Stellar

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 CM3 is a tube condenser microphone from a little known company. I'm pretty sure that Stellar is a one man operation. The CM3 is directly from China, and also can be found under the name Apex 460. It's the same exact mic put out by a different company - Nady has this mic available as well. The mic comes with it's own power supply and cables as well as a shock mount and a hard shell carrying case. It should only be used in the studio as it's not intended for live shows unless you were recording it. OVERALL OPINION The Stellar CM3 is a good choice for a super cheap tube microphone. I don't own this mic any longer, but I got it on eBay a few years ago and sold it the same way. I don't think you'd be able to buy the CM3 or any other Stellar microphones from a dealer, although you can get this same exact mic under the Apex or Nady brand if you do want to go through a dealer. Having said this, the Stellar version is just a tad bit cheaper than the others. I've used the CM3 for recording a variety of instruments, including for acoustic piano, male vocals, and acoustic guitar. It's definitely a better sounding mic than you would expect for the price, but it still won't match up to true higher tier tube mics. It's perfect for the home studio owner looking to get some cheap tube mics to have around, but it's never going to replace your higher end tube mics. I stopped having a need for a tube mic at home, but if you need one, the CM3 is a fine choice to make for the price. Also scope about the Apex 460 and the Nady version of this mic for print points.