How To Record A Podcast With Multiple Mics

Acquiring the right gear is only one part of recording a podcast. Learning how to use it right is another, and it is just as important.

No matter how good a microphone is, it will never suffice when you have multiple guests over to record the podcast. You will need multiple microphones to record each speaker separately to produce a clear and crisp-sounding podcast. Although recording with multiple mics is not straightforward, it is not too challenging as well, provided that you understand the basics of how a microphone works and how it establishes a connection with the processing device.

This guide will walk you through the simple steps to connect multiple mics together ensuring even those who are completely new to this can understand it comprehensively.

Let’s get on with it.

How To Connect Multiple USB Mics Together

Most people, especially those who have no prior experience of working with audio equipment, go for USB microphones because of their simple setup. You simply plug these microphones into your USB port and without requiring any additional equipment or drivers, they start recording. 

That said, these microphones connect directly to the soundcard of your desktop or laptop, and they can only register one audio source at a time. So, if you connect multiple microphones to different USB ports, only one will work at a single time. The simplest way to make such a setup work is to use multiple computers or laptops and record different tracks separately.

However, if you do not have access to multiple desktops or laptops, you can connect the mics together by following these steps:

Step One: Ensure You Have Everything You Need

You must ensure that you have all the equipment and software required to make your setup work. The first thing is to check whether your laptop or desktop has enough USB ports to connect all the microphones you want. If not, get an adapter that allows you to connect multiple USBs via one port. 

You should also ensure that all the microphones are 100% functional and compatible with your laptop or desktop. The information about the compatibility can be found on the manufacturer’s website. You can also connect microphones individually to the laptop to find out whether or not it is compatible with the microphone.

It’s also worth mentioning that to get the best results from such a setup you must use the same mics. Using different mics will produce inconsistent audio because their frequency responses can never be identical.

Furthermore, most USB microphones do not require the installation of drivers, but some do, so ensure that you have installed them. You should also get headphones if the microphones allow you to monitor real-time recording.

Lastly, you must have recording software. Descript, Adobe Audition, Audacity, GarageBand, and Pro Tools are some of the popular ones.

Step Two: Establish The Connection

Connect the multiple USB microphones to the computer and wait for them to be detected. You can check whether all microphones have been identified by the computer by going into audio settings and looking into audio input options. You should see all the microphones there.

Open the recording software and create multiple tracks, each for one speaker. Afterward, the software will allow you to pick different microphones for different tracks. Lastly, request all the speakers to speak in their respective mics and monitor the input levels on the software. Adjust the gain, position of the microphone, and other parameters to get clear and balanced sound quality.

Step Three: Start The Podcast

Once everything looks in order, start recording the podcast. Be mindful that while the software allows you to record with multiple mics at the same time, ultimately it only produces a single track, wherein the input from all the mics is mixed together. Thus, you will have to keep a close eye on the recording software at all times to ensure there is no dropout or sudden spike.

Using a headphone with each microphone makes monitoring easy and more effective, but unfortunately, not every USB mic offers this feature. So, if your microphone offers a 3.5mm jack input port, it will be best to use it and get excellent results.

How To Connect Multiple XLR Mics Together

Podcasters who prefer more professional results often go in favor of XLR mics against their USB counterparts. This is mainly because the sound produced by XLR microphones is generally superior to that of USB mics. Furthermore, it is a studio-grade connector, allowing users to expand their setup whenever they want.

The downside is that laptops or desktops do not offer an XLR port. So, you will have to purchase an additional piece of equipment called an audio interface, which should offer a USB connection and enough ports to plug multiple XLR mics. It acts as a bridge between the microphones and the computer and establishes the connection between the two.

Once you have the equipment, the process to connect XLR microphones is just as simple as the USB mics. Here’s how to do that.

Step One: Get All The Gear Together

Bring all the equipment together which should include multiple XLR microphones, a USB  audio interface, an audio mixer, or a digital recorder, and install audio editing software on the laptop or desktop you want to record. You should also check the XLR cables for any breakage to ensure a stable connection.

Furthermore, some digital recorders, audio mixers, or audio interfaces will connect with your processing device without needing a driver, but for others, you will have to download them. Also, you can easily connect condenser mics to speakers as well. To check whether everything is in order, go to the audio settings and check if it shows all the microphones that are connected to the desktop or computer. If not, go over the steps we have discussed earlier to establish a connection.

Step Two: Set Up Recording Software

Once all XLR microphones have been connected to the processing device, ensure proper mic placement. It is even more important if you have mics with supercardioid polar patterns. To get the best results, keep the microphones at least six inches away from the speakers.

After establishing all the connections, open the digital audio workstation such as Audacity, Adobe Audition, Pro Tools, or Logic Pro. These software allows you to create multitrack projects, wherein you can record individual audio tracks, thereby offering you more control over the tracks in post-production.

Step Three: Start Recording

Request all participants to speak on their microphones and monitor the multiple mic inputs via software. It will be even better if you bring in multiple headphones in the system and allow all participants to monitor the recording in real-time. Start recordings once everything is in order, but keep an eye on the DAW (digital audio workstation) throughout the session to ensure there is no spike or sudden drop. 

Once the recording is complete, you will get separate tracks for each speaker, allowing you to precisely edit the production. Thus, you will get much better and clearer audio quality compared to using two USB microphones or more.

A Brief Comparison Of USB vs XLR Mics In Multi Mic Podcast

If you are on the fence about the choice of microphones for your podcasts, this comparison table should help.

Feature	USB Mics	XLR Mics
Sound Quality	Inferior	Superior
Setup	Easy	Difficult
Additional Equipment	Not Needed	Needed
Control	Limited	Broad
Remote Recording	Possible	Not Possible
Expandability	No	Yes

How Digital Recorder Allows You To Record Podcast Without Laptop or Desktop

The job of an audio interface is to convert analog sound signal into digital signal so it can be processed by the digital audio interface. A USB microphone does not have an audio interface because it has an analog-to-digital converter built into it. You can simply connect the computer’s sound card and it will start working, but it is not possible with XLR mics because the sound card does not offer XLR input.

Thus, you need an audio interface to establish a connection between two devices. However, modern technology has allowed traditional audio interfaces into digital recorders. These devices carry out all the jobs of audio interfaces, including supplying phantom power to the condenser microphones, but you can use them without a computer too.

Digital recorders make your podcast recording setup portable, allowing you to record anywhere you want without carrying a hefty computer. You can use an external SD card to store the recordings from different mics. You will get different audio files for each microphone, which can be edited and combined together to get excellent audio quality.

Zoom H4n Pro, Zoom H6, and Roland R-07 are some of the best digital recorders on the market. Your choice should be based on the budget and the number of microphones you want to connect at a single time.

How To Record a Podcast With Multiple Microphones On MacOS

MacOS allows users to record multiple tracks even when using USB mics, giving an edge or windows. You can record multiple tracks from separate microphones on MacOS with these steps:

• Get yourself a USB Type C to Type A adapter if you own the latest MacBooks

• Plug in more than one microphone in your MacOS device and open “Audio MIDI Setup App.”

• Go to “Aggregate Device” and add all the microphones that you have connected to the device.

• Open “Sound Setting” and switch the sound input to “Aggregate Device”. 

• Open DAW on the Max Device and create a new project. 

• The new project should allow multiple track inputs, so you can assign a different microphone to each track.

• Start recording and you will get a separate audio track for each microphone.

• Be mindful that the steps to assign microphones to their respective tracks will vary in different recording software. You can learn them from the tutorial provided by the developers.

Why Should You Use Multiple Mics For Podcasts?

In theory, a single microphone with the right specifications can be used to record a podcast but you will never see such a setup in any of the popular podcasts. It is because of two simple reasons: practicality and sound quality. 

Using a single mic for a podcast is impractical because you will have to switch the position of a microphone over and over again, which is distracting not only for the audience but for the participants as well.

Furthermore, it compromises the sound quality as well. You will have to switch to an omnidirectional polar pattern to record the sound from all directions. While it will allow you to capture multiple sound sources at once, it will also capture unwanted background noise. Since all these sound sources are being recorded on the track, it will be extremely challenging to remove the background noise in the post-production.

Using multiple mics works around all of these problems. Each participant has a separate mic, allowing them to focus on the discussion rather than handing over the microphones to one another. Furthermore, multiple microphones record multiple audio tracks, offering more control in the post-production so you can manipulate the audio to get the desired results.

When To Use Multiple Mic Setup For Podcasts?

Although it is not recommended to use a single microphone for any type of podcast, some people make it work. That said, there are certain situations when using multiple mics setup is an absolute must, provided that you want to get excellent audio quality. These include the following;

• Group Discussion: You will have to use multiple mics if you have more than two guests for the podcast. A single microphone, regardless of how good it is, can never capture the dynamics of different voices, especially when they are speaking at the same time.

• Directional Polar Pattern: A microphone with a directional polar pattern captures the sound from one direction only. Thus, it will only record one speaker at a time and reject the voice of the speaker via off-axis rejection. 

Frequently Asked Questions