• Samson Go Mic Connect Software
• Samson Go Mic Software
• Samson Go Mic Pro
• Samson Go Mic Connect Software

Samson Go Mic

Go Mic Goes Where You Go. Further expanding on the already diverse line of USB microphones, Samson has created the Go Mic as a versatile computer-based miking and recording solution. Because of its custom compact design, the Go Mic can clip right onto your laptop or sit unobtrusively on your desk. Plug and play operation also means it's completely compatible with a Mac or PC, with no drivers.

Samson Go Mic Connect Software

• Pros

  • Solid, clear signal.
  • Versatile stand can be clipped to laptops, used as a desktop stand, or mounted to mic stands.

• Cons

  • No gain knob.
  • Easy to get pop sounds, especially given the lack of DSP.

• Bottom Line

  The Samson Go Mic is a no-frills, tiny, easy-to-use improvement over your laptop or phone's built-in microphone.

We test plenty of USB mics with high prices and a wide variety of features and polar patterns. On the flip side, the $39.99 Samson Go Mic is about as inexpensive as they come. For this bargain price, you get a dual pattern mic (cardioid and omnidirectional) with a clever design that can be used with its built-in clip stand to record while sitting flat on a desk or clipped to the top of a laptop. The mic itself offers a solid signal that should improve the clarity of Skype calls and serve as a simple, easy-to-use portable tool for musicians. The Go mic can get a bit plosive (resulting in pop sounds), so getting proper placement is key, but for the price, this USB mic is a very useful tool.

Design

The Go Mic is roughly the size of a Bic lighter. At 2.8 by 1.7 by 0.9 inches (HWD) and 3.7 ounces, it's a tiny microphone that won't take up much space in your bag.

The clip stand fits around the mic for compact stowing when not in use. The stand is a minuscule, ergonomic wonder—it has rubber feet so that it can be placed flat on a desktop with the mic hinged off to the side. Or you can flip the stand over to clip it on the top of your laptop screen. If neither of these options work for you, the included nut adapter on the stand can be used to mount the mic onto a standard mic stand. All of this fits inside a tiny, flat carrying case.

Samson Go Mic Software

The front face of the mic has a silver grille and a small status LED—watch this light for peak indicators. There's no gain knob, but you can use the switch on the left side to 'pad' the mic -10dB—useful if your recording subject is loud, or seems to be peaking out at times. You can adjust the gain in your recording software in a more fine-tuned manner, but there's unfortunately no gain knob on the mic itself.

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There's a 3.5mm headphone jack for direct monitoring. This is a low latency output, but you can also monitor through your computer's out. Below the headphone jack, there's a micro USB port for the included micro USB cable.

Internally, the mic employs a fixed charged 10mm electric to deliver the audio signal. Samson claims the frequency range for the mic is 20hz to 18kHz, and that it can deliver audio in 16-bit, 48kHz format. These numbers aren't bad, but if you're looking for hi-res audio, you'll want a mic that delivers 24-bit audio, and possibly a higher sample rate than 48kHz.

The dual mic patterns are a solid feature, allowing you to record in cardioid or omnidirectional modes. Cardioid is ideal for most applications in which your sound source is a single person or object in a fixed location, and the omni mode is ideal for recording an entire room's sound.

The Go Mic doesn't appear to utilize any DSP (digital signal processing). For purists, that's good news, but if you're a recording novice, it might take a little more effort to get ideal signal levels. In the absence of DSP, what you get is a pure signal, and you can always enhance the recording with EQ or compression in your recording software later, rather than having very little control over dynamics with DSP that is baked into the signal chain.

Performance

The lack of DSP might be the ideal starting point for purists, but the low price leaves little room for the type of audio quality recording purists desire. Thus, it's best to consider the Go Mic as a solid, budget recording tool and not really a top-notch, high-quality mic. It's not that the capsule can't record clear audio, but it's not on par with a $100 or $200 USB mic. That said, if you're able to adjust the gain in your recording software and get a good signal for your recording subject, it's possible for things to be captured in a clear, crisp manner. (For help with this, check out our tips on recording clear podcast vocals.)

In testing with GarageBand, the Go Mic was easy to set up and use immediately. Mac home security camera software update. I found it easier to monitor using my computer's output. In cardioid mode, the mic sounds impressive—you can get some rich vocals, or move back to make things sound a little more crisp. No matter how you record, the mic represents an improvement over whatever is built into your laptop or phone.

It's very easy to distort the mic, so you might favor the -10dB pad setting, but the main source of issues is likely to be plosives. The Go Mic is so small, using it with a pop filter will be a challenge, unless you affix the mic to a stand and attach the filter to that. If you have no pop filter, pivoting and angling the mic on its stand is essential—you want to be close enough to the speaker to get a direct, close sound, but aiming the mic at the speaker's nose will eliminate the direct line to the capsule that otherwise would result in pops on plosives.

So, in the absence of DSP, you'll need to be more diligent about mic placement and overall levels. It'll help you get better recordings in general if you learn how to angle the mic for various scenarios. And it's certainly possible to get a solid, clean recording from the Go Mic.

Conclusions

For the price, it's hard to complain about the Samson Go Mic—it's a tool of convenience, and it does what it needs to do well enough and is easy to use. If you're looking for something a little more accurate or music-focused, there are plenty of solid USB mics available for $100 and under—we're fans of the Blue Snowball Ice, the Shure MV5, and the Blue Yeti Nano. And if you have a little more room in your budget, the Shure MV51 delivers a solid, versatile recording experience. At $40, however, there's not much more we can ask of the Samson Go Mic—it's fairly priced, portable, easy to operate, and better than any built-in mic you're using now.

Samson Go Mic Pro

Samson Go Mic

Samson Go Mic Connect Software

Bottom Line: The Samson Go Mic is a no-frills, tiny, easy-to-use improvement over your laptop or phone's built-in microphone.