Samson G Track GM1U USB Condenser Mic Review / Test
Today I'm covering a unique item from one of my favorite microphone companies; The Samson G Track GMU1 USB Condenser Microphone.
The aspect of this microphone that sets it apart from other usb microphones lies in the fact that it functions as a USB microphone as well as a USB interface for your guitar/bass etc.
If you are interested in this microphone, it will set you back $85 on Amazon
What's In the Box
Microphone
Mic Mount
5/8" to 3/8" Mic Stand Adapter
USB Cable
3.5mm to RCA Cable
(2) RCA to 1/4" Adapters
3.5mm to 1/4" Cable
3.5mm to 1/4" headphone cable
Documentation
Specifications
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 16kHz
Polar Pattern: Super Cardioid
Sensitivity: -40dB
SPL: 132 dB
Recording Quality: 16 bit / 48kHz
Performance / Features
The build quality of this microphone is pretty good. It is an all metal construction and it has some nice weight to it. After removing it from the microphone mount a few times, it does feel like the internals were a little bit loose, so I would be careful with this microphone.
On the bottom of the microphone you have three I/O ports. The first is a 3.5mm input, which is designed for guitar input, or rca input, which is why they provided cables in the box. The second is a 3.5mm headphone output. The last port is the USB port to connect the microphone to your computer.
On the front of the microphone there are two switches. The first switch is the Input selector which allows you to switch between "Mono instrument / mono mic" and "stereo instrument". If you're recording the microphone at all, you will need to utilize the mono instrument/mono mic setting. If you're recording using the stereo RCA cable, you'll need to utilize the "stereo instrument" setting.
Beneath these switches you have three dials. The first dial is the headphone volume control which is self explanatory. The second is the instrument volume, which will increase/decrease the 3.5mm instrument input gain. The last dial is the microphone gain control which will obviously increase/decrease the microphones gain.
As far as the performance of the microphone, it was nothing to write home about. The voice, electric guitar, and acoustic guitar all sounded like they lacked life. They simply sounded boring and flat. I'm sure that this could be partially remedied by some slight EQ & Compression, but it still won't sound amazing.
Pros
Sounds decent
Functions as an interface/microphone
Relatively cheap for what you're getting
Cons
Audio sounds flat/dull
Excessively noisy preamp at 60% gain
Conclusion
This is a pretty cool device, however I don't think it will work for everyone. If you're looking to podcast or do voice overs, I don't think that this mic is designed well for you. There are too many options, it doesn't sound that great, and it picks up a bit of background noise from the keyboard.
If you're looking for studio quality audio, once again I don't recommend this mic. It simply does not provide good enough sound quality. The audio just sounded dull, and like you're not in the room with musician.
If you're looking to demo some music out or do some basic guitar covers/singing covers for youtube, I think that this is a perfect mic to test the waters and see how you like it. It's cheap and provides you all the necessary tools to connect your electric guitar while singing and will allow you the opportunity to see if you like making the videos. If you do, then you can consider upgrading to a higher quality interface and microphone.
If you have any additional questions about this microphone, leave them in the comments on this site or on the youtube channel, and I will try to reply ASAP.
Buy the G Track GM1u (Affiliate Link)
Global: https://geni.us/gtrack