SAMSON CO1U USB Condenser Microphone....SUCKS!

FYI, for Mac users, you can also combine two (or possibly more) USB microphones by going into Applications->Utilities->Audio MIDI Setup, and from the top menu open the Aggregate Device Editor. This will let you combine multiple real devices into one virtual device. It's not the best solution, but it will work.

In general terms, however, if you're planning a podcast in which you intend multiple sound sources, a USB mic probably isn't your best choice. Get a decent mixer instead, and a USB interface between your mixer and the computer. You'll find it far more flexible.

USB mics are best for podcasters who know their shows will be one-person shows, and who intend to mix in their music and other sounds in post-production.

Mac Mini Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Yes, it's limited to only one mic. Somewhere (Macintouch) people had asked about stero and were told it can only hand 1 mic.

Unfortunately the quality of the mic itself is questionable. I think I was getting as good of results with iSight camera fr audio recording.

And the USB latency makes real time monitoring pretty futile too - certainly in my experience.

The problems you're having with the mic are not really problems with the mic. Unless you are using a fancy multi-track recording set-up, Apples only handle one audio input and one audio output at a time. Sounds logical, right? I assume when you plug the mics into a hub, the Mac recognizes them all and wants you to choose one, just like it would with a scanner or printer.

If you need to use multiple mics, you should get four mics with XLR connectors and a small mixer.

I recorded a podcast or two with the Samson around Thanksgiving time when we were out of town. To hear my results, check out:

http://www.danklass.com/pill/BP20051121.mp3

I used the USB mic, a software compressor and a foam pop screen. I wouldn't say it sounds as good as my "studio" mic, but it didn't cost as much either and is MUCH more portable.

Best of luck -

Dan Klass
The Bitterest Pill





Apple G5, iBook Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Apple G5, iBook Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Apple G5, iBook Mac OS X (10.4.3)

You will need to use Audio Hijack Pro to do this. It will allow you to capture audio from loads of different places at once. Very popular among PodCasters on the Apple platform.