So I may be getting one of these, although I have a Blue Snowball, which I like a lot.

From Amazon:
Samson CO1U USB Condenser Microphone

The C01U USB Studio Condenser Mic is the first affordable studio condenser mic with a USB interface.

For the first time ever, musicians who record music on computers have a simple, affordable way to capture high-quality vocal and acoustic instrument performances.

Seamless integration was the idea, and it was obtained by creating a studio condenser microphone that can be plugged into any computer with no in/out boxes, no expensive computer pre-amps, just a USB cable.

The C01U condenser microphone is based on our wildly successful C01. It features a 19mm internal shock mounted diaphragm with a cardioid pick up pattern ensuring pristine studio quality recordings.

The C01U works perfectly on any computer, Mac or PC, and with any DAW software program. It immediately solves a huge problem for users of many laptops, many of which have no other input method for audio devices.

It’s a must for any musician on the road or in the project studio, but the C01U is going to offer solutions to more than just musicians. The mic opens up possibilities for anyone who records audio—from Podcasters, journalists, students, and business people adding audio files to websites and multimedia presentations.

Feature List

• Large Diaphragm, 19mm, Studio Condenser with USB Digital Output.
• Compatible with any computer based Digital Audio Workstation.
• The extremely detailed sound reproduction makes it ideal for recording vocals, acoustic instruments and just about any other sound source.
• High Quality AD converter with 16 Bit, 48K sampling rate.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Nice low cost mic
It took just a little playing to get the mic placement figured out, but now it produces nice sounding audio. What works well for my screencasts is to set it on the table right in front of me at about a 60 degree angle tilted away from me. So the green light on the front is pointed towards my mouth, but I talk over it. I look at the computer screen, so the main acoustic energy is flowing about 5 inches above the microphone rather than aimed straight at it. I also bought the windscreen for it to help smooth any acoustic bursts.

It works perfectly with Windows and Linux. Supposed to also work with Mac. For me, a big concern before buying a microphone was that it works with Linux. I didn’t have to do anything to get it to work with Linux. I just plugged it in and used the ALSA mixer to turn it on and used it with Audacity and RecordMyDesktop.

5 Stars Great mic at a great price
I was looking for a good high-quality condensor microphone. This is it. USB connected for digital no-noise signal. Standard size fit my stand and vibration mount. The sound is clean and perfect for voice applications. Highly recommended!

5 Stars Received right away and works great!
This was sent out fast and we were very happy with the promptness and condition of the product.

Buy/More Info

The MXL USB 007 Stereo Condenser Microphone allows you to just plug in to your portable or desktop computer, set your preferences and enjoy instant studio quality recordings.The microphone uses dual gold diaphragm capsules in a XY pattern together with low noise electronics and the latest in enhanced digital conversion techniques for pristine audio quality. In a demonstration CD, a vintage acoustic guitar was recorded with a famous studio mic going thru high quality studio gear to a hard disk recorder. The recording was compared to the MXL USB 007 fed direct to a computer. The results were nothing short of amazing; the MXL USB 007 sounded like a pristine direct to disc recording while the studio mic sounded nice, but lacked the punch or detail of the USB mic!Because of its high quality and ease of use the new mic opens up new possibilities for direct stereo recording with a standard computer such as live performances in the professional, school and home environment. It’s also a very exciting tool for podcasts, multimedia, news and broadcast applications using portable computers for remote stereo recording of concerts, lectures, or even documenting outdoor sounds in stereo for film and and sharing with friends and TV backgrounds.Imagine the fun of recording performances and sound effects from anywhere in the world on a portable computer in full stereo and sharing with friends and associates.The MXL USB 007 comes with a carry bag, a desktop mic stand, mic stand adapter, a 10-foot USB cable, wind screen, owners manual and an applications guide. The new MXL USB mics usher in a new era of high quality recording never before achieved without a studio. It completely redefines what users can do on their computers opening up a new world for the audio, computer and broadcast industries.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars A fantastic microphone!
I purchased this to record performances of my professional flute/piano classical group, the Lunae Duo. We have used it to record rehearsals and performances and are very pleased with the sound quality. In fact, it is so clear, we plan to upload the audio on our website [...] for promotional purposes! It comes with an attractive leather case and the usb chord is long enough to use with a full size mic stand or computer. The desktop stand is very sturdy and the microphone screws into it for complete security.

5 Stars Great stuff
The first USB mic I bought was Blue Snowball to record my fiddle playing. It sounded OK but the coloration was pretty obvious. Since I am a serious audiophile, I guess I should not expect much from a $99 mic. The I decided to record in stereo, thinking that may sound better, which led to my purchase of MXL USB.007. Although USB.007 costs about the same per channel as the snowball, it’s sound quality is much better. The details and tonal accuracy is much improved. Although the results are not quite professional-quality, I can’t really hear any obvious shortcoming even with my hi-end playback system. MXL did a great job of balancing the sound. With a simple mic stand and a laptop, I can make a decent home recording with no hassle. Hey I think this mic will allow just about anyone to make decent home recordings. That’s pretty amazing.

1 Star Be careful
Mine was DOA. Right channel out. LED does not light. On that particular day Austin Bazaar was the “sold by” outfit. I notice today it is someone else. Two days from now who knows. Amazon will not accept a return. Austin Bazaar will not accept a return. I am now dealing with the manufacturer’s warranty and what they state is a one to two week process to have the mic fixed or replaced. In future, I will not buy through Amazon if the “sold by” is anyone other than Amazon. If I had shopped a local brick and mortor for this, they would have exchanged it immediately. Now a simple purchase has become a two week hastle with additional shipping costs. What a mistake.

5 Stars A Complete Mike Kit for my PC
I had just bought a MXL cardiod mike elsewhere. And when I got it all it had was the Mike and a protective cage in a small suitcase. Now this MXL USB 007 kit had all I needed to start making recordings with it: Mike, USB cable, tripod for my desk, and windscreen. Nothing new to order. This is the best for me!!

5 Stars Amazingly user friendly high quality microphone
I recently purchased this Microphone and am absolutely amazed at the quality of sound. I am a violinist, and have used it to make recordings in house. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so for a sample recording made on an hp laptop go to [...]. The “Leclair Duet” was recorded live with this mic, as was “Away in the Manger.”

The mic is quite user friendly, plut it in and record. Recording was made with “Free Audio Editor” which can be found on the web.

Buy/More Info

The MXL USB.008, in addition to being a great announcers mic is also well suited for all types of music and live sound effects. The mic uses a large 32mm condenser capsule that gives pristine audio quality not possible with electrets or dynamic mics. MXL USB mics open up a new era of high quality recording direct to a portable or desktop computer. No mixers, pre-amps or special studio gear required. Just plug into your computer, set your preferences, and enjoy instant professional quality recordings.

The MXL USB.008 uses the latest enhanced digital conversion techniques, a bandwidth of 20-20 kHz, low noise front end and has real analog volume adjustments to ensure correct pre-digital levels and is MAC and PC compatible.
The MXL USB.008 comes with a 10ft USB cable, table stand, and travel case.

The new MXL USB Studio Mics were designed at the Marshall Electronics HDTV facilities in Los Angeles, CA.

Buy/More Info

MXL USB Mic Mate allows for easy connection of any microphone, dynamic or condenser to any computer through USB with no drivers required.True Plug-n-play operation, this external XLR to USB mic preamp/converter with a balanced input and three position gain switch is a must have for those looking to start recording or pod casting without purchasing a special USB microphone. Simply use any XLR microphone you already have, or purchase a reputable mic you have heard about, its simple with the Mic Mate. Provides full 48V Phantom Power.The device provides 48v phantom power for condenser mics, and incorporates a 16-bit D/A converter [Delta Sigma] with support for 48kHz and 44.1kHz sample rates. Simply plug in your favorite pro mic and record your audio using the software application of choice via USB.The MXL USB Mic Mate is a compact low noise analog preamp that converts 48 volt phantom powered studio condensers and professional dynamic mics to USB for hi quality recording on any P.C. or Mac.Its metal construction and pocket size makes it a perfect travel companion for portable computers allowing broadcasters, audio engineers and recording enthusiasts to capture great sounds wherever they go with their own mics.The new MXL USB Mic Mate makes it easy to use without any mixers, preamps, expensive studio gear or special software or drivers. Just plug in your favorite mic to the converter and the other end to the USB port on your portable or desktop computer to set your preferences and enjoy studio quality recordings.The MXL USB Mic Mate uses the best of both analog and digital technology to bring studio quality sound to any computer. Its input features a fully balanced low noise, low distortion preamp, a 3-position analog gain control and a special circuit that converts the 5 volts from the USB port to a regulated 48 volts required by professional condenser microphones. The digital section features a 16 b

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars MXL MIC MATE USB TO XLR ADAPTOR…VERY SLICK!
Nice converter for the price, but just make sure your audio recorder will let you LISTEN WHILE RECORDING. Adobe Soundbooth 2.0 is the only one of 3 audio programs I have that will let you listen WITH your mic. I also like how the red l.e.d comes on as soon as the p.c notices you’re “plugged in” ~Ace

4 Stars Works as expected
I bought this for use with my laptop, TrueRTA software and a Behringer EMC 8000 microphone, for frequency response measurement. It works well for that purpose. It’s not provided with a USB cable however – you will need to purchase that separately.

1 Star Not for music recording.
This product is very bad. In my case it have low gain with condenser mics, and it is imposible to reduce the latency while recording even using asio drivers, asio4all, audacity or whatever. I dont recommend it. Maybe it is usefull but for other purpose different than music recording.

2 Stars Works only intermittently with FCP & Garage Band
I have the same problem that another reviewer has. Sometimes I record and the sound is great, then for no reason, the sound is all noisy and garbled. When that happens, I have to restart FCP. I lose a lot of good takes and also lose time in a fast-paced production environment. This is not good. This is not acceptable.

I don’t know if the problem is with the mic or with Apple…but I have the same problem on two different computers in both Final Cut Pro and Garage Band.

I cannot recommend this to other users of FCP or Garage Band.

3 Stars It doesnt come with a cord
I bought one of these the problem is the thing is 2 sided one side i plugged my mic into and the otherside plugs into the computer.. and requires a cord to go from it to the competer it didnt come with this chord so now im just sitting here confused and dont know what to do

Buy/More Info

C01UPAK C01U Microphone and Podcast Pack comes with CO1U mic, Cakewalk Sonar LE software, Desktop mic stand, mic clip, shockmount, USB cable, aluminum case.The C01U works perfectly on any computer, Mac or PC, and with any Digital Audio Workstation software. It immediately solves a huge problem for users of many laptops, many of which have no other input method for audio devices. For the first time ever, musicians who record music on computers have a simple, affordable way to capture high-quality vocal and acoustic instrument performances. Seamless integration was the idea, and it was obtained by creating a studio condenser microphone that can be plugged into any computer with no in/out boxes, no expensive computer pre-amps, just a USB cable. It features a 19mm internal shock mounted diaphragm with a cardioid pick up pattern ensuring pristine studio quality recordings. It’s a must for any musician on the road or in the project studio, but the C01U is going to offer solutions to more than just musicians. The mic opens up possibilities for anyone who records audio from Podcasters, journalists, students, and business people adding audio files to websites and multimedia presentations.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great Value
Just confirmed what most other reviews agree on: this is a high quality product for its price, while it’s only con is the software it comes with, which is not only bad, but also a trial version.

The voice over we recorded as a test came out clean and detailed, although I’m sure we still have to fine tune placement and levels to get the best out of it.

4 Stars Read this before you buy it
1. I found that I needed to remove the center insert from the stand’s tube with a small coin to unscrew the little inset. Had to call international long distance to get support on it.

2. I found that even if you plug it in, the Macintosh doesn’t automatically switch over to it, and I had to choose it in Preferences on the Mac.

3. The included software for the Mac was kind of inadequate.

Other than that, this product deserves its good rating! For me, RTFM the next time…

5 Stars Great Mic
Great mic i love it its bin working so good for me great sound its perfect

4 Stars A great product!
The microphone works great! It got a little banged up in shipping, however… it seems that the mic stand base shifted out of it’s place in the case (see picture)… it must of bounced around and hit the mic and dented it a little bit, but doesn’t affect the performance of the mic. It’s a solid, pro-quality microphone and very easy to hookup via the usb connection to your PC. I’m not fond of the recording software it comes with… there are better ones out there.

5 Stars Awesome studio quality mic!
I was looking for a good quality mic to do voice over work and play around with guitar recording just for the fun of it and wow did I make a perfect choice. I can’t tell you how high the quality of an acoustic guitar is over this mic! The overall quality of this product is ridiculous! Plug and go.

Now if I could just figure out how to get that bassy/warm radio announcer effect…

Buy/More Info

For the first time ever, musicians who record music on computers have a simple, affordable way to capture high-quality vocal and acoustic instrument performances. Seamless integration was the idea, and it was obtained by creating a studio condenser microphone that can be plugged into any computer with no in/out boxes, no expensive computer pre-amps, just a USB cable. It features a 19mm internal shock mounted diaphragm with a cardioid pick up pattern ensuring pristine studio quality recordings. The C01U works perfectly on any computer, Mac or PC, and with any DAW software program. It immediately solves a huge problem for users of many laptops, many of which have no other input method for audio devices. It’s a must for any musician on the road or in the project studio, but the C01U is going to offer solutions to more than just musicians. The mic opens up possibilities for anyone who records audio?from Podcasters, journalists, students, and business people adding audio files to websites and multimedia presentations. Smooth, Flat Frequency Response USB connection cable included Perfect microphone for Podcasters as well as Musicians 16-bit sample resolution Supports 8 kHz, kHz, 22.05 kHz, 44.1 kHz, and 48 kHz sampling rates USB low-power device – draws 26 mA =>130 mW. In suspend mode 0.3 mA =>1.5 mW. Frequency response – 40 Hz to 18 kHz

Buy/More Info

MXL 990 USB powered microphone opens up a new era of high quality recording direct to your portable or desktop computer. No mixers, preamps, or special studio gear required. Just plug the MXL 990 mic into your computer, set your preferences, and enjoy instant professional quality recordings. The MXL 990 USB has changed the way project studio recordings are being created. The 990 USB is a condenser microphone utilizing a 6 micron, 20mm gold-sputtered diaphragm, and has a high quality FET preamp. The MXL 990 USB mic uses the latest enhanced digital conversion techniques and is Mac and PC compatible.Includes a tripod stand, case, and stand adapter.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars An awesome mic for the price
I purchased this microphone several months ago based on a recommendation from a very reputable source. I am using it exclusively for voice recording. I am more than pleased with this microphone and its ease of use. The clarity is excellent given the price. My first recordings with this microphone were sent off to the studio and they were amazed at the quality. In fact, the recording was sent to another engineer for an opinion of the quality and he was equally impressed.

My setup includes the MXL 990 USB and Adobe Audition 3.0. I have not needed the simple preamp software as of yet, but may play with it to see just how much more I can do with it. For the price and for having a very simple recording studio at home, this microphone has simply amazed and I am tempted to get a second one just to have it around.

5 Stars NICE mic!
I bought this for MySpace karaoke and I find myself using it all the time for digital recording. The sound quality is great!

I love how easily it sets up and tears down… and, since it doesn’t require me to install software drivers, it works perfectly with embedded web programs.

Perfect choice and a great price!

1 Star Crappy. Mic.
If you want your recordings to sound like AM radio, then use this mic. Awful quality for such a high price. I messed around with it for 5 minutes, then boxed it back up and shipped it back so I could get my money back. If you’re looking for a good USB mic, this isn’t it.

4 Stars In response to Abhishek
It isn’t really a con that this mic doesn’t record in stereo. Since it records everything at once, stereo and mono would be exactly the same here. You can split the mono track into stereo, and then edit both sides of the track individually.

5 Stars Excellent USB Mic
This mic is very solid considering it is USB; if you want to get a studio sound out of your microphone then you need to go to a real studio. However for recording demos and such with logic or garage band: This thing is great. Plug and play, levels are easy to adjust and the stand is nice. What alot of folks need to do is play with the EQ after recording the vocals, that makes a HUGE different in the sound of the track.

Buy/More Info

For the first time ever, musicians who record music on computers have a simple, affordable way to capture high-quality vocal and acoustic instrument performances. Seamless integration was the idea, and it was obtained by creating a studio condenser microphone that can be plugged into any computer with no in/out boxes, no expensive computer pre-amps, just a USB cable. It features a 19mm internal shock mounted diaphragm with a cardioid pick up pattern ensuring pristine studio quality recordings. The C01U works perfectly on any computer, Mac or PC, and with any DAW software program. It immediately solves a huge problem for users of many laptops, many of which have no other input method for audio devices. It’s a must for any musician on the road or in the project studio, but the C01U is going to offer solutions to more than just musicians. The mic opens up possibilities for anyone who records audio?from Podcasters, journalists, students, and business people adding audio files to websites and multimedia presentations. Smooth, Flat Frequency Response USB connection cable included Perfect microphone for Podcasters as well as Musicians 16-bit sample resolution.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great tool
This was a very simple install but be sure to go to web site and download the software for adjusting the mike. The software disc sent with the mike is not intuitive at all and useless for my purposes. I am very happy with my purchase.

4 Stars good mic
i use this mic for recording music with garageband on my mac. i don’t have much of a recording studio setup, so i always end up with fuzz, but this mic made a significant improvement on that, as well as just working a whole lot better than the built in mic on the computetr. I feel it was well worth the money and would recommend the mic for a beginner musician like me, it may or may not be professional quality, i just don’t know. but it works well for both guitar and singing.

5 Stars Good Solid Performance at a resonable price
I am just starting to provide voice overs for tutorials and needed a convenient way to record audio on my PC. At first, I tried the classic headset/mic combo using my on board PC audio. This was unbearable to listen to.

I then purchased a Sony F-V220 Uni-Directional Vocal Microphone with Extended Frequency Response microphone. This was a distinct step up with vast improvements in sound quality. The remaining issue was hum introduced by the PC motherboard audio. I considered competing products for about 2 weeks until I settled upon the C01UCW.

The C01UCW promised great results with the ease of a single USB plug. I purchased one and would highly recommend it to others in my situation. The voice quality is great and the hiss/hum is virtually eliminated. The program I am using has an automatic filter to zero the levels between the actual speaking parts so when in actual use, the very little hiss that can be heard with windows sound recorder is completely lost when speaking normally.

The real test has been the positive responses from the people listening to the final results.

In summary, super simple USB installation (no drivers needed in WXP), very low noise, and great sound quality for a reasonable price.

The only niggles that I have with the C01UCW are:

The power light on the mic I received does not come on even though the mic works flawlessly. I am using a USB1.0 port while the device is USB2.0. The manual does not indicate that this should be normal.

The cardioid pattern was supposed to reject sounds from off-direction sources. It might be better than a unidirectional mic but with the sensitivity of this mic, any noise that has direct line of sight to the front of the mic is likely to be picked up. I can tell that those sounds from behind the mic are distinctly reduced.

I did not use the Cakewalk software. The stand works but only accepts the heavy mic in very limited stances. The heavy mic puts the center of gravity very high and the short stand legs have a difficult time compensating. I also purchased the isolation shockmount further raising the CG exacerbating the problem. To be sure, the stand works and I use the stand. I just use the stand in one position with the weight supported over one leg of the stand as the only viable option. It is definitely better to have the stand than not. It saved quite a bit of hassle and money to get the stand as a bundle.

Buy/More Info

Record studio quality audio directly into your computers USB input and digital recording software with the Samson C01U!Some very clever Samson engineers managed to build the entire USB audio interface into the barrel of their best selling C01 Studio Condenser microphone. For the first time ever, musicians who record music on computers have a simple, affordable way to capture high-quality vocal and acoustic instrument performances. Seamless integration was the idea, and it was obtained by creating a studio condenser microphone that can be plugged into any computer with no in/out boxes, no expensive computer pre-amps, just a USB cable (includes 10 foot cable).The C01U condenser microphone features a 19mm internal shock mounted diaphragm with a cardioid pick up pattern ensuring pristine studio quality recordings. The C01U works perfectly on any computer, Mac or PC, and with any DAW software program. It immediately solves a huge problem for users of many laptops, many of which have no other input method for audio devices.Its a must for any musician on the road or in the project studio, but the C01U is going to offer solutions to more than just musicians. The mic opens up possibilities for anyone who records audiofrom Podcasters, journalists, students, and business people adding audio files to websites and multimedia presentations.The C01U comes bundled with Cakewalk Sonar LE, their vastly popular digital audio workstation software, giving users additional power and versatility to digitally record audio in any situation.Also available as a package which comes with a desktop mic stand, mic clip, shockmount and USB cable in a durable, lightweight aluminum case.Samson C01U USB Microphone FeaturesIndustrys first affordable USB Studio Condenser micPlugs in directly to any computer with a USB inputCardioid Pickup PatternLarge 19mm DiaphragmH

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Easy as pie
This is a USB mic. It plugs directly into the USB jack of the computer, thus bypassing the need for an audio interface mixer. That said this is a quality mic with good sound . The ease of use is it’s best selling point. As long as you don’t need to mix two mic inputs this does the job and can save you money. If you’re just getting into podcasting I highly recommend this samson mic.

3 Stars My Review
I got the mic from Amazon because it was the best price anywhere on the internet. Excited when it came, I later came to find out it was not compatible with my laptop because the soundcard did not support it. I returned the item, simple as that.

Buy/More Info