2 USB mic's with onboard sound?

[Silverback]

Hiya all,

Have learnt a lot here by browsing the threads...but am yet to come across one with my setup. I have win XP Pro with onboard Realtek HD Audio sound. I want to record a question and answer session with 2 people with Audacity. If I add 2 USB mic's, will this work?

Cheers
SB

[kozikowski]

Chances of success are pretty much zero. Audacity will only accept sound from one Sound Device. Each microphone is one device.

This is the magic time you invest in a mixer and real microphones which is the dollar bump. One poster earlier wanted to do the same thing. Going from two microphones to three is trivial compared to going from one to two.

People like Behringer USB equipment.

http://www.behringer.com/PODCASTUDIO-US ... m?lang=ENG

This is their podcast setup, but they make individual pieces and you can mix and match. They make a simple three-microphone setup that I can't find immediately.

Koz

[Silverback]

Thanks Koz, its what I thought (dont know much about sound). Ok, then this will have to do, if they want more professional podcasting, will have to invest in some REAL hardware, or go to a recording studio. Thanks for the info

[steve]

Ok, then this will have to do, if they want more professional podcasting, will have to invest in some REAL hardware, or go to a recording studio.

Or you can just show loads of confidence and bluff it - conduct it like a live, on location, TV interview and hold the microphone toward yourself, ask a question, then the microphone toward the interviewee for the response.

Or you could record one person with the microphone on one track (asking the questions)
Then record the other person on another track (making replies)
Then record yourself making some acknowledging "mm's" and "ooh's" as appropriate.
Then mix all the bits together.

Have you noticed on TV there are many interviews where you only see one person at a time? The interviewee is talking, then it will cut to the interviewer nodding, then back to the interviewee? These interviews are recorded on one camera, and the nodding is edited into the footage back at the studio.

[kozikowski]

<<<where you only see one person at a time? >>>

Movies are shot with one movie camera. First you shoot all of John's lines in the love scene and then you reverse the camera and shoot all of Marcia's lines (thank you Stan Freberg). It's like listening to one side of a phone call.

And frequently out of order. "Today we're going for scenes 26 through 30, 520 through 530, and if we have time one of the endings. The grips and gaffers are setting up for the rain in scene 521. Make sure Wardrobe has dry clothing."

Koz