Samson S12 User Manual

SAMSON

Congratulations on purchasing the Samson S12
Hyper-Cardioid Neodymium Microphone! This
professional quality dynamic mic is specially
designed for use in live performance and public
address environments where unwanted ambient
sound is occurring from many different directions.
Its hyper-cardioid pattern ensures maximum
rejection of these signals (thus minimizing feedback
problems) while delivering a strong, crisp signal
from the audio source directly in front of the mic
capsule. The S12 is particularly well-suited for use
with Samson wireless systems.

In this manual, you’ll find a more detailed descrip­tion of the features of your S12 microphone, as well
as instructions for using your S12, and full specifica­tions.You’ll also find a warranty card enclosed—
don’t forget to fill it out and mail it in! This will
enable you to receive online technical support and
will allow us to send you updated information about
other Samson products in the future.

SPECIAL NOTE: Should your S12 ever require
servicing, a

Return Authorization

number (RA) is
necessary. Without this number, the microphone will
not be accepted. Please call Samson at
[phone] for a Return Authorization number
prior to shipping your microphone. Please retain the
original packing material and, if possible, return the
S12 in its original carton and packing materials.

Features

The Samson S12 utilizes state-of-the-art
microphone technology. Here are some of its
main features:

• Rugged dynamic capsule enables the S12 to
be used with high sound pressure level signals
(such as drums and amplified instruments) and
ensures reliable performance in even the most
demanding environments.

• High energy rare earth Neodymium magnet
provides 6 dB of noiseless gain.

• Hyper-cardioid pattern minimizes feedback
problems and effectively rejects signals not
originating directly in front of the mic capsule.

• Full range frequency response allows natural
reproduction of all audio sources.

• Low impedance output enables the S12 to
send strong, full bandwidth signal over long
cable runs.

• Lightweight and compact, the S12 can be
mounted on any standard microphone stand
(using the included mic clip) or can be easily
handheld for long periods without inducing
fatigue.

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DYNAMIC MICROPHONE

2

Using Your S12

The S12 can be connected to any standard mixer,
mixer/amplifier, or mic preamp using a standard low
impedance microphone cable. Connect the female XLR
end directly to the S12 and the other end (normally a male
XLR end, although some mixers use 1/4" connectors) to
the mixer, mixer/amplifier, or mic preamp.

The S12 can be mounted to any standard microphone
stand (using the included mic clip) or can be handheld. If
handheld, take care not to cover the head grille with your
hand. Be aware of a phenomenon called the

proximity

effect

which causes a noticeable increase in low frequen­cies (bass response) when a microphone is close to the
audio source. This can have positive impact—for exam­ple, it will cause your voice to sound much fuller when you
sing close to the mic than when you sing at a distance.
On the other hand, the proximity effect can make some
instruments too boomy when the mic is too close—for
example, when miking an acoustic guitar, you may want to
move the S12 back six inches or more from the front of
the guitar body. The key is experimentation, along with
awareness of the general principle that, the closer the S12
is to a signal source, the greater the bass response.

Every microphone has a characteristic

polar patter n

that
determines how well it accepts or rejects signal coming
from various areas around the microphone. For example,

omnidirectional

mics accept all signals regardless of
wherever those signals originate (in front of the mic,
behind it, to the side, etc.). In contrast, directional

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. The most extreme variation
of cardioid is the

hyper-cardioid

pattern utilized by the
S12; this yields maximum rejection of signal coming from
any direction other than directly in front of the mic. For
this reason, the S12 excels in environments where there is
a good deal of unwanted ambient sound—it reproduces
those signals originating directly in front of the mic cap­sule itself while rejecting those that originate from behind.

The polar pattern also determines how prone a par ticular
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 oscillating tone
is generated. Because the hyper-cardioid pattern utilized
by the S12 is so good at rejecting signal not coming from
directly in front of the mic, you’ll find that use of the S12
greatly minimizes feedback problems when used in live
performance.

Specifications

Type Dynamic
Polar Pattern Hyper-cardioid
Frequency Response 60 Hz - 18 kHz
Sensitivity (0 dB = 1 V /

94 dB SPL@ 1 kHz) -70 dB ± 3 dB

Max. Input Level (1 kHz, less than

0.5% noise ratio) 130 dB SPL

Samson Technologies Corp., 575 Underhill Blvd., Syosset, NY 11791

Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

SAMSON

Output Impedance (@ 1 kHz) 600 ohm (Lo Z) ±30%
Connector 3-pin XLR male
Dimensions

Head length 2 in. / 51.5 mm
Main unit length 4.75 in. / 120.5 mm
Total length 6.75 in. / 172 mm

Weight 8.7 oz. / 250 g

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S12 Polar Pattern

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