2 microphones--suggestions?

[DarthAstuart]

Hey all--

Newbie here--long time lurker, first time poster. :) Thank you so much for all the great posts here and info--it has been invaluable to me in getting my own podcast crap together.

My big challenge right now is in trying to figure out how I can run two mics into my PC without having to make any significant gear purchases. I have:

A USB headset/mic (Logitech)
A cheapo 3.5mm mic/headphones

My assumption was that I could plug both of them in, and get both of them to work...this is proving to be untrue. Don't matter anyway cause the sound on the cheapo mic sucks hardcore and i'd rather not use it anyway.

Here are my questions:

1) can I make the USB mic & 3.5mm mic work on an average Windows PC running Audacity? I have the USB plugged into...um...a USB port, and the 3.5mm mic plugged into my sound card's mic slot.

2) Can I make two USB mics work in two separate USB slots, or will Windows only recognize one of them?

3) Is there a way to connect a standard mixing board to the computer? I have a mixing board back in Chicago where I used to live and could get my family to ship it to me...but it doesn't have a USB out to my knowledge. Are there cords available to take a signal from a standard mixing board and conect it to a computer through USB?

4) Any tips or solutions on easy ways to accomplish the two-mic goal that I might not have considered?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer...and as soon as I get all this crap figured, I'll drop a note about my podcast! :)

Matt

[TexasMusicForge]

Hey Matt:

Have the mixing board shipped to you. Unless it's a total piece of fertilizer it will help balance the volume and tone of multiple microphones. Next, I presume you know Garbage In = Garbage Out and your sound with the microphones you have will be somewhere between wretched and unlistenable.

May I make a suggestion? You must know a few musicians, one of whom surely has a mic or two you can borrow for one session per week/month/year or however often you want to do your show. Someone you know will have a Shure SM57 or SM58 - the most widely-used microphones in the world. Either of these will be miles better than what you've got. Maybe you can strike a deal with a musician to be your show's "house band" and provide some music to get in and out of show segments with and, oh yeah, can you bring your vocal mic? Use the phrase "no money, but good exposure" - musicians have been suckers for that line for decades.

Once you get the mixing board, you'll want to take a *Line Out* (that means, a signal that doesn't pass through the power amplifier if your mixer has one) from your mixer to your sound card. Your line out will most likely be a 1/4" jack on your mixing console. You will need to get a guitar cord from any music shop with 1/4" jacks on it. One end goes into your line out, the other will need an adapter (Radio Shack sells these for under two bucks) that will go on the other end of your cord and has a 1/8" plug on the end, which should fit into your sound card. If you can borrow a mic or two, get your mixing board and get it all set up, you've just made a major increase in your sound quality for around $20, including the guitar cord.

FWIW, there is a plethora of decent, cheap microphones available these days for under $50 that will make your program sound much better. AKG and AudioTechnica both make good budget mics and are worth your consideration.

Best of luck to you, compadre

Tio Ed
Just another guitar player in Austin

[DarthAstuart]

thanks ed...I actually have probably all of that gear back in Chicago, mics included, so it looks like I just need one of my parents to dig it out of the basement and ship it my way.

i'm actually happy with the sound i'm getting from my USB headset; it cost $50 so it better be good. but i think i'll appreciate the additional control I get from the mixing board, and then I can also have as many guests as I want on the show.

[TexasMusicForge]

Matt:

One more comment - I emphasized the "line out" from your mixing console because if it is a powered board and you run a *powered* signal (taking your signal from the output that drives your PA speakers) into your sound card input, really bad things will happen to your gear. As long as it's an unpowered out (it should be marked as AUX or a headphone jack or something similar) you're good to go.

Best regards,

Tio Ed

[Craig]

You can run line out from the mixer into your computer through USB using a Griffin iMic: http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic/index.php

Craig