USB isolators eliminate ground loops and protect equipment from noise, electrical surges and transient voltage spikes. Sometimes it is almost impossible to eliminate a ground loop caused by a device, such as a mixer, connected to a USB port on a computer. This device is a commercial-grade unit that sells for $99US. If every other attempt to eliminate a USB ground loop fails, this unit may be your answer. (Disclaimer: I’ve never used this unit, but an engineer friend I trust, has.)

USB isolators eliminate ground loops and protect equipment from noise, electrical surges and transient voltage spikes. Sometimes it is almost impossible to eliminate a ground loop caused by a device, such as a mixer, connected to a USB port on a computer. This device is a commercial-grade unit that sells for $99US. If every other attempt to eliminate a USB ground loop fails, this unit may be your answer. (Disclaimer: I’ve never used this unit, but an engineer friend I trust, has.)

Podcasting studios are often characterized by poor acoustics. You can buy the best mic, preamp, compressor, and mixer and still have a bad result. It’s annoying for your listeners to be able to hear things such as computer fans running in the background of your podcast. Those noises are particularly apparent when your listener is using headphones.

While there is nothing better than eliminating noise at its source, a good band-aid is the dbx 286s microphone preamp and processor. While you probably already have a preamp in your mixer, the 286s includes one, as well. Plug your XLR mic into the 286s and plug the line output of the 286s into a line input on your mixer. 

The 286s includes a compressor, an enhancer, and a de-esser, but be very careful not to over-process your mic audio. One of the most useful features of the 286s is the gate. While listening to your mic audio through headphones, adjust the Threshold control until the background noise is masked. (It does not disappear!) When you talk, the background noise is still there, but it is not as easy to hear because your voice is hopefully so much louder than the noise.

Don’t buy the 286s or any processing equipment expecting miracles. Many beginning podcasters think that they have to buy a whole rack full of equipment to get a good sounding podcast. In many cases, just the opposite is true. Keep it simple. Do not over-process. Don’t crank the low frequency control on your mixer to 3 o’clock hoping that your voice will sound deeper. Poor application of equalization and processing are a dead giveaway that you don’t know what you’re doing.

The 286s takes some experimentation to find its optimum settings. When it is properly set, it can add a lot of control to your mic chain. They’re available for about $200US. There are some other units, such as the Symetrix 528E or the Vorsis M1, but those units are more expensive than the dbx unit and offer negligible improvement for most podcasters. As always, your mileage may vary!

The International Association of Internet Broadcasters (IAIB) is the principal voluntary trade organization representing the interests of Internet broadcast professionals throughout the world. Considered the most prominent and effective voice of internet broadcasting, the IAIB was founded in direct response to the growing sentiment that this powerful broadcast medium was in need of appropriate representation.

The International Association of Internet Broadcasters not only represents independent and corporate broadcasters, but welcomes equipment suppliers and providers of other services to the Internet Broadcasting Industry. The IAIB provides educational resources, representation, and networking opportunities to Internet broadcast professionals, and to all those interested in participating and learning more about this fastly emerging broadcast medium.

Membership in the IAIB is free, and grants access to a diverse network of broadcasting professionals, early technology adapters and leading Internet broadcast entrepreneurs, all of whom are dedicated to sharing their expertise, helping new comers to the field, and advancing the industry as a whole.

The forums have become a fun and helpful place to share ideas about Internet broadcasting. Become a member, and share your expertise. Click on Join Now. You will need to request an invitation code, which has to be sent manually, so there may be a little delay. (The process is necessary to keep out spammers.) 

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This post will only briefly touch on the complex subject of ground loops. The short story is that when you connect a mixer to a computer to a sound system, there is an excellent chance that you will get a ground loop. A ground loop manifests itself as a high pitched whine superimposed on your audio. They can be hard to diagnose, but they can be simple to solve. Contrary to what you may think, the whine is not coming from the computer or the mixer; it is created by interconnecting them.   The device at the link is from Radio Shack and is called a ground loop isolator. It’s really nothing more than a pair of audio transformers. What’s good about these units is that, unlike a lot of Radio Shack merchandise, they are good quality. Transformers can be very expensive, as in a hundred dollars or more per channel. It’s amazing how good these are for about $18US.   Assuming you’re using a mixer, the simplest way to diagnose a ground loop is to monitor the sound with headphones while you can clearly hear the whine. Start unplugging the audio connections to the computers and amplifiers until the whine disappears. In brief, if you disconnect the audio to and from your computer and the whine goes away, you need a ground loop isolator between your mixer and your computer. In this case, if you’re recording and playing computer audio in stereo, you’ll need two of these Radio Shack units.    The reason you have to have two units is that the ground loop is created when the GROUND of the mixer is connected to the GROUND of the computer. Since the ground on the input is the same as the ground on the output, connecting either one will cause the problem. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to do some trial and error.    The Radio Shack ground loop isolators are in stock in most stores. However, if you have some time and want to save some money, check out this eBay seller: http://goo.gl/KECVH The isolators are surplus, are sticky, and have to be cleaned with lighter fluid, but they work great for podcasting.    If you’re having a ground loop problem, you can contact me by email at podcasting at mikephillips.me. I’ll try to help you solve your problem. All I ask in return is that you follow me on Twitter (@mcphillips) and that you tell others about this site.        
Via radioshack.com

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At the risk of soundling like a broken record, here is another review of the ATR2100-USB dynamic microphone. It’s perfect for most podcasters. Unfortunately, its price is creeping up. They’re now almost $52 at amazon.com, and they’re much higher elsewhere. Apparently AT has realized they’ve got a good thing here.
Via videomaker.com

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The Audio-Technica AT8410a microphone shock mount is one of the best I’ve found. Almost any mic less than 30 mm will fit in it. (It will not work for the ATR2100-USB.) The isolation provided by the elastic bands is excellent. Street price is $48US. Mine have lasted more than 20 years.    EDITED TO ADD: One of my 8410a shock mounts turned out to be an early model for which replacement bands are no longer available. AT offered to swap it for a new one for $29. The offer seemed like a good deal at the time. However, by the time I paid shipping on the old unit ($5), paid for the replacement ($29), and paid for return freight ($9.50), I had $43.50 plus a trip to FedEx invested. In retrospect, it would have been easier to throw the old one away and buy a new one for $48. Nevertheless, this shock mount is my absolute favorite. 
Via audio-technica.com

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The Audio-Technica AT8410a microphone shock mount is one of the best I’ve found. Almost any mic less than 30 mm will fit in it. (It will not work for the ATR2100-USB.) The isolation provided by the elastic bands is excellent. Street price is $48US. Mine have lasted more than 20 years. 
Via audio-technica.com

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Podcasters seem to want to record their shows on external recorders instead of using their host computers. While I don’t understand or agree with the idea, there is no reason not to save some money if you choose to do so.    Just a few moments ago, I discovered the Tascam DR-2D digital recorder. While I have never used this model, I am very familiar with Tascam products. There are four characteristics of this model worth mentioning:   1. The price: $119US from the site linked on this article. (I’m not connected with them) 2. It has LINE inputs for easy connection to a mixer. 3. There is a PAUSE button, which is very handy. 4. It records in high quality WAV file format (as well as MP3).    In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never purchased from UniqueSquared.com, but their ratings appear to be high. The pricing for this unit is certainly among the lowest that I could find.    If you have used or if you purchase this recorder, please report back. You can @reply on Twitter (@mcphillips) or email (podcasting at mikephillips.me.) If I receive any reports with compelling reasons to avoid the DR-2D, I’ll update this post. This recorder has the potential for being a game-changer among portable recorders.
Via uniquesquared.com

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Many small-diameter microphones are 3/4” diameter including the EV RE10/15/16/18 series, the EV 635A, the AKG D112, the Neumann KM184, and hundreds more. The older EV mics came with a model 310 stand adapter, which was discontinued in favor of the model 311 that allows snapping the mic into place. While I always prefer to have the original adapter that was shipped with a mic, sometimes they are lost or broken and are not available.   The EV 311 is about $14US shipped from Sweetwater Sound. The Audix DCLIP is about $10US shipped. Just for fun, I ordered an Audix DCLIP to see first hand how robust this clip is. It’s a good one. The swivel locking mechanism works very well in that the thumb screw tights a surface with gripping teeth against a fiber washer to prevent slipping. It’s easy and quick to position the mic.    It will be interesting to see how well the clip holds up. Fiber washers don’t last forever, although a suitable replacement part may be available at a hardware store. Even then, while the clip is only $10, if you buy a lot of them, it can get expensive replacing them for the sake of a washer.    Sweetwater didn’t have the EV 311 on their website, so I was not able to order one to compare. Full Compass carries them, but they are not eligible for free shipping, making it more practical to add them to an order down the road.    The 3/4” mic is also a 19mm mic. Many mic clips are specified for 19-23mm mics. Just for grins, I ordered an Audio-Technica AT8405a stand adapter for a 21mm mic. A difference of 2mm really matters. This AT clip does not fit a single mic I own.
Via audixusa.com