(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best mixers & accessories

Use the USB. It should register as a single input audio device which you can select in your live stream program.

Good quality true omni boundary mics are somewhat expensive. Cheap ones tend to be rubbish.

Your biggest concern would be the distance between your mics and the people who are talking. They will possibly lack in mid/bass response and sound thin and unpleasant. This could be mitigated by experimenting with the boundary surface size and shape (the table you put the mics on) as well as the mics position on the surface but there's no guarantee that this will help significantly enough to improve the quality.

You would have to gain the mics fairly hot which brings in the problems of ambient noise, indirect sound and increased noise floor. Your room having less reflective surfaces may help to mitigate the ambient noise and indirect sound enough to make them acceptable, but if your mics noise floor is high then you will have a hiss that will be very noticeable and possibly make the already thin voices harder to hear.

If you do go the omni path, I would be figuring out which ones you want and looking at trying to get some to demo before you commit to purchase them. You may even want to demo many different brands and models to see if there's a particular one that works for your situation over all of the others. It could even be that boundaries are not the best solution for your needs and there may be a product more suited.

If I was going to use boundaries though this would be the setup I would go with:

-Put a table halfway across every 2 tables hard up against them. Like this. With the 3 main tables at the bottom of your drawing just put a single table line up with the center table.

-Put a half-cardioid boundary mic on each table (5 in total) AudioTechnica's Pro44 would be good for this. They're decently price and do a pretty good job.

-Position the mics far enough back so that everyone on the 2 tables are within the 120 degree pickup of the mic. You may have to drag the mic table slightly back to achieve this depending on how many people are at the 2 tables.

-Use a small mixer like this to mix the 4 mics on the longer side together into a single output. Feed the small mixer output into the first xlr input of the behringer then feed the 5th mic on the main table into the second xlr input.

-Experiment with the size and shape of the tables the mics are on to see if something else works better.

The Pro44's being cardioid mean that you are rejecting sound from the rear which will dramatically reduce the pickup of ambient noise and indirect sounds. Having the mics closer to the people means better mid/bass response and less gain needed for each mic which will also help with the former as well as decreasing the noise floor.

Obviously this blows your budget out a fair bit, but I think you would achieve a far better result. It very much depends on what you want to achieve and what level of audio quality is acceptable to you and the people who are watching the live stream. It may be that the omni's are sufficient enough for your purposes despite the flaws they could bring into the mix.

Again, you should see if you can demo some products before you purchase anything.

@ZestyMarshmellow

I have been doing this for years and it works amazingly. I have even cleaned friends carts for money :). I have cleaned over 1000 carts and still am using the same bottles :)

Materials Needed:

• Q-tips
  
• Wrights cooktop cleaner
  
• Isopropyl Alcohol
  
• Caig Deoxit Gold (https://www.amazon.com/Hosa-G5S-6-DeoxIT-Contact-Enhancer/dp/B00FC4YO60)
  
• Appropriate Screw drivers for carts
  
• Light to see the terminals (i use a head light so it is hands free)
  
  Process:
  Phase 1:
  

1. For this phase, it is easiest to clean the chip as it is closed and installed in the original cartridge, this will allow you to apply force with the q-tip against the roof of the cart.
   
   
2. Lightly coat one end of the q-tip with the cooktop cleaner (I usually have a folded paper towel nearby and I shake the cooktop cleaner and make a little mountain of it on the towel that I can reuse since I mostly do multiple carts in a session :) )
   
   
3. Scrub the q-tip back and forth along the terminals and apply more vigorously the dirtier it is. Repeat this until you see gold instead of dirt. This can take multiple q-tips, that is fine, just use the light to see when the dirt comes off.
   
   
   Phase 2:
   
4. Lightly coat a new q-tip with the Isopropyl alcohol
   
   
5. Lightly scrub the q-tip back an forth along the terminals similar to the previous step but a lot softer. This phase is only to get the cooktop grime and sediment off from the previous step
   
   Phase 3:
   
6. Open the cartridge and carefully take the chip out and place it onto a safe surface, perhaps a paper towel.
   
   
7. With a completely dry Q-tip, scrub off any extra sediment/cleaner that made it through the cart plastic and onto the chip
   
   
8. Reinstall the chip and screw close the cartridge back into original form.
   
   Final phase:
   
9. Lightly coat a new q-tip with the Caig deoxit gold spray.
   
   
10. Lightly scrub the q-tip back an forth along the terminals. Since the terminals are clean from the previous phase, this phase is to put a finishing coat of contact cleaner on it to keep it fresh and shiny. I used to only apply this, but the dirty carts need cleaning first and this should always be the final steps.
    
    Optional phase:
    Clean off cooktop cleaner from the bottoom/outside of the cart if used in excess
    
    Tips
    

• NEVER use WD-40, it becomes black and leaves gunk buildup when it oxidizes.
  
• I would suggest buying the cart screwdrivers even if you do not plan to clean, often opening the cart is the best way to identify the cart's authenticity.
  
• Don't buy the q-tips that have a flimsy rod, they are garbage.
  
• You don't need Caig deoxit gold specifically, but pickup something from deoxit, they have great stuff.
  
• You can use the deoxit for many applications and it is great to have around
  
• Deoxit comes with a straw to spray with the aerosol can. DO NOT SPRAY the cart or the terminals. You are not trying to lather the cart in the contact cleaner ha, you are just cleaning the terminal not the shell
  
• The dirtiest contacts for me took 2 q-tips (4 heads) max with the cooktop cleaner. Use the light to determine if you are applying to much.
  
  Good luck, and TBH the contacts in this pic do not look bad at all, i would think this cart would work already

Hey man,

So, without giving too much information away, I hosted an independent music podcast with a rather large podcast group back in 2005 when things were just getting started. (Averaged ~300K downloads per month) In fact, some of the episodes of my old show can still be found around the net. That being said, there are a few things that you can do to practice speaking for a show.

Step 1: Listen to other podcasts that you like - set your mind to dissect what people that you like are doing and try and figure out WHY they are speaking in certain ways. You're going to find that experienced podcasters are very conversational and warm. That's part of the appeal of most good podcasters. They speak as though everyone were sitting around the living room having a conversation.

Step 2: Work on carving out your own niche - When I first started out I tried to emulate the old radio DJ's and found that the style didn't fit me. It sounded strange and off coming out of my mouth. So I scrapped trying to sound like other people and started to add my own twists to things. That's when I discovered that while most podcasters may sound similar, each one has differences that make them unique. It's this uniqueness that sets them apart. Radiolab, for instance, sounds nothing like Serial and neither sound like The Moth. They may all be well produced but the content and the voice is unique to each one.

Step 3: Don't try to be everyone's cup of tea. Seriously. Some people are going to think you're annoying and some are going to think you suck and some are going to think that your podcast is the worst thing that has ever been downloaded to a smartphone. These people aren't your listeners. Don't even worry about them. You want people to listen to YOU and what YOU have to say. When you try and be everything to everyone you just end up diluting yourself and then your podcast REALLY starts sucking.

Step 4: Equipment is very important. I started out with an iMac only. I did my first three shows with the internal microphone of the computer and the quality was shit. Eventually, I moved to The MXL990 microphone and a Behringer 4 channel mixer. I hosted most of my shows in a big empty room at first and then moved to a tiny closet with egg crate foam on the walls. You learn these things as you progress, and there isn't any substitute for making shows. As you make more, you'll naturally get better, but there is a learning curve.

Step 5: Find a group of people who are doing what you want to do and reach out to them for help. There are a lot of podcasters out there who will be happy to talk to you about gear, formatting, editing, software, hardware, content etc, but YOU have to take the first step and ask. What I did was wrote a boilerplate letter and blasted it out to five or six podcasters until I stumbled upon one who was willing to help me learn. Ask questions and leave your ego at the door.

Step 6: Podcast. A lot. I had over 50 shows under my belt before I felt totally comfortable and even then I would still find myself editing out 'ums' and 'you knows' in post. It took me a few more shows to get comfortable with my pacing. Some shows were terrible and some were amazing. The difference was always how relaxed I was going in and how much fun I was having. A few beers also seemed to help.

Good luck with your show and if I can be of any more help then drop me a line. It's been almost eleven yeas since I closed the doors to the show, but I still miss it sometimes.

Wow, that's super interesting. I understand why you have the sound routed as you do and I didn't realize the limitations of the various recording softwares when combined with screen readers. I gotta say, that makes for an interesting challenge. Man...

Since you have a setup that works and all you really are looking for is to replace the mixer, I'd suggest something like this Yamaha MG10XU board. That one will set you back about $200, and while I don't have any personal experience with it, I like Yamaha stuff. Another I'd suggest, and this one may be even better for you, is the Soundcraft EPM8. Now, this is a little more expensive at $250, but this is a nice mixer, especially at the price point. I had one for a couple of weeks, but ultimately I didn't keep it because it's an analog mixer. Because you're recording directly to SD and don't need the USB connection back to the computer for data transmission, this may be a better choice. I recall it having a nice pre-amp as well.

If you're looking to spend less than either of those, I'd suggest instead of buying a new X, Y, or Z, look at used gear. While I like "new" stuff as much as the next person, often times in the music/audio world you can find quality used gear at good prices. My microphone you'd never know I bought used, and I saved $100 versus buying new.

For a last couple of other options, maybe an Allen & Heath ZED-10 or a Peavey mixer, though I'm having trouble finding a specific one I think might work for you. Just the same, Peavey makes good stuff.

Good luck.

Make sure you know the diffrance between Dynamic and Condenser.

Dynamic - suppresses noise, max pickup range maybe 4feet or less.

​

These 2 are studio quality mics but budget around $80 or less, you wont be dissapointed.

• Audio Technica AT2005 https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Audio+Technica+AT2005
  
• Audio-Technica ATR2100 https://www.amazon.com/s?k=-+Audio-Technica+ATR2100
  
  Both are the same, sound the same, have the same parts and tech, only the shell is different.
  
  ​
  
  To make the best out of it, use XLR analog output with Audio Mixer
  
  
• Audio Mixer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MLGS622/ which supports +48V Phantom Power for XLR which is amazing :).
  
  ​
  
  I have Audio Technica AT2005, its very good.
  
  Please for the love of god do not buy a yeti, people that do not know about sound quality make the worst mistakes...
  
  ​
  
  Also Audio-Technica AT2020 is a condenser, I used it, it picks up noise 3 houses down the road, to use those mics you need sound insulated room, if you have that, its a really good studio mic...

Maybe there's input lag with the console versions, but I notice very little lag on PC. Anyway sure a dedicated interface is nice depending on how serious you want to get with recording. I have an older model of this Line 6 Pod that works well and is portable: http://www.amazon.com/Line-6-POD-Studio-UX1/dp/B001EKECAY/
and this 16 channel interface (although hard to find a USB 2.0 version anymore) http://www.amazon.com/Alesis-MultiMix-USB-16-Channel-Mixer/dp/B002V3R5G6/

For a easy to use and free recording solution try out Audacity which is free and open source, or if you wanted to step up to something more robust check out Reaper which has a $60 license for home recording use.

With a $500 to $700 budget I might suggest the following. Steer clear of the "packaged podcast stuff". And others will have their own opinions and thoughts but here are mine.

Recorder: Zoom H4nPro $230. Portable, flexible, will accept up to 4 inputs. Records on a SD Card.

Software: Audacity. It is free and allows you to manipulate and put together a cohesive product.

Mics: 2 of the ATR 2100 USB $150. Again, flexible and a decent beginner mic.

Accessories needed. 2 wind screen/pop filters for mics ($20), 2 mic stands ($20), 2 XLR cables for mics ($25)

Headphones: Sony MDR7560 $80 2 might be nice, but 1 required.

That is about $550 to $600 at this point.

If you wanted a studio mic, a decent starter mic is the MXL 990 at $100/ea. But beware that this is a condenser mic and it will pick up a ton of ambient sound especially in a non-treated room.

You may want to add a mixer into the mix at some point. I have a Behringer Xenyx 1204USB $139, but wish I had known more when I bought it and I would have bought the Behringer UFX1204 with the difference being that the one I have sends out a single stereo track to the recorder, but the latter has the ability to send separate tracks. Woudl be very handy if your guest is VERY soft spoken, there is a lot of talk over one another, etc.

My suggestion is to get a stereo mini mixer; Rolls makes a number of different models but other brands are out there. Read reviews, but definitely buy a self-powered (not passive!) model. Trust me on that one. The advantage of the mixer over a switch is that you can turn on whatever source(s) you want without being limited to only one at a time. I have two MacBooks, my Asus Laptop, and an aux cord for my iPhone connected to Rolls MX44s; works great! (Edit: I just grabbed the first Amazon link that popped up; I didn’t buy all that extra stuff...)

If you want to step it up even more; I use a Rane SM82 stereo line mixer in my home studio rack with connections for my PC, laptop, DirecTV, PS4, X32 core, and controller/mixer, and a couple spare channels for future expansion.

Whatever you choose, then just buy patch cables at whatever length you want with the appropriate terminations (connectors, such as XLR-F to RCA).

Would something like this work?

https://www.amazon.com/A4-4Channels-Console-Bluetooth-production/dp/B07MLGS622/ref=pd_cp_267_2/132-8076220-6597562?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07MLGS622&pd_rd_r=7dfcd6c7-756c-4173-9894-2a6e6c798f0f&pd_rd_w=4i9i9&pd_rd_wg=CGFrB&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=VNJDGZ0J5PXXGYK7QT93&psc=1&refRID=VNJDGZ0J5PXXGYK7QT93

At $49, I don't think you are going to beat the price for a small mixer with phantom power. It might not be the most convenient form factor, but will run off a USB power brick. I can't speak to the quality, but I would expect anything in the price range to yield about the same result.

​

Ideally, something like this would be a better solution, but it requires phantom power.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AT8681--audio-technica-at8681-unimix-2-to-1-microphone-combiner?gclsrc=aw.ds&&mrkgcl=28&mrkgadid=1683539754&rkg_id=0&campaigntype=dsa&campaign=aaDSA&adgroup=1683539754:DSA+-+Product+-+Mics&placement=google&adpos=1t1&creative=282276642715&device=c&matchtype=b&network=g&gclid=CjwKCAjwldHsBRAoEiwAd0JybUdfe6D1qGhfGXiJOgrZB111IF3WWqI-Euc4hlckJ-vPlO2L3LMKMBoCQmgQAvD_BwE

​

For a bit more $, there is the Radial unit, which is passive (does not require power)https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Mix21--radial-mix-21?gclsrc=aw.ds&&mrkgcl=28&mrkgadid=3280890796&product_id=Mix21&campaigntype=shopping&campaign=aaShopping%2520-%2520Core%2520-%2520Live%2520Sound%2520%26%2520Lighting&adgroup=Live%2520Sound%2520%26%2520Lighting%2520-%2520Live%2520Sound%2520Mixers&placement=google&creative=226299461195&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CjwKCAjwldHsBRAoEiwAd0Jybd03XqeNO6Lo8-FGlnS7JDLyZL2R5omY2-QRpOOsX3QkU-aAGWAIJhoCf_YQAvD_BwE

​

As a rule, you do NOT want to use something like a y-cable for this due to impedance issues.

just set on USB because I don't have any firewire inputs XD

I could get a firewire PCI card, but USB works too and wouldn't require a card

that Allen & Heath mixer looks super rad, thanks for the tip. looks like it can send 18 of the 24 channels over USB...odd that it's not all 24.

any insight into this Mackie mixer? fine print says "Integrated 4x2 USB interface" ... I'm guessing that means you can break up the mixer inputs into four separate stereo outputs over USB? not ideal...

I bought my mixer, a Behringer X1832USB, with a similar setup in mind. It has a main and a sub output, which each input can be assigned to independently. In my setup, my Audacity mix is my main channel, which I can output to my PC via the on-board USB. My headphones are connected to the Phones jack on my mixer, which is assigned to my sub channel mix. For your Google Hangouts mix, you can use one of the two Aux Sends.

Don't worry about the complexity, your setup is pretty standard for Skype/Hangouts recordings. The only thing I do differently is that I have my laptop dedicated to the conversation, with my desktop recording.


I'd definitely recommend the X1832 for your setup. The only thing that I've found it lacks is direct outputs for each channel, which is handy when live mixing multi-track recordings. If that's something you may be interested in, the X2442 has direct outputs while ditching some of the X1832's features like the 9-band graphic EQ.

Finally, if Behringer isn't your thing, the Mackie ProFX16 is capable of the setup I described, even including the on-board USB output.

I'm actually happy with most of our set up now:

I own an iPad, so:

• Alesis iO Mix - $200
  
• x4 MXL V250 - $200, though they seem to often show up fro $50 apiece.
  
• x4 shockmounts - $40
  
• x4 XLR cables - $36
  
• x4 stands - $60-$80 for whatever stands worked
  
• x4 pop filters - $28
  
  $600, just to round up.
  
  I could invest in costlier mics, but the V250 I just bought worked great for the latest episode of the podcast.
  
  Maybe I'd buy better pop filters, nicer stands, and some headphones.
  

Thank you so much for the reply. This helps me understand a lot better and helps me plan for the setup.

I think the processing and EQ would be a big reason to leave it in the setup. One of our biggest issues was that the the aucoustics in the room are horrible and none of the mic locations are static.

This is a very narrow and tall stadium style auditorium (built in the 1940's), so we have to fight with space all of the time. This led to bad sound, and the request is always "louder". So having the ability to quickly make adjustments to individual inputs would be a great benefit.

My department is the only one that will be touching the sound equipment, so I dont have a huge worry of having inexperienced people up there(besides me of course :p). So what I think I will do is move all of our existing inputs over to the mixer. Then use the a line out to feed the streaming rig and the left main goes into the digital mixer. I think that is what you suggested, correct?

We have one remaining output on the amp, so I will just wire down some speakers into the overflow from that. We are looking at getting some in ceiling speakers, so I need to do some research on those.

Thank you so much for your help.

One other thing, 1402 Used on ebay like This or a new 1402VLZ4 like this.

/u/aflocka - you might want to add new [Sony PXW-Z450] (https://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/mkt-nab2016/mkt-nab2016acquisition/product-PXWZ450/) to your list.

It is the first 4K/60p purpose-built shoulder mounted ENG camera. It has a 2/3" sensor and native B4 mount for compatibility with a wide range of fast, parfocal power zooms.

It has great connectivity, with a built in wireless module and Ethernet jack.

It also records at slow motion frame rates up to 1080/180p.

The Z450 was shown at NAB this year, but won't be available until later this year or early next year (when Sony says "winter", that could be as late as March '17).

Nice introductory video from Dan Chung at newsshooter.com [here] (https://vimeo.com/163475462).

From [this picture] (http://www.xdcam-user.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/DSC00656-1024x684.jpg), it looks like it has plenty of XLR inputs, but the specs don't say.

If not, you can easily add more inputs with a [$150 battery powered Rolls MX124 4 channel mixer] (https://www.amazon.com/Rolls-MX124-Portable-Channel-Stereo/dp/B001030Z6U/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20).

Sadly, this camera does not have a "compact form factor" - so your "stabilizer" would have to be the camera op's shoulder.

Hope this is helpful and good luck with your upgrade!

There is a lot of good advice on here. For what it's worth let me throw this idea out. JamDock I use one of these for my guitar/vox duo. All our bass, drums, strings, whatever are backing tracks. the sound quality is miles better when using the dock output for audio than the 1/8" jack. It also has inputs for silent practicing and such. It's just all around a sweet, cheap piece of gear that is way easier to lug around than a laptop. The price they are asking on Amazon right now is good also. I paid more for mine.

You should see an increase in audio quality going from a USB mic to a mixer, even if the mixer is also connected by USB. All microphones capsules output a low voltage analog signal. In order to connect them through USB you need to first amplify that signal and then run it through a DAC (Digital Audio Converter) in order to get a digital signal that can be sent over USB.

A USB microphone has a built in amplifier and DAC. However, since they are generally lower-priced pieces of hardware, the amplifier and DAC are not very good quality. The amplifier and DAC also have a lot to do with how much static or internal noise you will get, especially if you are pushing the gain on your amplifier past 80% or so.

By using a better amplifier and DAC on a mixing board you can get a much cleaner signal than you would get on a USB microphone. You should also be able to amplify your sound more without noise or distortion. Now you should be asking yourself if that is worth your money, or if that is something you are having issues with. If so, here are some suggestions.

Yamaha MG10XU ($200 Mixing board)

Mackie ProFx8V2 ($180 Mixing board)

Yamaha Steinberg UR22MKII ($150 Audio interface)

There are less expensive mixing boards and audio interfaces, but if you are upgrading for better amplifiers and DACs then this is the lowest I would recommend. They are a bit more than you were looking to spend, but you may find some deals with black friday around the corner. If you really must have a cheaper solution then I've heard good (but mixed) results with the Scarlett 2i2. I had driver issues with the one I got though.

My current setup is quite a "make do while I have little money at the moment" setup. I managed to spend a bit of money and got myself an Audio Technica LP120. I'm using the built in preamp and going out to an ALTO ZMX862 mixer. (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004TM323C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fVpbzbFMXDBVB). From there, it goes to my Presonus Eris E4.5. The mixer is temporary, but I'm not entirely sure if it works as an amplifier. I want to get this soon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01EMGU3TA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_f0pbzbT1K8HEM), but I'm not sure if this is what I need. Hopefully someone can help.

Also, a second question I have. I recently bought Pearl Jam's 'Ten'. It is a coloured vinyl, but it gets really static, even when I've used the anti-static brush. If anyone knows why this might be, I'd be grateful. Thank you.

There are none.

There used to be a FireWire Alesis but it's long gone. There is a $400 Behringer mixer, the UFX1204:

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UFX1204-Xenyx-12-Channel-Mixer/dp/B00E87ONWC/

that would do what you want plus more but outside your price range.

The Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 or 18i20 (I own the 18i20) would work starting out at about $350. M0Audio and Persons among other interfaces would ansi work.

There are also recorders like the Zoom H6 or R16 for example.

You simply won't find anything for less than $300 to $500 depending on your needs. For example you didn't say how many tracks. A two track mixer is easy and cheap. :)

!

Well honestly it's difficult to get decent quality 4 input with phantom power at that price range. The equipment in that price range like the behringer stuff is pretty low quality and probably won't hold up in the long run.

I'd consider two options, one going EVEN cheaper knowing that this is going to be a 'disposable unit' that is going to just 'get you by' while you save up for something decent, or hold off now till you can get something decent.

If you want to go extreme budget, practically disposable here it is: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=115&cp_id=11503&cs_id=1150301&p_id=615808&seq=1&format=2

The quality gear I'd recommend is the A&H Zed 10FX: http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Heath-ZED-10FX-Onboard-Effects/dp/B003T77ZJU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_MI_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0WJA9H332W9JCZG5N2FB

Note that with either one you'd probably need a amp for all 4 headphone outputs, here is one: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=115&cp_id=11504&cs_id=1150404&p_id=615220&seq=1&format=2

So your total on the high end would be $330 + tax and shipping - only a bit over budget. Can you see if your compadres in this endevour can chip in some more or hold off just a little longer?

I want to bring up one more option though, since they are obviously all going to be in the same room have you considered going with two room mics instead of four individual? Unless you have a dedicated studio space this is going to use a lot of cabling and be kind of a mess.

As far as allen and heath mixers go I really like the one I use:

https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Heath-ZED-14-14-Channel-Interface/dp/B001MW9U1U

It's pretty simple but supports a decent amount of fx routing. It's a bit bulky in size/weight tho. Sounds great to my ears. Probably not the best though.

My recommendation would be to take it to get serviced by an amp tech at a local shop that works on amps (some just work on guitars). They will be able to look it over and see what is needed to make it fully playable. My guess is the pots are dirty and the amp needs to be cleaned up. When my power tubes were about dead the amp had a little crackle noise as well.

I play a Musicman 100RD head that I replaced the power tubes and had the pots cleaned up and it cost about $100.

The reverb was an issue with mine as well for what its worth. Mine was buzzing when it was turned up. I bought some Deoxit and sprayed the connections and the buzzing went away completely. If its the cable maybe they can replace it or repair it.

Personally, I am not saavy enough to feel comfortable doing repairs myself either. It was worth it to me to have an amp tech look it over and do the repairs. They will run you through what is needed and it can be educational. Hope this helps you! Its nice to see another Musicman player out there.

As much as I prefer Mackie for build quality, these guys have a frequency-sweepable midrange EQ, which can save your bacon when trying to avoid feedback (I can elaborate further if needed). Mackie only has this feature on larger, pricier models.

Allen & Heath ZED-10 Four Mono Mic/Lines with 2 Active D.I. and 3 Stereo Line Inputs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003T74O8K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_6cS4ybVVFHPD3

I'd also get a travel bag for the mixer. Gator bags are nice. Easy to get dust in the faders, etc.

Don't forget cables. XLR mic cables for the mic and each powered speaker (so 3 total of whatever distance you want to put the mixer away from the stage less height to run up the stand, probably 50' minimum).

And get at least one roll of Gaffers tape. Tape cables down. People drag their feet, don't watch where they're going, etc. I've seen people trip and yank speakers down from stands before, not good.

Thank you! That is great. I also have this mixer sitting storage that I will use:

https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UB1002-Eurorack-Mixer-Inputs/dp/B000BNRYUA

​

Can anyone think of anything else I might need?

I'm confused on how to change my setup to only use the compressor/limiter/gate on channel 1 (or use both channel 1 & 2) of my mixer.

I have a A&H ZED-10FX, dbx 166xs, and a focusrite solo.

Currently I have the mic going into channel 1 XLR of the mixer, the main L & R XLR out going into channel 1 XLR of the dbx 166xs, and channel 1 XLR out to the focusrite XLR in and then out to USB to the computer.

I know this is not the proper way to set this all up but it has worked for a few months okay now.

Now I want to isolate the compressor/limiter/gate so that it only works on channel 1 of the mixer so that I can add in another input to it that isn't affected by the dbx.

I would prefer to only use 1 channel on the dbx if that's possible to avoid.

It looks like the mixer does not have a single insert per channel, but I do see a L & R 1/4" main mix insert. I think I need to somehow utilize that for the dbx and then just output to usb recording on the mixer and ditch the focusrite. I tried reading the manual for the mixer but it went way over my head as I'm pretty green to this kind of audio equipment.

If you ever want to have callers/skypers/etc. on your show, make sure you get one that you can do a mix-minus with. Basically you'll want a mon-send or an fx-send. Look for at least a 2-bus mixer or you'll be limited to a single mix-minus connection.

I have a Behringer Q802USB - I should have just bought the 802 (not USB) for $15 less. Here's a little secrete I didn't know when I bought it - you can't use the USB bi-directionally. You're EITHER sending audio to the PC or receiving audio from the PC. So it didn't work for my needs to monitoring incoming audio from the PC and send my mic feed at the same time. I ended up buying a UCA202 USB interface and that solved my problem.

You'll hear the Behringer's are noisy. They are. If you drive the gain it gets really hissy. BUT keep the levels down and it works just fine. For under $80 it's really hard to beat.

If you're on a budget, and want to record 3 mic, I would maybe take a look at these:

Behring 1202
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-1202-BEHRINGER-XENYX/dp/B000J5Y282/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421430697&sr=8-1&keywords=behringer+1202

Alto Professional ZMX122FX
http://www.amazon.com/Alto-Professional-ZMX122FX-8-Channel-Preamps/dp/B004TM31FG/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1421430794&sr=1-2

Mackie 802VLZ4
http://www.amazon.com/Mackie-802VLZ4-8-channel-Compact-Quality/dp/B00EDHWLFI/ref=sr_1_33?ie=UTF8&qid=1421430841&sr=8-33&keywords=audio+mixer

Yamaha MG10XU
http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-MG10XU-10-Input-Stereo-Mixer/dp/B00IBIVL42/ref=sr_1_61?ie=UTF8&qid=1421430887&sr=8-61&keywords=audio+mixer

For a really inexpensive 2-bus mixer with a sub-group, maybe the Behringer Eurorack UB1204. You get 2 aux sends + a 3-4 submix. I've not heard anything about these mixers - so I can't tell you if the mic pres are at all acceptable. Anyone will tell you if you're serious to stay away from Behringer.
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UB1204-PRO-BEHRINGER-EURORACK/dp/B00551VDIM/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421430950&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=behringer+euroack

First off, don't play around with splitters. You want to get a mixer. Something simple to start with like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Alto-Professional-ZMX862-6-Channel-Channel/dp/B004TM323C/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1485432445&sr=1-1&keywords=Alto+Professional

Then to get everything synced-up, you want to use a MIDI Quadra Thru:
https://www.amazon.com/MIDI-Solutions-Quadra-4-Output-Thru/dp/B0002GH8X4/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1485432544&sr=1-1&keywords=quadra+thru

Then you will just need to get some MIDI cables and then 1/4" to 1/4" audio cables for the Monologue and 1/8" to 1/4" audio cables for your Volca Beats and Monotron as well as one to go from the mixer to your speakers (or you can use headphones by plugging into the mixer).

For syncing everything you would use a MIDI cable out from the Monologue, to the MIDI In of the MIDI Quadra Thru box. Then connect a MIDI cable to one of the MIDI Thru's to the MIDI In to each of your other devices. Now I don't own the Monologue, Volca Beats or Monotron, so there may be another way...but it should work fine the way I described.

> The reason i suggest this is that many mixers create alot of latency and typically do not have the same level of converters as a standalone interface

This is untrue. An true analog desk has no latency. (Only the very small phase shift introduced by the equalizer and/or compressor on the channel strip).

Have a look at the Behringer UFX-1204. In addition to being an analog unit, every channel strip has a digital insert loop (firewire+USB) that works nicely with different DAWs.

I was looking into this very thing the other day in hopes of solving a similar problem, but I don't believe it will work as intended. While the Mackie board does have a USB out, I think it's a master mix and will not output individual channels for tracking. However, I believe this might suit your needs a bit better:

Allen & Heath ZED-14 14-Channel Mixer with USB Interface https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001MW9U1U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_8T6GzbJHBVW51

Alright, at least now I know what I am looking for now. I already found this one that has a pre fader and a post fader for each channel and is more in my price range. Do you see anything wrong with it? Anyway, thanks for all your help.

That would probably have to be this.

I play/record music, and recording drums is really hard without at least 5 mics. The quality isn't as good and certain drums and cymbals sound distant. This soundboard allows for a huuge amount of audio inputs as well as a wide variety of leveling options. Probably the thing I need most on my wishlist.

Edit: also happens to be the most expensive thing, so if this was a contest, which it totally isn't, this wouldn't be considered an entry.

Yeah, you could get a mixer (like this): Soundcraft Mixer - Unpowered, 8 + 2 channels (EPM8) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TSEFKG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Py5hDbSZAG4X7

However, it’s not ideal because your mix becomes permanent

Around $100-$200, I've been told to get this: Alto Professional ZMX52
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B004TM323C/ref=twister_B01MYZE087?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I would get this mixer

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001MW9U1U/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&smid=A2O1A8NNN5Y1TU

and

6 shure sm-58 mics

That's about $1000

Looking at his setup picture from last year here, he's using a Allen & Heath ZED-14

Sorry for late reaction. (something with living in Europe and it was night) That won't work, unfortunately every channel is mono. So you'll have to add at least 1 more channel to get stereo sound for 3 devices. You might want to take a look at Xenyx802.

Personally I use a UB1002 Since I use 8 Channels (2 channels per device) and I used to have 2 sets of speakers.

But again, this is a set up for more control. If you are willing to spend the money on it. This problem could be solved by a splitter. Plug everything into it, and plug the splitter into the speakers.

https://smile.amazon.com/Allen-Heath-ZED-14-14-Channel-Interface/dp/B001MW9U1U?sa-no-redirect=1

No wonder he needed such a big desk that thing is massive.