Welcome to another edition of Tech Time. In this series we focus on a piece of technology we love from the past, present or future.
Like last time, we’re focusing on audio with a look at another important piece of tech you’ll definitely need if you want to record it: microphones.
You likely know already but a microphone is (according to the dictionary) “. . . an instrument whereby sound waves are caused to generate or modulate an electric current usually for the purpose of transmitting or recording sound (such as speech or music).”
Makes sense, right? But what microphone do you want or need?
For our purposes, which are mostly recording podcasts, but also audio books or music, we’re going to look at two different kinds of mics: USB and XLR. These refer to the way the microphone connects to your computer so you can use it for recording.
A USB mic is just that, a microphone that connects to your computer directly via a USB cable. Some of the ones we’ve used and like are the Blue Yeti, the Rode NT-USB and the one our podcast co-host Joe Dilworth uses (for the moment), the Blue Snowball. They’re relatively easy to set up and use, which is great for beginners.
XLR microphones use an XLR cable and are found in most music and podcast recording studio in the world. They are the choice of most pros and offer higher build and recording quality. Of course, said higher quality also comes with a higher price tag.
Out preferred XLR microphones include the Shure SM58, the Rode PodMic and the one used by our podcast co-host Chris Ullrich (and so many others), the Shure SM7B. Yeah, we know, the SM7B is expensive. But it really is one of the best.
To use an XLR microphone, you’ll also need an XLR cable and a device like the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. We discussed the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 in a previous post. Again, the higher quality requires more expense and a bit more setup. We produce podcasts and other audio professionally, so we think it’s worth it.
If you’re just starting out or don’t want to spend a lot of money (we get that), you can absolutely use a USB microphone like the Yeti or Snowball from Blue and record audio with software such as Apple’s Garage Band. That’s how we started and you can get some good sound that way.
So that’s a bit of information on microphones. We plan on doing a more in-depth series on podcast recording in the near future, so keep an eye out for that. Until then, happy recording!
Do you record a podcast or music at home or in a studio? If so, what microphone do you like and use? Let us know in the comments or hit us up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
Images: Shure / Rode Note: This post contains affiliate links.
Time to kick off another new series here at The Flickcast and this time around we’re calling it Tech Time. In it we focus on a piece of technology we love from the past, present or future. And the lucky winner today is a device we couldn’t live without, or at least we couldn’t do our podcast without: the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2.
The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is a digital audio interface. It allows you to connect up to two microphones, or other analog devices like guitars or keyboards, to your computer via a USB-C cable. With the 2i2 you can connect 2 mics, or other devices via XLR, or two devices via instrument inputs, or one of each.
Our podcast co-host Chris Ullrich uses a Shure SM7B microphone to record his part of the podcast. That mic is connected via XLR cable to the Scarlett 2i2 and then to a MacBook Pro via USB-C. On the MacBook Pro, audio is recorded in Apple’s Logic Pro for editing, mixing and final output.
In the interest of transparency, the Shure SM7B is rather power hungry. To help with that Chris uses an additional device between the mic and the Scarlett 2i2: the Cloudlifter CL-1. It provides additional clean gain so the mic gain on the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface doesn’t need to be set as high. This helps ensure cleaner sound.
You don’t need the Cloudlifter CL-1 to make the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 work, it provides enough power on its own. Chris just likes things to be extra clean, with as little gain from the pre-amp in the 2i2 as possible. So, he added the Cloudlifter.
Also, using a different microphone, one that’s less power hungry, would be a way to go too. For example, we’ve had great results with another mic from Shure, the SM58. It’s a great mic and one you’ll find on many stages and in recording studios around the world.
So if you want to make a podcast, record yourself playing guitar or reading an audio book, you’ll need a device like the Scarlett 2i2. In fact, if you do end up with one of these, it’s probably all the audio interface you’ll ever need. It really is a great device and one we use pretty much every day.
For more on the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, check out the company’s website. You can also watch a video about it below.
Do you use a piece of tech like the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2? If so, what do you use it for and what do you think of it? Or, is there a different one you recommend? Let us know in the comments or hit us up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
Happy Recording!
Image: Focusrite Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
