I did an example of using two USB microphones with a Mavericks MacBook Pro. I have not seen these tools in earlier OS-X versions, so you do need OS-X 10.9.x. I ran through the audio test and then stopped. I didn’t try any variations or adjustments. They’re not simple vocal microphones, so don’t mistake this for high quality. The most valuable thing about them is they were USB, I had them and they more or less matched. Scroll down.
As in those notes, I did notice a frying mosquitoes whine in the background of the shoot. I have no idea where that’s coming from, but other people have noticed that noise behind their USB recordings.
I also don’t know why the two tracks are out of sync, but that can be fixed in post.
Alloweding them to speak and answer at will but not having issues with multiple people…
By “Multiple People” you mean two. Microphones take home-run connections to the computer and will not go through a USB hub.
To recap:
You are going to use the Tascam stand-alone recorder to record background or environment sound. Unless the instructions say anything else, it will try to record 360 degrees in all directions.
The two Yetis plug into your OS-X 10.9 Mac as USB. Set the Mac for Aggregate Recording in Go > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup so the Mac will accept both of them and Audacity will record them as Left and Right (the other reason more than two is awkward). That other posting has a picture of what my setup panel looked like.
Then you do the first interview as a test with your mum and see what happens. Do it in the back yard/garden like I did that test and use the Tascam to record the birds during the recording. Or traffic. Or planes. Or all three.
Koz