How to record an interview with two microphones?

Report · Jul 06, 2020

Hello,

I'm new to Audition and I have a specific question about using two microphones. (English is not my first language, by the way).

I'd like to record interviews to use them for a podcast. I guess I have to use two microphones to record the voices clear and loud (I will be sitting in a room opposite to my guests). My questions are this:

1. Is it possible to use two USB micros for one recording without additional hardware? Can I just connect both to the PC and start recording?

2. If I have two micros, resulting in two audio tracks, won't there be an echo of some sort, because my micro will also fetch a bit of the guests audio?

Thanks and cheers,

Stefan

Report · Jul 06, 2020

Assuming that this is actually a PC and not a Mac, then for USB mics you will need to download ASIO4ALL and you might be able to see both mics, although one of them will be resampled, because the clocks on them aren't linked and indeed can't be. If you are just recording, and both mics are in the same room, then a little cross-talk is inevitable, but generally it doesn't matter.

Report · Jul 06, 2020

Having said that it's possible, I'd have to say almost in the same breath that it's a bad idea to do this with USB mics. You would be much better served by getting two normal mics and a small mixer - the cost won't be much different. USB mics are fine if they are going to be the only mic connected to your computer, but they can't be synchronised with any other input device - like another USB mic, for instance. This is not a problem when using a small mixer, because all of your mics are working as analog devices, not digital ones. Two mics on separate channels using a small mixer is easy - you just pan one fully left and the other fully right, and record each side of the stereo feed on different tracks - that's easy to select in Audition.