Can you use 2 USB mics at the same time? Yes, with a catch

Yes, you can use 2 USB mics at the same time on 1 computer. A free built-in setting does it on a Mac, but Windows needs an extra app or new gear. Here’s the Mac fix, the Windows options and 2 setups that skip the problem.

Why using 2 USB mics at the same time is tricky

To your computer, each USB mic is a separate sound device. As Audacity’s FAQ puts it, “Audacity can only record from one sound device at a time.”

Each mic also has its own clock, the timer that sets when it captures sound. With 2 clocks, the FAQ warns, “the two inputs may drift apart over time.” Over a long episode, one voice can slowly fall out of step.

How to use 2 USB mics on a Mac

Create an Aggregate Device

An Aggregate Device joins several audio devices into one. These steps are from Apple’s guide. Plug in both mics first.

1. In Finder, choose Go > Utilities and open Audio MIDI Setup.
2. Click + at the bottom of the sidebar and choose Create Aggregate Device. Double-click it to rename it, for example “2 mics”.
3. Tick Use for each mic. The order you tick them sets the order of the inputs.
4. Pick one mic in the Clock Source menu. Apple says to choose the device with the most reliable clock.
5. Tick Drift Correction for the other mic.

Leave this window open. It shows which input channels belong to which mic.

Record each mic on its own track in Audacity

Menu names are from the Audacity 4 manual, version 4.0.1 as of October 2026.

1. In Audacity (opens in a new tab), click Audio setup and set Recording device to your Aggregate Device.
2. Set Recording channels to the highest number offered. Audacity uses the first channels it finds, so a low number can leave a mic out.
3. Choose Record > Record on new track.
4. A 2-channel input lands as 1 stereo track. Open its track menu and choose Split stereo to center mono to get 2 tracks. More channels give you 1 mono track each, so delete any silent ones.

Set each track’s input in GarageBand

These steps are from Apple’s GarageBand 10.4.14 guide.

1. Choose GarageBand > Settings (or Preferences) and click Audio/MIDI. Set Input Device to the Aggregate Device and Output Device to whatever your headphones plug into.
2. Create 2 audio tracks. For each one, open Smart Controls and click Track. Under Recording Settings, set the input to mono and pick that mic’s channel.
3. Choose Track > Configure Track Header (Option-T) and select Record Enable.
4. Click Record Enable on both tracks, then press R to record.

Apple’s Aggregate Device guide says GarageBand plays to only 1 output device, so 2 listeners need a splitter or headphone amp.

Say you and a co-host each own a USB mic and record in Audacity.

Before: Audacity lets you pick only 1 recording device, so you both talk into mic 1. Both voices land on 1 track. You can’t turn down one person’s laugh without turning down the other.

After: you build an Aggregate Device named “2 mics”. Mic 1 is the Clock Source, and mic 2 has Drift Correction on. Audacity records from “2 mics”, and you split the result into 1 track per voice. Now you can cut one host’s cough without touching the other.

How to use 2 USB mics on Windows

The Aggregate Device is a Mac feature. Of the Windows workarounds in Audacity’s FAQ, we’d try a routing app first. It merges both mics into 1 input that Audacity can record.

As of October 2026, Voicemeeter is donationware: free to use, with a request to pay what you want after 30 days. It takes 2 mics. It’s a full mixer app with settings to learn, which this guide doesn’t cover.

Each mic still keeps its own clock, so the voices can drift. For 1 clock and no extra app, use the next route.

The cleaner way: 1 interface or 1 recorder, 2 mics

Plug 2 mics with XLR outputs into 1 box with 2 or more mic inputs. XLR is the round 3-pin plug on studio mic cables. Your Mac or PC then sees 1 device, so there’s nothing to combine.

• An audio interface connects mics to a computer over USB. Give each input its own track in your app.
• A podcast recorder saves each mic’s channel to a microSD card. No computer needed.

Which setup should you pick?

Pick by 3 things: how many people, whether you want a computer, and your budget.

Interface route: 2 Samson Q2U mics and a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (4th Gen). 2 × $99.99 + $239.99 = $439.97

Recorder route: 2 Samson Q2U mics and a Zoom PodTrak P4next. 2 × $99.99 + $179.99 = $379.97

The recorder route costs $60 less and gives each person their own headphone output.

For kits at 3 budgets with headphones shown, see the simplest podcast setup for 2 people.

We haven’t tested these hands-on. Our picks are based on the makers’ published specs and, for the Q2U and the Scarlett, the reviews linked below.

Best for USB now, XLR later. Samson lists the Q2U as a dynamic mic with USB-C and XLR outputs, both cables included. The Podcast Host’s review calls it “an excellent option” for new podcasters on a limited budget.

Best for 2 people at 1 computer. Focusrite’s user guide shows 2 XLR mic inputs and 1 headphone output, for Mac or Windows. Auto Gain sets your levels, and Clip Safe turns them down if you get loud enough to distort. Sound On Sound’s October 2023 review listed both as effective.

Best for recording with no computer. Zoom lists 4 XLR inputs, 4 headphone outputs with their own volume controls, and microSD recording. It runs on 2 AA batteries, and over USB-C it also works as an audio interface.

Common mistakes

• Skipping Drift Correction. Tick it for every mic that isn’t the Clock Source, or the voices can drift apart.
• Sharing 1 pair of headphones, or wearing none. Each person needs their own. See why podcasters wear headphones. With 1 headphone output, like the 2i2’s, add a splitter or headphone amp.
• Buying USB-only mics when you plan to get an interface. They won’t plug into one later. Buy mics with both outputs, like the Q2U.

What to do next

• Today: on a Mac, build the Aggregate Device and record a 2-minute test. Check that each voice has its own track. On Windows, try a 2-minute test through Voicemeeter, or pick a row from the table.
• Co-host in another city? Read how to record a podcast with 2 people in different locations.
• Voice sounds thin or distant? Work through why your mic sounds far away.