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- Portable USB condenser microphone
- Plug and Play Mac and PC compatible, no drivers required
- Custom compact design that clips to a laptop or sits on a desk
- Perfect for recording music, podcasting and field recording
- Ideal for voice recognition software, iChat, VoIP and web casting
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Having misplaced my Blue Snowflake USB mic, I decided to give this recently introduced, competitively priced USB mic from Samson a try. (Samson is maker of the highly popular and effective Zoom personal digital recorders--the H2 and the H4n.) It's an attractive, fully outfitted piece of equipment, with handsome packaging (a small black box and zippered carrying case with aesthetics apparently inspired by iPod). It's smaller and lighter than the Snowflake--more diminutive than the picture would suggest. Yet the audio quality strikes me as being somewhat warmer and richer, favoring the bass frequencies of spoken narration more than the Snowflake, which has slightly cleaner and clearer definition at the treble end.
The Samson Go was seen instantly by my iMac, and recording was as advertised: "Plug n' Play." The mic is somewhat more sophisticated than the Snowflake in terms of "latency" settings (it permits direct monitoring via headphones connected to the mic to insure no delay, or lag time, between transmission and reception), and there's a three-way switch for directional patterns (the manual could be clearer, however, about the difference between "cardioid" and "cardioid 10 pad.") No matter. The mic performed virtually flawlessly right out of the box, with no tampering with the switch.
It's extremely sensitive, slightly more so than the Snowflake. Yet I was unable to avoid the "P" popping sounds, regardless of how close I got to the mic and muted my consonants. So be prepared for the addition of some sort of "pop filter" device (either one sold on Amazon or a self-designed one, using a nylon stocking).
The mic can be clipped to the top of a computer screen or mounted on a mic stand (using a supplied adapter or ordering a properly sized one from Samson). Yet with its heavy base plus the flexible, tilting mic, it can be placed on a flat surface--much like the Snowflake, but with greater stability and without any intrusive cable. (The Snowflake tends to "flop around," requiring some balancing of the device by the user.)
My biggest disappointment thus far is that the clip, as alluded to by another reviewer, does not open far enough for attachment to a desk-top computer (it should be an ideal fit with most notebook machines). Although the Snowflake doesn't use a spring clip, it suffers from the same limitation. If you're especially concerned about durability, the Snowflake appears to be the heavier, more rugged mic, with thick metal and no tiny switches or spring clips to wear out. The Samson is the more delicate and refined of the two. But don't kid yourself. Either mic will exceed the capabilities of your computer's built-in mic and perhaps the owner's expectations. On the other hand, neither is a match for the Shure SM7B that I'm accustomed to using at a local broadcasting studio. Still, Samson would appear to have a winner with this little wonder, whether it's used in conjunction with a computer to record full-frequencied music or "realistic"-sounding narration.
Buy Samson Go Mic Compact USB Microphone - Plug n' Play Now
In the realm of digital recording, the idea of a USB-powered condenser mic was really just an inevitability, but Samson has truly impressed me with their Go Mic. This little microphone has a surprisingly rich sound to it, and captures an impressive dynamic range. The transducer is a mere 10mm, but don't let the diminutive size of it fool you; you can capture some high-quality, professional sounds with this microphone. I use mine primarily as a to-go mic for my laptop recording studio, capturing vocals and guitars with it.
One caveat I would like to mention about using this device in a multitrack context: the use of the default driver for this device is definitely not recommended. Check out ASIO4ALL, a free driver that recognizes your audio hardware and gives them a generic but highly effective ASIO driver, which cuts down on latency big time. Definitely avoid the default Windows driver if you're looking for performance.
The great thing about this microphone is that it has a headphone jack on it, which further reduces the effects of latency in a multitrack context. While it does not reduce latency per se, it can remove the latency between what you hear out of your speakers, making multitrack recordings well-timed. The headphone jack was the deciding factor between this and the Blue Snowflake, which is similarly priced. I have no experience with the Snowflake, but I know it does not have a headphone jack and its clip with which to mount the mic on a laptop is free-hanging, not spring-loaded like the Go Mic. The thing I love about the Go Mic's clip is it will attach to either the top or the side of your LCD screen, which is handy.
If you're a musician who travels with any frequency, definitely look into the Go Mic. You can't go wrong for the price, and its size is tiny enough to stow away in even the smallest laptop bag (even netbook bags). The quality of sound is great, too. This product, alongside my Korg nanoKEY, makes studio productions on the road a reality for me, and I'm thrilled with my purchase.
Read Best Reviews of Samson Go Mic Compact USB Microphone - Plug n' Play Here
There are a lot of great reviews here already, which prompted me to purchase this mic, but it seemed the number of reviews for my particular use were lacking, so here's another review from a singer-songwriter perspective.
Background: I have been playing music and writing songs for years, and I'm a gearhead so I already own tons of recording equipment in all shapes and sizes. You name a recording interface, I've probably owned it at some point, and I currently have a fully functional pc recording setup with a rackmounted pc and USB interface.
That being said, I can't carry my setup around in my pocket. Inspiration can strike at anytime, and this mic is so small that I can put it in the case and fit it in my pocket with my cellphone and keys. The pics offer no perspective on how small it really is, but to be sure, this thing is TINY.
I use REAPER as my DAW, and having used so many interfaces, I've done a fair share of troubleshooting to get devices to be recognized and function as they should, but this mic is truly plug-n-play. The mic has the omni switch on the side, which is a great feature and makes a world of difference depending on your application. The mic is super hot, and picks up sound beautifully in both modes. My intention was to have a small mic to plug in and record rough versions of "in progress" material, but just for kicks I plugged some earbuds into the headphone out to check out the direct monitoring. It works as advertised, but what I did not realize is that the pc sees the Go Mic as a mic input AND an audio output, so the headphone out can be used to monitor the WET signal from the DAW, which is GREAT news, since I like a little reverb and compression whenever possible, and it's nice to be able to eq to my taste. I add these FX in the chain so that I'm still recording just the dry signal from the mic, but I get to hear it in real time with whatever EQ and effects I like. I experienced no latency, but USB is USB, so any latency would be the fault of the computer rather than the mic anyhow.
Depending on the environment you're recording in and on your proficiency in the post production department,it's easily possible to get high quality tracks using this mic. If someone says otherwise, it's either because they own much more expensive mics, whose existence they need to justify, or because they don't know what they're doing. This is not a $1k ribbon mic, but it does stand up to several mics all the way up to the $200 range.
This mic sounds great, has an impressive form factor, and once you factor in the crazy low price, you really can't go wrong here. If it were lost or stolen, I'd order another one immediately without hesitation.
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I just received the Samson Go Mic today. First impressions:
1. beautiful packaging (very Apple-like)
2. Awfully cute, small condenser mic
3. Sound quality is remarkably good
I tested the mic and was surprised at how clean it sounded. Lacks some bass unless you're right up on it, but is perfect for on-the-road podcasting, on-line meetings or webinasrs.
Con:
Only one, the clip is really meant for a thin laptop screen and not a regular monitor. So that limits the usefulness to remote uses.
For the price, it's one of these gotta have toys that's actually a real mic. Good job Samson!
I just received my Samson Go Mic two days ahead of schedule and I could not be happier. I took it out of its impressive package, clipped it to my Asus Netbook which I am running on Ubuntu Linux, plugged it into a USB port set my sound preference and away I went. For the last two hours I have been playing my mandolin and singing at my computer and playing back on my stereo speakers. The sound is clean and natural. I can't believe this little gem only cost me fifty bucks (it's worth the ninety list price).
I am set up next to a noisy heater that the mic has not picked up when I have it set at either cardioid setting. When I set it for omni-directional, I walked fifteen feet away and it picked me up clearly without me raising my voice.
The mic's actual size is similar to a large pencil eraser. It folds into itself for storage in a nice little case that come with it. It is a sturdy, serious piece of equipment.
Yee Haw, highly, highly recommended!
