Samson C01 Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone

Product Information

One of the most important aspects of recording crisp rapping is avoiding or minimizing plosives. These sounds are caused by air pressure and can mar a recording. Thankfully, Neumann has included a high-end pop filter with the TLM 102 to combat this common issue. But overall this condenser microphone sounds great and is an excellent option for those on a budget. Where is it most effective? A high SPL is essential for use with a microphone close to the guitar or bass speaker cabinets. This is an area that it excels in. Some people like to put a microphone in front of a closet instead of on the desk. For this, a good SPL is required. This is a good option. Rapping involves syncopation, rhythm, and placing emphasis on certain vocal sounds. To record in this style, you need a microphone that authentically reproduces the tone and pronunciations of your vocals.

Samson SP01 Shock Mount for C01, C01U, CL7 and C03 Samson SP01 Shock Mount for C01, C01U, CL7 and C03

A microphone's frequency response displays the range of sounds that it is capable of capturing, in terms of pitch. For recording rap vocals, it's highly important that the mic you choose covers the complete frequency range of the human voice. Figure-of-eight capsules capture sound from directly in front and behind the microphone. Again, these are useful for recording multiple sound sources, but perhaps not the most reliable for recording solo rap vocals. Apart from capturing vocals, as a low-budget mic, you can use it for streaming (Twitch, anyone?), podcasting or just as an all-purpose crystal clear mic for meetings and video calls. It’s extremely difficult to come up with a Final Word here. So I’ll pose the question: What are you trying to record? The Samson C01 has all the performance features that you demand from a large diaphragm studio condenser microphone. It's the perfect solution for recording vocals, acoustic instruments and for use as an overhead drum mic.

It's a fairly capable mic for the money. The sound captured by the Origin is open, warm, and rich with harmonics. No matter what style of rap vocals you want to record, this pristine condenser mic will most likely do the job well enough. Despite the treble-heavy nature of this mic, it doesn’t sound harsh at all. In fact, once I jokingly told my friends that if I only had an SM7B at my disposal, I could record an entire album with it (vocals, instruments, everything). Even though 19mm is bigger than an intermediate diaphragm, we think it’s at the bigger end of a medium diaphragm. A large-diaphragm condenser microphone can be larger than 19mm, and sometimes even 22mm.

Samson C01 Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone

Photo: Mark EwingThe quoted input noise is a reasonable, but by no means exceptional, 23dBA EIN, and in normal project-studio applications is certainly low enough to be considered negligible. At 10mV/Pa, the sensitivity is roughly comparable with many other studio capacitor mics, possibly just a decibel or two less, and the frequency curve is nominally flat for all patterns, with the exception of a gentle presence peak centred at around 7kHz. With the pad switched in, the mic can put up with SPLs of up to 142dB without flinching, and the specified frequency response is from 40Hz to 18kHz at the -3dB points. If you want a reliable and durable mic, the Samson C01 studio Condenser Microphone is an excellent choice for any application. Ah, the tried and true Samson C01. Believe it or not, I’ve had this mic since 2007! Wow. Time really does fly. I can’t say enough good things about this baby. It’s rugged as a freakin’ barbell and can withstand a lot of abuse. The two sensor membranes are fragile. They are designed to collect more decent sound than a dynamic coil. It also has a gold-plated Xlr connector. Exceptionally clear and accurate, the SM7B dynamic microphone is the leading choice for podcasting and other spoken word recordings. However, its capabilities are also great for recording rapping.

Based on a large-diaphragm Chinese-built capsule, the mic is very nicely styled and cleanly engineered, with a choice of supercardioid, omni or figure-of-eight polar patterns. Supercardioid is a bit of an odd choice for studio work, but looking at the supplied polar plots indicates that it isn't too tight — very narrow cardioid patterns can be problematic if you're working with a singer who moves around a lot.