Samson Satellite: Simple USB Mic for Broadcasters

The past few years have seen a rise in the popularity of the USB mic for broadcasters, no doubt due to the portability and convenience they offer. But quality is always a question with any USB mic for broadcasters, probably because of their low budget reputation. With recent entries like the Rode NT USB Mini proving their worth, does the Samson Satellite hold up?

Buy the Samson Satellite on Amazon US or Amazon UK.

Real Deal or Poor Imitator?

Visually, the Samson Satellite certainly looks the part; compact and lightweight, in a sleek chrome finish. It wouldn’t look out of place amongst anyone’s collection of microphones.

The Satellite features 4 buttons; 3 to control the polarity and 1 for muting. You get the option of cardioid polarity, omnidirectional polarity or bidirectional polarity, perfect for covering any genre you could name; whether that be talk shows, live coverage or conducting face to face interviews. Navigating the polarities is easy, resulting in an immensely adaptable microphone.

Exemplifying the constantly improving quality of the USB mic for broadcasters, the Samson Satellite produces crisp and clear audio, although it doesn’t pack quite as much low-end punch and depth of some of its pricier competitors.

Convenient, Simple, & Pocket-Sized

As expected in a USB mic for broadcasters, connecting your device to your computer is simple; just take a USB-C cable and plug it into the input on the side. The Samson comes loaded with iOS compatibility, so if you own an iPhone or iPad, you can plug straight in and start recording, great for budget broadcasting.

Also included is a 3.5mm input jack, facilitating input monitoring by plugging in a set of headphones. So you don’t deafen yourself, a dial allows you to adjust the volume of your headphones on the fly.

Quickly addressing the mute function; the button doesn’t click when pressed and only needs a soft touch to activate, removing any distracting clicky noises your mic could pick up. Unfortunately, the lack of pressure required to activate the mute function, along with the lack of an audible click, could result in accidental muting if you handle the microphone too firmly. If you’re monitoring your audio though, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Verdict

On the surface, the Samson Satellite provides great value for money as a cost-effective USB mic for broadcasters. While it doesn’t innovate the USB market, it provides plenty of functionality with great audio quality to earn a place in any broadcaster’s collection (or at least as a backup).

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