A separate stereo headphone monitor is very handy and will add two to the number of DAC channels you need. If youвЂ™re interested in monitoring with a surround system, youвЂ™re looking for upwards of eight output (DAC) channels. For most people working in stereo, a pair of outputs will do-assuming you donвЂ™t intend to bring any signal back into the analog world for processing (or for re-amping guitars) and just need to feed your monitor speakers. Though it may not be the first thing you think of, the third question is important and will vary greatly depending on your application. Four inputs should cover most home recording scenarios. Since mic preamps usually accept line levels without issue, you need to think about what combinations of mic and line inputs you should account for. If youвЂ™re using equipment that provides line-level signals like external mic or guitar preamps, outboard processors, or old synthesizers, count the total number of analog inputs. The number of microphones you need to record at the same time dictates how many XLR inputs with mic preamps you need on the interface. The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface is basic and inexpensive but doesnвЂ™t have much mic gain available, so will only get the most out of sensitive mics having a high output. This isnвЂ™t something that adds a lot of value so donвЂ™t overspend because of it. Some mic channels add buttons to engage magical secret technologies involving iron, tubes, or вЂњair,вЂќ in some combination.

The mic preamps can get more advanced with the addition of: high-pass filters to eliminate rumble attenuator pads for strong signals phase invert switches (handy when recording multiple mics) and input impedance selection (for better matching and signal transfer). Typical features that join the party as price increases include extra headphone jacks and volume controls. Something simple like this will be compact enough to sit fit comfortably in a bag with a laptop.Д®ach mic channel should be able to provide +48v for condenser microphones and have variable input gain covering at least 60dB. The most basic examples have one or two inputs for line levels or microphones, contain microphone preamps, and a stereo output to feed monitor speakers or headphones. We recommend avoiding these as many are no longer fully supported by the manufacturer or by current operating systems.ДЄudio interfaces provide several functions, both analog to digital (ADC) and digital to analog conversions ( DAC) are carried out by the interface, and most feature multiple channels of each. Firewire audio interfaces were quite common until recently and are readily available on the used market.

Today weвЂ™re going to discuss USB and Thunderbolt audio interfaces in general terms. So how do you connect a micвЂ™s XLR to a computer? Well, thatвЂ™s where a handy peripheral known as an audio interface (sometimes referred to by the legacy term вЂњsoundcardвЂќ) comes in. See: Best USB interfaces: Record to your computer

There are also microphones that can output both analog and digital formats simultaneously. Standard mics use a (male) balanced XLR connector to produce the analog electrical signal. USB microphones handle this process internally. For this output to make sense to your computer, it needs to be converted into a stream of discrete electrical voltages that correspond to 1s and 0s-this is a digital signal. Traditional microphones capture the sound you create in the air and pass this signal as an analog electrical waveform. The Rode NT1-A has an XLR output, which means youвЂ™ll need an audio interface to capture the signal.

What is line in recording