Samson Microphone UB1 User Guide

 
Introduction  
Congratulations on your purchase of the Samson UB1 USB boundary microphone!  
The UB1 is a low profile, surface-mount, boundary microphone featuring a fixed  
charge condenser element along with an onboard, high quality Analog-to-Digital  
converter and USB output. The UB1 is ideal for mounting on flat surfaces like confer-  
ence room tables, podiums and altars, as well as hanging on ceilings and walls. The  
minimally intrusive design allows the microphone to be used in applications where  
low visibility is desired. The UB1 features a permanently charged condenser element  
with a half-omnidirectional pickup pattern. Because the UB1 is omni-directional, it  
provides linear pick-up in a 360-degree pattern, allowing the unit to be placed on the  
center of a conference table to pick-up everyone seated. Although the UB1 is very  
small in size, all the electronics are contained within the body, eliminating the need  
for any external electronics pack. The UB1 is perfect for recording your podcast, con-  
ference, meeting, or any acoustic audio source on your favorite recording software.  
Just plug in the supplied USB cable, launch your software and start recording. The  
UB1 faithfully reproduces a variety of sound sources including vocals, acoustic instru-  
ments and overhead cymbals, to name a few. A heavy Neoprene rubber pad is added  
to the bottom of the unit to decouple the microphone from the surface, helping to  
reduce unwanted pick-up noise. The UB1 is built using heavy-duty die cast construc-  
tion with reinforced steel grill screen. Convenient mounting holes and hardware for  
hanging on walls or ceilings is included. A low reflectance, matte black finish enhanc-  
es the stylish minimalist look.  
In these pages, you’ll find a detailed description of the features of the UB1 USB  
boundary microphone, as well as step-by-step instructions for its setup and use, and  
full specifications. You’ll also find a warranty card enclosed—please don’t forget to fill  
it out and mail it in so that you can receive online technical support and so we can  
send you updated information about these and other Samson products in the future.  
tion about our full product line.  
With proper care, your UB1 will operate trouble free for many years. We recommend  
you record your serial number in the space provided below for future reference.  
Serial number: __________________________  
Date of purchase: ________________________  
Should your unit ever require servicing, a Return Authorization number (RA) must be  
obtained before shipping your unit to Samson. Without this number, the unit will not  
be accepted. Please call Samson at 1-800-3SAMSON (1-800-372-6766) for a Return  
Authorization number prior to shipping your unit. Please retain the original packing  
materials and if possible, return the unit in the original carton and packing materials.  
If you purchased your Samson product outside the United States, please contact your  
local distributor for warranty information and service.  
 
1
UB1ꢀFeaturesꢀ  
UB1ꢀFeaturesꢀ  
• Surface mount "Boundary"  
Condenser with USB Digital Output.  
• Compatible with any computer  
based Digital Audio Workstation.  
• The extremely detailed sound  
reproduction makes it ideal  
for recording vocals, acoustic  
instruments and just about any  
other sound source.  
• High Quality AD converter with 16  
Bit, 48K sampling rate.  
• Works with universal system drivers  
for MAC and PC.  
• Omni directional pick-up pattern.  
• Solid Die Cast construction.  
• 10 foot USB cable included.  
 
2
InstallingꢀtheꢀUB1  
Installing the UB1 is a simple procedure that takes just a few minutes. Since the  
UB1 is USB compliant, you can use either a MAC or PC, connect the included USB  
cable and plug and play. You will be able to control your UB1 using the standard  
audio interface controls in the MAC or Windows operating system. You will find  
detailed instructions on setting up with Windows and MAC OS in the following  
sections of this manual.  
 
3
InstallingꢀtheꢀUB1  
GettingꢀStartedꢀwithꢀWindowsꢀXP  
1. The first time you plug the UB1  
into a USB port, Windows will  
install the universal drivers for  
that port. A balloon tip will pop  
up, telling you it has found the  
USB Audio codec (figure 1).  
Figure 1  
2. When it is finished installing  
the drivers, it will say “Your new  
hardware is installed and ready  
to use(figure 2).  
Note: This balloon will not pop  
up again for the same USB port.  
Figure 2  
3. The volume can be changed  
by going to Control Panel and  
opening Sounds and Audio  
Devices (figure 3).  
Figure 3  
 
4
InstallingꢀtheꢀUB1  
GettingꢀStartedꢀwithꢀWindowsꢀXPꢀ  
-ꢀcontinued  
4. To use the UB1 as your default  
input device (for programs like  
Sound Recorder), ensure that it is  
set for recording in the Audio tab  
(figure 4).  
6. The internal, computer controlled  
gain can then be set by pressing  
the Volume button (figure 5).  
Figure 4  
Figure 5  
 
5
InstallingꢀtheꢀUB1  
GettingꢀStartedꢀwithꢀMACꢀOSꢀX  
The following example is for setting  
up the UB1 in MAC OS X .  
1. Plug in microphone. The LED will  
light to indicate it is receiving USB  
power. The MAC will recognize the  
USB audio device and automatically  
install a universal driver.  
2. To select the UB1 as the computers  
audio input, open the System Pref-  
erences from the dock or the main  
Apple Menu (figure 1).  
Figure 1  
3. Next open the Sound preference  
(figure 2).  
4. Now, click in the Input tab and  
select UB1 (figure 3).  
Figure 2  
Figure 3  
 
6
OperatingꢀtheꢀUB1  
Powering the UB1  
The UB1 is a condenser microphone, and like all condenser microphones, it has inter-  
nal electronics that require an active power supply. Traditional studio condensers are  
almost always powered by a Phantom Power supply which is usually derived from  
the mixing console. The UB1 receives its power from the USB bus. Simply connect the  
microphone to the computers USB port and the microphone is ready to operate. The  
UB1 features a power on LED, which will illuminate when USB power is present.  
Polar Pattern  
Every microphone has a characteristic polar pattern that determines how well it  
accepts or rejects signal coming from various areas around the microphone. For  
example, unidirectional, or cardioid, mics are specifically designed to accept mostly  
signal coming from directly in front, and to reject signal coming from behind or from  
the side. In contrast, omnidirectional mics accept all signals regardless of where  
those signals originate (in front of the mic, behind it, to the side, etc.). The pickup pat-  
tern utilized by the UB1 is omnidirectional (as shown on page 9). For this reason, the  
UB1 excels in environments where capturing the sound from all directions around  
the microphone is desired. The UB1 will pick up the sound in a 360-degree pattern,  
which makes it ideal for placing in the center of a conference table to record a meet-  
ing. The polar pattern also determines how prone a particular mic is to inducing  
feedback. Feedback is that characteristic nasty howling sound that occurs when a mic  
is placed too close to a loudspeaker—the signal from the loudspeaker is fed into the  
mic, then into the loudspeaker, then into the mic, over and over again until an oscil-  
lating tone is generated. Because the UB1 is omnidirectional, special attention to the  
microphone and speaker placement should be considered in live sound applications.  
Microphone Placement  
The UB1 was designed primarily for use on a flat surface like a conference table,  
hanging on a wall, or in a house of worship, on the alter. In order to maximize the  
sound quality, you must pay careful attention to the placement of your UB1 and how  
it is positioned for the instrument or vocalist that you are miking. Since the UB1 is  
a omnidirectional the microphone will pick-up the sound in a 360 degree pattern,  
essentially picking up in every direction. This is often a good solution in a conference  
situation since the UB1 will pick up all around the table. All microphones, especially  
uni-directional or cardioid microphones, exhibit a phenomenon known as “proxim-  
ity effect.Very simply put, proximity effect is a resulting change in the frequency  
response of a microphone based on the position of the mic capsule relative to the  
sound source. Generally, you will get a bass boost when miking in close. When you  
point a cardioid mic directly at the sound source (on axis) you will get the best fre-  
quency response, however when you start pointing the microphone slightly away (off  
axis) you will notice the low frequency response dropping off and the microphone  
will start to sound thinner. However, since the UB1 is omni directional it exhibits very  
little proximity effect.  
 
7
OperatingꢀtheꢀUB1  
Setting Up the Signal Level  
You can adjust the UB1's internal digitally controlled analog Input Gain stage by using  
the UB1 software, or you can control the input gain by using the software control  
in your computer's operating system and/or digital audio workstation. Either way,  
the purpose of the mic trim control is to optimize the amount of good signal to any  
associated noise. A good mic pre, like the UB1 software control panel, also will have a  
LEVEL or CLIP indicators. To set a good level on the mic, set the UB1 up in front of the  
desired sound source and slowly raise the input trim control until you see the CLIP  
or Peak indicator light up. Then, turn the input trim control down until the indicator  
does not light any more.  
UB1ꢀInstallation  
The UB1 can be installed on just about any flat surface. Simply place the unit on a  
conference table, alter or sound stage. For mounting flush to a wall or ceiling, you  
can use the mounting holes provided on the rear of the microphone. Take care not  
to cover the any part of the mic element with your hand or any other object. Also, be  
aware of a phenomenon called the proximity effect, as explained on page 6, which  
causes a noticeable change in the frequencies response of the microphone.  
 
8
UB1ꢀSpecifications  
UB1 Polar Pattern  
UB1 Frequency Response  
UB1 Specifications  
Element Type  
Polar Pattern  
Fixed charge condenser  
Omni-directional  
Frequency response 30 - 18000Hz  
SPL  
127dB  
Dynamic range  
S/N ratio  
103dB  
70dB  
Power Supply  
USB buss powered  
Specifications subject to change without notice.  
 
9
Samson Technologies Corp.  
45 Gilpin Avenue  
Hauppauge, New York 11788-8816  
Phone: 1-800-3-SAMSON (1-800-372-6766)  
Fax: 631-784-2201  
 

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