HOW TO SET UP A MIXER FOR A PODCAST;MIX MINUS MIXER SETUP
INTRODUCTION
One does not need a mixer to have a podcast, one can use audio and microphone create a working podcast. A good mixer adds quality to the podcast sound and the creator can control how the podcast sounds.
CONCEPT
Sounds that come through the mixer are called the mix, the voice of the podcast host and the voice of the guest. There is mixer one and mixer 2, the voice of the host and the guest go in and out of two different mixes. The host or creator of the podcast must know how to handle the mixer if they do not have a personal sound engineer, any person who is handling the mixer need to know about the channels and the fx cord to eliminate the loop in the voices. The guest needs to hear the voice of the host without the low quality loop sound of their own voice and viceversa, they are in the mix minus their own voices.
Even with a mixer microphones are very necessary, dynamic bulletproof microphones. Rest assured portable podcast euipments are an added advantage, euipments such as shock mount made of rubber sound insulators and absorbers. The portable equipment such as the microphones range from prices between 50 to 100 dollars. A hard recorder is required to avoid loss of data incase of connection problem since the internet can be very unpredictable. The Zoom H6 is a very good recorder and very portable and can be used to record away from the studio, the hard recorder device is a multipurpose euipment that can be used both inside and outside; imagine a noisy concert.
Headphones are also required in your list of podcast equipment, headphones are used to monitor sound and upgrade your audio sound. Microphone port and audio microphone port combined called a Griffin Imic, it has an in and an out both connected to a computer.
First connect microphone to mixer to stay connected, the mixer will light up as it receives audio. The computer will then be the 2nd mixer and the pluged into the out of the i mac, the process of plugging the mixer is quite technical. The audio has to go from the computer to mixer then mixer to computer using the 8inch plug then into the Imac.
You may be looking to have more people in the studio and that is where quality mixers prove useful, you do not need to pass the microphone back and forth from guest to guest the quality of your sound might be affected. A mixer uses mono tracks and stereo tracks and they can be used to input or output audio signals. where there are multiple microphones, a mixer will allow you to adjust the audio levels of multiple inputs independently so they sound even.
The knobs on the mixing board are the ones that control your volume levels as your board labels. The higher the levels the more input signal your voice gains when recording. The mixer like your computer needs power supply in order to work well, so find a cord and plug it in first.
CONCLUSION
As we all know quality matter and technology has enables such quality to be better than before. Mixers were seen to be used in large events such as concerts but now podcast hosts have found a way to get their passions to a higher level and reach a wider audience efficiently. Podcasts have become very popular among jounalists, artists and even entertainers, the guest list has grown and the technology of usb mixers expanded with the demand and supply curve.
While you plug in your computer do not forget to turn it off and on again when the whole equipment is ready to use.
