Samson CO1U USB Condenser Microphone

by Samson

Product Features

• 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 Manual [1.57mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000AP1RE8
• Item model number: CO1U RS
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (106 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,095 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)
  • #30 in Musical Instruments > Recording Equipment > Microphones > Condenser Microphones
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com

The C01U USB Studio Condenser Mic is the first affordable studio condenser mic with a USB interface.

For the first time ever, musicians who record music on computers have a simple, affordable way to capture high-quality vocal and acoustic instrument performances.

Seamless integration was the idea, and it was obtained by creating a studio condenser microphone that can be plugged into any computer with no in/out boxes, no expensive computer pre-amps, just a USB cable.

The C01U condenser microphone is based on our wildly successful C01. It features a 19mm internal shock mounted diaphragm with a cardioid pick up pattern ensuring pristine studio quality recordings.

The C01U works perfectly on any computer, Mac or PC, and with any DAW software program. It immediately solves a huge problem for users of many laptops, many of which have no other input method for audio devices.

It’s a must for any musician on the road or in the project studio, but the C01U is going to offer solutions to more than just musicians. The mic opens up possibilities for anyone who records audio—from Podcasters, journalists, students, and business people adding audio files to websites and multimedia presentations.

Feature List

• Large Diaphragm, 19mm, Studio Condenser with USB Digital Output.
• Compatible with any computer based Digital Audio Workstation.
• The extremely detailed sound reproduction makes it ideal for recording vocals, acoustic instruments and just about any other sound source.
• High Quality AD converter with 16 Bit, 48K sampling rate.

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

kindasorta - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Samson CO1U USB Condenser Microphone (Electronics)

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.

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

Tracy Latham "wretchasketch" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Samson CO1U USB Condenser Microphone (Electronics)

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!

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Solution For The Money, March 11, 2006

By 

Jon E. Rasmussen "hack musician and aspiring ... (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Samson CO1U USB Condenser Microphone (Electronics)

As I started building my portable music studio (laptop, mic, amp...) I ran into one major setback. The soundcard in my laptop just couldn't handle the quality of audio I was trying to record. For the price, this definitely seemed to be the best solution.

Despite the reviews sighting difficulties with OS compatibility I decided to give it a try. The mic is truly plug and play in Windows XP, requiring only a slight balance adjustment and setting the volume.

The sound quality is excellent, surpassing my expectations. For the money, and the entry level studio this is an excellent buy. I guess if you're trying to build a more professional studio, you should be looking at equipment on a different level than this.

This is a must have for the small home studio.