Customer Ratings & Reviews

Recording quality audio seems to be moving toward a niche crowd. I mean, everyone uses phones for everything now – audio, video, photos. In cases where you really want to capture a great audio piece, the Samson Satellite microphone may be just what the doctor ordered. The packaging on the Satellite is pretty straight forward – average box and protection. Once you get it out and take your first glance at it, you may feel you are dealing with some sort of futuristic or fictional device. I’ve gotta admit, the first thing I thought about was the handle on Blade’s sword in the Wesley Snipes movies. SMH! It’s a good-looking microphone, very shiny and slim when compared to others. It is also very lightweight. I have owned and taken a look at other USB microphones, and the Satellite is much smaller and lighter than all of them – and I think that’s a good thing. The Satellite has 3 legs which are used to form a tripod-like stand. These legs conveniently fold into the body of the microphone for easy storage. It’s designed to be more mobile/portable, and I think Samson has done an admirable job achieving that goal from a physical/footprint standpoint. Also in the box is a USB(A) cable and a lightning cable. What’s not in the box is a bag or carrying case for the Satellite. That’s disappointing, considering this was designed to be used on the go. You will have to do something to protect it from scratches and rubs when carrying it around. One thing to note: don’t throw away the box! The box has the serial number – needed to download free music software from motu.com. Connect the Satellite to a Windows PC, and it’s instantly ready for use. Didn’t even need to download drivers or anything – just plug it in, wait for Windows to recognize and add the device… Done. Really simple, and a welcome feeling that I haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying with other USB microphones. The Samson Satellite performs well too. The device is well balanced and stable on its tripod. The tripod also allows the microphone to be tilted at an angle. It has unidirectional, bidirectional, and omnidirectional recording, and recordings are very clear and crisp. It works well with iOS too, but also works with Android – need a USB-C adapter, of course. I was a little concerned about the possible performance from the Satellite due to its size and light weight, but it really performs well, producing quality recordings. The on-the-go podcaster and live recording capture artist will be well pleased with this device’s flexibility and performance. Anyone looking for a portable USB microphone that’s small, flexible, and performs well should stop looking right here. You can start looking for a bag or carrying case though – you’ll need it.

I tried to use this microphone on my cellphone but record quality was just ok. I returned this product as other microphones sound better.

This was purchased as a gift. It is a microphone made by Samson. I am unable to say if it was good or band.

Really good quality and features but I hate how it only can connected w a micro USB port.

Excellent. I have iPhone 12 Pro Max it did work as well .

This microphone is designed for iOS and iOS only... I actually had to return it because I don't have an iOS device.

Well made. Sound is really good. Like the chrome finish

I bought this mic to use with my Teams/Go to Meeting sessions. I thought it would be plug and pay, but have tons of issues with it. There are many times when people say, I’m cutting in and out. I have no explanation. I hate providing negative feedback, but this product has been a bust.

My son said the microphone was useful but not durable.

As I recently started vlogging, I was excited to get the Samson Satellite Broadcast Microphone. As we'll be doing a lot of traveling, the size of this mic is definitely a plus. The folding legs serve a couple of useful purposes, they completely fold up into the mic for portability/travel and can also be set accordingly to direct the mic at the person speaking. Pretty thoughtful idea from Samson. Up to this point, I've been using the microphone on my laptop or iPhone/iPad and it has sounded OK. Once I started using the Samson Mic, the sound quality is surprisingly better. More crisp, clear and professional sounding. Pros: - Very portable design - Adjustable legs to assist in setting the mic direction for recording - Simply design, uses power from the device it's plugged into, no additional cords or batteries to deal with. - Easy to use, controls are very easy to understand and set. - Multi-driectional settings are great for single, a couple or multiple person recording. Cons: - Lack of a travel bag/case, not a deal breaker, but would be a nice bonus Overall this is a perfect microphone for the newbie or entry level crowd. It's pretty straight forward but certainly improves the overall quality and professionalism of my videos. Looking forward to continuing our journey and provide great audio with the Samson Satellite Microphone!

I have used a few microphones now. This one has some good things about it and some things that need improvements. First for the reasons I am giving it a 3 star. The sound is ok. I did a memo with my iPhone and it sounded the same with this mic and the built in mic on my iPhone. The difference though, was this mic had that room sound, and would still get picked up at a distance. The cords for it are short. The cord for iPhone/ipad, I don't mind how short it is, but the cord for pc should have been a bit longer. software is a huge one for me. There was none. Went on the provided site and just had a manual to download. would have been great to have software both for ios, and pc. Even if simple. But one that has more things better, like voice change effects etc. it does not come with some sort of case. Its promoted as a portable mic. so a case for it would have been a nice touch. Not sure if mine is defected or not but the light is green when its on, I press the mute button and it turns yellow, so I assume it means muted. Nope, at least on my pc, it still gets picked up and can still hear what I say. Ok, so now for what I do like about the mic. The price is good. Its under 100$ and does the job, the sound is not the best compared to higher end mics, but still clear. I love that the stand is built in and can fold up. it has a 5/8 I believe screw so you can put on a arm. some arms are the smaller screw but should have a adaptor. Has all the controls you need on the front, easy to use, plug and play and has a 3.5mm jack on the back to plug in a headset. I like how it looks myself. its small and light and because the legs fold up its easy to pack. I was surprised that when on my desk, when I would tap desk the mic did not pick that up as much as my other mics did. still did but was more faint. so that is a plus. overall, if you are looking for a mic for streaming as a permanent mic at desk, I suggest looking at other mics. blue yeti, avermedia both have some nice mics that are not to much more. If you move around a lot, maybe in school and record teacher speaking etc. this mic would be great for that, at least if you use a laptop, or ios device. At this time with the issues I said, I would not recommend this mic unless you really need the portability of the mic.

The Samson satellite microphone is one of the best I have tested. Pros: It looks super fancy and feels premium. Its small and light enough to take on a trip. It doesn't need external power. Has 3 pickup patterns that are changeable at the flip of a switch (Omni, Carotid and Bi-directional.) It works flawlessly on Mac, IOS and PC without the need to install software. Cons: Can't hold it while using it because, the power button is touch sensitive. The cables that came it with are really cheap and It did not come with a USB C cable or dongle.

I can’t sign enough of a high praise for this Microphone. It works not only with PC/Mac, but with iOS. This is a gamechanger for me personally, as I’ve never had a more professional mic solution for iOS projects. I tested the microphone using GarageBand, which immediately detected the mic and was ready for use. The built-in monitoring has no latency what-so-ever. As you speak, you’re able to hear everything in real time (at least to me); which I found incredibly helpful while capturing a personalized message. If you don’t need the monitor jack on, you can toggle it off, on the microphone itself. There are three selectable audio capture options, built into the mic (no software toggle required), omnidirectional, a figure 8 like sound, or direct on (“Cardiod”). The microphone has a built in volume wheel for monitoring, and a mute button to stop audio capture. The mute button worked for PC/Mac and iOS without needing to hit mute using software toggles. We used this microphone for a local podcast broadcast (my brothers Podcast), set it to Omni-Directional, and it clearly captured everyone around the table with no sound distortion, as if everyone had their own microphone. The figure 8 option is great for two people sitting across from one another; working well to isolate sound to front and back. The sound was so clear, you could hear my washing machine running in the background, behind a closed door, while in omni, but not as clearly in the other two settings. So, keep the environment in mind, as it’s a pretty great microphone. In terms of mounting, this has three built in legs, which are easily folded up for a threaded stand/mount. It appears to be a standard threading, so this should work with most mounting solutions available. It comes pre-packaged with two USB cables, one for PC/Mac and the other for iOS with a lightning plug end. There was no special software or driver to install on my iPad or iOS, but you will need a compatible app to see the microphone come on. This won’t work with standard messaging in iOS or with the Voice Recorder. It didn’t require any charging, as it pulls power directly from your PC/Mac or iOS device of choice using the USB cable. In my use on iPhone and iPad, I didn’t see any major discharge during recording sessions, and the microphone won’t even turn on unless an app allows external microphone use. In this case, GarageBand was the first app I tested this with, and it didn’t require any additional setup. Once I started the microphone capture, there was no delay in audio, and it came out SUPER clear. For use on PC, you will need to configure the microphone for proper audio monitoring and for the best capture. This can easily be done once the PC discovers the device upon plug in. My PC immediately identified it as a Samson device, installed the appropriate driver, and I was ready to go in just 10 seconds. On Windows 10, it even set the Samson as a headphone device, so monitoring was setup immediately. You’ll need to setup the microphone gain on the PC, which can easily be done in the Settings>System>Sound tab for your preference and use. My PC didn’t require any additional setup initially to use it or a downloaded driver; it was ready to go immediately. However, Samson recommends setting the sample/bit rate to Studio Quality 24 bit at 4800Hz for the best audio capture quality. The instruction manual, which can be found online, will walk you through the basics of setting this up, and is fairly straightforward. Overall, I highly recommend this microphone for any level of user and for a variety of uses. The fact that it can plug right into iOS and is able to stand on its own, means quick captures without the need for a PC or Mac, making this a great option for capturing on the go.

Didn't pick up sound very well - the built in microphone with the Ipad worked better. Almost a scratchy sound.

Small! That is the first thing you will notice. No doubt it was built for the iPhone in mind but you can easily connect it to any computer. Although I wish it connected wirelessly, Bluetooth is not the best type of connection for a mic. It might work for a phone call for instance but if you are doing podcast, you need a stable and interference-free audio. Although small, the Samson Satellite does provide excellent audio quality, without any static. Once plugged in, it is ready to use. No complex setup. I liked that the main settings (omnidirectional, cardioid and bidirectional) are configured with physical buttons, which are neatly placed. All of them worked better than expected, filtering out background noise. The included lightning cable worked on my iPhone XS Max but unfortunately it didn’t include the USB-C for my iPad 11 Pro, which is what I prefer to record when I am traveling. Still, it just needs the right cable that can be ordered easily. The legs worked nice although the limited angle is a bit disappointing but most users will not be detained by that. It is not bad for something so small. If you are serious about recording, you might want to download and install the MOTU Digital Performer Lite, especially if you don’t already own an audio editing software. It is free as long as you provide the serial number. It does not have all the nice futures of a pro version but it provides enough for beginners. Overall, I found it to be of high quality considering the size and purpose. I have a bigger mic for recording when at home but I will carry this for any trip and be confident it won’t disappoint me. I would easily recommend it.

Do not recommend buying this. The downloadable software was not available, not too impressed with the sound quality from the microphone. Customer service response time was almost nonexistent by the time I returned it back to the store trying to get information on the location of the number to download the free software.

Didn’t even get to use it because I pressed the mute button and it literally fell apart. Cheaply made. I should have taken a picture before I returned it.

It’s ok! Not really useful! I wouldn’t purchase it again!

I purchased this for a specific meeting. I worked to get it up and running but as soon as the meeting started it wouldn’t work. I had a back up and used that instead. After the meeting, I worked with it several more times and it was fine until I tried to use it again for a meeting. Just unreliable!

I could never stop a sound like a whistle, it was very annoying