Podcasting with different types of Mics

Hey all,

New to the forum. I have some previous podcasting experience but I am ready to get back in the game. What I learned from my previous stint is hardware matters. So of course I am looking for the most economical way to get started.

I believe I have chosen an appropriate mixer(a Behringer Q802USB Premium 8-Input 2-Bus found at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008O517IC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB) and a decent mic (a Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone, found http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QJOZS4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB). I intend to primarily use the mic as an XLR with the mixer. My question concerns adding a second podcaster.

My understanding is with another XLR mic I can simply plug that in and control the level through the mixer. The reason for my question is that my fellow podcaster invested last year in a Blue Yeti mic that is strictly USB. Rather than fork over another $60 for a second Audio-Tecnica mic, I would like to put my brother’s $100+ investment to use.

Bottom line, is it possible to use one XLR mic plugged into a USB mixer, and one USB mic directly plugged into a second port in my computer? Would I be able to treat the two as separate audio tracks for editing purposes?

Thanks in advance. I apologize for any poor choice of vocabulary as I am new at this. Also if anyone sees any glaring holes in my thought process or product choices PLEASE speak up.

You can probably force that to work with a Windows software package such as VoiceMeeter

VoiceMeeter http://vb-audio.pagesperso-orange.fr/Voicemeeter/

I believe you can get separate track with that, read the instructions carefully.

But.

The USB microphone has the problems of a USB microphone. You can’t get very far away from the computer (one USB cable). If there is a USB interference problem (Frying Mosquitoes), you’re hosed. There’s no easy way to fix that and no way to predict when it’s going to happen.

There are production problems as well. Reach up and make that microphone louder or quieter…oh, wait. Can’t easily do that.

Plug his headphones into the mixer so he can hear himself. Ummmm. Can’t do that. He doesn’t go through the mixer. Plug the headphones into the computer. Can’t do that either, because because of of latency latency delays delays.

You can force this to work, in my opinion, and when the podcast goes viral and you make a small mint from the ads, drop the USB microphone as a hot rock.

Koz

The Yeti is a very popular microphone. Chances are you will be able to resell it and get most of your investment back.

Koz

His Blue Yeti mic had a headphone jack. So that one issue may not be a problem. It also has a volume control and imagining that if it is separate track I can get over that hurdle. I can see how this is a bit of a hassle though.

Thanks for your speedy response. In general though, its sounds all XLR is the way to go.

If anyone has any other thoughts, on either the mic setup of my equipment it would be appreciated.

For an inexpensive microphone you might check out this Shure SM-58 clone:

http://www.speakerrepair.com/page/product/gls-microphones/37-205.html

Koz and I had some of these at our previous place of employment and they were (to quote Koz) “not horrible”. The Audio Technica might be a decent mic, I don’t know but I doubt that the built in USB preamp and A/D is worth much, so if you’re planning to buy the mixer anyway I would stick with microphones that are “just microphones”.

The “Blue Yeti Pro” does have an XLR output in addition to the USB, but I’m guessing the one you have is the non-Pro version.

The biggest problem with multiple USB microphones is that they all have their own clocks. So any software that is trying to combine their signals must occasionally drop or duplicate samples in order to keep them in sync. We’ve had examples in the past where this sort of software allowed the tracks to slowly drift out of sync, but I don’t know if Voicemeeter suffers from that problem or not.

Two microphone show:

Regard the distance between these two. That’s how the sound people keep their voices apart. It’s less obvious, but they’re recording on a WNYC Soundstage in New York. That keeps the room echoes out of each other’s sound. Charlie Rose also does a more free-wheeling show in a walk-around open studio and that one has a good deal more uncontrolled audio.

I have another illustration not immediately to hand of the microphone and studio of Pando Live, a podcast featuring two live microphones at the same time. They’re using SM7 microphones and a formal sound mixer. Let me round that up and post it. Their show is not necessarily recommended because I don’t think either of them knows how to run the mixer, but it does work.

Regarding the ES-58. it’s characteristics are remarkably similar to the actual “real thing” SM-58, but I noticed when I did my comparison testing that the ES-58 is slightly higher in volume. I didn’t think very much of that, there are a number of newer microphones which work that way, but then I found where the extra volume was coming from. The output impedance is 300 ohms instead of 150 ohms. In English, that means where the Shure SM-58 is perfectly at home with 100 foot cable runs on a stage, the ES-58 is going to have more trouble with that; it will have worse signal and more noise.

So as long as you’re not playing Coachella, you should be OK.

Koz

So that one issue may not be a problem.

I wasn’t clear. The problem isn’t hearing himself. The problem is hearing The Show.

Next week we’re going to try to integrate a Skype interview. Oh, wait, how is he going to hear the Skype voice? You can’t run speakers and microphones in the same room.

Koz

Here’s the Pando setup (attached).

This is one way (link) to get around the microphone spacing problem. Not a good way…

http://pando.com/2015/04/21/listen-again-to-this-weeks-pandolive-7/

Koz
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