No matter which audio interface you're using, there are four basic steps you'll need to take
in order to set it up. In this video, I'm going to cut right to the chase and show
you how to set up your audio interface for recording, streaming, or video conferencing.
The first step is to connect your audio interface to your computer. This will usually be done with
either a USB or a Thunderbolt cable. Before going any further, it's a good idea to test
the connection. To test your interface with a Windows PC, click the speaker icon in the
bottom right hand corner of your screen and select your interface as the output device.
To test the connection on a Mac, go to 'System Preferences', click 'Sound',
and select your interface as the output device. If you don't see your interface listed,
search Google for any drivers needed for your interface. This can be easily done by
typing the name of your interface followed by "drivers" in the search bar. After installing
the necessary drivers, you should see your interface in the list in the audio options.
In order to hear sound, you're going to need either a pair of speakers or a pair of headphones.
Setting up headphones is easy. Most interfaces have a 1/4-inch TRS headphone jack for
headphones. If you're using headphones with a 3.5 millimeter or 1/8-inch plug, you can use
one of these adapters, which I'll provide a link to in the description of the video. Most audio
interfaces have left and right 1/4-inch TRS or XLR outputs for connecting to studio monitors.
You'll need to connect the left output to the left speaker and the right output to the right speaker.
1/4-inch TRS and XLR are essentially the same thing just a different shape.
So if your interface and studio monitors both have quarter inch TRS connectors,
great! You can use a 1/4-inch TRS cable to connect them. If you need an adapter from XLR to 1/4-inch
TRS or the other way around, you can find a link to that adapter in the description below.
It's okay to connect your interface to your speakers with a 1/4-inch TS instrument cable
if that's all you've got, but it will be an unbalanced connection, which might lead to some
unwanted noise. Don't worry too much, because it's not a big problem at short distances.
Now, let's connect a microphone to the audio interface. You'll need to use one of the mic level
inputs on your interface. Line level or instrument level inputs won't work. Usually XLR and combo
inputs like these are mic level inputs, while 1/4-inch inputs like these are line level inputs
that can't amplify microphone signals. You're probably using either a dynamic microphone that
doesn't require an external power supply or a condenser microphone which does require one.
If you're using a condenser mic, you'll want to turn on phantom power by pressing the '+48'
button on your interface. This will supply 48 volts of direct current to the microphone.
This is the preamp knob and it controls the input level of the signal.
You can get a rough level using the meters on your audio interface.
Just aim for a healthy level without causing the input meter to turn red. If your audio
interface doesn't have meters, I'll show you a better method for this later on in the video.
Now let's configure your recording, streaming, or video conferencing software to use your audio
interface as the audio input and output device. Feel free to use the shortcuts I've provided in
the description below to skip to the correct section, depending on which kind of software
you're using. If you're using a DAW recording software like Audacity, REAPER, FL Studio, or
Protools, the steps will be pretty much the same. In REAPER, click 'Options' and then 'Preferences'.
Then go to the 'Device' tab under 'Audio' and select your interface as the input and output
device. The next step will be to create a new track. You need to set the input of the new track
to one of the physical inputs on your interface. I'm going to choose Input 1. In most DAWs, when
the track is armed to record, you'll see input levels from the microphone. Adjust the preamp knob
on your interface until the peaks of the signal are at about -18 to -12 dB Full Scale on the meter
within your software. The last thing you want to do is allow the signal to reach 0 dB Full Scale,
because you'll start to hear the sound of clipping. Now you're ready to record.
If you're using your interface for a video call in Microsoft Teams or Zoom, you'll need to set
up the software so that it uses the microphone and speakers connected to your interface rather
than the speaker and microphone built into your computer. This is very simple in most software.
In Microsoft Teams, I'll click the three dots next to my name in the top right corner and
click 'Settings'. Then I'll go to 'Devices' and at the top. I see a section for 'Audio Devices'.
For speaker, I'll select my interface and for microphone I'll select my interface.
In Zoom, the process is very similar. In the top right hand corner, there's a gear icon to access
settings. It'll open a new window. I'll click the 'Audio' tab and at the top. I can select my
interface as the system speaker and just below that, I can select my interface as the system
microphone. I can even see levels here as I speak into the microphone. The process for setting up
your audio interface for streaming varies a little bit, depending on the software you're using.
Setting up your YouTube, Facebook, or Twitch stream is very similar to setting up a video
conferencing app. I get the option to change my camera and audio settings just before going live.
On the other hand, setting up a streaming software like OBS
is more similar to setting up a DAW. Click the '+' button under 'Sources'
and select 'Audio Input Capture'. Then select your interface in the pop-up window.
If you found this video helpful, hit the 'Like' button and watch the next video to
learn more about getting the most out of your audio interface. I'll see you there.