Multiple USB Microphones recording on separate tracks in Reaper

[willcase]

I was wondering if it is possible to use say 2 USB microphones and have them record onto 2 separate tracks as if they are separate channels in a mixer?
I hope this makes sense.
Someone told me to try Asio4All for this purpose.

 

[Tadpui]

Unless you can find some app that will allow you to create a virtual aggregate device, this is not possible (although I think that there may be a way to do this on a Mac, but I'm not sure). USB mics basically have a single-channel audio interface built into them. A computer can only use one audio interface at a time. This is why USB mics suck. What you'll need is a proper audio interface that is capable of receiving more than 1 input.

 

[willcase]

Thank you.
So basically I need at the least a USB audio mixer such as the Behringer Q502 mixer, correct?

 

[Armistice]

You don't need a mixer unless you actually want to mix something. Tracking vocals does not require mixing. Your best, most useful, most future-proof bet is to use real microphones and an audio interface. You can't plug USB microphones into that Behringer mixer anyway and it only has a single XLR input so it's not much use for real microphones, plural, anyway. Perhaps it has phantom power, but I couldn't see a button or switch, or find it on the blurb page I read, so in any real recording situation it would be most useful as a paperweight or for hand to hand combat.

 

[arcaxis]

The other problem with most USB mixers is they 'mix' down to a stereo track in the DAW, rather than two independent tracks that can be edited individually.

 

[willcase]

I'm not so stupid to think that I can plug in a USB Microphone to that mixer.
I also meant the Q802USB mixer, the 502 was a typo.
and I have XLR microphones. and yes even the Q502 has a preamp and 1 xlr channel.

 

[arcaxis]

Well some USB mics can be plugged into a mixers XLR input. I've got an Audio Technica dynamic (ATR2005USB) that can do just that. There are also condensers that are dual fitted with USB and XLR as well.

 

[willcase]

Thank you.
That microphone you mentioned, is it a standard USB, or an xlr converted to a USB?

 

[bouldersoundguy]

A computer can only use one audio interface at a time.

Using the stock Windows driver in Sony Vegas I can access all of my sound devices at the same time. The problem is that they all have their own clocks. When recording different devices at the same time the audio will drift. And it's probably limited to 16 bit.

On Macs you can use Aggregate Device, but that resamples at least some of the inputs.

 

[Bobbsy]

If you have XLR mics, why the insistence on using USB ones? The idea of USB microphones is that they are simple, plug and play devices. However, as soon as you need to use more than one mic...or do anything vaguely complex with monitoring...they become far more complicated to use than a basic audio interface and XLR mics.

 

[ecc83]

All the previous about this being pointless taken but, to be strictly accurate, yes you CAN use multiple USB "devices" on a Windows computer but not all DAWs will play ball.

Several years ago son and I experimented with a 2496 card, a Behringer BCA2000 and an M-A Fast track pro using Samplitude SE8 and MME drivers. We could record 6 tracks at once.

Yes, they did not sync and did not even start precisely at the same time but Sam 8 makes it easy to slide tracks to the same grid point. The intertrack sync was good enough for the 3 minutes or so he needed. YMMV.

Dave.

 

[arcaxis]

Thank you.
That microphone you mentioned, is it a standard USB, or an xlr converted to a USB?

USB/XLR as from the manufacturer.....
AT2005USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone || Audio-Technica US

 

[willcase]

because at the moment, I don't actually have a mixer. Am in the process of buying one, but I have a podcast I need to do with another person, and was trying to find a way to do it before I got the mixer.

 

[ecc83]

Gahh! Have a care Wilcase! I am an old, 1.5 eyed man on medication and easily confused!

IF you did have two USB microphones and you wanted to record two people (in an interview style situation?) you could do as I suggested, two USB devices and MME drivers. You might have to download the demo of Samplitude ProX since I have never tried this with any other DAW software. Sam can setup multiple mono tracks and so you should finish up with two discrete speech tracks. The tiny lack of sync I would not see as a problem for a vox pop?

Or, you buy a mixer with at least two XLR inputs and pan each one hard left and right to give two discrete tracks. Almost all USB mixers are 16bit only and tend to be noisy but probably good enough for podding. The new Allen and Heath i8 is a 24 bit exception.

Dave.

 

[willcase]

So would I be better off buying a standard mixer and then purchasing an RCA to 3.5mm cable, and running that into my computer's sound card?

 

[arcaxis]

So would I be better off buying a standard mixer and then purchasing an RCA to 3.5mm cable, and running that into my computer's sound card?

Better off with a USB audio interface to use with XLR mics. Mixer will 'mix' to a stereo track when recorded, where an interface will allow two independent tracks which you can edit if needed. An interface isn't a whole lot more $$$ than a cheap mixer.

Something like this....
Alesis iO2 Express USB Audio Interface IO2 EXPRESS B&H Photo

 

[willcase]

I will check that audio interface out.
Thank you.

 

[mjbphotos]

If you DO end up with a USB mixer, you can pan one input full left and one input full right, then you have separate left and right tracks running to your DAW or podcast software. Just be aware that many low price USB mixers have not-so-good A-D converters, and can impart a high frequency noise into the signal - they also offer less-than-ideal monitoring capability.

 

[willcase]

What do you all think about the lower cost Mackie Mixers such as the Mix8, or Mix12FX?

 

[willcase]

I was looking at a Mackie Mix8, and Mix12FX. Any ideas or opinions on these 2 mixers?