So after watching The WAN Show and picking up that Linus+Luke were regarding a better audio setup. I really feel I needed to pitch in as I feel Focusrite got them a decent setup, but not what I would call fit for purpose.
I'm not really after doing some d*ck swinging competition, but I've got nearly 10 years of experience of recording sound - mostly in the studio - but more recently on set for films, commercials, interviews, etc. I've recorded for global clients, and a bunch of celebs, and I'm pursuing a PhD in cutting-edge audio technology. All I'm saying is there'll be some decent info below, not some 4-times regurgitated information from a tutorial for Gamerz (RGB is not included in this post).
Firstly, I want to start with an analysis of the current audio setup - what its' problems are and where it's doing well.
Distortion: This is the first issue I want to touch on. It drives me mad that it clips like crazy every time they (mostly Luke) talks loudly or laughs. It's more difficult to deal with this 'for beginners' in a live situation, but with the right equipment, it can be done.
The Microphone: AKG414 (XLS?). Well, this is a great mic. Really. It's versatile (due to its interchangeable polar patterns), robust, and sounds great. Very popular on stage and in the music studio. Problem is, you've only got one, and to get a decent sound you do have to keep it close enough to your face that the mic and stand in camera frame (this may or may not be an issue you're bothered about). I'd suggest this is not the correct selection; two lesser microphones for half the price may well be more appropriate.
The Studio/Environment: The reverb isn't too distracting (although this can be improved on), and other people making noise off set doesn't appear to be an issue.
My recommendations are based on these problems I hear.
Distortion:
My guess this distortion is coming from peaking (or overloading) the ADC (analogue-to-digital-converter), by means of having the preamps set too high. Of course, you need your preamps set high enough to get a good signal; for beginners, it's a constant battle between getting a good signal and not peaking it.
Quite simply, you need the right hardware (and/or software) to manage your levels.
The first piece of hardware I'm recommending in is a new sound card. Focusrite make great stuff, but you need something with the ease-of-use that Focusrite doesn't provide. The Sound Devices MixPre-3M (or MixPre-3) fits your requirements: It has analogue limiters which are extremely hard to peak, and the quality of audio you can get from it is more than just great. Edit: The reason for using analogue limiters is that they limit the audio signal before the ADC digitises the clipping: Once the clipping is digitised, it's practically impossible to get out using software processing.
It's your all-in-one solution sound card where you don't necessarily need any more hardware/software to manage your audio (think: software compression & EQ plugins), but it could help improve your audio. Also note that the MixPre is designed to also be a portable recorder, so it can double-up to provide these features in your dual-system filming operations.
Microphone Selection:
The selection comes down to a complex interaction of various factors. I'm omitting lavaliere mics: Too much hassle and potential problems.
I'm going to assume you don't want microphones or stands in camera frame - it's less distracting, doesn't get in your way, you avoid plosives (breath pops) and rumble transduced through the stand, and just looks more professional. If this is the case, then you'll want to avoid dynamic mics as they're less sensitive. As long as you remember to turn phantom power on (as you have been with the AKG414), you'll do just fine.
My suggestion is setting up two condenser mics - one each - just out the top of frame. What sort of mics and their positioning is more had to provide conjecture on without trying a few things out first.
Generally, there's a few different types of mics you can go for;
Interference tube (Shotgun) microphones: These tend to be used in filming because of their good side-rejection, although generally we should avoid using these indoors, especially in small/reflective spaces. As I don't think your space falls into that category it shouldn't be a particular problem for you, although I'd stick to short shogun mics.
Pressure gradient microphones: These don't have an interference tube and rely on different methods to reject sound and focus the polar pattern. They tend to sound more natural than shotgun mics (especially with off-axis sounds).
I'd like to recommend some Sennheiser supercardioid MKH 8050's for this, but I suspect at around $1000 a mic, you don't care about sound that much.
Instead, try a more budget-friendly (but poorer-quality) pair of the Rode NTG-1 or NT5: The NTG-1's will provide more focused sound, while the NT5's will sound more natural (especially if the talker moves off-axis). I'd put my money on trying the NT5's first, and if your voices sound too ambient/reverberant, go with the NTG-1 or a supercaridioid mic like the MKH 8050.
Microphone Positioning:
You'll need some half decent mic stands or C-stands for this, even though these mics are a lot lighter than the AGK414 + shock mount.
I don't suspect anything special has to be done here: Place the mics just above the heads, pointing towards their mouths. Don't place the mic so close that you can hear the levels change too much when they turn their head. You may want to pace the mics a little more centrally, pointing outwards, as you'll be talking to each other often.
If the mics are getting too close together, and especially if you're using a mic with a looser polar pattern, you may want to look into using a coincident XY positioning technique to avoid phasing effects caused by combining signals from mics in close proximity.
Maybe this will be enough information for LTT to get sound right. We can hope.
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