The Focusrite Scarlett line is popular, inexpensive, and effective.Ĭonnect the preamp to your Mac through the USB port. Preamps, also known as audio interfaces, can range widely in price and quality. It also powers the microphone, if the microphone uses “phantom power,” and converts the mic’s analog signal to digital. The pre-amplifier, or “preamp,” is an outboard USB device that can accept an XLR connection. That’s what you need a USB pre-amplifier for. Observant users will notice that computers do not have XLR ports.
This three-pin circular connector takes an XLR cable. The more standard microphone connector is called XLR. Just make sure you select the microphone as your input (see below) before using it. There should be no configuration required to get the microphone to pick up audio. Either way, it’s a plug-and-play operation. Headset microphones that are compatible with macOS will connect over USB or the headphone jack. These mics have a small pre-amplifier chip built into their chassis, allowing them to take in audio and output a digital signal. You simply plug the mic’s USB cable into any open USB port.
The easiest type of microphone to connect to a computer is a USB mic.
