Travis
0:00
Today
on
five
minute
Monday,
we'll
talk
about
the
difference
between
USB
and
XLR
microphones.
Welcome
to
five
minute
Monday
where
we
bring
you
the
best
tips
and
strategies
for
building
your
podcast
in
five
minutes
or
less.
So
if
you're
new
here,
consider
subscribing.
Now
there
are
two
different
styles
of
microphone
that
are
valuable
for
you,
USB
and
XLR.
And
so
in
this
episode
want
to
want
to
talk
about
is
the
difference
between
the
two
kinds
of
microphones
and
why
it
matters.
So
to
start
out,
let's
go
with
XLR
microphones.
XLR
microphones
have
been
the
industry
standard
for
literally
decades.
Any
rock
concert,
radio
station
speaking,
event
conference,
we'll
be
using
XLR
microphones
and
it's
simply
an
analog
signal
that
is
then
converted
to
digital.
Now
because
XLR
has
been
around
for
so
long,
there
is
no
shortage
of
microphones
to
choose
from.
Right?
You
got
the
uh
,
Michael
Jackson
microphone,
the
Shure
sm
seven
B,
also
known
as
the
Joe
Rogan
microphone.
You've
got
the
road
pro
caster
,
you
got
the
Heil
PR
40
you
have
quite
a
number
of
options
when
it
comes
to
microphones
that
you
can
use
in
your
podcasting
setup
.
But
in
order
to
use
them
for
podcasting,
you're
going
to
need
one
of
three
things.
All
right?
Because
you
can't
just
plug
an
XLR
cable
right
into
your
computer.
Your
first
option
is
a
USB
interface,
which
simply
allows
you
to
plug
your
XLR
microphone
into
a
box
or
you
can
apply
some
gain
with
,
uh
,
some
good
preamps
if
it
has
some
good
preamps
built
into
it,
you
can
monitor
the
signal
typically,
and
then
it
has
a
USB
connection
so
you
can
plug
it
directly
into
your
computer
from
the
interface.
All
right
?
So
you'll
need
something
like
that
or
an
audio
recorder
like
the
zoom
h
four
n
where
you
can
plug
your
microphones
directly
into
it
using
XLR
cables.
And
then
it
saves
your
audio
files
to
an
SD
card
that
you
can
then
upload
to
your
computer
for
editing
your
podcast
episode
or
getting
a
mixer,
right?
Like
the
road
caster
pro
or
any
of
the
Behringer
Xenex
line
where
you
can
plug
your
microphones
in,
adjust
the
equalizer,
adjust
the
volume
settings,
and
then
,
uh,
interface
it
into
your
computer.
You'll
need
one
of
those
three
things
in
order
to
take
the,
what
you
capture
in
your
XLR
microphone
and
be
able
to
use
it
for
your
podcast.
Now,
USB
microphones
are
newer
because
computers
have
been
around
as
long
as
Microsoft
phones
have
and
they
have
the
convenience
of
plugging
directly
into
your
computer.
So
examples
of
USB
microphones
would
be
the
Blue
Yeti,
the
Audio
Technica
ATR
2100
and
the
road
podcaster,
which
is
simply
the
pro
castor
with
a
USB
output
instead
of
an
XLR.
But
there
is
one
quirk
that
you
need
to
know
about
when
it
comes
to
USB
microphones.
They
can
be
really
problematic
when
you
try
and
plug
in
multiple
USB
microphones
into
the
same
computer
because
the
computer
has
a
really
hard
time
knowing
which
Mike
is
which.
Right?
So
if
you
plug
in
one
blue
yeti
microphone
and
then
you
try
and
plug
in
a
second
blue
yeti
microphone,
it's
like,
wait,
which
one
is
the
Blue
Yeti?
And
which
one
is
the
Blue
Yeti?
And
often
won't
even
let
it
won't
even
identify
multiple
microphones.
So
that
can
be
a
problem.
And
,
uh
,
I've
heard
from
people
that
it's
typically
only
a
problem
when
you
really
need
it
to
not
be
a
problem.
When
you
finally
get
that
dream
guest
and
you
sit
down
and
all
of
a
sudden
your
microphones
won't
register
in
your
recording
software.
So
just
know
that
if
you're
going
to
use
USB
microphones,
that
that
could
potentially
be
a
problem
for
you.
All
right?
So
understanding
the
differences
between
XLR
and
USB,
which
one
should
you
get?
So
if
you
are
a
solo
podcaster,
meaning
you
are
the
only
person
recording
in
whatever
your
space
is
than
a
USB
microphone
will
be
absolutely
fine.
It'll
work
perfectly
well
because
you
literally
just
plug
it
right
into
your
computer
and
you
don't
need
anything
else.
But
if
you
are
not
doing
a
solo
podcast,
so
any
other
kind
of
podcast,
you
will
eventually
want
to
get
an
XLR
podcast
set
up
.
And
once
you
do
make
that
an
initial
investment
in
an
interface
or
a
mixer,
then
you'll
have
a
lot
of
flexibility
in
what
kind
of
microphones
you
end
up
using
in
the
future.
So
really
the
sky's
the
limit.
Once
you
get
the
basic
piece
of
that,
you
need
to
use
an
XLR
microphone,
need
some
help
with
your
podcast.
The
Buss
,
sprout
podcast
community
on
Facebook
is
a
great
place
to
find
answers
and
get
the
help
you
need
to
make
your
podcast
as
excellent
as
possible.
So
if
you're
not
a
member
yet,
just
click
on
the
link
in
the
show
notes
and
asked
to
join.
That's
it
for
today.
Thanks
for
listening,
and
I'll
talk
to
you
soon.
