I do voice-overs, contribute to podcasts, and am hoping to start my own podcast(s). So I want a perfectly simple, but a power horse of a set-up. Today, I present, after a few weeks of pouring over schematics, ADC/DAC codecs, and other people's set-ups, the People's Podcasting Perfection!
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| A vertical overview of the planned mixer, with faders and everything. |
Alright, keep calm and be cool. I know, it's not a physical thing- Yet! It will be soon. I'm buying up everything I'll need. The problem right now is trying to find the best possible codecs, faders, preamps, and pots. (I classify radial dials as pots, faders are on their own.) What!!! You thought I was gonna build everything from scratch! Ha!
Anyway. Let's throw up the signal path:
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| Presented in my rush to finished at least a presentable version, this is not in a standard formatted signal path. |
So there it is. Let's start with an over view. The mixer has 3 simultaneous inputs, 4 total inputs. One microphone with a balanced combo jack applying standard and 48V phantom power for those who use condenser mics. It will carry a unity gain with up to +25 and a insert jack. Then one stereo input over balanced 1/4 jacks. A second stereo input has a little fun: USB! Yes! USB! Switchable between a stereo input over RCA or 1/4, (I haven't decided yet) and a stereo return from a USB connection to a PC. "Return" you say? More on that later. All inputs are planned to have 3 band EQ modulation and panning via pots, and a fader for final volume control. For the mic input, I first thought I would want a built in compressor/limiter, but then decided people might be bringing in channel strips, their own preamps, and even processing. Leaving the combo jack as a balanced or stereo input and an insert jack to allow for so many combinations was a no-brainer.
Next are the buses! The first one is from Philadelphia to New York in about 45 minut- What? Not the right buses? Oh, THOOOOSE buses! Gotcha.
Each of our individual channel strips can apply bus sends post-fader. ALL are post fader. You can make your own with pre faders, but I've never seen the use. I've included a Main Mix like normal, plus I've added a pre-mix- Yeah, let's call it that: a Pre-Mix™. (Trademark Keith Borst 2012) It allows you to send (POST FADER!) the input signal to your headphones for prepping levels before you bring it into the main mix. Or even queuing up a clip for an intro or outro and want to listen without it interfering with your main mix. AAAND! An aux bus! Yup, now you can also add your channel strip to your favorite VOIP program. To explain the need for this, I need to tell you that we also send the main mix to two outputs. (technically three) One goes to a stereo balanced output, one to the headphone out, and one to the USB CODEC! Yes! It's completely digital! No need to by an ADC/DAC, it's built right in! Now sure, I provide the switchable third input and a main bus out if you wish to connect your own audio interface, so by all means: Play around with it.
Here's where the aux bus comes into place. While the USB connection allows the audio out of your computer/device to come into the mixer, and the main mix to be sent to the computer, your participant on your VOIP service of choice will hear themselves with a delay if you send them the main bus as an input. So, the aux bus allows you to select which inputs to send to a secondary output that you can use as your input to your VOIP service. Brilliant!
So there you are! A perfect little mixer for VOs or podcasting. Do you like everything? Is there something you think isn't needed to bring down the price? What would you add to perfect this for your set-up? Thoughts? Opinions? Spare change? Send any, anything you've got. No, I'm kidding.
Please comment and tell me what you think.
Thanks,
Keith
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