Some of us are suckers for do-everything devices. Here’s an interesting one. The Samson G-Track USB large diaphragm studio condenser microphone.
Samson G-Track USB Condenser Microphone and Audio Interface with Cakewalk Sonar LE
But it’s not just a microphone. It’s also an audio interface and mixer, so you can input a live vocal, plus a line-in from another instrument which has standard 1/4″ or RCA output, such as guitar, or bass, or keyboard. Or instead, two instruments. That’s two-two-two channels at once!
Not only that, you can adjust the gain for both instruments with the smallish knobs on the side of the mic.
And not only that, it has a built-in headphone jack, for no-latency monitoring. It comes with a desktop mic stand, swivel stand mount, USB cable and all the cables needed to connect any musical instrument with 1/4″ or RCA plug. It includes Cakewalk’s Sonar LE for Windows, and it just works with GarageBand. The ultra-cool shockmount is worth adding, for looks alone.
Some people complain about the sound quality of USB mics. While not equivalent to highpriced studio mics, they can actually sound better than some old fashioned mic/preamp/audio-into-the-computer setups. For songwriters, podcasters, everyday use, and sheer convenience they are terrific. And while the G-Track is somewhat heavy and unwieldy with all the cables and controls, probably not a stage mic, for laptop work on the road or for the studio, what a great idea. As long as (given all those features) it doesn’t also turn into an ironingboard or card table on stormy nights.
