I want to record Charlie Rose style interviews between two and maybe three people

Hardware
1

I am totally ignorant when it comes down to audio recording

I have a audio technic AT 80 2020 that has a USB connection, a Shure shotgun mic. 2 audio technica Lavalier mics.

I have a 14 inch MacBook Pro, an M2 iPad and a iPhone 14 pro max.

Someone said that I need to get a mixing board to get good audio, does anyone have a good recommendation.

2

There is a lot to think about before you buy anything else.

Where will you do the interviews? Assuming everyone is physically in the same place setting it up is the single most important thing. (if it’s a remote interview you’ll have all sorts of other complications to think about). Make the place as silent and as non-reverberant (echoey) as you reasonably can then set up a mic, record the room sound and really listen. You will hear all sorts of irritating things you didn’t notice live and once they are on the recording of your interview, it’s very deal with them.

There are two basic approaches. 1. Use a single mic (e.g. pointing down at the middle of a small table) and make a “natural” recording with people sitting round. 2. Give each participant their own mic, which could be a lavaliere.

You’ll only need a mixer if you are using multiple mics. The alternative to a mixer would be to get a multi-mic input audio adapter for your mac and get software of your choice which will do the job of capturing each mic and may well have automation so you can concentrate on the interview and getting the most out of your guests and will also allow you to edit the audio together afterwards.

It’s a huge topic and has changed massively in recent years as digital technology has advanced. I’m not up to date with the latest books or online courses but before you buy anything spend some time learning the basics so you can decide how you are going to tackle this and set yourself up appropriately. You don’t need to spend much (and might be able to use what you already have) but it’s frighteningly easy to waste a lot of money if you don’t have a plan. It’s not technology that matters so much as your workflow and approach.

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