It is found on most modern Macs and is supported by many high-end audio interfaces. The most current version is Thunderbolt 3, which is twice as fast as Thunderbolt 2, which is 8 times faster than USB 3, just for a speed reference. The Thunderbolt port is highly regarded for its extremely fast transfer speeds and low latency. If this is available, you will be able to find a volume knob to control its output somewhere on the interface. They will usually be ¼” jacks, one for the left speaker and one for the right. This is the most basic of the audio outputs and allows you to hook up some speakers to your interface if they fit your situation. It will fit fine! Type of Outputs Line Out They are manufactured to an international standard for dimensions, so you don’t have to worry which XLR cable you use. The female XLR port on an interface is mainly used for microphones. The ¼” jack is commonly used for instruments, such as guitar, but can also be great with other streaming or podcast devices, such as wireless lavaliers, which can come with ¼” male ends. They are combined using a smart design into a single port, which saves space on the interface, but will only allow you to use one of the two inputs at a single moment. Type of InputsĪudio interfaces commonly have two types of audio inputs, which are XLR and ¼” jack. There are many different factors to consider when looking for an interface, depending on exactly what you wish to use it for, and that’s what we will look at now. What Should You Look for in an Interface? It has to be accepting of your input methods no matter what they are and be able to convert to a clean, digital representation of your audio. Why Would You Want an Audio Interface?Īn audio interface is the middleman between the audio you wish to record, and its interpretation by the computer. Today, I want to talk about the qualities that a great interface should have, and some of the best audio interfaces you can get for live streaming or podcasting. Plugging into your laptop or computer directly will definitely give you sub-optimal audio quality and put you behind your competitors from the get-go.
When it comes to live streaming content and doing podcasts, quality is of the utmost importance.