Ok, well I'm sort of a newbie. Basically, I'm looking to record 1 - 4 condenser mics simultaniously into Audacity or audition. I'm looking to be able to control each input independently as well as hook up head phones to accompany each mic.
Questions:
What kind of mixer should I get? I would like digital and usb connectivity
What kind of mics should i get? I'm thinking Shure and MXL. A friend of mine wants me to get the MXL 2003 but I'm not sure this is what I am looking for.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Comments
If you want to use this for a PODCAST- and not multitracking-and
If you want to use this for a PODCAST- and not multitracking-and you'll be using up to 4 mics, you will need more than a simple interface-you WILL need a mixer. And if you want to provide (4) headphones, you will need to have a dedicated headphones amp. There are several compact mixers on the market that provide a USB output connectivity to a PC, this will do you fine. Even a small Phonic, Samson, or Yamaha will do the trick here. Their mic preamps will outperform your typical soundcard.
As for the 'phones requirement, any of these li'l mixers will ahve at least 1 headphones jack. If you need more than what the mixer can provide (it is not a good idea to simply "Y" cord a bunch of headsets together), you can buy a little 4-channel headphones amp (ART has 1 for $50). Then you can feed the 'phones amp from the "Aux" mix of the mixer, and this will basically let you set the level of each mic going to the phones seperately from what is going to the USB output. Pretty neat, eh?
A mixer is not what you want, you want an audio interface. Look
A mixer is not what you want, you want an audio interface. Look into a firewire interface like the PreSonus Firepod. It's pretty basic yet has enough quality to last you a few years at least.
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