Lightweight and ideal for journalism, audio for video, and documentary applications, the M3 MicTrak from Zoom is a 4-channel, camera-mounted, combination shotgun microphone and recorder, with two internal shotgun mics that can switch between hyper-focused supercardioid (90°) or wider bidirectional (180°) modes at the press of a button. Thanks to dual AD converter circuits inherited from the pro F-Series recorders, no gain adjustment is necessary, and the M3 captures quality audio in 48 kHz / 32-bit floating point for crisp sound without clipping.
The M3 sports a 3.5mm headphone output for real-time monitoring and a 3.5mm stereo line out for sending your audio directly to an external recorder, such as a camera audio input or a secondary field recorder. The M3 is fully compatible with microSD cards for onboard recording, minimizing the amount of equipment you need with you on shoots, and can run on two AA batteries, USB-C bus power, or an optional Zoom AD-17 AC adapter (sold separately).
F-Series Features in a Shotgun Microphone
The M3 MicTrak is designed to fuse the professional guts and features of the F-Series recorders with the convenience and portable form factor of a fully stereo shotgun microphone. This middle road allows the M3 to provide excellent functionality at an attractive price, while remaining easy to use in any video-oriented recording scenario.
- 32-bit floating point recording provides excellent headroom and helps to avoid clipping issues
- High max SPL of 132 dB delivers further protection against clipping for loud sound sources, such as performances, crowds, or other high SPL environments
- 12 hours of battery life for improved operating time and multiple power options including AA battery, USB bus power, or AC adapter (sold separately)
- Dual AD converter circuits, derived from the F-Series, make manual input gain adjustment unnecessary
- Support for broadcast and film quality BWF wav format
Easy to Use
The M3 MicTrak makes location shooting a breeze, with robust built-in recording features that make hauling separate recording devices unnecessary and dedicated outputs for headphone monitoring or line-level signals. The 4-channel internal system allows you record in stereo while simultaneously monitoring the mid and side microphones to hear the differences, a useful feature for mixing an ideal stereo signal from a wide, bidirectional recording.