Technical
XLR
The three-pin professional microphone connector. XLR mics need an audio interface but offer the best quality ceiling and upgrade path.
Related terms
- Audio interface
The box that converts an XLR microphone's signal to USB for your PC, with clean gain and monitoring. Required for mics like the SM7B.
- Gain
The input volume of your microphone. Too low = whisper quiet; too high = distorted clipping. Set it so normal speech peaks around -12 dB.
- Sample rate
How many times per second audio is measured (44.1kHz or 48kHz). Just make sure every device uses the same one — mismatches cause crackle.