I am looking at creating podcasts and was trying to figure out which mixer I should buy for use with my Mac. I then came across this posting and want to make this point out of confusion. I understand that a USB mic that doesn't require power and can be plugged into the Mac, then the sound can be slightly adjusted in post using Garage Band, eliminating a physical mixer.
Correct. But don't worry about the power - most USB mics are condenser microphones, which require power - supplied by the USB. The thing to consider about these mics is their sensitivity to noise and the user's mic technique (breathing, position, etc.)
If you have enough time for post production, the basic functions of a mixer become a bit irrelevant, as you can do the mixing of different sources later.
Or, an XLR mic can be used with a small "Interface" physical piece of equipment, followed by adjusting, "editing" again using Gargage Band Tools.
Correct: this simple setup is exactly the same as a USB ready mic. Something such as
this with any XLR mic - no matter if its a condenser or dynamic.
If you go this route, be sure you have the ability to monitor your recording - hear yourself as you speak into the mic without latency. However, today's most USB mics, USB mixers and adapters have it, except for a few die hard exceptions.
However, many of the more seasoned Pod and Web Casters creating how to videos on Youtube, are using external mixers with USB connectors to mix and add compression outside of the computer.
Yes... but those are two different things: one has to do with the way they manage sound to and from their computers - it can also be firewire - and another has to do with different effects they want to ad to the sound on the fly. And again, if you have time for post production, and the sound you are looking for is simple (i.e. it's a youtube video cast or podcast dealing with spoken word, where the size of the file makes a bigger difference than the crispiness and high quality of the sound, where a high quality professional recording won't even get noticed)... then don't worry too much about it. Most seasoned professionals will tell you to do your recordings flat - no effects or compression - and then learn how to tweak them. Only when you have a good mic technique, a good understanding on how different tools work, and a stable workflow, is when on-board effects shine and justify an investment. The only thing to consider is noise: be sure to have a quiet, padded place to do your recordings so you don't have to work too much on your post, or require a physical gate.
So, I ask you, which in your opinion is better? Thanks!
It all depends on your budget, and if you are doing this professionally (already getting paid).
If you just want to do some podcasts, screencasts, or simple videos, at a beginners level, I'd go for either a good USB mic (see my previous post), or a good XLR mic and a simple USB mixer or adapter. And a good set of closed headphones for monitoring and mixing in post. Once you've developed your content (content is king), along with a good mic technique and a steady workflow, I'd invest on a better DAW and drop GarageBand (logic, pro tools, cubase, etc). And finally, once you get paid and have a relatively secure income from this, I'd invest in hardware: a second mid-high end microphone, a mixer with good preamps, signal processing hardware (compressors, gates, limiters, de-essers, etc), some good monitoring speakers... and home studio furnishing and noise treatment.
There's a lot of fancy equipment out there, and you always get the impression that without it, your material will sound like crap. But always remember that good, interesting, well planned and executed content, with a good mic technique, recorded with a decent mic and sound is WAY better than crappy content recorded at a professional studio. So don't waste your money at this stage: just keep it simple, and devote more time to your content and technique, rather than adjusting knobs and levels. In the end, pristine pro-quality recordings aren't so noticeable in a screencast due to the sound compression.
All of this, of course, IMO...
Cheers!