You may need to install drivers or some kind of control panel for the interface.

Setup using an XLR microphone and audio interface is more complex. (Alternatively, your USB mic may also ship with the appropriate cable to connect directly to your mobile device)

To power the mic, you will almost certainly require a powered USB to device adapater. Depending on which recording or video app you are using, you can usually select the mic, and adjust gain settings within the app. To use a mobile device, simply use the correct camera adapter or connector and the USB mic should plug and play. Adjust the recording and playback volumes. Most are simply plug and play.Īll you do is plug the microphone into an availabe USB port, select the microphone as your default input and output sound device in System Preferences (mac) or Control Panel (windows). New to home recording? There is no doubt that the USB microphone is very easy to set up. Complexity – USB Microphones are Simpler to Set Up A USB microphone is a self-contained purchase, you do not need anything else. The more expensive option is to buy an equivalent XLR microphone, plus audio interface, plus the necessary cables. If this is your first foray into home recording studio setup, then cost may be the main issue for you. So now let’s make some comparisons of the XLR microphone and audio interface versus a USB Microphone Cost – Low Budget USB Mic vs Higher Budget XLR Mic + Interface The i version also has a lightning cable to connect directly to mobile devices in addition to a USB cable. You may also consider the AT2020USBi which is more recent version of the AT2020USB+ (and slightly more expensive). To really illustrate the difference along the way, we will directly compare the Audio Technica AT2020USB+ USB mic with its analog brother, the Audio Technica AT2020 XLR studio condenser microphone. It will then perform the analog to digital conversion required to turn your sound source into a digital audio stream which can be recorded and stored on your computer. Your audio interface will have the correct input for your microphone. Although it is possible under certain circumstances to connect it directly up to your computer or mobile device, generally you need an audio interface to do the job. You do not require additional equipment to make good quality recordings of voiceovers, vocals and acoustic instruments.Īn XLR mic is just that – a microphone with XLR output. But the quick answer here is that a USB mic is literally a microphone that you can connect straight to your computer or to your tablet or mobile device with the right adapter. The answer to this will become more and more apparent as you read on. What is the Key Difference Between a USB mic and an XLR mic?

Usb to microphone cable