Samson C01 Large-Diaphragm Studio Condenser Microphone
For the price, you can't beat the clean, accurate sound of this large-diaphragm condenser. It's great for recording vocals at home. Just add phantom power!
$79.99
- No Credit Check4 x$20.00
Overall User Ratings (based on 74 ratings)
Submitted February 23, 2014 by Ed Hutchinson in Plainfield, VT
"Samson CO1 nice cheap mic"
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This mic seems to be a favorite of the quartets in our barbershop harmony chapter. A single mic gives a very nice balance for the lead and bass (the primary voices in the center) and the bari and tenor can back away if they need to. The mic does very well with male voice range giving a pleasing warm tone without losing clarity.
Musical Background:
I am primarily a singer and have been singing for more than half a century.
Musical Style:
Barbershop mostly
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Submitted February 20, 2011 by a customer from gmail.com
"Clean sound. Versatile. Great to have as around an option."
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I would not buy a spare for backup, but I would replace if lost or damaged. If it dies on its own, I then move on to another model.
Sound
I use for recording vocals & room percussion. The highs are crisp and the lows are solid, even at various gain levels. Great for the price. Comparable to MXL990.
Features
This was packaged with studio monitors. The mic came with a storage case...use it!
Ease of Use
It has a decent spectrum that you can shape with EQ, depending on what you are recording. It seems versatile enough so far. I have owned for 2 months.
Quality
No problems with quality. Seems durable. As with any condenser mic, you must keep it stored when not in use.
Value
It is definitely worth the listed price.
Manufacturer Support
N/A
The Wow Factor
It looks very nice. The blue led provides a bit of mood lighting.
Musical Background:
Recording Engineer
Musical Style:
Pick & Roll
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Submitted December 23, 2007 by a customer from pitt.edu
"Good starting mic for a beginner or amateur recording artist."
I do wish it had better dynamic range and sensitivity, so I'll probably upgrade to a better mic in the $300-$400 range in the near future.
Sound
Acceptable frequency response with a bit higher noise than I would like, but it usually disappears in the mix. Sounds better after being "warmed up" with phantom power for a couple minutes.
Features
More mics need LEDs like this one.
Ease of Use
Plug in, 48V, good to go.
Quality
Comes in a good padded case, feels weighty and good quality, and I've left mine in cold environments (refrigerated, pretty much) for extended periods and never had any problems after taking out the mics again.
Value
This was my first studio condenser microphone, and I would say it's great for people on a limited budget or who are just starting to learn recording techniques.
Manufacturer Support
Never needed.
The Wow Factor
Pretty pedestrian looking mic, no chrome or shiny bits.
Musical Background:
Active Musician, Hobbyist
Musical Style:
Indian Classical
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Submitted July 19, 2009 by a customer from gmail.com
"Great price/quality ratio"
I am very happy with this mic, the quality is amazing and it wasn't too expensive. I am sure it will last me for the next couple of years.
Pros:
- Very durable
- Comes with padded case
- LED light
Cons:
- A bit too heavy
- Doesn't come with an XLR cable
Sound
The sound quality is very clear! It's great for vocals and instruments like drums.
Features
The coolest feature on this mic is the LED light.
Ease of Use
Plug it in, give it phantom power and you're good to go.
Quality
It's very heavy and made out of durable material.
Value
This microphone is not too expensive and the quality is not too poor. It's a perfect quality/price ratio.
Manufacturer Support
Never used it.
The Wow Factor
It looks simple.
Musical Background:
DJ,Producer
Musical Style:
House,Dance
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Submitted February 29, 2012 by Rick C in Madison, WI
"The only thing bad about have one is that you only have one you'll want more !"
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These Mics are great for the price , like any other Mic you'll need to play around a bit to find the best uses but you won't be sorry for haveing bought them get 4 you';; be happy for q very long time
Musical Background:
30 yrs playing recording
Musical Style:
Most wish i could play fusion better haven't grasped all that's needed to do so , but then again Fusion dudes have a hard time p
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Submitted December 31, 2005 by a customer from hotmail.com
"You get what you pay for"
If I have more money, I'll run back to my music store and buy a better one. But until then, I'll have to do it with this one. It's not a very bad mic, not very good, it's fair. I don't use this microphone to record my tracks, just for demo-s. Every other recording is in a real studio.
Sound
The sound is O.K. if you have a compressor, but the noise level is far too high. I have to scream and get rid of the highs to avoid noise.
Features
It doesn't have any features.
Quality
I dropped it a few times, but it still works.
Value
It's a cheap price, for an average mic
The Wow Factor
I needed a mic for recording and this one is good enough. It is also a sexy mic, MUCH, MUCH better than you see on the photos. Plus it is cheap.
Musical Background:
Signed Artist
Musical Style:
Rap
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Submitted February 24, 2005 by a customer from yahoo.com
Samson C01 Microphone Customer Review
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its a grea mic man
Sound
Man i love the sound of this mic great mic for a good prive
Features
i think its tip top
Quality
greap quality
Value
i think it has a good value
Manufacturer Support
the mic never broke on me
but i bet support would be right on it if it did
The Wow Factor
i wnted it bad
Musical Style:
rao
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Submitted July 8, 2003 by a customer from marysden.com
"THis is a really great microphone. I have used it on a variety of"
I have several mics for different uses, but if i was to replace it,
i would spend the extra bucks to get the samson C03.
Sound
I was really impressed with the C01.
Acoustic: warm and accurate.
Voice: I did a mic shootout with a Rode NT1, an Octava large Diaphragm, and other mics twice it's price. We chose it over
the others.
Electric: As long as the amp isnt screaming, it did fairly well.
Snare: I loved the snare track, was really open and quiet.
Overhead: One of my fav's for overhead.
As you can see ive used it alot and really am impressed with it.
For the price, you cant beat it.
Also, I have alot of mics, it's not that it's the only mic I use,
but it's the one of the mics I keep coming back to.
Features
It's just a Cardioid pattern, but it's brick solid and quiet.
Quality
Built really tough. I love the shockmount. Compare it to the
Octava shockmount...there's no comparison.
Value
For what you get....it's not bad at all. It's not a neumann or a
brauner of course, but they dont cost 70 bucks either.
Manufacturer Support
Never dealt with them before.
The Wow Factor
Very nice appearance. The LED helped out in dark recording sessions.
It helps keep the vocalist lined up to the mic. I have had no complaints about the led either.
Nice color scheme to it.
Musical Style:
Worship
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Submitted March 27, 2014 by Anthony M in Hawthorne , CA
"Rode ProCaster"
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The Rode ProCaster is a great mic for some who sits stationary
and is able to speak directly into the mic at all times, but while
broadcasting I also work the mixing board and have to move around the
mic. I need a mic that is multi-directional that enables me to speak
around the mic and still produce a great broadcast sound.
Musical Background:
Radio personality
Musical Style:
talk radio, hip hop, R&B
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Submitted September 18, 2012 by Matthew Johnson in Port Republic, MD
"Solid microphone, average sound, bit noisy, good starter on rock vocals"
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This was the first microphone I ever owned and have since moved on. Used soley as a vocal mic(male) in a studio with decent sound control, I have been able to compare it to other mics plugged into the same gear. I sing different genres of music ranging from rock, to soft acoustic ballads and anywhere in between.
First let me say this mic has some strengths and some weaknesses. I found the "smooth top end" that they speak of to be more of a complete roll-off. For intimate songs where you want softer vocals with detail, the only way to achieve this is with some serious gain on the high frequencies. Unfortunately, the circuitry has a rather nasty "hiss" that really becomes apparent when trying to compensate for lack of frequency response. Doesnt matter which pre was used, or if no pre at all was used, the hiss is there. I found that this mic was not suited at all for a decent acoustic project.
BUT, there is a place for this mic still in my studio. On my tracks where I put a little more "grit" into the vocal(i.e. rock, grunge) this mic, for the price, actually doesn't sound half bad. Bump up the low EQ and bring the mids down a tad and you can get a pretty decent recording out of it. If you are on a budget and looking for a studio mic, it's not bad for the price, so long as versatility is not a requirement.
If I had it to do over again(and had it been available at the time), I would have opted for the USB version, as I have heard its a bit quiter, with the same frequency response.
Musical Background:
keyboardist/vocalist for about 15 years. Mix/record solo and group projects with fellow Internet musicians around the world.
Musical Style:
Rock, alternative, acoustic, indie rock, folk
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Submitted May 4, 2003 by a customer from sbcglobal.net
Samson C01 Microphone Customer Review
Sound
Hard to hear the sound over the noise!
Quality
It's put together OK, but the fact that it's so noisy makes this irrelevant.
The Wow Factor
If you need a mic to stick in the front of a LOUD guitar amp, then this may work for you. Useless for any ambient micing because of noise level. For vocals you have to practically eat the thing to overcome the noise.
Musical Style:
Jazz/Blues/Roots
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Submitted September 22, 2010
"Pretty good for the price. I would recommend it more for vocals, guitar cabs, or snare because I've used it on those...if you a"
I bought this mic because my friend had one and I heard it. So, I was then a believer and bought it since it was on sale. I might even try this on live vocals sometime just to see because in the studio, it sounded good.
Sound
I've been recording vocals on this mic through a liquid 4 pre into pro tools HD. On the vocalist I tried: SM27, CAD M179, Heil PR-35, Audix VX5, and a DPA SDC. I may have tried another, but the C01 blew them all away except the Audix VX5. The VX5 sounds very close to the C01. However, the C01 sounded a little more natural. It's a very plain sounding mic and sounds pretty much like what you put in front of it. That's what I like about the C01 and the VX5. The response is pretty linear. All you have to do it EQ it for your mix; the mic doesn't produce any nasty stuff. I've used the C01 on live guitar cabs, too with great results. Put it really close to the speaker at a 45 degree angle from the outside of the speaker pointing to the middle and it's perfect. I used this also on snare bottom on the 4pre. It sounds just like the snare but it needs a pad. It was alllmosst clipping the whole time. Good results. I think I may have liked the SM27 slightly better on snare bottom, but, hey, for $58, why not use the C01 and EQ it a little of you are on a budget? It doesn't pick up all the well from a distance though. You probably don't want to use this on choir or probably not even acoustic guitar. It's not as sensitive as say an SM27 from a distance.
Features
All it comes with is a clip. It needs a pad though!!
Ease of Use
This microphone is really easy to use. The source should be pretty close though because of the tight pick up pattern. I believe it's actually super cardioid.
Quality
It feels solid. The only issue I've had is that my vocalist is so powerful that it distorted the mic; but I went in the room and his nose was on the mic. I told him move a few inches back and then it was fine. It was probably low end pops distorting it.
Value
I got this shipped for $58 on sale. Great.
Manufacturer Support
No experience.
The Wow Factor
The blue light is awesome.
Musical Background:
Recording/Live Engineer
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Submitted May 7, 2009
"Great Mic!"
Great value for a responsive, all around mic!
Sound
Very easy to get a clean and usable sound out of it with a good preamp. Vocal, Acoustic guitar and saxophone you name it. This thing is amazing for what it can do. It has a very smooth and raw sound, no bumps or anything. So you can pretty much tailor its tone into anything you want.
If you know how to use it, it's the best bang for the bucks out there!
Features
Practical, nothing fancy.
Ease of Use
Plug it in and off you go
Quality
Very solid!
Value
Definetly worth the money!
Manufacturer Support
Have no idea, didn't have any problems with it.
The Wow Factor
I my opinion it is not the best looking mic out there but it gets the job done.
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Submitted April 9, 2007
"$80 for a tank!"
Sound
I got this mic as part of my 8kit package. I ditched the dynamics in the kit but i still use a pair of these as overheads. I am actually really impressed with the sound quality considering the price. Who ever said that it rolls off the low end to remove the boxiness sound is a moron. It's hyper-cardioid, read the manual. It rejects the sounds from the side more than just a cardioid mic, meaning less room noise. We really need quality control on these reviews. The hyper-cardioid pattern is really why I am such a big fan of these mics. Very directional, gives great stereo separation on overheads. I think it would work outstanding in many applications such as guitar cabs, acoustic guitar, vocals, etc.
Features
What do you expect for this cheap? I would have given it a 10 if it had a pad switch.
Ease of Use
Plug in xlr cable, turn on phantom power and you're all ready to go.
Quality
This thing is a tank. The body and grill of the mic is high gauge metal that seems like it would survive a 10 story drop (not recommended).
Value
It is well worth $80. It'll be in my mic cabinet for a long time.
Manufacturer Support
Never needed it.
The Wow Factor
The blue light makes me wanna sing some marvin gaye to it.
Musical Background:
Recording Engineer
Musical Style:
Rap, R&B, Jazz, Rock, Pop
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Submitted November 5, 2006
Samson C01 Microphone Customer Review
Sound
I am a New York certified sound engineer and own an Audio Technica 4040, an Audio Technica 3060 Tube mic and 2 sm 58's. Personally i think this mic is great because of its low end being rolled off or compressed or something. If you have a bad room and dont feel like putting acoustic absorbers up this mic is for you. Other mics i have used record very accurately so they record the boxiness of my room as well, boxiness lies at the low end frequencies which is why vocal booths sound boxy because you eliminate the high frequencies but the low frequecies are still there causing a boxy tone. this mic sounds very dry and does not show any boxiness in any room because it rolls off the low end on the mic. perfect for someone who wants a proffesional sound with a low budget mic. People that say the noise is too high dont know what there talking about. its not the mic its the preamp that your using. havent any of you heard of signal to noise ratio. price does not matter to make a professional sounding recording. hey michael jackson used an sm 58 on his billie jean song that mic only cost 99 bucks. Just make sure that you stand at no closer than 8 inches to the mic a good standing point would be 12 inches away from the mouth aimed directly at the mouth .
Features
i think the rolled off bass end is a great help if you have a boxy room
Value
i think samson came out with a great mic here
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Submitted June 25, 2005
Samson C01 Microphone Customer Review
Sound
For the price it's great
Features
Nothing special, the LED light is nice.
Quality
Well built
Value
Good value
Manufacturer Support
Never broken on me
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