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USB vs. XLR Microphones

by Stuart Charles Black
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Hi friend and Welcome!

Today I’m going to be coming at you with a super informative post about the difference between a USB microphone and an XLR microphone!

So sit back, relax, and grab a bowl of popcorn, because…

You’ve come to the right place!!

The XLR Conundrum

co·nun·drum

kəˈnəndrəm/

noun
noun: conundrum; plural noun: conundrums
  1. a confusing and difficult problem or question.

I’ve seen this dilemma come up so many times throughout my research and in reading reviews on the internet.

People get really intimidated when they hear certain words that pertain to XLR. These could be any of the following:

  • XLR microphone
  • XLR cables
  • Audio Interface
  • 48v Phantom power
  • External Sound Card
  • TRS cables

and probably a whole slew of other terms that I can’t even think of right now! 🙂

The Good News

The good news is that setting up an XLR mic isn’t quite as complicated as people make it out to be. What is XLR?

All it requires are a few extra accessories.

When I was first building my home studio, I was really overwhelmed because I thought it had to look like one of those places you see in magazines and on TV.

You know, the huge room with like a zillion knobs? What does it all mean, Basil?

Luckily, setting up a home studio and utilizing an XLR setup isn’t difficult at all.

The setup goes something like this:

Your DAW

This stands for “Digital Audio Workstation.” A lot of people tend to spread misinformation about this term.

It does NOT mean your sequencer, or what program you use to lay down tracks and vocals.

Your sequencer IS a component of your DAW, but a DAW is comprised of 3 parts.

  1. Your CPU
  2. Your Audio Interface
  3. Your Sequencer

The Audio Interface

Universal Audio Volt 2 Review

This is the meat and potatoes of the setup.

As we know now, your computer contains its own internal sound card, but often times it’s the overlooked feature of the computer.

It doesn’t record very well, emanates sub-par sound, and doesn’t suffice at all in a quality home studio setup.

This is where the audio interface comes in.

A good one will be really easy to use and have some cool features, while also being affordable.

How it works

The interface will come bundled with a USB cable.

Simply plug one end into a USB port on your computer, and plug the other end into the back of your interface.

Your computer should in theory instantly recognize it and begin installing the drivers that the unit came with.

Just make sure that your operating system is compatible with the interface before you go purchasing it. 🙂

The Microphone

This is perhaps the reason why you are reading this. A mic set up with XLR is very simple, but requires one thing:

An XLR cable.

One end of this bad boy simply plugs into your mic. The other runs into the front of your interface.

That’s it.

What people get confused by

I’ve read countless reviews on Amazon from people who bought an XLR condenser mic, and then actually gave the product a bad review because they didn’t pay attention to what they were buying.

The bad review went something like this:

“Bad product. The mic didn’t come with a cable. It doesn’t work. I could not plug it into my computer. Stay away!”

This is precisely the difference between an XLR microphone and a USB microphone.

The USB versions are plug-and-play. XLR versions are not.

What that reviewer and many others didn’t realize is that they needed an audio interface but didn’t research the matter beforehand.

They likely saw some good reviews for the mic and went for it. A key component of his setup was missing.

What was the key component?

48v phantom power

paired with the 2i2.

Another issue that I came across in reviews was that the person had an interface but still couldn’t figure out why the mic wouldn’t work.

Why? Because they didn’t initiate the 48v phantom power switch/button on the interface.

This is what enables your mic to reach a line-level signal (i.e. one that you can actually hear).

But what is 48v phantom power?

Simply put, it’s the power inside of your interface that gives the microphone enough juice to actually be heard!

It amplifies the sound to a level that can be perceived by your brain.

Instead of your computer doing all the work (USB), your interface does!

Recommended: Beginners Guide: What is a USB DAC?

In case you were wondering, the interface acts as a DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) and an ADC (Analog-to-Digital).

The end goal of your interface is to send and receive data, by converting the analog signal into digital, and vice versa.

When you scream obscenities into the mic, your computer becomes sad and offended, 🙁 but that doesn’t distract it from its primary goal.

 

The goal is to make sense of the information (your voice) in the form of 1’s and 0’s.

Your computer prefers to do this mathematically, by describing it in terms of individually separate values.

Think of it as prioritizing time and writing a list. The tasks are separate and must be done on their own.

Your A/D converter (inside your interface), captures and quantizes these values (samples) at a fixed rate, and of a specified size.

Each piece of data contains parameters that are used in accurately reproducing the original sound.

The way your computer does this is by copying the original values and then playing them back in the same order and rate at which they were captured.

This in theory produces an exact replica of the sound you just recorded.

WHEW!

What is a USB DAC?

Check out my video below on the process!

Yeah, it’s pretty heavy stuff. Thankfully you don’t really need to be all that concerned with it. All you need is what we just talked about:

  • A good audio interface
  • XLR cable
  • A condenser microphone
  • A mic stand
  • A pop filter (optional but highly recommended)
  • A shock mount (optional,  but also recommended)

and…

A Good Sequencer

This is the final component of your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) mentioned above at the start. It’s what you need in order to actually lay down those sweet vocals!

When starting out, it can become overwhelming and frustrating to find one that is easy to use and affordable (OR FREE! 🙂

It took me quite a while to not only find one but to learn how to use it.

Some great resources:

  1. The best free recording software for Windows and Mac
  2. Top 10 best music production software – Digital Audio Workstation

As for software,

I currently use both Reaper and Audacity.

Audacity is free and Reaper allows you to use it 60 times (not to be confused with days) before they require a one-time $60 payment.

I’d say it’s worth the investment and then some.

It’s also really nice of them to give a trial period NOT based on days but rather, on times used.

This means that a “use” only occurs when you open and close the program.

In addition to that,

it’s one of the most powerful programs out there and super fun to use and learn with.

To Recap

Blue Yeti Nano Review

Setting up a USB mic (pictured above) is simple.

Setting up an XLR condenser mic is also simple, but the process is overlooked by many people. Just know that you will need to:

  1. Plug your interface into the computer via USB.
  2. Plug your mic into the interface via an XLR cable.
  3. Purchase a stand, pop filter, and shock mount for your baby (the mic :D).
  4. Download a free program, or buy a good sequencer to lay down those vocals.
  5. Learn how to use the sequencer.

That’s it!

With a USB microphone like the Blue Yeti Nano, the process is a bit simpler.

You’d simply plug it in via USB and then fire up Audacity or Reaper – making sure to set the device accordingly before recording anything.

Well, that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you now have a better understanding of the difference between a USB microphone and an XLR microphone, and perhaps now know which may suit you best!

Which type of microphone sounds more appealing? Would you rather go the XLR route or the USB route? Let me know!!

If you have any other questions or need me to clear something up, I would be more than happy to speak with you. Otherwise…

All the best and God bless,

 

 

-Stu

[Xtr@Ba$eHitZ]

Be sure to check out my Reviews and Resources page for more helpful and informative articles!

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4 comments

MR PAUL ANDERSON September 18, 2019 - 7:10 pm

Phantom 48vDC power. You’ve not idea what you’re on about. Ever studied electronics? Worked in a studio? Worked live? Studied physics? Phantom power supplies a 48vDC polarisation potential difference between the front and rear perforated plates of a condenser microphone. It’s nothing to do with gain or anything else.

Reply
Stuart Charles Black September 21, 2019 - 8:24 pm

Hey Paul!

Could you point out the part of the article where I mention gain and 48v phantom power? I couldn’t find it. If you can point out a false statement in the article I’d be happy to fix it.

Beginners who visit this site simply need to know what phantom power is and I outlined that in the post. Your overly technical definition doesn’t really help out someone new; it will probably just confuse them. I’d much rather use Shure’s definition from their website:

“Phantom power is a DC voltage (usually 12-48 volts) used to power the electronics of a condenser microphone. For some (non-electret) condensers it may also be used to provide the polarizing voltage for the element itself. This voltage is supplied through the microphone cable by a mixer equipped with phantom power or by some type of in-line external source.”

My definition: “It’s the power inside of your interface that gives the microphone enough juice to be heard.”

Don’t really see anything wrong with that statement.

That said, thank you so much for your comment! I will be sure to go back and improve upon this 4 year old article (2015), and make it the best it can possibly be.

Thanks for stopping by!

Reply
Toby March 31, 2020 - 4:24 am

Thank you for your wit and brilliant writing! What a way to spice up my day, reading a short & sweet helpful article on XLR vs USB, and then seeing how you handle arrogant farts. It’s a jungle out there with the audio world, thank you for making it a little easier to handle 🙂

Reply
Stuart Charles Black March 31, 2020 - 2:24 pm

My pleasure Toby! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂 Your comment reminded me to add a video in the article that I just did pretty recently. Def check it out for some laughs!!! Let me know what you think..

-Stu

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