Today I’m taking a look at the Creative Live! Mic M3, specifically from my lens as a gamer and for streamers. The Creative Live! M3 is a plug-and-play USB condenser microphone with a dual polar pattern and real-time mic monitoring.
This mic is targeted at novices and beginners (newbs) looking for a viable mic that offers quality audio for a decent cost for things like live streaming, video recording podcasting and such.
Off the bat, I can say they are bang on as the mic is currently going for $59.99 on Amazon — and for a mic that offers decent 24-bit/96KHz recording quality, and has a couple of Polar Patterns (Cardioid/Omni) isn’t too bad of a deal.
Creative Live! Mic M3 Features
There are quite a few features on this mic, given the cost so let’s take a look at the main ones and my thoughts.
Detachable Magnetic Pop Filter
A lot of mics don’t come with a pop filter, so this is a nice addition to the M3. The detachable pop filter is a hard plastic that has three magnets to attach to the mic itself. So the pop filter is easily taken off without too much force and easily replaced.
I even tried to flick the pop filter off while the mic was placed on my desk, and it doesn’t budget (unless like me you smacked it on the back to the point where it did fly off).
Dual Polar Patterns
The Live! Mic M3 has two 12 mm condenser capsules as well as two polar (pickup) patterns. This is the real meat of the microphone as well as the only two polar patterns most folks will need. This includes a Cardioid and Omni-directional option so that you can cater your recording to either a front-facing only type audio recording with just yourself or an Omni-directional setting to use for hosting an interviewee or a conference type setup.
For most gamers and streamers, the Cardioid setting is probably all you’ll need, which will attempt to filter out external noise by attempting to capture only audio in front of the mic and when paired with real-time mic monitoring, provides a nice amount of audio filtering to minimize on external noise.
Real-time Mic-Monitoring
Real-time mic monitoring is a great addition the Creative Live! Mic M3, as it attempts to keep your voice and tone in check without external noise disruption — a great feature for any streamer or video/audio content creator. And the M3 does a pretty decent job, I might add.
Studio-quality Recording
Creative touts its studio-quality recording, with up to 24-bit / 96Khz audio resolution — which is pretty great for a small form factor / minimalistic mic at this price range. Recording at a higher bit rate gives more flexibility when recording audio and streaming should you need it and gives you the option to downgrade to 16 bit later on. This would be considered a high-quality recording resolution and would be more than most streamers or gamers would need, making room for high-quality content creation.
Technical Specifications of the Creative Live! Mic M3
Below are the exact specifications for Creative Live! Mic M3 — which overall are good. I want to mention that my overall thoughts are that the mic itself seemed very light, which almost felt cheap — however when paired with the hefty base and the multi-angle adjustable table stand, it has more than enough heft and would be hard to knock over with typical desk nudges and bumps.
Secondly, I was surprised that the mic included a micro USB rather than a USB C, but nevertheless a minor wonder.
Here are the overall specifications of the Creative Live! Mic 3:
Dimensions
• Microphone with Table Stand and Pop Filter: 88 x 96 x 215 mm / 3.46 x 3.77 x 8.46 inches
• Microphone (without attachments): 57 x 61 x 127 mm / 2.24 x 2.4 x 5 inches
• Pop Filter: 88 x 27 x 96 mm / 3.46 x 1.06 x 3.77 inches
• Microphone Table Stand: 85 x 85 x 72 mm / 3.34 x 3.34 x 2.83 inches
• Mounting Hole Size: 1⁄4-20 UNC
USB Cable • Type: micro USB
• Cable Length: 1.5m / 4.92 ft
Product Weight
• Microphone with Table Stand and Pop Filter: 570g / 1.25 lb
• Microphone (without attachments): 170g / 5.99 oz
• Microphone Table Stand: 380g / 13.4 oz
• Pop Filter: 20g / 0.70 oz
Microphone
• Polar Pattern: Cardioid and Omni-directional
• Sensitivity (@ 1 kHz 0 dB = 1V / Pa)
• – For Cardioid Pattern: -35 ± 2 dB
• – For Omni Pattern: -36 ± 3 dB
Supported Playback and Recording Resolution • Recording: PCM Stereo 44.1K / 48K / 88.2K / 96 kHz, 16 / 24-bit
• Playback: PCM Stereo 44.1K / 48 kHz, 16-bit
Headphone Monitoring • Supports 3.5 mm, 3-pole, up to 32Ω
• Frequency Range: 50–18,000 Hz
Operating Temperature 0–40°C
Power Micro USB port, DV 5V 200 mA
Controls • Supports microphone’s mute and unmute feature
• Supports direct volume level adjustments during mic-monitoring
Setup of the Creative Live! Mic M3
The setup of the Mic M3 is relatively straightforward. As mentioned above this mic includes a micro USB cord, which plugs directly into any PC or Mac that fall into the following requirements:
Windows:
• Intel® CoreTM or AMD® Ryzen equivalent processor
• Intel, AMD, or 100% compatible motherboard
• Microsoft® Windows 11 or Windows 10 32 / 64-bit
• Available USB 2.0 / USB 3.0 port
Mac:
• macOS 10.14 or higher
• Available USB 2.0 / USB 3.0 port
And yes, this even works for a PS5 or PS4:
• Firmware Version 5.0 or later for 4th Generation, Version 20.x for 5th Generation
• Available USB port
I tested using my PC, which consisted of me plugging it into an available USB port, and the PC immediately recognized the microphone as the “Creative Live! Mic M3”.
I did have to set it to its highest capability by going into my mic properties in Windows and setting it to its full capacity of “2 channel, 24 bit, 96000 HZ (Studio Quality)” format as it defaulted lower than that.
I then went ahead and added it as a source to my OBS, as I started using it to record some audio for a video (including my review of this Mic), and it was added in nicely.
Comparison to the Yheti Mic and The Creative Live! Mic M3
So I’ve actually used my Blue Yeti mic for over 10 years, no kidding. I bought the Yeti when it was even cheaper than it is now, and I’ve always loved it.
In comparison to Creative Live! Mic M3, are very comparable when you take cost into consideration. Right now, the Yeti is on discount for $101 and regularly something like $120 — which is $60 more than the Mic M3. This is double the cost.
For double the cost you get a more hefty feeling mic with the Yeti, it takes up a massive amount of space on your desk, four pickup patterns (vs 2), separate volume and gain controls, an additional condenser, and a lower bit depth/sample rate of 16bit/48KHz (vs the Mic M3’s 24bit/96KHz).
Plus the Yeti mic doesn’t include a pop filter, and it has become standard to use one for most of its uses.
How Does The Creative Live! Mic M3 Sound?
Overall, the sound on the M3 is relatively impressive, especially for a mic in this budget class. The sound has decent highs and lows, and when placed just a foot or two from my, it was able to filter background noises decently while making my voice sound pretty crisp and distinct — which would make it perfect for a streamer, or for chatting in-game. When compared to my gaming headset, it was a significant bump in overall sound quality.
When testing with a pair of headphones, the volume control cranked all the way up was able to pick up on the smallest of taps and nuances, and while the mic was very sensitive at full volume control, it didn’t sound like a wind tunnel picking up on other white noises around me. This I assume, is due to the real-time mic monitoring, which is great for literally anyone wanting a mic.
Overall, the sound was great and I’d see myself using this for anything from streaming, video recording and simple chats online.
My Overall Thoughts of the Creative Live! Mic M3
Gamers and streamers alike — for $59.99, if you are looking for a quality condenser USB Mic that sounds great, is minimalistic, and affordable, then the Creative Live! Mic M3 is a solid pick.
In comparison to a long-time favorite, the Blue Yeti, the Creative Live! Mic M3 is a VERY good quality for the cost — giving up extra mostly undeeded pickup patterns and including the two most used (Cardioid and Omnidirectional) and higher quality audio resolution for nearly half the cost.
So if you are looking for a relatively affordable condenser mic with high-end features and audio resolution for your gaming and streaming needs, then consider the Creative Live! Mic M3 (available right now on Amazon for $59.99) or to learn more visit Creative’s website.
