A professional audio mixer, a console, board, or desk, is essentially the heart of any recording studio or sound system. If you're just starting out and putting together your audio setup, a digital console is definitely worth considering. You can connect a bunch of different sound sources to the mixer, including microphones, instruments, playback devices, CDs, computer audio, MP3s, USB drives, and SD cards. The mixer takes all these audio inputs, processes them, and balances the sound before sending the mixed audio to various outputs like monitor mixes and front-of-house speakers. Here’s the lowdown on a digital audio mixer and how to use one.
Live and Studio Mixers
Live and studio mixers are important tools for mixing and directing audio signals. To start, get the right software, which is crucial for managing the type and amount of inputs and outputs you need. A live sound mixer has main speakers and offers several monitor mixes. On the other hand, a traditional studio mixer often requires direct outputs from each channel for multitrack recording. The main difference between “studio” and “live sound” mixers isn't always definite, so it’s a good idea to learn the different components that make up a mixer.
Analog and Digital Mixers
Analog Mixers
Analog mixers consist of physical components like resistors, wires, switches, and potentiometers for every bus, preamp, channel, and EQ. They are straightforward and provide hands-on controls for each function and routing option. Once you get the hang of an analog board, you can easily navigate it with just a glance.
Digital Mixers
The analog mixer gets transformed into digital data right after it hits the board. A digital audio mixer is basically a high-tech computer equipped with AD/DA converters and a unique control surface. They offer a bunch of perks that analog boards just can’t match. Plus, DSP chips are way smaller and cheaper than the old-school analog ones.
However, digital audio mixers can be a bit tricky to learn, and they usually have just one main control area for all your channels. But those big screens and automatic layouts often help balance things out.
In some cases, routing audio on digital mixers is super flexible, but finding the controls can be a bit of a challenge since they’re tucked away in menus within the software. Also, many digital mixers stick to a fixed 1:1 signal flow, which might throw you off if you’ve got multiple people working on the same mixer.
Mixer Basics
Channels
The more channels your mixer has, the more gear you can connect. Channels can be either mono or stereo and come with different features. They handle both mic and line-level signals and typically include a preamp to boost the input to the right level. Each channel also has a fader to adjust its output. You’ll find an equalizer, auxiliary sends, and pan control on every channel.
Buses
Every channel in the mixer is designed to send signals to one or more buses. The main output connects to the master mix bus, which is controlled by the channel faders. There’s also an auxiliary bus that has its own volume control on the channel and exits through a separate output jack. Aux buses can work independently from the channel’s volume, meaning they can be influenced by the output fader (post-fader). These outputs are super handy for monitors, headphones, recording mixes, and effects sends. Some mixing consoles even have a dedicated aux bus just for effects, which might include an onboard effects processor or a specific return channel.
Groups
Big-format mixers come with channel groupings that help you manage a lot of channels easily. Think of each group matrix as its own mini mixer sitting between the channels and the main bus. After you assign the output for each channel, just make sure to route it to a bus that connects to a group fader. Each group has its own output fader that goes into the master bus, letting you control whole sections of your mix with just a few faders without messing with the balance of the channels in each group.
Mute Groups and Scenes
Some mixers feature mute groups, which let you assign individual channels to a single control for quick muting or unmuting of multiple channels at once. More advanced mixing consoles even let you save different mute scenes, so you can store various setups of muted and unmuted channels for easy recall later.
Inserts and Direct Outputs
Aux sends are great for applying effects across multiple channels. Channel inserts are perfect for hooking up outboard gear like compressors and EQs to specific channels. The insert point on a channel comes right after the preamp in the signal path. You can use either separate send and return jacks or a single 0.5cm insert jack that requires a special insert cable. Direct outputs simply send a duplicate of the preamp signal out of the mixer, making them handy for sending individual feeds to an external recorder or audio interface.
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