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Samson CO1U USB Condenser Microphone
 
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Samson CO1U USB Condenser Microphone

by Samson
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (110 customer reviews)

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Sold by Austin Bazaar and Fulfilled by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.
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Frequently Bought Together

Samson CO1U USB Condenser Microphone + Nady MPF-6 6-Inch Clamp On Microphone Pop Filter + Samson SP01 Shockmount Spider Mount for Condenser Mics
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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 (110 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #792 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)
  • 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
94 of 94 people found the following review helpful
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.
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38 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Not bad at all! April 11, 2006
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!
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39 of 40 people found the following review helpful
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good mic for the money
This was my first mic that I purchased for the purpose of recording vocals and instrumentals. I was impressed with the step up in quality that this mic offered over other pc... Read more
Published 3 days ago by A Hill
Great Mic
I bought this mic to use with audacity as an amature rapper. The mic is amazing for that and clarity and setup is 100% great. 5 stars.
Published 18 days ago by Rapper
Nice little product, should have better UI, but still ok for the price
I have seen other USB mics, sell for more money and actually performed with less diligence. I have used this Mic extensively, it works better with MAC, than Windows, and the... Read more
Published 25 days ago by Macro books
Great for the price (Better than Audio Technica AT2020)
I have used some pretty good mics and so far this is my favorite one. The mic I had before this one was a Audio Technica AT2020 which was $100 and this one is much better by far... Read more
Published 3 months ago by loyda cruz-fusco
Microphone
Very good mic, although when i last recorded with it, sound only picked up on the left side. Overall good product though.
Published 3 months ago by Sen Cordell
Samsung mircrophone feedback
good quality, easy to record and shipped at a considerable speed. And had a fair price that wasn't too high and wasn't too low. Read more
Published 3 months ago by alastor
Clear sound :) Love it!
Very good mic... Better than trying to explain it in words, check video recorded using this great product :)... Read more
Published 4 months ago by maurindaa
Everything I wanted in a mic!
As a college student trying to get into voice acting, it was difficult to find a microphone that would be suited to what I needed. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Shutterfly
For my boyfriend.
I know nothing about microphones. It was for my boyfriend. I am not able to even plug it in. Amazon keeps making me type more words.
Published 4 months ago by Hilary Hanscom
Amazing. Simply amazing.
I purchased this microphone after Christmas, desperate for a new sound to my recording. As a rap artist, my old microphone simply didn't cut it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by AlexV94
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Discussion Replies Latest Post
Samson CO1U USB Condenser Microphone 1 Nov 10, 2011
Low Volume Fix 0 Aug 20, 2011
if anyone wants to listen to a song recorded by this microphone... 0 Jul 14, 2009
Game Compatibilities 0 Feb 8, 2009
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