PoducateMe: Practical Solutions for Podcasting in Education
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These cables may not be compatible with your equipment purchase, however (you
may be leaning toward the purchase of microphones with 1/4” connectors), so it
would be wise to hold off on cable shopping until after you’ve decided on the
equipment you’ll be using.
Connecting a Microphone to Your Computer
The easiest and quickest way to connect a microphone to your computer is to buy one
that is USB-powered and simply plug it into your system’s USB port. Using this
connection, you won’t have to worry about powering your mic in order to achieve a line
level signal—both Macs and PCs will provide enough juice to the instrument through the
USB port to reach a usable recording level. You won’t achieve the best audio quality with
this setup, but it’ll get you up and running quickly and with little investment. Later, after
you’ve got a good grasp of podcasting and are ready to improve your sound, you can
always invest in better equipment. Some good USB mics to consider include Samson’s
USB headsets also offer an attractively simple and inexpensive means of connecting a
microphone to a computer. To conduct CareerChat’s over-the-phone interviews, we use
Plantronics’ DSP500 headset, but this model has since been replaced by the .Audio™
Other affordable microphone connection options to consider include Marshall
microphones, but they do feature a built-in preamp that will boost your mic’s signal to
line-level. The iBooster will allow you to plug virtually any computer microphone and other
sound input devices, such as an electric guitar, into your Mac’s miniplug jack and achieve
a signal level appropriate for recording.
The iMic accomplishes the same task, but plugs into a Mac or PC’s USB port. Basically,
these units operate as consumer-level “audio interfaces” (more advanced audio
interfaces will be discussed later). You’ll get limited input/output options with these
devices, and their audio quality isn’t pro-grade, but the products are inexpensive, very
portable and easy to operate.
