It’s all about the quality of the sound. Whether you’re a budding podcaster or aspiring musician, an audio interface recording mixer between your microphone and computer is a critical tool for your digital recording applications. They help you achieve consistency and quality with your audio output, and some help with equalizer settings or added effects. The best audio interface recording mixer for you will depend on the number of planned users, the importance of audio effects and equalization, and your level of user sophistication.
The number of users or mics needed for your recording project will dictate how many inputs you need in your audio mixer. If you’re a solo artist or podcaster, all you need is one input. If you’re recording your band, or your podcast has frequent guests, you’ll need more.
While you can get by with recording using a mixer without a USB connection, if you’re going to add equalizer effects to your sound (and why wouldn’t you?) you will need the full audio interface with USB connection.
You don’t need a degree in audio engineering to make a quality recording. You do need recording equipment that is easy to understand and use.