Should You Buy A USB Microphone Or An Audio Interface? Yes.
Should I get an interface or a USB mic?
If you're one of the 3,435 people who, at this moment, are contemplating getting into podcasting, this should be your first question. The question has an easy answer, and a convoluted one.
Here's the easy version: if you're going to be recording yourself and only yourself, all you'll need is a USB mic. If you're recording more than one person, you'll need an audio interface.
That's the reductive answer. Let's complicate things a bit.
The real question here boils down to channel count and editing flexibility.
Most of you getting into podcasting intend to record as Monologists. Lone wolves. Harry Shearers, if you will. You're probably just going to be recording one person (yourself) ranting about alien conspiracy theories or why Carlos Mencia is the Antichrist, with no one else in the room — it's just you and your imagined audience (not a slight, I swear). Most likely you're never going to need more than a single channel of input. It's just your voice, and unless you're 'netcasting live, you can add music and wacky sound effects later (a.k.a. "in post"). A simple USB mic like the Samson G-Track will take you far.
But what if you fancy yourself the next Terry Gross, and you want to be able to (awkwardly) interrogate an interview subject? I suppose you and your interviewee could huddle around the same mic like you're Little Steven and The Boss, but unless you're good friends / domestic partners with your co-conversant than you'll probably both want separate mics. In short: you're going to need more than one input, my friend.
How many inputs? Well, how many people do you fancy in the room with you at once? Most interviews are one-on one — in which case a two-channel audio interface like the M-Audio MobilePre is plenty — but if you feel like interviewing a comedy duo or a band, you might want to opt for more. (And of course, you'll be buying your mics separately.)
And like the mighty amazon river as it meanders across South America — or a flow chart of Charlie Sheen's daily decisions as he meanders toward tomorrow — here's where things get even more complicated: do you get an audio interface with four or more input channels (like the M-Audio Fast Track Ultra), or a multi-channel mixer with built-in audio interface (like the Mackie Onyx 820i)?
(If you've stopped reading already, I'm gonna go ahead and say that what you want is a USB mic. Good for you. Also since you're no longer reading you won't mind me saying that you're fat and stupid and I hate you.)
To understand the difference between these two options (mixer with built-in interface vs. multi-channel interface) it's important to understand the difference between input channels and channels of streaming audio.
The terms "inputs" and "channels" get used somewhat interchangeably, but they can mean drastically different things for your audio projects. Take the Alesis Multimix-8; technically it's an eight-channel mixer with a two-channel USB interface built in. This means you can run eight inputs, but they get mixed down (a.k.a. "summed") to a stereo track when sent ("streamed") to your computer. If you don't expect to be doing much editing in post this isn't really a problem, but if, for example, one of your four guests' mics was way louder than the others, there's not much you'll be able to do to fix it if everyone's voices have been combined and committed to a two-track recording — lowering the volume of one speaker will lower everyone else's volume. The previously-mentioned Mackie Onyx 820i has eight inputs as well as eight channels of audio streaming over Firewire. That means that each input channel on the mixer can be recorded as an individual track in your recording software, allowing for per-person volume adjustments. It's like a post-production prenup!.
Of course you don't need a mixer to make multi-channel recordings; the Mackie 820i is, after all, a mixer plus an interface. The nice thing about the Mackie is it gives you hands-on control over things like input gain and volume. But if you don't see yourself needing those — and without a dedicated sound engineer you probably won't have the brain-power to monitor and host your show yourself — a more streamlined (and compact) interface will get the multi-channel job done.
Still another variable to consider is how many mic pre's (XLR inputs) an interface or mixer includes. The 820i is an eight-channel mixer, yes, but only the first three channels offer microphone inputs with the proper amount of gain for dynamic microphones (like the ubiquitous Shure SM58) and phantom power for condensers (like the AudioTechnica AT2020; a great low-cost podcasting mic). You can still add mic channels later by purchasing inexpensive mic preamps (the ART TubeMP comes to mind), but know that your mic count out-of-the-box will be limited to actual XLR inputs on your mixer / interface.
So, to summarize:
- Just you — get a USB mic.
(suggestions: Samson G-Track, Audio-Technica AT2020USB, Blue Snowball) - Fancy an interview? — invest in a multi-channel interface (plus mics).
(suggestions: M-Audio Fast Track Ultra, Tascam US600) - Advanced option — mixer with integrated, multi-channel interface (plus mics).
(suggestion: Mackie Onyx-i series) - Remember: number of XLR inputs equals actual out-of-the-box mic count.
If you're interested in recording music. . . that's another, even more convoluted conversation. I'm looking forward to having it at you.
Yes, a simple USB mic is
Yes, a simple USB mic is what I need I think. I sometimes record tutorials on origami and upload them. I don't have an assistant, therefore it is just me talking. My old mic is broken however and it is difficult for me to choose a new one.
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