Samson C01U Pro Microphone - Best Budget Mic?

Loliplol · January 10, 2017

First, some history. So I don't waste your time First version of this microphone was released way back in 2005 and it got famous real quick. But, it was soon forgotten because Blue Yeti took over. However, Samson is back and they improved the old one a lot. New version features headphone output with zero-latency monitoring, and an improved signal to noise ratio, but has a lot more to offer. Roll the intro.

Their website claims it also features natural warmth and detail of vocal and instruments, every producers’ dream. But we’ll check if it’s true.

First that we spot on the box is that it’s USB, so no XLR output and no use with mixers. Unboxing is simple, it’s fairly protected by the foam and my box came all beaten up. Luckily, the mic was not damaged.

It features a 19mm diaphragm and really ensures studio quality audio. If you’re interested in a sound test, it’s at the end of the video.

Big improvement for us, and I’m sure for a lot of producers out there is that headphone port. I use it all the time, since it can output microphone’s sound mixed with computers one, which helps a lot. Their website claims this mic is great for voice overs, audio for YouTube videos like this one, and recording instruments.

But, the biggest con of this microphone is that it features only supercardioid pickup pattern. It’s not a big deal since it picks up anything in front of it and eliminates everything behind, but this isn’t a microphone made for interviews. Big plus of this microphone is that the diaphragm is shock-mounted, and it does a really great job at eliminating vibrations from the table or anything else.

Another good thing of this microphone is that it features flat frequency response, from 20Hz to 20kHz, so you can really edit the audio. With it’s 16-bit, 44.1 to 48 kHz resolution, you can be sure this mic will capture clean sound. Peak LED indicator in the front indicates when the audio is peaking, which is really helpful since I can’t look at the screen and read something from the paper in the same time. Green means good, red means peaking.

Let’s talk about build quality. This is solid metal. Everything is made out of metal. Table stand, mount, body, capsule, anything you name is metal. And that means great build quality. The table stand is okay, does it's job, although Samson sells a better one seperately. I’m not gonna talk much about the cable, since there isn’t a lot to talk about. It’s long and okay, not too durable but does its job. A big plus again for this microphone that it’s plug and play, no drivers needed. And it works with my iPad which is helpful. It’s compatible with both Windows and Mac.

Overall, honestly I would recommend this microphone to producers who are new to producing, but that doesn’t mean that professionals can’t use it. For the price it sells for, this is way too good. And I would recommend it over Blue Yeti and I wish more people knew about this product.

Video:

I hope you like this little review I did! What do you think about it? I'm new to all this, so I appreciate everything you write

EDIT:

Filmed with Canon 70D. Yea yea, I know, it's not the best I'll do my best to improve it.

GamerzCentralYT · January 15, 2017

On 1/10/2017 at 6:41 PM, Loliplol said:

First, some history. So I don't waste your time First version of this microphone was released way back in 2005 and it got famous real quick. But, it was soon forgotten because Blue Yeti took over. However, Samson is back and they improved the old one a lot. New version features headphone output with zero-latency monitoring, and an improved signal to noise ratio, but has a lot more to offer. Roll the intro.

Their website claims it also features natural warmth and detail of vocal and instruments, every producers’ dream. But we’ll check if it’s true.

First that we spot on the box is that it’s USB, so no XLR output and no use with mixers. Unboxing is simple, it’s fairly protected by the foam and my box came all beaten up. Luckily, the mic was not damaged.

It features a 19mm diaphragm and really ensures studio quality audio. If you’re interested in a sound test, it’s at the end of the video.

Big improvement for us, and I’m sure for a lot of producers out there is that headphone port. I use it all the time, since it can output microphone’s sound mixed with computers one, which helps a lot. Their website claims this mic is great for voice overs, audio for YouTube videos like this one, and recording instruments.

But, the biggest con of this microphone is that it features only supercardioid pickup pattern. It’s not a big deal since it picks up anything in front of it and eliminates everything behind, but this isn’t a microphone made for interviews. Big plus of this microphone is that the diaphragm is shock-mounted, and it does a really great job at eliminating vibrations from the table or anything else.

Another good thing of this microphone is that it features flat frequency response, from 20Hz to 20kHz, so you can really edit the audio. With it’s 16-bit, 44.1 to 48 kHz resolution, you can be sure this mic will capture clean sound. Peak LED indicator in the front indicates when the audio is peaking, which is really helpful since I can’t look at the screen and read something from the paper in the same time. Green means good, red means peaking.

Let’s talk about build quality. This is solid metal. Everything is made out of metal. Table stand, mount, body, capsule, anything you name is metal. And that means great build quality. The table stand is okay, does it's job, although Samson sells a better one seperately. I’m not gonna talk much about the cable, since there isn’t a lot to talk about. It’s long and okay, not too durable but does its job. A big plus again for this microphone that it’s plug and play, no drivers needed. And it works with my iPad which is helpful. It’s compatible with both Windows and Mac.

Overall, honestly I would recommend this microphone to producers who are new to producing, but that doesn’t mean that professionals can’t use it. For the price it sells for, this is way too good. And I would recommend it over Blue Yeti and I wish more people knew about this product.

Video:

I hope you like this little review I did! What do you think about it? I'm new to all this, so I appreciate everything you write

EDIT:

Filmed with Canon 70D. Yea yea, I know, it's not the best I'll do my best to improve it.