's a cool sounding mic but I just didn't use it all that much. Of course it's not going to sound like a real Royer, but definitely has the ribbon sound and I did get some pretty cool sounds out of it when I had it. I've used it on vocals, trumpet, and acoustic guitar, and found that it was coolest on vocals for getting a gritty, vibey sort of sound, but it's not the best when it comes to sonic clarity. Of course it's cool that it looks like a Royer, but the biggest mistake you can make with this is assuming that it sounds anything like the real thing. For the price you aren't going to find too many better ribbon mics, as the Stellar RM3 is dirt cheap. I'd scope it out if you're looking for a very cheap Royer style ribbon mic for your home studio.