![]() Using a USB audio interface with an iPad, other than those equipped with a USB-C jack, requires the purchase of an extra adapter. But iPads have become a popular tool to capture performances and recordings, so we considered iOS support to be a valuable feature. iOS support: All audio interfaces should support both macOS and Windows, as long as you download and install the appropriate driver.Research shows that the benefits of higher-resolution audio recording (such as 24-bit/192 kHz) are “small and difficult to detect.” You can read more in our article about audio resolution. High-resolution recording: Most USB audio interfaces available today are capable of recording at 24-bit depth with a 96 kHz sampling rate or higher, so we considered that a minimum requirement for our music-oriented picks.It’s important for you to be able to see and read the meters easily. Setting it too low can produce excessive noise and make a recording more difficult to mix. If the level is too high, distortion (often called “clipping”) will result. These meters are critical for setting gain, or record level. Meter design: One of the biggest differences among USB interfaces is in the way their signal-level meters are configured.A well-made interface, even if it’s made of plastic, should survive years of use. ![]() Build quality: We immediately dismissed any obviously cheap, flimsy interfaces that looked like they might not survive more than a few months of frequent use.If you’re recording something live, such as a podcast, it’s also far simpler to turn down the volume on a physical gain dial than it is to figure that out later in your recording software. It’s helpful if you’re switching from a boisterous speaker to a soft-spoken one, say, or from a lullaby to an aria. In-mic volume (gain) control: This feature gives you more control over the volume from the microphone as it’s feeding into your computer.Without this addition, you have to plug your headphones into your computer, and the resulting slight delay (due to the processing the analog-to-digital converter uses as it encodes your voice) can be infuriating if you are trying to match a beat or narrate over a video, or if you just don’t want to discover after your recording that all your P’s were popping. Headphone jack on the mic: A zero-latency headphone jack helps you hear exactly what the mic is sending to your computer without any distracting delay.The more switches and knobs there are, the more overwhelming a mic is to use, and the tougher it is to dial in perfect settings. Ease of use: A great microphone should offer options for those who want to fiddle, but those options shouldn’t make things complicated.In our latest round of testing, however, we did test a couple of more-expensive microphones just for comparison’s sake. Many of those pricier options offer high-definition audio recording, but according to our experts and our tests, most people can’t tell the difference in the results. Some microphones made for voice and music professionals cost more than twice that. Among the models we looked at, a majority of the microphones with our desired features, the highest recommendations, and broadly positive reviews fall between $60 and $100. Price under or around $100: Because a USB mic exists in the realm between built-in recording and the expensive world of studio-level microphones, the price should be in that middle range, too. ![]()
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