OT: simultaneous USB mics?

[Dave Labrecque]

Looking into a podcast setup for a friend right now. She needs to use two mics (one for her, one for her guest). Can this be done with two USB mics? Do they just show up as two distinct audio devices? What's the skinny on how this works?

Looks like in the Mac world there's talk of building an 'aggregate device' to bring multiple sources together. Does this, then, reveal a limitation of PC's?

[cgrafx]

Looking into a podcast setup for a friend right now. She needs to use two mics (one for her, one for her guest). Can this be done with two USB mics? Do they just show up as two distinct audio devices? What's the skinny on how this works?

Looks like in the Mac world there's talk of building an 'aggregate device' to bring multiple sources together. Does this, then, reveal a limitation of PC's?

get something like a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (roughly $150). There are plenty of other 2 and 4-channel USB/Firewire devices that provide mic pre's and phantom power if needed. Then you are free to connect any type of microphone you choose and will provide much more flexible options in the long run.

[RBIngraham]

You can build an aggregate device on a Mac, and yes it is something built into the OS that us Win users don't have. But the secret is that it doesn't work all that well. Especially if you want low latency and something to work reliably.

I would second the recommendation to just buy an audio interface with the needed I/O. I have played (for the casual voice over artist, that has asked me for help) with those USB mics. They are OK for the casual user. But I wouldn't bother to try and use more than one at a time. I do know that if you use two of them they will show up as two separate devices and if you use driver models that allow for multiple devices you can use both. (in other words, no ASIO) But that was for someone that wanted two different mics. I have no idea what would happen if you had two of the same make and model. Probably best to inquire with the manufacturer.

[Butch Bos]

Don't yell at me for this but

I have used 3 ART dual usb mic pres with ASIO 4 all and it worked ok about 25ms latency which did not matter for my use
so the usb mics should work

Butch

[Dave Labrecque]

Thanks for the info, everyone. But I do want to nail down the multi-USB thing. Doable? Trustable? How is it done? Details would be great. If it's not doable or dependable, fine. I just want to know the options. Thanks.

[Dave Labrecque]

Don't yell at me for this but

I have used 3 ART dual usb mic pres with ASIO 4 all and it worked ok about 25ms latency which did not matter for my use
so the usb mics should work

Butch

I've been giving this some thought (and some reading on-line). The whole clocking thing looks to be a mess. AFAIK, there's no way in Windows for more than one USB audio device (USB mic, for example) to sync clocks. I think the Mac aggregate device thing tries to do it, but I'm not convinced it's a good thing to rely on.

These podcasts are going to be 30 to 60 minutes in length. Way too much time to expect free-wheeling side-by-side USB mics to stay reasonably in-step with each other.

[Dave Labrecque]

With all the gear needed for LDC mics (cables, stands) and their size and weight, I'm wondering if a couple of lavaliers wouldn't be cleaner and easier for my otherwise-layman podcast client. I'm looking at the AT831c, which comes with an unterminated cable. It's supposed to be okay with phantom power between "11 and 52V DC, 2 mA typical". My thought is to put some male XLR connectors on there and plug into an interface like the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2.

Can anyone think of any issues with this approach? I understand that we'll be a bit limited by the acoustic environment in which they record, as well as the quality of the mics themselves.

[Brent Evans]

The 831s sound good, but if you're using an interface with mic pres, just about any quality handheld mic (even a lowly 57 or 58) will do just fine, and probably sound better than a lav.

[Sean McCoy]

With all the gear needed for LDC mics (cables, stands) and their size and weight, I'm wondering if a couple of lavaliers wouldn't be cleaner and easier for my otherwise-layman podcast client. I'm looking at the AT831c, which comes with an unterminated cable. It's supposed to be okay with phantom power between "11 and 52V DC, 2 mA typical". My thought is to put some male XLR connectors on there and plug into an interface like the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2.

Can anyone think of any issues with this approach? I understand that we'll be a bit limited by the acoustic environment in which they record, as well as the quality of the mics themselves.

I have an 831B that I use for ADR. It sounds decent, but is highly succeptible to noise from cable movement (a Sanken COS 11 is on my shopping list). I agree with Brent that even 57's will sound better, but with two amateurs working the show, they're likely to turn their heads frequently and the lavs will handle that better. Tough call. Would a multipattern mic like the Blue Yeti Pro be practical?

[Dave Labrecque]

The 831s sound good, but if you're using an interface with mic pres, just about any quality handheld mic (even a lowly 57 or 58) will do just fine, and probably sound better than a lav.

Good point, Brent. But literally hand-holding mics is going to be problematic, I think (handling noise, breath noise, plosives, varying mic positioning) and, again, we'll have stands to mess with if we go that way.

When you say 'sound better than a lav', how do you mean?