How do xlr mics work

[GOJIRA229]

I am looking to upgrade my mic and I want an xlr mic do I need extra equipment or anything 

[.Apex.]

11 minutes ago, GOJIRA229 said:

I am looking to upgrade my mic and I want an xlr mic do I need extra equipment or anything 

You need an Audio Interface to connect your XLR Mic into, and if your mic is a Condenser Microphone then make sure your Audio Interface supports Phantom Power (48V), on the other hand Dynamic Microphones don't need Phantom Power.

[GOJIRA229]

Just now, .Apex. said:

You need an Audio Interface to connect your XLR Mic into, and if your mic is a Condenser Microphone then make sure your Audio Interface supports Phantom Power, on the other hand Dynamic Microphones don't need Phantom Power.

Thanks any recommendations for audio interfaces and dynamic microphones for 50-100$

[.Apex.]

Just now, GOJIRA229 said:

Thanks any recommendations for audio interfaces and dynamic microphones for 50-100$

For an Audio Interface I recommend the Behringer UMC22 (which is very different than the Behringer UM2) and it supports Phantom Power as well if you ever need it, though I don't know much about microphone products or which to recommend as they can perform very differently depending on your use case

[GOJIRA229]

2 minutes ago, .Apex. said:

For an Audio Interface I recommend the Behringer UMC22 (which is very different than the Behringer UM2) and it supports Phantom Power as well if you ever need it, though I don't know much about microphone products or which to recommend as they can perform very differently depending on your use case

What is the difference other than the phantom power on the Behringer

[.Apex.]

Just now, GOJIRA229 said:

What is the difference other than the phantom power on the Behringer

Between the UMC22 and UM2 you mean? the main difference are the Pre-amps which directly affect how your MIC sounds, the UMC22 has better Pre-amps basically

[GOJIRA229]

Just now, .Apex. said:

Between the UMC22 and UM2 you mean? the main difference are the Pre-amps which directly affect how your MIC sounds, the UMC22 has better Pre-amps basically

Thanks 

[The Flying Sloth]

2 minutes ago, GOJIRA229 said:

What is the difference other than the phantom power on the Behringer

Quality of amplification is the key difference, it is for this reason that I don't recommend any interface cheaper than the UMC202HD unless you're really in a pinch. I strongly suggest reading through the link in my signature as it has a bunch of information I wrote specifically to answer this question :)

Any further questions feel free to ask me but the basic answers you're looking for are all in that link :)

[.Apex.]

1 minute ago, The Flying Sloth said:

Quality of amplification is the key difference, it is for this reason that I don't recommend any interface cheaper than the UMC202HD unless you're really in a pinch. I strongly suggest reading through the link in my signature as it has a bunch of information I wrote specifically to answer this question

Any further questions feel free to ask me but the basic answers you're looking for are all in that link

As far as I know the UMC22 has the same Preamps as the UMC202HD which is the reason why I recommend it

[The Flying Sloth]

Just now, .Apex. said:

As far as I know the UMC22 has the same Preamps as the UMC202HD which is the reason why I recommend it

UMC202HD has much higher quality headphone amplification, a dedicated headphone volume control and twice as many inputs to allow either for an instrument to be used alongside the microphone or two microphones to be used (whether podcast setting or stereo recording). Shure the UMC22 is cheaper but less than $20 for double the inputs (yes I know the 22 has a 1/4 direct in but that doesn't count), dedicated headphone amplification and  much more versatile controls is well worth it in my book and as I constantly repeat on here, value is what I care about most with my recommendations.

[GOJIRA229]

Just now, The Flying Sloth said:

UMC202HD has much higher quality headphone amplification, a dedicated headphone volume control and twice as many inputs to allow either for an instrument to be used alongside the microphone or two microphones to be used (whether podcast setting or stereo recording). Shure the UMC22 is cheaper but less than $20 for double the inputs (yes I know the 22 has a 1/4 direct in but that doesn't count), dedicated headphone amplification and  much more versatile controls is well worth it in my book and as I constantly repeat on here, value is what I care about most with my recommendations.

I already have a mid tier schiit stack so the headphone amp doesn’t matter for me

[.Apex.]

2 minutes ago, The Flying Sloth said:

UMC202HD has much higher quality headphone amplification, a dedicated headphone volume control and twice as many inputs to allow either for an instrument to be used alongside the microphone or two microphones to be used (whether podcast setting or stereo recording). Shure the UMC22 is cheaper but less than $20 for double the inputs (yes I know the 22 has a 1/4 direct in but that doesn't count), dedicated headphone amplification and  much more versatile controls is well worth it in my book and as I constantly repeat on here, value is what I care about most with my recommendations.

Oh yes I understand all those advantages when it comes to the UMC202HD but when all is required is one microphone there's nothing wrong with going with the UMC22, but you're right about the price difference not being substantial enough to warrant all those cutout features

[The Flying Sloth]

Just now, GOJIRA229 said:

I already have a mid tier schiit stack so the headphone amp doesn’t matter for me

The other major difference is driver support, the UMC22 from memory is USB1.1 (could be wrong) and isn't supported by any first party drivers. If you want to do any serious recording you will be stuck using generic drivers unlike the UMC202HD which has dedicated ASIO drivers. If you're only using it for Discord, have no plans to record anything and don't want to be able to use a second mic in the future for podcasting or anything similar the UMC22 might end up being a decent choice.

The driver issues, legacy digital connection, fewer inputs and minimal price difference still makes the 202HD a better purchase in my book but if you're not bothered by any of that and don't feel like spending the minimal premium the UMC22 might be for you.

[GOJIRA229]

1 minute ago, The Flying Sloth said:

The other major difference is driver support, the UMC22 from memory is USB1.1 (could be wrong) and isn't supported by any first party drivers. If you want to do any serious recording you will be stuck using generic drivers unlike the UMC202HD which has dedicated ASIO drivers. If you're only using it for Discord, have no plans to record anything and don't want to be able to use a second mic in the future for podcasting or anything similar the UMC22 might end up being a decent choice.

The driver issues, legacy digital connection, fewer inputs and minimal price difference still makes the 202HD a better purchase in my book but if you're not bothered by any of that and don't feel like spending the minimal premium the UMC22 might be for you.

I’ll get the UMC22 then

[The Flying Sloth]

5 minutes ago, .Apex. said:

but when all is required is one microphone there's nothing wrong with going with the UMC22,

Yeah, but to be fair, everyone thinks they only need one microphone until they have the option to use more, once I got this interface I was constantly finding creative (read : stupid) ways to fill them all up and now I'm looking for at least another 8 XD

[Ahoy Hoy]

If the use case it just video games or chatting with friends on discord etc. With a low budget of 50 to 100 dollars your not going to be able to afford much. You would be looking at the lowest quality equipment. If the use case is just PC gaming discord etc just get a USB mic no need to waste money on XLR equipment as it doesn't make the microphone any better. Shure MV5 and Rode NT USB mini are around 100 dollars and are very good USB mics for PC gaming and VOIPs.


If your use case is musical, so singing instruments etc. Then getting a interface is a worth while idea as you can use it to record instruments and the microphones are better for singing and instruments. If its just vocals and a guitar then the cheaper two input interfaces would be suitable but if your a drummer then maybe looking at the multiple input interface which are quite expensive.