Thank you for the hardware recommendations. Tbh that is not something I have put any thought into yet.
Can I ask you, is the UMC204HD necessary only because you have to mics, or would you recommend something like it regardless?
I have been thinking of just using a pair of headphones with built-in mic for talking/hearing my teacher, but yeah, it seems like at least something additional for the cello would be beneficial. Do you have any experiences with pick-up mics for the cello? I saw that there are some comparatively well-priced options around