Samson Q2U manual

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Copyright 2009, Samson T echnologies Corp . Printed August , 2009 v1.1 Samson T echnologies Corp. 45 Gilpin Avenue Hauppauge, New Y ork 11788-8816 Phone: 1-800-3-SAMSON (1-800-372-6766) F ax: 631-784-2201 www.samsontech.com[...]

T able of Con tents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Q2U Fea tures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Q2U Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Installing the Q2U . . . . .[...]

2 Introduction Congratulations on y our purchase of the Q2U Recording P ack from Samson! The package contains all you need to get started recor ding, and monitoring, high quality audio on just about any computer syst em with a USB connection. Included in the pack is the Q2U, 2-in-1 USB Microphone with USB cable for recor ding any sound source and t[...]

3 In these pages, you ’ll find a detailed description of the features of the Q2U 2-in-1 USB Microphone, as well as step-by-step instructions for its setup and use , and full specifications. Y ou’ll also find a warranty card enclosed—please don ’t for get to fill it out and mail it in so that you can receiv e online technical support and so [...]

4 Q2U Recor ding P ack F eatures • Dynamic Microphone with USB digital output and standard XLR analog output. • F ull range, linear frequency response for accura te sound reproduction. • Cardioid, or unidir ectional, pick-up pattern for maximum gain befor e feedback. • Compatible with most any Mac or PC based Digital A udio W or kstation th[...]

5 Q2U Lay out 1. Windscr een – Dual stage grill protects the capsule and helps reduce wind noise and p- popping. 2. Capsule – Internally shock isolated, Dynamic microphone element with Cardioid pick up pattern. 3. LED – The dual color Po wer/Clip LED lights green to indicat e power , and flashes red when the input signal is clipping. 4. ON/OF[...]

6 Installing the Q2U Installing the Q2U is a simple procedure that takes just a few minutes . Since the Q2U is USB compliant, you can use either a MAC or PC, c onnect the included USB cable and plug and play . Y ou will be able to control y our Q2U using the standard audio interface controls in the MA C or W indows operating system. Y ou will find [...]

7 3. T o set the Q2U as your default device for sound playback and r ecording, or to change its settings, click the Start button, click Con trol Panel and then click Sounds and Audio Devices . Under the Audio tab , you can select the Samson Q2U from the drop-down menus. (figure 3). 4. T o set the gain of the microphone, click the V olume button in [...]

8 Figure 6 Figure 7 the Mute checkbox in the Microphone section on the right. If the M icrophone section does not appear at first, click Options and then Properties (figure 6), and click the checkbox next to Microphone . (Figur e 7) 6. T o prevent system sounds from c oming through the Q2U , select a different sound card for the syst em default, an[...]

9 Figure 8 Figure 9 Getting Started with W indows Vista 1. The first time you plug the Q2U int o a USB port, W indows Vista will install the universal drivers for tha t por t. A balloon tip will pop up, t elling you it has “Found new Hardware ” . 2. When it is finished installing the drivers, it will say “Y our new hardware is installed and r[...]

10 5. T o set the direct monitoring level or the playback volume in the headphones, click the Properties button in the Playback tab instead, and open the Lev els tab. Adjusting the Speak ers slider or pressing the pushbuttons on the mic changes the headphone level. T o turn off the zero-latency hardware direct monitoring (if you want to use softwar[...]

11 Getting Started with MAC OS X The following example is f or setting up the Q2U in MAC OS X . 1. T o start using the Samson Q2U, just plug it in. The LED will light to indicate it is r eceiv- ing USB power . The M AC will recogniz e the USB audio device and automatically install a universal driver . 2. T o select the Q2U as the computer ’ s def[...]

12 7. T o set the playback volume in the headphones, adjust the Output volume slider at the bottom of the Sound dialog box (figure 15) or pr ess the pushbuttons on the mic. At this point you can begin using your microphone with most any audio recor ding software, but y ou need to select it as an input and output device within the DA W . W hen selec[...]

13 Q2U Quick Start Y ou will find a detailed description of the Q2U’ s controls and functions in the follow- ing sections of this manual. However , if you can ’t wait to get started, you can follow this quick start guide. Before you get going it’ s recommended that you f ollow the instruc- tions on installing the Q2U with either Windows or OS[...]

14 Q2U Quick Start - continued 4. Plug the mini-B size (small) end of the included USB cable into the USB socket also located on the bottom side of the Q2U . 5. Now , plug the other end of the USB cable into an available USB port on your computer . Note: Be sure to check the installation guide f or W indows and Mac OS to confirm your computer has r[...]

15 Using the Le vel Contr ols The Q2U employs Up and Down L evel controls , which are normally used to contr ol the level of the internal headphone amp , however the Level c ontrols will adjust the volume of whichever device (Q2U or in ternal sound card) is set up as the output. If you set the Q2U as the output device, the L evel controls will adju[...]

16 Operating the Q2U Stand Mounting the Q2U The Q2U can be mounted to a standar d microphone stand like the Samson BT4, BL3 or MB1 using the included mic clip. If you ar e using a U.S. 5/8” mic stand, y ou will need to unscrew and remov e the included Euro stand adapter . Simply screw the Q2U mic clip on to your mic stand or boom arm and adjust t[...]

17 Operating the Q2U response, how ever when you start pointing the microphone slightly away (off axis) y ou will notice the high frequency response dropping off and the microphone will start to sound like it has more bass and less highs. F or most vocal applications you ’ll want to position the microphone directly in front of the artist about 4 [...]

18 The Q2U is a great micr ophone choice for many instrument miking situations. Below is a brief guide on using the Q2U in some typical applications: V ocals Position the micr ophone directly in front of the artist so that the microphone grill is approximat ely 4 to 18 inches away . When close miking vocals, use of an external pop filter like the S[...]

19 Piano Y ou can achieve outstanding results using the Q2U on acoustic piano . Several placement approaches can be used depending on the size of the piano , and the type of sound you are looking to record. When mik ing a Grand Piano , (for an ambient sound like that used in a classical recital), a Q2U can be positioned directly in front of the ins[...]

20 Q2U Specifications Q2U Frequency Response - Cardioid Polar P attern - Cardioid[...]

21 Q2U Specifications Polar patt ern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cardioid Fr equency R esponse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Hz - 15 kHz Element type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dynamic Sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -54 dBV/P a SPL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [...]

Samson T echnologies Corp. 45 Gilpin Avenue Hauppauge, New Y ork 11788-8816 Phone: 1-800-3-SAMSON (1-800-372-6766) F ax: 631-784-2201 www.samsontech.com[...]