There's no mic gain control, though, so you'll have to set the recording levels digitally in your DAW. And of course, even if you do create an aggregate device, you can't use the zero‑latency monitoring on the Meteor at the same time as hearing a backing track off your PC.įor the zero‑latency monitoring, there's a headphone level control on the front, as well as a mic‑mute button, which is a sensible and useful addition. It's not an insurmountable problem, but it's far from ideal.
Samson sound deck for windows review drivers#
However, if you use DAW software that requires ASIO drivers (such as Cubase or Nuendo, for example) then you'll have to create an aggregate device (Mac) or use the free third‑party ASIO4ALL driver (PC) if you want to be able to hear what the computer's playing (like a backing track!) via another audio interface while you record.
Samson sound deck for windows review plus#
On the plus side, this means that there are no drivers to install: your computer will recognise straight away that this mic has been connected, and it should appear as a selectable input in any applications that use the standard OS drivers. Furthermore, there's no ASIO driver, as the Meteor (like many other USB mics) relies solely on the OS X Core Audio or Windows Direct Sound drivers. It's all well and good being able to hear what the mic is sending to the computer, but there's no output from your computer over USB. There's also a headphone output on the Meteor, intended for monitoring the recorded signal with no latency. On a 'serious' interface the 16‑bit limitation may be a concern, but on a mic intended largely for close-miked vocal work it's really not a problem. The USB conveys the mic signal digitally to your computer, the on‑board conversion being capable of outputting 16‑bit data at 44.1 or 48kHz. This mic seems to have been reasonably well thought-out for the average podcaster, but there are one or two limitations that are likely to frustrate recording musicians. There's been a proliferation of USB microphones from various manufacturers in recent years, but the quality and functionality has been rather varied, so I wanted to discover whether this one offers as much candy for the ear as it does for the eye. Visually, Samson's latest USB microphone, the Meteor, rather puts me in mind of R2D2's chrome‑plated younger brother: you really do have to admit that they've done a classy job on the styling.