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. Samson Go Mic Compact USB Microphone - Plug n' Play
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. - Microphone - Podcast - Recording - Usb Microphone'
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