Samson C01U Help

[AnalexBeetleBum]

Hello VAA community!

I recently got a used C01U from a friend who bought it new and almost never used it, and I'm having a few problems with it. First of all, the playback I get when I record is super quiet. Practically inaudible. I have to turn the microphone capture volume setting on my laptop almost all the way up, which results in horrendous background white noise.

The other problem is that when I record one channel is loud and the other is soft, so the sound mostly comes out of the left speaker. Now, I've read that this is because the C01U is not a stereo microphone, so I need to record in mono. Is this true?

If it's helpful I'm using a trial version of Cool Edit Pro 2.0 to record my auditions right now until I get the software that came with the microphone (Cakewalk’s Sonar LE according to the Samson website) from my friend.

Thanks in advance for any help you lovely people can provide!

[Lao Dan]

re: the low recording volume

The same thing happened to me when I began recording with the CO1U.
Where did you adjust the microphone capture volume setting. Was it under Master Volume?

[AnalexBeetleBum]

The same thing happened to me when I began recording with the CO1U.
Where did you adjust the microphone capture volume setting. Was it under Master Volume?

This is on Windows XP. Any other system, I'm not sure how to do it.

Make sure your C01U is plugged into your computer
Right click on the little "Volume" speaker in your taskbar
Click on "Adjust Audio Properties"
Click either the "Audio" or "Voice" tabs
In the "Audio" tab there is a "Sound recording" box, in "Voice" it's "Voice recording," but they do essentially the same thing
Make sure "Default device" is set to "Samson C01U"
Click the "Volume..." button directly beneath the pull-down menu
Voila! You have your capture volume slider!

Hope that helps!

[Seishiro17]

First of all, the playback I get when I record is super quiet. Practically inaudible. I have to turn the microphone capture volume setting on my laptop almost all the way up, which results in horrendous background white noise.

the cool edit noise reduction feature should help out with that background noise a little bit. but make sure that the CO1U is set to be the recording device in both the windows sound manager AND the preferences for cool edit. it could be that cool edit is recording from the laptop microphone instead of the CO1U. if this isn't the case could you post a soundclip for diagnosis?

The other problem is that when I record one channel is loud and the other is soft, so the sound mostly comes out of the left speaker. Now, I've read that this is because the C01U is not a stereo microphone, so I need to record in mono. Is this true?

yes, you should usually be recording in mono.

[Daglot Alta]

Hey When You Record You Have To Record In Mono, And Then Save it In Stereo, Its Weird I Know But The Thing Dose Record In Stereo

Hello VAA community!

I recently got a used C01U from a friend who bought it new and almost never used it, and I'm having a few problems with it. First of all, the playback I get when I record is super quiet. Practically inaudible. I have to turn the microphone capture volume setting on my laptop almost all the way up, which results in horrendous background white noise.

The other problem is that when I record one channel is loud and the other is soft, so the sound mostly comes out of the left speaker. Now, I've read that this is because the C01U is not a stereo microphone, so I need to record in mono. Is this true?

If it's helpful I'm using a trial version of Cool Edit Pro 2.0 to record my auditions right now until I get the software that came with the microphone (Cakewalk’s Sonar LE according to the Samson website) from my friend.

Thanks in advance for any help you lovely people can provide!

[AnalexBeetleBum]

I switched the recording settings over to mono, and things seem to be much better. I think the background noise problem I was having had to do with acoustics. I listened to the files I was having trouble with compared to one I just recorded, and the difference is pretty drastic. The only differences in how they were recorded is that I recorded one in my fiance's bedroom in stereo and the other in my bedroom in mono. I guess my room just has better acoustics!

Thanks to everyone for their help!

[Lao Dan]

This is on Windows XP. Any other system, I'm not sure how to do it.

Make sure your C01U is plugged into your computer
Right click on the little "Volume" speaker in your taskbar
Click on "Adjust Audio Properties"
Click either the "Audio" or "Voice" tabs
In the "Audio" tab there is a "Sound recording" box, in "Voice" it's "Voice recording," but they do essentially the same thing
Make sure "Default device" is set to "Samson C01U"
Click the "Volume..." button directly beneath the pull-down menu
Voila! You have your capture volume slider!

Hope that helps!

I use XP as well. I have been working with an audio engineer for a video game demo and he worked through it with me. I'm not an expert, so bear with me. I believe what I did is click on the </> circle on the task bar. Double click volume button. This opens a window called Master Volume for me. It has six volume controls. The two that are important are master volume and mic volume. Turn mic volume up all the way, and the adjust master volume to suit you recording. I believe that's all I had to do.

I regards to the acoustics for your recording setup:
If you are serious about recording regularly and are willing to invest $50-100 I can let you know how to build a home vocal booth. Most of the cost is for acoustic foam.

Also my engineer friend recommended using Audacity instead of Sonar. Audacity is free and simple to use, while Sonar is really complex.

[AnalexBeetleBum]

I regards to the acoustics for your recording setup:
If you are serious about recording regularly and are willing to invest $50-100 I can let you know how to build a home vocal booth. Most of the cost is for acoustic foam.

Also my engineer friend recommended using Audacity instead of Sonar. Audacity is free and simple to use, while Sonar is really complex.

We actually have a vocal booth in the studio over our garage, but it's usually being used for my brother's record label (Revel Music, if you're interested). I don't think I'll have the space to build my own booth until I move out, which will hopefully be soon. I just need money .

I do have Audacity, but Cool Edit Pro is better imo. I'll see what Sonar is like; I don't mind complicated . If worst comes to worst I can probably get some good software from my brother.

[Lao Dan]

Okay I figured it out. Go to Control Panel (in Start Menu), then go to Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices. In there go to Sounds and Audio Devices. Under that go to the Voice tab at top. Make sure the CO1U is your default device under Voice recording and adjust the volume there.