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I am not a musician, but I am a live events operator, and since almost everybody has a Zoom setup now I want to asterisk something for folks who are reading: th

I am not a musician, but I am a live events operator, and since almost everybody has a Zoom setup now I want to asterisk something for folks who are reading: the interfaces recommended in other comments are great interfaces if you are a musician, but for spoken word they're all overkill. If you're in the market for that, start slow. I recommend a good USB-powered dynamic microphone, such as the Samson Q2U or Samson Q9U. If you're going to buy an interface (maybe to drive some monitors as well as a microphone) and an XLR microphone for exclusively spoken-word stuff, the "buy a dynamic" advice still applies--I like the sE Dynacaster but I'm also the type to spend $300 on a microphone, you don't need to be--but you really don't need more than something like a Behringer UMC22 for an interface. Not a UM22, that's different and a bit below-the-bar, but you don't need to spend more than $60-$70 for an interface that will do everything you need. I wrote this near the start of COVID when at a previous company and my advice still holds. https://www.mux.com/blog/zoom-like-you-mean-it-1 https://www.mux.com/blog/zoom-like-you-mean-it-1 https://www.mux.com/blog/zoom-like-you-mean-it-2 https://www.mux.com/blog/zoom-like-you-mean-it-2

PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago
https://ardour.org/faq.html#say-no-to-usb https://ardour.org/faq.html#say-no-to-usb
- eropple 4y ago
  Can you explain why you posted this link-and-run? Because this is not a responsive criticism to what I wrote. And, if one reads the document you linked, the authors of that document expressly do not intend it to be responsive. > If you plan to use your USB mic with its own headphone jack, then most of what is written here does not apply to you, and you can regard the microphone as a small, not particularly good, simple audio interface just like one of the boxes you might otherwise connect to you computer. Yup. This is true. I recommended the Samson Q2U or Q9U in no small part because of this. It is a single-purpose audio interface and it's fine for people who want a good-sounding Zoom presence. They are also both microphones that provide some nontrivial improvement when they are used over XLR, which can rationalize later buying an interface once you've decided that you want to do so. > If you're making a podcast, or working with some audio where the highest possible fidelity to the original sound isn't particularly important, you're probably going to be just fine with this resampling taking place. You can use your USB mic, the operating system will resample one or both audio streams, things will seem to just work, and you'll probably be happy with the results. As it happens, I agree with the general thrust of what they're saying--for music. This is a reason why I have a very large and moderately expensive digital mixer. But they themselves are not intending to cover general-purpose, spoken-word uses, like podcasts (which I think one can reasonably expand to "teleconferences"), with their criticism. So can you enlighten me as to your point?
  - PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago
    I am the author of that document. I think the document speaks for itself. USB mics are a mistake, in general. If they do duplex (record & playback), they are sufficiently less of a mistake to maybe warrant no concern. Manufacturer's took the easy path ("easy! just plug it in!") when they should have been encouraging people to stick to the existing path ("not that easy, but not hard either!")
    - eropple 4y ago
      They might be a mistake for you. Your needs are different from somebody needing to sound clear and pleasant in a Zoom call. So are mine. I understand that mine are different, though, and that's where we diverge.

PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago

https://ardour.org/faq.html#say-no-to-usb https://ardour.org/faq.html#say-no-to-usb

eropple 4y ago
Can you explain why you posted this link-and-run? Because this is not a responsive criticism to what I wrote. And, if one reads the document you linked, the authors of that document expressly do not intend it to be responsive. > If you plan to use your USB mic with its own headphone jack, then most of what is written here does not apply to you, and you can regard the microphone as a small, not particularly good, simple audio interface just like one of the boxes you might otherwise connect to you computer. Yup. This is true. I recommended the Samson Q2U or Q9U in no small part because of this. It is a single-purpose audio interface and it's fine for people who want a good-sounding Zoom presence. They are also both microphones that provide some nontrivial improvement when they are used over XLR, which can rationalize later buying an interface once you've decided that you want to do so. > If you're making a podcast, or working with some audio where the highest possible fidelity to the original sound isn't particularly important, you're probably going to be just fine with this resampling taking place. You can use your USB mic, the operating system will resample one or both audio streams, things will seem to just work, and you'll probably be happy with the results. As it happens, I agree with the general thrust of what they're saying--for music. This is a reason why I have a very large and moderately expensive digital mixer. But they themselves are not intending to cover general-purpose, spoken-word uses, like podcasts (which I think one can reasonably expand to "teleconferences"), with their criticism. So can you enlighten me as to your point?
- PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago
  I am the author of that document. I think the document speaks for itself. USB mics are a mistake, in general. If they do duplex (record & playback), they are sufficiently less of a mistake to maybe warrant no concern. Manufacturer's took the easy path ("easy! just plug it in!") when they should have been encouraging people to stick to the existing path ("not that easy, but not hard either!")
  - eropple 4y ago
    They might be a mistake for you. Your needs are different from somebody needing to sound clear and pleasant in a Zoom call. So are mine. I understand that mine are different, though, and that's where we diverge.