Samson C01UCW Studio USB Mic with Cakewalk Sonar LE

by Samson

• Industry's first USB studio condenser mic
• Plugs directly into any computer with a USB port
• Cardioid pickup pattern
• Heavy gauge mesh grill
• Large 19mm diaphragm

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 8 x 5.8 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000PTF0E2
• Item model number: SAC01UCW
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (180 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #16 in Electronics > Accessories & Supplies > Microphones & Accessories > Condenser Microphones
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

This classic USB microphone bridges the gap between mid-level USB audio adapters and pro-line products that require additional drivers, special software, and/or excess cabling. The C01U is USB compatible with any Mac or PC, as well as most DAW software programs, including GarageBand. It also comes with Cakewalk's Sonar LE digital audio workstation software. Its supreme ability to produce pristine audio recordings with ease and mobility, along with a desktop mic stand, mic clip, USB cable and carry pouch also included, makes the C01U a most valueable addition to any studio.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

104 of 105 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Bad Software taints a great mic March 5, 2006

By kindasorta

Amazon Verified Purchase

The audio quality of the mic is outstanding, worthy of 4 stars on its own. I use it to do production for radio and it sounds nearly as good as the studio mics. The problem lies with the software and the drivers. Mac users aren't the only ones experiencing headaches. If you are going to use this microphone on a Windows PC, I highly recommend using the native Windows drivers instead of the Samson SoftPre drivers, as the XP drivers are much more stable. The SoftPre, for some reason, conflicts with the native XP drivers and is prone to crashing and causing erratic audio performance - such as stuttering, clipping and popping noise, none of which I get using XP's drivers. The Samson drivers also crashed my computer three times in the first couple of days I used it, so now I am using the XP drivers. The Samson drivers aren't fully compliant with Windows XP, and as such you'll get a barrage of warnings when installing them ("Drivers are NOT digitally signed...may cause system instability!"). Its kind of a disappointment, because the SoftPre has some very useful basic features like Gain, LPF and such, but if you know anything about working with DAW's, any capable editing program will have these functions built in anyways. So for the price, I say go for it...just stay FAR away from Samson's software.

*update*

This mic works perfectly with the native OS X Tiger drivers. Its truly plug and play, have been using it in Garage band with no problems. Also, this mic works perfect with Vista...no software needed.

ALSO...I notice alot of people commenting on adjusting the balance when using this microphone. You dont need to do that, because you are forgetting that this is a MONO sound source. In your audio editing program, select the Samson CO1U, and then when you select input, choose "Input 1 MONO" instead of "Input 1-2 Stereo." Stereo is out of balance because again, its a single mono source. Hope this helps.

97 of 99 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid microphone, no real complaints. May 23, 2010

By M.D.C. TOP 500 REVIEWER

Amazon Verified Purchase

Length: 2:26 Mins

Small video to demonstrate the audio quality. The video was shot in iMovie and I didn't really care about the quality of the video (since it didn't matter). I was about two feet away from the microphone the entire time, talking at normal volume.

If you use GarageBand or Logic (Mac OS), the audio options for vocal enhancement will make the mic sound even louder when recording podcasts or music. Audacity also has such options, but if you're a Mac user stick with GarageBand/Logic. There is very little white noise or static when recording with the mic. A really good use for the mic is podcasting, as your voice is projected quite clearly to the audience. Since it's USB powered you can use it anywhere, for anything, but I don't find it to be all that portable (i.e. for remote webcam); for me not a big deal. But if you're at home and want a better audio alternative for voice chat or Skype, this mic is excellent.

Overall I'm quite satisfied. Well worth the money.

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad at all! April 11, 2006

By Tracy Latham

I have some decent mics in my cabinet, as well as a nice preamp, A/D converter and fire wire interface for my home multitracking setup. I wasn't expecting as good or better quality than I can already get, but I hoped the Samson C01B USB Studio Condenser would at least give me a decent sound. The idea was to have freedom and portablility that my studio set up prohibits. I was not disappointed. Installation was no more complicated that plugging the cable into a USB port on my laptop running XP and the other end into the mic. It is far from the best mic I have, but it is certainly not the worst. I have read reviews that say the recording quality is too thin, but I found that not to be the case. The noise floor when recording with the Samson is a little high, and it is lacking in headroom compared to any traditional mic through my Millenia preamp. I have to record at slightly lower levels than I am used to, but for $79, I am not complaining. There is no significant latency recording 16 bits at 44100hz in Fasoft N-Track Studio. The ability to plug this thing in and record at a whim is quite liberating. Way to go, Samson!