Reddit mentions of PreSonus AudioBox iOne 2x2 USB/iPad Audio Interface

The Rode podcaster is a REALLY great mic. However, it is also a dynamic mic which has a low sensitivity. It is meant to be used a few inches from your mouth and probably would not be very well suited for picking up multiple people.

The best way to mic multiple people on a single recording is to get several XLR dynamic mics and feed them into a mixing board or preamp. The Akai EIE is great for this because you can have multiple audio streams output to your computer. However, a Behringer Xenyx 1202USB or a Tascam 1200 would work well too. Pair that with a few

If you want to do mic multiple people with one mic then you're looking at a condenser mic. For the price of your podcaster($230) I have a few suggestions. I would still look at getting an XLR setup, because they are much better IMO.

• AT2020 ($100)
  
  
• AT2035 ($150)
  
  Pair one of those mics with the Behringer Zenyz Q802 USB ($80), Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, ($150), Focusrite Scarlett Solo ($100), Presonus AudioBox 2x2 ($100), or Presonus AudioBox iOne ($70). For future-proofing I suggest gettign at least a 2 channel audio interface, in case you want to add more mics later. That's up to you. Make sure you factor in the price of a mic stand.
  
  If you have any questions let me know! You could always go with a USB mic, like the Blue Yeti or the AT2020USB, but I think you'd have more luck with the XLR setup. Up to you.

Just about interface will be better than a USB cable. Personally I prefer Presonus to Focusrite. Their cheaper iOne and iTwo Audioboxes have excellent ASIO drivers that work with multiple apps no problem and do wireless recording through iOS if you use their Studio One DAW.

https://www.amazon.com/PreSonus-AudioBox-iOne-Recording-System/dp/B00KBMAJU8

Do you mean the soundcard built into the Mac? No, you would need a 3/5mm jack if you want to plug directly into the laptop. Do not do this. Laptop soundcards are mostly awful and an audio interface is required to process sound from your DAW, otherwise you will experience audio crackling/lagging/etc. You're going to have to spend a little money on this, there really are no substitutions for a good soundcard / audio interface. This one is cheap and reliable, a different model than my exact one, but this is a good brand and you really can't go much cheaper than this without a major drop in quality.


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Merged from my above post, so you have it all in one place:

Yes the XLR connector should be 3 prong male.

This is WRONG, do NOT buy

This is CORRECT, DO buy

On the back of my Yamaha HS8 monitors, there are female 3-prong connections, I plug the male 3-prong end of my cable into it, that is called an XLR connector. I then plug the other end of the cable, a 1/4 TRS shielded connector, into the back of my Presonus Audiobox iOne. Make sure that it is 1/4 TRS and not a 3.5mm audio jack, as that will be too small to fit into the audio interface.

These cables look fine. They're cheap, have good reviews, and are balanced/shielded cables which means you shouldn't have interference issues from other electronic devices.

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Conclusively, you need these items, but if you find a cheaper audio interface with two TRS ports, go for it, as long as reviews show it's reliable. You also need two 1/4 TRS to XLR Male cables, balanced. Items:

• Cables x2
  
  
• Audio interface w/ 2 TRS ports
  
  
• Yamaha HS7 Monitors

If you're interested in music and audio like I think you are, a hardware solution will also allow you to do some cool stuff, like hook up a turntable and get good recording quality to play old LPs and digitize them.

Looking at some of the audio interfaces (not amps, those are different. Audio interfaces hook up to your pc via usb and control audio there) it looks like you'll be hard pressed to find decent ones under the $100-150 range.

behringer, $50, mixer

I have the big brother for this one so it shouldn't be too noisy. If you're recording try to use a denoiser afterwards, but I don't notice too much of a difference (could just be my room creating the noise)

Focusrite, $150, audio interface

I keep hearing about the scarlet from other producers. I don't know why, maybe it's pretty good. Also look at the itrack solo for $80

Steinberg, $100, audio interface

Look at the 2 in, 2 out version as well, it's more in line with the focusrite

Mackie, $99, audio interface

presonus, $79 (ione), $150 (itwo), audion interface.

Check amazon for "itwo presonus" and you'll find a couple of bundles that may pique your interest.

My mixer, behringer, $150, mixer

I like this thing alot, it's got plenty of inputs, and while it is a tad noisy it's not enough to notice. Could just be my ambient room/computer noise that I don't hear. Anyway, with some cables and advanced routing it's turned out pretty damn good for streaming and chatting at the same time, you just have to use multiple inputs to your pc to have separate audio outputs it only took me a week of poking around (no manual) to learn and figure out everything. The compression and eq settings are also a bit nice to have.

BTW if you're getting xlr mics, some of the best ones are sm57's/sm58's by Shure. Usually $100 and they're solid enough to last you a while. I have a sm58 and it's ballin'.

Hope I was of help!