Customer Reviews

Samson G Track USB Microphone and Audio Interface

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This will be a nice semi-quick review with a little more technical perspective than a lot of the previous ones. I'm a big home recording nut, who's been on the road a lot the last year, mostly recording with my laptop, this mic, and a full version of Sonar.

First off, the audio quality:
Pretty decent. No noticeable glitches while using. Does sound a little tinny at times, but it's definitely on par with most of my other $100+ mikes (my most expensive one is a $200 Rode). Very usable for recording vocals (singing), but I haven't tried it with an acoustic guitar or other acoustic instruments. VERY-usable-plus for recording spoken words. Frequency range seems decent, but again, I haven't really ran the thing through a full range of applications.

Build quality:
Nice and solid. Almost too heavy though for easy lugging on small trips...but I keep it in the manufacturer's box and slide it in my suitcase, and so far it has made every trip just fine.

Ease of use:
Big plus here, despite a stable Windows OS possibly being as much responsible for the super simple use of the thing as the mic itself. Plug it in via USB, and you're ready to go. No special driver install or software required to get it working.

Extras:
- Line in and headphone out are constructed directly on the mic...this lets you use the mic as a line-in for recording an electronic keyboard or electric guitar directly into your recording software. And then you can use the microphone part of it to record vocals or any acoustic instruments. Nice double-feature to have in the same piece of hardware
- Comes with a very usable desk mic stand
- Comes with all the necessary cables to use right away
- Comes with some scaled-down Cakewalk recording software for your computer

I expected the sound quality would be usable and it is, but I admit the all-in-one extras and the acceptable price were what ultimately snagged me and prompted the one-click order.

Final thoughts:
If you're only doing podcasting (no music or instrument input required), you might consider a lower priced USB mic without the extras. BUT, if you're doing music with the thing, the line-in and line-out features and easy direct monitoring are way nice and worth the price.

I've worked for for radio stations doing classical music recording & live 'casts. My expectations for any mike at this price are pretty modest.
Boy, was I surprised!!! I can only address voice recording, as that's all I've used it for so far, but WOW! It sounds good enough that I was wondering if I'd gotten a "freak?" Seeing the number of 5 star reviews, I think it's simply a great product for the price. Do consider getting the shock mount, for best results. For voice-overs, I use it on a floor stand and read standing up. Better diaphragmatic breath control - I need all the help I can get. Makes me sound like I'm using an AKG 414 (just not quite as good s/n). A real keeper!

Before buying this I was mainly concerned with quality (best value for the money). I had initially considered the AKG Perception 100, but it needs XLR inputs. Buying an input device for my pc or a usb mixer, would have put me over budget.

The Samson G Track exceeded my expectations. I use it for Podcasting and film post production. I do not hear any background noise. The sound is solid. You can't go wrong with this mic.

i am very impressed. i've been playing around with line in and mics for recording using Garageband with mixed results. I plugged in this mic and 1) it worked the first time, 2) the sound quality is adequate (although a bit volume sensitive) , 3) i love the multi track recording, 4) no noticeable latency. I am very pleased for the price.

let me start by saying two things..i have owned every mic out there , usb.. phantom powered..., etc...and i have been playing music for 18 years now...i record my own music, in my own studio...jazz ,punk, metal , rock , blues , etc....this is by far the best mic out there period...people who say other wise DO NOT KNOW HOW TO USE IT!!! take some time , read the manual, adjust settings, move it around to find your sweet spot...vocal recording...check ...guitar recording(acoustic and electric) ...check ....drums/percussion ...check.... or record the whole damn band at once and burn it to a cd!!!the only downside to this package is the crappy free software they throw in , which is barely usable...us the free program AUDACITY , for near pro qualty studio results...i guess GARAGE BAND , will work also...this comes with just just about every audio plug in adapter known to man......nice product...need better software bundle though!!!!...bravo SAMSON...very cool indeed!!!

I bought this microphone for my son who is a high school musician. He plays guitar and a couple of other instruments, and was needing to record some demos for college applications and summer camps.

Here was what I was looking for in a microphone:

USB connection - Yes
Includes recording software: Yes, Cakewalk Sonar LE
Includes desktop stand: Yes
Has headphone output for monitoring the recording: Yes

The sound quality on this mic far exceeds the Logitech USB microphone we were using before. I made a homemade pop filter with some items I had on hand and it works fantastic.

My one complaint is that the microphone stand came with the European microphone adapter installed and was extremely hard to get out. Once it was removed, it was easy to attach the microphone to the stand.

When we received the microphone the software CD was shattered. I called the company and the phone was answered within a few rings by a real live person in the USA who immediately shipped me out another CD. I was impressed that the problem was handled so efficiently.

The recording quality is fantastic as well. My son had some friends over who are also musicians and everyone really loved the recording quality on both vocals and instruments.

I bought this mic to practice and rough out client projects at home. I was amazed at the quality of the recordings possible with this microphone and my computer alone. I also bought the mic stand (bl3) and the pop filter that were made by Samson as well.

The software is lacking and after installation, it would not unlock correctly. That was quickly solved by the software company with another download of the product from their server and a new unlock code. This new version is better than what was shipped and was totally free.

This is a great mic for voice over work and I would imagine pod-casting, but I have never done the later.....hope this was helpful!

I got this for our band practice so we can review our parts. We play mostly rock & hard core so it can get pretty loud. The mic handled everything pretty well after setting the levels. Granted it wasn't crystal clear as in a recording studio, but for practices and hashing out sections, it's served us perfectly. I use Audacity to record. I think my next purchase would be the shockmount.

This product is my first experience in recording my music on my PC. The Cakewalk software is above and beyond what I was looking for in a DAW. I have barely scratched the surface of its capabilities and I am totally satisfied. So far the recording quality from the mic/instrument input is pretty good. Sometimes it takes alittle tweeking to get a better quality sound but there are multiple ways to improve the sound (ex. adjustments can be made at the instrument, mic, DAW, or soundcard). Do not expect perfect sound from this device. If you want perfect sound go spend a couple thousand dollars on high quality studio equipment. If you are frugal musician like myself who needs a means to record, refine, and share my music, then this product is for you. I have experienced some minor problems (mostly user error) but tech support and discussion boards have helped me through.

I bought this mike to record classical guitar at home. Quality of recording is good and controls are easi to set. Software that comes with it, however, is cumbersome and rather unclear. I am using it with Magix Audio software and so far quality is very good. ALthough it will not replace an average recording studio, it is a good compromise for recording "on the road" and for polishing pieces before doing a final recording. I am told it works beautifully with Mac's Garage Band. Mi PC sound card is not very good so maybe with Mac the quality will improve further. Overall a good product.