Category Archives: Condenser Mic

Samson C03U USB microphone is based on the very popular C01 studio microphone from Samson you get good quality audio sound, advanced capabilities and a highly efficient audio digital converter that works great to convert sound waves to digital form.

The Samson C03U will work on just about all computers running Mac or windows. I have had no problems with using this microphone with Garageband and also Amadeus Pro my favourite audio editing software. It is not necessary to install any extra software or drivers. Samson condenser mics do offer extra drivers, but the reports that have come back from users that have tried these drivers, is that you are better off leaving them alone as they crash and do not work very well. If you do try the extra software the Samson SoftPre, this gives you an input level meter, volume control, high pass filter and a phase switch and Samson says it works on a Mac or on Windows. If you have good digital audio workshop (DAW) facilities you probably won’t need this software.

Samson C03U USB Condenser Microphone

It has switchable patterns so you can select it to record close up or set to record the ambient room sounds, or maybe if you want to record a group of people talking around a conference table it would work well for that too. The recording patterns available are polar pattern, super cardioid, omni, and bidirectional. It is a condenser type microphone and the diaphragms within the microphone are shock mounted so that’s touching the microphone will not affect the sound recorded. The Samson C03U is extremely durable and also portable. The durability is because it has a solid die-cast construction so carrying it around with your laptop is not going to be a problem.

Certainly you can use this microphone for podcasting or training screen casts for work purposes such as for clients and colleagues. It is easy to mount this Samson C03U with a good table stand and a shock mount or use a shock absorbing pad or you can put this microphone on the end of a mic boom, floor mounted stand. USB mics are so easy to connect up and use.

I would suggest that if you were to buy the Samson C03U USB Condenser Microphone you are likely to be very pleased with it because it is a work horse of a microphone and will certainly last a long time, You will have happy podcast listeners due to having used the Samson rather than using the in built mic of the laptop computer.

This microphone receives good reviews generally and the people that have bought it are using it to make songs and quality podcasts. You might need to set your gain down a little bit and possibly have it switched on the microphone down 10 decimals and it will still be able to record really clearly. In any case whichever mic you are using it is a good idea to test a number of settings. It depends on the system that you’re using Certainly works well with Amadeus Pro on a MacBook Pro and has been found to be really easy to use. At least unlike the Shure SM58 microphone you can plug it straight in, no need for a mixer or any XLR cables. The USB cable is about three metres long with the Samson.

Samson C03U USB Condenser Microphone

This is the best condenser microphone that I often use for podcasting and it is supersensitive also. I also use this microphone for talking on Skype and certainly works well for that too although maybe it is a little bit too sensitive. The Samson USB microphone is very good for a podcaster microphone, other users have also used it to work with speech recognition software such as a Dragon Dictate or Dragon Naturally Speaking and have found that it works pretty well for speech recognition. The Samson C03U is of a similar quality to the Blue Microphones Snowball Mic. Of the microphones by Samson microphones this is perhaps the best USB microphone. For podcasting I would say that a Samson mic is a good choice.

There are other microphones out there but for me this is the best condenser mic of the usb studio microphone type. Microphones usb and in particular the Samson mics are really sensitive and pic up levels of sound you wouldn’t expect of even the best condenser microphones. Which is the best studio microphone to get, or should I say which is the best usb condenser mic on the market? When  you are looking for the best usb microphones then Samson would have to be on your list for a good usb studio mic to get.
Using a mic condenser type is best in a studio setting.

One of the favourite microphones for podcasting is the microphone from Blue called a Snowball. It’s got a retro sort of look about it and it has a small tripod so you can put it on to a desk, and it just works quite nicely. With the tripod it is adjustable so that you can move it to a position where the sound is close so that you get a better sound quality in your recording. The same as with other microphones you should have the Snowball microphone close to the mouth or other sound source and that helps to eliminate echo and get a deeper richer sounding voice that sounds professional. If you use the microphone in this way you will get a good clear  sound without it being tinny and also without sacrificing on the low end of the range so it will not sound to boomy or hollow. This good microphone is affordable and very good for voice-over projects and podcasting and connected to your laptop you can do quick and easy live recordings.

Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone (White)

The top of the microphone where the actual internals of a microphone are, is actually spherical and if you buy the white one it looks like a snowball. You can also buy the same microphone in brushed aluminium and in black version. It is a good looking microphone and the metal grill in the white frame of the globe of the top of microphone has a look of the old  time retro microphones.

Because it is a USB microphone and comes with its own USB cable it is very easy to calibrate the microphone so that it will work with your operating system whether that is Windows or Mac or maybe also Linux. You can plug it into your USB port and it will simply just work.

The microphone has three different pattern modes which allow you to record in different situations. The cardioid mode is well suited to podcasts, sung vocals and it suits the sound sources that are directly in front of the microphone. The sound it produces is a rich full-blooded sound. It will make you sound good, even sexy.

Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone (White)

There is a second cardioid mode with a -10 decibel padding which is the same as the other mode but this allows you to capture sounds which are louder but the same higher fidelity. There there is an omnidirectional mode to allow you to capture the ambience of a live recording of a rock band, perhaps you are at a concert of some sort and it picks up the sound equally in all directions. This will be good for meetings too.

When you plug in the Blue Snowball microphone you don’t have to do any settings, it will work straight away out of the box, without you having to fiddle with any drivers or other messing about. A blue snowball microphone should cost you in the region of around $60 so it is very good value for such a good quality microphone. Blue mics are good microphones for sure.