Best Audio Interface for Podcasting [2023 Reviewed]

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All text and image links lead to Amazon unless stated otherwise. All product scores are based on ProRec’s in-house scoring model

Thumbnail	Podcasting Audio Interfaces	ProRec Score	Price
	Rode Rodecaster Pro II	9.1	Check Price on Amazon
	Zoom PodTrak P4	8.4	Check Price on Amazon
	Focusrite Vocaster Two	8.3	Check Price on Amazon

Introduction

If you’re a Podcaster looking for an audio interface, then you’re obviously one who has decided that you want a real audio setup with a more professional and defined sound. Audio Interfaces are catered towards podcasters who are looking to hook up higher grade audio equipment and XLR mics.

If you’re using something such as a Blue Yeti USB mic, then the mic actually acts as your interface and you can connect it directly to your laptop/computer. While a lot of podcasters have had success with USB mics (working within their limitations), in this era of digital recording, it is pivotal for anyone serious about their podcast to absolutely route all of their equipment through an audio interface.

Interfaces are a one time investment and don’t really cost much, and the benefit (higher quality audio) you get from having one clearly outweighs not including one in your setup. Even if you have a smaller setup, as you expand you will want to invest in a more expensive condenser mic as well as a mixer. An interface will open you up to a wide selection of audio equipment that will enhance your sound and allow for a higher degree of control.

When choosing an audio interface for podcasting, at the bare minimum, you want two input channels (one for the host and the other for a guest microphone). As you expand, you will want more channels for added effects, music and other sources. If you’re not live streaming, then invest in an interface with the highest quality preamp. If you are streaming, then you can get away with cheaper interfaces that have a lower noise floor EIN ( about – 127 dB). However, for best results, it’s always a good idea to get an interface with the best preamps.

Other features to lookout for in a podcasting interface include a headphone output (for monitoring during recording) as well as loopback connectivity. Some podcasters want to record simultaneously through their microphone as well as an online application such as Google hangouts or Skype, if this is your intention then you will need something with an internal loopback.

Finally, you may want to consider things such as portability, if you want something that is easier to transport then you should consider the weight, size and power requirements of the interface, as well as the connectivity options (USB or Thunderbolt) that align with your computer or laptop. You also want to set a budget and look for something that fits within your price range. In general, you don’t have to go overboard with podcasting interfaces, a good affordable brand such as Focusrite is more than enough for most people.

Best Audio Interfaces for Podcasting Reviews

All text and image links lead to Amazon unless stated otherwise. All product scores are based on ProRec’s in-house scoring model

The Rodecaster Pro II is a 2×16 I/O USB-C unit by Rode, a highly regarded producer of podcasting interfaces, that offers a 24 bit/48 kHz audio resolution, and operates via an external power supply.

The top features all of the main controls that include a 5.5 inch touchscreen, four headphone volume control knobs, and a large encoder to control the master output level as well as various other parameters on the screen. Eight rubberized Smart Pads and two small bank scrolling buttons are housed on the right side, and 6 channel buttons, along with sliding faders and mute/solo options are present on the left.

The rear panel features a power button, a microSD card slot, 3 USB ports (a dedicated one for power and two for connectivity), four combo XLR/TRS inputs, four ¼” headphone outputs, two balanced line outputs and an ethernet port that you can connect to a router for firmware updates.

While the Pro II has a plastic body, the construction lines are clean and the unit feels high quality. The device has an intuitive compact design with excellent cable management. The lights on the Smart Pads are bright, and the controls i.e. the sliding faders and smart pads, are firm yet responsive.

The interface is pretty easy to set up. We plugged in an SM7B and a pair of Audeze LCD-X headphones, the setup wizard guided us through various settings and we were ready to record! The preamps offer up to 76 dB of gain, they are extremely quiet and have very low self noise. In fact, the mic was noisier with a Cloudlifter, which says a lot about the quality of the preamps. We didn’t have to spend much time on post edits either. The interface also comes with presets for mics and headphones (with different gain settings according to their sensitivity) which are especially helpful for beginners.

We also set up a live stream with Zoom, Skype and YouTube. Enabling the mix minus function made the experience seamless. The AD/DA conversion on the unit was crisp and powerful, and the noise floor was low. The noise gate feature is great for recording high quality audio, even in noisy environments when you have stuff in the background. Additionally, the reverb and echo channel effects have DAW plug-in style GUIs that offer control over the bandwidth and level of the wet signal.

The unit is really versatile. The high pass filter is awesome (with a variable slope- 6, 12, 24 dB/octave- and a frequency range of 20-20 kHz) you can use it as a rumble filter or to correct the proximity effect. The DIs are detailed and clear. The headphone amps are loud and powerful. One of our favourite things about the Rodecaster, though, are the smart pads which allowed us to perform various functions like playing different sound effects in our audio, or even bleeping out swear words!

The predecessor of the Pro II is the Rodecaster Pro, which was released back in 2019. Compared to the predecessor, there are significant improvements in the Pro 2 such as the combo XLR/TRS jacks in contrast to XLR inputs on the Pro. It also has better preamps and a more powerful processor. However, the original model had 8 faders instead of 6 and was bigger than the RCP II, which is more compact.

While the Rodecaster Pro II certainly lives up to its hype, there are some downsides we would like to point out. The power supply on the predecessor had a threaded assembly to keep it in place, which is absent in the Pro II. The USB-C tip that clips onto the back of the interface is exposed and can get disconnected or damaged which is something to look out for. Another thing which was mildly irritating was the firmware update that the interface required right out of the box. It took 6 hours but thankfully it was a one time thing and therefore, not a big inconvenience.

All in all, we found the Rodecaster Pro II to be an exceptional interface. It offers a good I/O configuration, is compact and portable, and comes with excellent features to help take your podcasting experience to the next level. If you are looking for a professional podcasting interface which is also easy to use, you absolutely cannot go wrong with the industry standard RCP II!

Rode Rodecaster Pro II Benefits

The preamps are powerful, quiet and offer a lot of gain. Your recordings will sound noisier with an external preamp or Cloudlifter than with the built-in preamps.

The noise gate feature allows you to record clean, high quality audio in noisy environments.

The high pass filter with variable slope provides correction for proximity effect and rumble.

The smart pads can add different sounds to your audio or bleep out accidental swears!

Rode Rodecaster Pro II Drawbacks

The USB-C power port is not attached to the body via a threaded mount and is prone to damage.

The initial firmware update took 6 hours to download.

All text and image links lead to Amazon unless stated otherwise. All product scores are based on ProRec’s in-house scoring model

The Vocaster Two is a 2×2 I/O USB-C interface from Focusrite’s dedicated series of podcasting interfaces. The unit offers a 24-bit depth and a max sampling rate of 48 kHz. It is bus powered and comes with a USB-C to USB-A cable.

The Vocaster has a simple, minimalistic design. The top panel features a rotary encoder for gain adjustment, that is surrounded by a thin halo indicator for denoting gain levels. Two other circular LEDs (halo meters) also present around the encoder indicate when the microphone input signal levels are close to clipping. Two small knobs on the side, conveniently labelled Host and Guest, control the monitor output volume. The 6 buttons at the bottom top panel are the Mute, Enhance and Auto Gain selectors, one each for the host and guest.

The back panel has two XLR inputs, two ¼” inch TRS jacks, a 3.5 mm TRRS jack for your phone, a 3.5 mm TRS jack to connect a camera, buttons for the power supply, Bluetooth and 48 V, a USB-C port and a Kensington lock. The front panel is simple and features the two headphone outputs.

In terms of physical appearance, the unit has a soap shaped body, with a black top and granite finish on the sides. The interface houses almost all I/O on the back, giving our podcasting setup a neat and tidy look when all set up. The controls on the interface are easy to use and the knobs are smooth yet solid. Individual controls, for the host and guest, are also a nice touch.

Once we were all set up and done with the driver installation, the experience of using the interface was pretty seamless. The sound quality is really commendable for an interface in this price range. We plugged in an RE20 and a pair of PreSonus monitors and started recording. The headroom on the mic inputs was immediately apparent from the clear and high quality audio output. The preamps have a really clean noise floor, and can capture frequencies from 20 Hz up to 20 kHz, with max gain levels at around 70 dB.

We played around a bit with the Enhance feature, which is great for adding EQ, compression and high pass filter to recordings. While this is a great feature, the Auto Gain option impressed us the most. It automatically adjusts gain levels when you speak into the mic for a few seconds. The gain calibration is highly accurate; we don’t know why Focusrite even went through the trouble of adding a manual encoder!

The TRRS port on the back is great for playing music or adding sound effects into your podcast by connecting your phone, however, we made use of it by remotely recording a guest while talking to them on the phone. We also did the remote guest experiment by connecting the phone to the interface via Bluetooth with the guest on call. Since the mix sent to the phone was mono, in both cases, the guest could hear the whole podcast without their own voice (although it was being recorded) which is a really thoughtful touch.

The Vocaster Two was released along with the Vocaster One in 2022. Although both units are dedicated podcasting interfaces, the Vocaster One is smaller, and features only one XLR input and one headphone output while the Vocaster Two offers two of both. The Vocaster One is more of a solution for solo content creators looking to livestream, record themselves or connect to remote guests, the Two on the other hand offers greater flexibility, and can be used for live streaming or for an in-person podcasting setup for two people.

While the unit offers a lot for the price, there are a few things that could have been better. For instance, while the Vocaser Hub is a great software, Focusrite didn’t do a good job with providing instructions on how to truly optimize your recordings. You will have to figure out how to set it up with OBS or how to record a podcast properly. We were able to find related advice and tutorials online, Focusrite should’ve addressed the subject in the user manual or on their website. Also, we had expected the interface to come with a software bundle better than the odd assortment of unhelpful software it came with, which was especially disappointing after having such a good experience with the unit itself.

Overall though, we think that the Focusrite Vocaster Two is a great bundle deal, in a mid range price bracket. It covers all essential features, and ensures that you have all options available for podcasting, either on-site or remote. Coupled with good sound quality and additional options for a smooth podcasting experience, the Vocaster is great value for money and an option you should consider seriously if you are a budding podcaster.

Focusrite Vocaster Two Benefits

The build quality is good and the unit is well designed. Individual controls for Host and Guest are also present.

The preamps offer 70 dB of gain and the audio output is transparent and clean.

The Auto Gain option works beautifully to calibrate gain on your mic inputs automatically.

The TRRS port and the output jack to sync your audio with video offer ease of use.

Focusrite Vocaster Two Drawbacks

There is a lack of clear instructions from Focusrite about common issues with software.

The software bundle included with the interface isn’t all that great.

All text and image links lead to Amazon unless stated otherwise. All product scores are based on ProRec’s in-house scoring model

The Zoom PodTrak P4 is the cheapest audio interface on our list, yet it still offers decent features, even at this price. The unit features a 2×2 configuration, offers a 16-bit depth and a max sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. The P4 has USB-C connectivity, and can be powered by AA batteries or through your computer via USB.

The top panel has all of the main controls (4 of each) that include input levels knobs, input selection switches, mute buttons, and sound pads labelled A-D. You’ll also find a single associated knob as well as a small display. Four control buttons labelled Menu, Play/Pause, Stop and Rec/Center as well as four knobs for adjusting phone volume are also situated near the bottom.

The back has four XLR input jacks (no combo or line inputs on this interface). Four phone jacks on the front while the sides feature the USB-C port, the USB port for power, an SD card slot in addition to a smartphone connection jack, a BTA-2 power supply connector and a power switch.

Physically, the unit has a plastic build making it lightweight and portable, with somewhat of a compromise on durability. In use, however, we didn’t feel that the unit was fragile or easily breakable but this could be a concern if your rig is mobile. The controls are accessible, and the design is simple and intuitive.

Setting up the PodTrak P4 was pretty straightforward, we walked through a series of settings most of which were a one-time job and the interface was ready to go. To be clear, the P4 serves not only as an audio interface but also as a mixer and an external recorder. It offers up to 70 dB of gain which is enough to power any mic, condenser or dynamic.

We plugged in an RE20, and didn’t have to use a Cloudlifter since the preamps on the interface were amazing on their own; they were clean, offered great headroom and delivered enough gain to power the RE20. The output, while not as clean as the Rodecaster, was still pretty high quality. We also connected a remote guest via phone and didn’t get any latency or drops at all, which is really impressive and a great feature for podcasters.

We recorded tracks to our computer and the SD card simultaneously, without having to worry about setting up a separate backup. The mix minus feature on the interface was impeccable; we tested it out via Zoom and Skype, as well as with a live stream on Facebook. The sound quality was excellent in all cases but the audio output when broadcasting via Zoom was just outstanding.

One of the best things about the P4 is that it has four inputs giving you four different tracks that you can edit individually in post (without worrying about the mixes spilling into one another). This is excellent, especially when featuring remote guests where you do not have much control over the room acoustics. The Limiter function prevents the audio from overloading the recorder, however, we had to be careful to not go overboard with the gain since it did a lot of noise to our recordings. The in-built sound pads are a nice touch, allowing us to add sound effects and transitions to our audio in real time, at the touch of a button.

In terms of previous releases, the PodTrak P4 can be compared to the Zoom H6 and the Zoom H4N Pro. As far as inputs go, the P4 has four XLR jacks while the H6 offers four combo XLR/TRS inputs, however, the H4N Pro only has two XLR ports. As for additional features, the H6 takes the lead by offering an inbuilt speaker which the P4 lacks. In contrast to the H4N, though, the P4 features better preamps and offers more gain per input channel.

While we found no major downsides when working with the P4, there are a few things which we would like to point out. Since the recording quality available is only 16-bit/44.1 kHz, you may be looking for a higher resolution interface, if you want to record music or process a lot of tracks on the unit. For a podcasting setup, though, this resolution is more than enough and you will still be able to get high quality audio. One thing that we found, though, is that the knobs on the interface do not fade out (of a music cue) smoothly and the bottom of the fade is sharp, instead of a slow cut.

Overall, our experience of recording with the Zoom PodTrak P4 was extremely satisfactory. We experimented with the P4 for recording in different use cases and it delivered great sound quality every time. This unit is really a bang for your buck if you are looking for something small that also sounds really good.

Zoom PodTrak P4 Benefits

The unit features 4 inputs, which is hard to find in this price range.

The Limiter feature doesn’t allow your audio input to overload the recorder.

The smart pads help you add effects and transitions to your audio in live settings.

Zoom PodTrak P4 Drawbacks

The interface offers a recording quality of 16-bit/44.1 kHz.

The knobs on the unit do not fade out smoothly, but rather have a sharp, cut-like fade.

Verdict

According to our scoring model, the variance between the highest and lowest scoring unit in any given category is 1.5, which is a pretty close run given the price difference between the interfaces. In the connectivity category, however, all units score 9 points since they all have USB-C ports. The one noticeable trend, though, is that the Rodecaster leads the scoreboard in all categories except Price to Performance, where it falls behind the PodTrak P4 by only 0.5 points.

The single highest variance between the different units is in the Sound Quality, Input/Output, and Additional Features categories. While the Rodecaster tops each category, both the P4 and Vocaster score second in Input/Output whereas the Vocaster leaves the P4 behind in Additional Features. However, in Sound Quality, the most important category, the Vocaster falls behind the PodTrak P4 by 0.5 points.

Although the Rodecaster is the most expensive interface on our list, it still delivers a bang for your buck! The preamps are clean and transparent, in a class of their own. The ADC and DAC converters are powerful, with a crisp and detailed output. The 2×16 I/O config is plenty, allowing for simultaneous recordings. The interface also offers a lot of additional features such as smart pads, reverb and echo effects, a high pass filter with a variable slope, as well as the noise gate feature.

The PodTrak P4 places second in three out of five categories. In Sound Quality, it scores a solid 8.5, attributable to its high quality preamps. It features a 2×2 I/O configuration, perfect for a ‘one host and one guest’ setup. For the price, the P4 delivers amazing performance, falling behind the highest scoring unit only by 0.5 points in the Price to Performance category. Although the unit offers plenty of additional features (the Limiter function, and sound pads that allow for live editing), it falls short in comparison to the other two.

Nevertheless, the Rodecaster Pro II comes out on top as the best interface for podcasting based on our scoring model with an overall score of 9.1 (a solid 0.7 points ahead of the second highest scoring interface)! It has a bunch of cool features which confer great usability and ease of use. In terms of sound quality, it is arguably the best when you look at podcasting specific interfaces. If you are really looking to elevate your podcasts, and are able to spare a bit more for an interface, there really isn’t a better option than the Rodecaster Pro II!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an Audio Interface for Podcasting?

If you’re serious about Podcasting, you definitely need an audio interface. There is a way around it though, if you use a USB mic, then you do not ‘technically’ need an interface. The mic would plug into your computer and you can go ahead with your podcast. However, to elevate your recordings you really need an XLR mic (these need to go through an interface). It will make a world of a difference!

What is the most important aspect for choosing a Podcasting Audio Interface?

The most important aspect for choosing a podcasting interface is that it should allow at least 2 mic inputs, one for the host and another for the guest, as well as corresponding headphone outs. You want each input to get recorded as a separate track. Additionally, you also want to look for something with good preamps so your recordings come out clean.

What platform should I use to record my Podcast?

You’ll have to use a DAW, and the most popular ones for podcasting are Audacity and Adobe Audition. That is what most podcasters use. However, there are no limitations, you can choose whatever DAW you are comfortable with. Audacity is free, so you do not have to spend any money. Similarly, you can find other free DAWs such as REAPER, but they are more catered towards music production than podcasting.

What else do I need for a complete Podcasting setup?

You’re going to need a computer, mics (condenser or dynamic are the way to go), an audio interface, and some headphones. It’s also good to have a central monitoring solution (a pair of studio monitors), and also a mixer if you get to a more advanced stage. Podcasting is fairly straightforward and doesn’t really require a ton of equipment unless you want to get all fancy.