How to Choose the Right Audio Interface for Your Podcast
- F2B
- Sep 18
- 4 min read
How to Choose the Right Audio Interface for Your Podcast
We've talked before about some of our favorite microphones, and we've even highlighted some of the microphones used by the biggest stars. Now, let’s talk about the gear that truly makes those mics shine. While you might think you need to spend a fortune to get a professional sound, you don't. It’s all about making smart choices for your specific needs, whether you're just starting out or ready to take your show to the next level.
The audio interface is a workhorse in any podcast studio. It’s a "translation device" or "middleman" that acts as a bridge between your microphone and your recording device, like a computer. It takes the analog signal from your microphone and converts it into a digital signal that your computer or editing software can read, fine-tune, and polish. This process is what gives you a professional, polished sound.
For most solo podcasters or shows with one remote guest, a simple 2-channel audio interface is perfect and usually quite affordable.
The Perfect Start: Simple Interfaces for Beginners
A great starting point for beginners is the Focusrite Vocaster Two. It’s designed specifically for podcasters with two XLR inputs. This intelligent audio interface has an "Auto Gain" feature that automatically sets your levels and also adds compression and EQ to make your voice sound cleaner. It’s also lightweight and portable, making it easy to record on the go. The Vocaster Two even has dedicated connections to record audio from your phone or camera, and it handles the mix-minus feature automatically for you. Focusrite also offers the Vocaster One for solo creators.
Pros:
Easy to set up and use, with features like Auto Gain.
Built-in Enhance presets for a polished sound.
Camera and phone connectivity for live streaming or guest calls.
Plenty of clean gain for microphones like the Shure SM7B without needing a separate Cloudlifter.
Cons:
Software you get with the interface is often a limited, expiring license.
Many essential cables are sold separately.
Focusrite Vocaster Two
Stepping Up: For More Advanced Podcasters
As your show grows and you need to connect multiple mics or other audio sources, a mixer is an incredibly useful piece of equipment. A mixer allows you to control multiple audio sources, like a smartphone for call-in guests or a computer for sound effects, all in one place. Many modern mixers can also record directly to an SD card, making them a complete standalone recording solution. This is a key difference from a standalone interface, which requires a separate recording device like your computer.
Need to record with multiple mics on the go? The Zoom PodTrak P4 is a reliable portable option, especially for its budget-friendly price of around $189. It gives you four XLR inputs and four separate headphone outputs with independent volume control for your guests. It also has customizable sound pads and can even run on AA batteries, making it the perfect field recorder. This device even handles the mix-minus automatically for phone or Zoom calls, so your guests won't hear an echo of themselves. The P4 is considered a great value for the price.
Pros:
Portable and runs on batteries.
Four XLR inputs and four headphone outputs.
Affordable price for its features.
Automatic mix-minus and sound pads.
Cons:
Does not support USB microphones.
LCD display can be hard to read to save battery.
TASCAM Mixcast 4
The TASCAM Mixcast 4 is a one-stop workstation for advanced content creators. It has four mic inputs and a touchscreen. What makes this mixer so powerful is its ability to record all of your channels separately to a built-in SD card. This means that you can record all four microphones on their own tracks, giving you complete control in editing. It’s an essential feature that allows you to go back and edit each person's audio independently. The Tascam also comes with a free editing software, the TASCAM Podcast Editor. However, a heads-up: based on our experience, Tascam is very slow with updates, and we’ve only seen two updates since we purchased ours.
Pros:
Records multitrack audio to an SD card.
Mix Minus feature for call-ins.
Comes with free TASCAM Podcast Editor.
Cons:
No additional software bundle included.
Essential accessories sold separately.
RØDEcaster Duo & Pro II
The RØDEcaster series is a complete podcast production studio. The Pro II has four inputs, while the more compact Duo has two, and both feature advanced APHEX processing and enough clean gain for microphones like the Shure SM7B. They also include a customizable touchscreen and sound pads for triggering music and sound effects, and they can record multitrack audio directly to a microSD card. The Duo is about two-thirds the size of the Pro II, but they share the same studio-quality audio processing and features.
Pros:
Studio-grade audio processing.
Bluetooth connectivity.
Multitrack recording to a microSD card.
Built-in sound pads.
Cons:
Higher price point.
No equipment or software included with the purchase.
Top Tier: Uncompromised Audio Quality
For the absolute best in sound quality, we have the MOTU M2 and M6. MOTU interfaces are considered some of the best in the music industry because they use high-end ESS Sabre32 digital-to-analog converters (DACs) that result in crystal-clear sound. The M2 has two mic inputs, but if you're running a larger show, the M6 is probably better since it has four. Both models have a full-color LCD screen that makes it easy to read your audio levels in real time, and they have incredibly low latency, which is perfect for monitoring live inputs.
Pros:
Best-in-class audio quality with ESS Sabre32 converters.
Real-time, full-color LCD meters.
Ultra-low latency for monitoring.
Cons:
The M6 is a significantly higher price than the M2.
The M2 only has two mic inputs.
We’ve covered everything from a budget-friendly starter interface to the industry-standard models, showing that a professional sound isn’t about how much you spend but about making smart choices for your specific needs. The key is to find the right equipment for your budget and the right balance between simplicity and advanced quality.
Got questions about your specific setup or want to share what gear you use? Drop a comment below!
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