Best Podcast Mixers: When to Get One & Which to Buy (All Budgets)
Best Podcast Mixers: At-a-Glance
You don’t need a mixer to podcast, but there are reason to want one!
Increased control and flexibility in recording (be it locally or remotely) is one of them
A mixer can help you cut down on your editing time too
However, they do add an extra layer of complexity to your setup
So do you need a mixer for your podcast? And if so, which ones are your best options?
Read on to find out 👇
Table of Contents
We often joke here that podcast mixers appear more in stock photos than they do in real podcast setups. They definitely look cool – l33t podcasting ahoy! – but are they really useful? Well, that’s a good question, because – unlike a microphone – you definitely don’t need a mixer to podcast.
BUT – before you go running off, there are still a few reasons why you might want to add a podcast mixer (or general audio mixer) to your podcasting setup. Or, at least add it to your “eventually” wish list for the day when your sponsors or your Patreon supporters justify it!
So let’s dig into the world of podcast mixers and find out how they can help you create better sounding content, save you time, and make you feel like a pro-radio DJ…
The Desire to Upgrade
It never takes long. It can be mere months into your broadcasting journey before ‘mixer dreams’ (yep, that’s a real thing…) start to creep into your mind.
You might not even have a reliable audience yet, but you’re getting some great feedback, you’re enjoying the recording, the equipment, the whole process. As so often happens, the fever takes hold and you want to get the best kit possible to really make your Podcast shine. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, and there are some really great reasons to get a podcast mixer.
My only caveat to the whole thing is this, though: don’t rush in.
Despite the advantages, mixers complicate the whole business. Wait until you’ve settled into a good mix of quality and reliability. Make sure you have people listening, and that they like your content. At that point, you know you’re in it for the long haul. It’s worth the money to buy a mixer and the time to learn how to use it.
Remember, once you need to learn, we have coaching and courses in Podcraft Academy for a whole bunch of the more complicated setups.
Now that we’ve made sure you’re in it for the long haul, we can think about a mixer.
Why Should I get a Mixer for Podcasting?
I’ll start by saying that yes, a mixer will improve your audio quality. The pre-amps will be nicer and will really help your microphone shine. But, if you have a decent microphone already, then it’s not going to make as much of a difference. At that level, it’s certainly not something that’ll suddenly win you a load more listeners.
Audio Engineers buy mixers for the sheer audio quality, but Podcasters buy mixers for the options and the control that they offer, as well as the efficiency they can bring to our recording workflow.
Our 2019 podcast gear survey showed that around half of podcasters were using some form of mixer or audio interface. Many others will still be creating great sounding audio using a high-end USB mic and double-ender recording app though. In podcasting, there’s never one single right way to do things.
So let’s have a look at the details – here are the reasons why a Podcaster might buy a mixer:
1. Using Other Pro Kit
If you want to use professional quality microphones that work with XLR or other pro-type cabling, then to get the best out of them you’re going to need a mixer.
It is possible to get XLR > USB converters, but they’re not going to take as much advantage of the quality of your mic.
Podcast mixers are just one type of podcast-related goodie you’ll find in The Podcasting Store. A one-stop-shop for your podcast gear and gifts, all nicely curated with at-a-glance prices and ratings!
2. Multi-Channel Control
Having control over the individual channels of your audio is one of the simplest, but biggest enhancements that a mixer brings into your life. In your early days, you’ll be recording everyone on one channel. That means loud people are loud and quiet people are quiet. With a podcast mixer you can actually turn up those quiet folks, and turn down the shouters. Plus you can record them on different channels and have much more power in post-production. Excellent!
3. Inline Enhancements
Inline enhancements work hand-in-hand with the multi-channel capability and are great for improving your sound. They can also save you a whole lot of time in post-production. The ability to use a low-cut or high-cut filter, equalisation and gain on each channel individually is brilliant, plus some podcast mixers have compression and limiters too.
4. Backup and reliability
Podcast mixers don’t crash, unlike computers, and I’ve never seen a digital recorder do so either. You can cut out the computer component altogether, reducing noise and flakiness, or you can record using software and with the mixer as a backup recording, sending a second output to the digital recorder.
So, that’s 4 big advantages. To me, as good as they are, they’re all nice to have, but they don’t quite justify the cost for an average podcaster. What we need is a couple of game-changing features. Luckily enough, here are two just such things.
5. Live Production
Live producing means that you’re adding your music, your sound FX, phone calls, recorded messages, and anything else that goes into your show on the fly – it’s all going in live. You’re treating it like a radio show, so there’s no post-production at all. You simply hit record, do the show, and then stop.
Afterwards, you might do some compression or EQ in Post, but all of the audio you need is in there already. Editing is cut down dramatically.
It’s possible to do this through some types of podcast software. For example, the Spreaker app acts as a software-based mixer. But, software tends to be less tactile, less quick and more prone to errors. Instead, go the hardware route and plug a device into your podcast mixer to play sound FX and recordings on their own channel.
I use an iPad with the Soundbyte app for this – it just gives you a rack of buttons with the sounds and music attached making it very easy to play anything off the cuff. If you don’t have that, though, you can just use a laptop or a PC.
We have done this a fair bit in the past, and once you’ve got used to the kit, it makes Podcasting so much quicker.
And, not to forget, it’s fun! It’s great to hear your music playing at the start, get yourself hyped up, fade it down and enthuse your welcome into the mic. It’s great to play bumpers and stings and to react to them. Or to play FX when your co-host does something – for them to hear it too, and react. It makes podcasting quicker and more enjoyable, which to me, is the biggest reason for getting a mixer. Plus, I like to avoid editing if I can, or keep editing it to a minimum – I’m too much of a perfectionist so I end up adjusting stuff endlessly, wasting time….
6. Mix Minus
Mix minus ties into the last thing I mentioned above: working with a co-host. Mix-minus is a technique that allows you to do live production with a co-host while that co-host is remote, using something like Skype, or Zoom.
If you connect your normal recording setup into Skype so that they can hear you and the FX, then they’ll also hear their own voice back. It sets up a horrible echo. So, what you want to do is send them the full mix – your voice, music, etc – MINUS their own voice.
You can do this with any mixer that has an ‘Auxiliary Out’ or an ‘FX send’ on it, and a fader or a knob to control that output. In practice, you plug that Aux/FX into Skype, and then you turn down the Aux/FX knob on the Skype channel alone. That means they can’t hear themself on that channel, but can hear everything else. Easy!
Now that you’ve made the decision to buy a podcast mixer, here comes the difficult part. The range of mixers on the market is bewildering, and the choice isn’t made any easier by the ridiculous number of features and specs that are listed for each one.
The problem is that mixers are really designed for Audio Engineers, and those guys know a LOT about the technical details. Therefore, those that sell mixers plaster the tech specs all over the website.
As a podcaster, there are 3 things you need to worry about:
1. The Number of Channels
How many inputs will you use? My own setup uses 4 channels on a regular basis, but 5 or 6 on occasion.
This is made up of: 1. My own microphone, 2. a local co-hosts microphone, 3. Music and FX via iPad, 4. Skype input for interviews or other co-hosts. I’ll sometimes have a mobile phone plugged into another channel, and another local co-host on occasion, so I need a minimum of 6 channels, and probably 3 XLR inputs to be safe.
Many cheaper mixers will only have 1 or 2 XLR inputs, which limits the number of decent quality microphones you can use locally, especially if they’re condenser microphones that need phantom power (check out my microphone article for more details).
Buy something with enough channels to expand into.
2. Aux Out or FX Send
To achieve a mix-minus setup, you need that Aux Out or FX Send feature. Look for a stereo output socket labelled with either, and a volume control knob on each channel labelled the same.
3. Control Types: Faders or Knobs?
More often than not, cheaper mixers use knobs all over the board. Knobs are fine for those adjustments that don’t tend to change during a recording, such as Pan, EQ or gain. But, for your main volume control faders can be an advantage. A fader is a slider rather than a knob – you can see faders on the bottom of the picture opposite and knobs at the top. Faders offer more fine control than a knob.
You can get your music levels right every time with a fader, and ensure your recordings sound great. But, in saying that, knobs can do the job just fine, and tend to allow you to save a bit of cost if required.
4. Advanced Inline Processing Features
If you want to have fine control over your sound, reducing post-production, then you may be looking for extra inline features. The minimum you would generally expect are Equalisation (or EQ), a gain control and possibly a lo-cut filter. Beyond that, some podcasting mixers may have compression or limiter options, but don’t write it off it doesn’t
Choosing the Best Podcast Mixer for Your Budget
I’m going to offer a range of podcast mixers at a budget level and a high-quality level, but, I have to admit, I don’t hugely recommend the low budget options. I include them because I’m asked about them all the time, and people argue that they’d like to try a mixer at a low cost. But, the quality often isn’t amazing, and it’s not that much more to jump in with a really good mixer.
A quick heads up that we use affiliate links on the site to help support the masses of free content we put out. We’ll earn a small commission should you choose to buy through any of them – at no extra cost to yourself.
With that said, let’s start by looking at the best budget level podcast mixers:
Best Budget Mixer for Podcasting
I used to talk about sub-£100 mixers from time to time. Sadly, over the years, I’ve learned that they’re just not worth it…
The budget Behringer range, in particular, are a troublesome bunch. They’re budget in every sense of the word: hissy, loud noise floors and cheap components that break pretty quickly.
So, I’ve removed our recommendations here. Honestly, if you’re on a budget, do not get a mixer.
Instead, invest in a Samson Q2U, for now. It’ll work on USB right away, but has an XLR output which will plug into any mixer in future. That means you can upgrade in future, once you can budget for a higher-level device, and not waste your money right now.
Best Mid-Range Mixer for Podcasting
The Zoom Podtrak P4
Weirdly, my current favourite mixer isn’t technically a mixer… Thing is, it can do practically everything a mixer can do, but in a much more flexible package!
In December 2020, Zoom released this brand new device that really mixed up (pun intended) the mixer world. The PodTrak P4 is technically a handheld podcast recorder. Despite that, it really does replace a mixer, and do the same things in a simpler and more accessible way.
The device can take 4 XLR mics as inputs, so you can cater to a decent-sized group, and there’s individual volume control over every channel. Even better, there are headphone outputs for all 4, with individual volume control on each. This is more than you get on most pro mixers!
The Podtrak can also take an input from your phone or PC, so you can record calls right into the device. Add in a set of programmable soundpads on the front (just punch the button and it’ll play music or FX right into the recording) and it’s a tiny device that can do live production for a group of in-person presenters, plus remote guests.
Of course, that’s just the mixer-like features. Don’t forget this thing is handheld, so you can get out and about for recording anywhere. Plus, it can act as a USB device on your PC, to plug in any pro XLR microphone for general recording.
The fact that it’s only $200 / £200 is a little crazy. To me, it strongly competes with the Rodecaster (below) on features, but is a fraction of the price. If you think you might record with more than 1 person in person, and you fancy some live production through the soundpads and remote call-ins, then this is a really great choice.
If you’re looking for something more traditional – an old-school mixer with all the knobs – then my favourite mid-range one comes in the form of the Yamaha MG10xu.
This Yamaha was a constant presence in our studio for a couple of years, up until we replaced it with the Rodecaster (below). It’s a brilliant little mixer with an amazingly quiet noise floor, especially at this price. The XU version is USB capable, for direct recording into your computer, and it has features normally found only on expensive units. These include in-built compression, and it also has Aux Out so that you can run a mix-minus setup.
As a bonus, it’s a small and hardy little unit, so it can even be taken out and about without too much worry. We’ve used this to record a number of events with great results.
The main limitation on this device are the channels. 4 might not be enough for some bigger recording setups. But, I’ve had such great results with this that, to be honest, unless you need the extra channels, I’d recommend this over the bigger Behringer unit below.
This is a pro-quality bit of kit. One of the smaller, portable Mackie units. It costs about the same as the Yamaha and has fewer features, but many audio pros would argue that it’s better audio quality, simply due to the brand name.
To be honest, for all but professional recording environments, you won’t notice much difference between the two. But you might want to spend the money for the Mackie name and a tiny touch of extra audio quality polish.
Also, with the advent of the Podtrak, the portability of the Mackie, here, is less of a unique advantage. So, it might be a rare situation where this is best choice, despite it being great quality.
The Behringer Xenyx 1204 is a fully-featured mixer that’ll do the job for any podcaster out there that needs a lot more channels and the full set of mixer features.
You’re not going to run out of channels on this any time soon, with 6 fader-controlled channels, plus extra if needed. 4 of those are phantom-powered XLR channels so you can bring in a range of co-hosts on top quality microphones.
This comes in USB too so you can bring your audio straight into the computer for direct recording, or you can record out to a digital recorder if need be.
A good alternative that we’ve been recently playing with is the Samson MXP124FX, and you can take a look at that review for the details and some sound samples.
The best player in this category is the Rodecaster from…. well… Rode! This is a unique little beast, and the only one here built specifically for podcasters. Check out our review of the Rodecaster here, for full details.
It’s great quality, as you’d expect from the makers of the ever-popular Rode Procaster mic, which we use in the studio here. But its real strength is its slew of features, aimed right at the podcasting market.
For example, take the sound cart buttons, designed for you to play music and Sound FX into your show WITHOUT the need for an external device. Ditch that iPad and load them into the unit itself. Then, marvel over the smartphone Bluetooth connection, so that you can record calls (or anything else really!) right into your show too, no cables required.
Finally, the Rodecaster even acts as a digital recorder, coming with memory card capture built right in. So, if you regularly get out, recording shows on the road, then that’s one less piece of kit to take with you.
The Rodecaster is not cheap, is not for everyone, but it could be perfect for some. It has a really strong contender in the Podtrak now, though. The Podtrak has most of the same capabilities, is much better value and a lot more flexible. Those massive light-up Rodecaster sound cart buttons do look cool, though…
The Mackie ProFX8 is a professional level piece of kit, and something you can aspire to if you really want the best quality out there, and the utmost reliability.
The Mackie is similar to the Behringer above, but actually has one less fully controlled channel, so 5 main inputs, but still 4 of which are XLR. It has all the same inline features, except for compression – something which can easily be added in post-production in very little time anyway.
What the Mackie does have that the Behringer doesn’t is better pre-amps, reportedly better reliability and a 7 band EQ to really refine your sound in live production.
If you have the budget for it, this is a pretty great bit of kit.
Maybe the features and functions of mixers are attractive to you, but you don’t like the look of them, don’t have the room for one, or even, simply can’t afford one. What are some podcast mixer alternatives?
If you’re looking to run online convos with remote guests or co-hosts then software like Squadcast or Riverside might be the answer. They can do pretty much anything a mixer can do (and more), in a much simpler way, and don’t demand a big space on your desk!
Or, you might still want a tangible piece of equipment, but something a lot sleeker and less cluttered than your average mixer. If that’s the case, getting a USB audio interface might be the right move for you.
Conclusion: On Podcast Mixers
Whether you’re at the podcasting mixer stage or not, it’s always fun to look. There’s just something about all those dials and buttons 😍
Those same dials are the danger, though! Don’t jump in too early. There’s nothing worse than complicating your recording process before you’re ready.
Instead, the best option, for many, is a good USB microphone.
But once you are, a mixer can really help with your process, improving your sound and speeding up your workflow.
Top Pick: The Zoom Podtrak
It’s really hard to look past this plucky little hybrid mixer-recorder device! What’s not to love? 4 input channels, individual headphone inputs, sound cart buttons, USB interface capabilities, super portability and an amazing price, considering what’s included.
That’s why my top podcast mixer pick, right now, is the Podtrak p4.
Beyond Podcast Mixers: Recording, Editing, & Publishing Your Podcast
Whether you’re using a podcast mixer or not, it’s worth checking out our ‘Podcast Maker’ tool Alitu which lets you record, edit, produce and publish your podcast from within its dashboard. Designed for folks who’re completely new, or just want to save a load of time, Alitu makes the entire process as simple as humanly possible. Try it out free for 7-days and see for yourself!
Let Alitu Take Care of Your Podcast Editing
Alitu is a tool that takes your recording, polishes it up, adds your music, and publishes the episode, all automatically.
Learn more about Alitu
Need More Help?
Need some support and coaching on setting up and getting the best from your new podcast mixer? Or maybe you don’t need a mixer at all, but you desperately want help with the editing, promotion, or monetisation side of things. Whatever your needs, we’ve got your back inside Podcraft Academy. That’s where you’ll find all our courses, downloadable resources, and weekly live Q&A sessions.
What Our Readers Think About Best Podcast Mixers: When to Get One & Which to Buy (All Budgets)
Sorry, comments are closed.
I am wondering what is the real positive to pro level mixer and the mid-range mixer
Hi Colin,
Thanks heaps for your article, very informative.
I am currently in the process of researching for for the setup of my first podcast. I would like my sound to be as professional as possible however I have limited budget as do most people.
Currently I have a quality AKG D5 dynamic mic and have just purchased a Zoom H5 as my audio interface to record into. I know the Zoom is a really great versatile unit and offers some compression etc. I will be doing most of my podcasts with myself and one other guest either in person or via skype.
Would the Zoom H5 be enough to produce a good sound or would u recommend I invest in a mixer in addition to the Zoom. Also apart from the zoom and a potential mixer is there any other gear I am missing? I plan on using Audacity,
Regards
Hi Steven,
Sounds like you’re off to a great start with your gear. If you’re going to have in person guests then another D5 mic (or something similar, like a Shure SM58) would be good, you’d obviously need another XLR cable too. On the subject of XLR cables, I really like the Planet Waves ones.
That will be more than ample for getting you started. You might consider a mixer in future if you’re thinking about adding in music and sound effects ‘as live’ rather than editing them in afterwards. A mixer would also be useful for having more than one guest on the show at a time.
Hope that helps, and keep us posted with how you get on!
Hi Colin. This post is Great! I really love your website. Ok, so here are my questions. A bit specific but I am certain you can help with at least the basic parts of it. I am a visually impaired guy doing a Podcast called The Blind Hour Podcast. Currently we use a Zoom H6 to record our shows and depending on location we either use the included X/Y Mic or if in house the Shure SM58 mics. When we have our producer with us he does all the interface work with his personal mixer since he is able to visually look at all the set up on Logic and all that. My question is about the H6 as an audio interface. I know it can be used but I am not sure how to do this. I have tried plugging it into my HP Spectre (which I often use to edit the shows recorded without a producer) and had a family member set it up as an audio interface. However, when I do this I cannot get it to work with GoldWave or Audacity. My question is if there is something on the software side of things that I am missing? Should I change any of the settings on either GoldWave or Audacity in order to accommodate the H6 as an interface? Also, will this leave me with separate tracks for each of the SM58s I use? My last question is about Pamela for Skype. I use my H6 to record Skype interviews but I have just gotten a Blue Yeti as it makes it easier to record Skype without always having to pull out and set up the H6, XLR cables, mics, etc. Do you think Pamela is a good option as the website says it can record as WAV files? I would prefer that as it would give me better audio resolution when editing. However, I have been using MP3 Skype Recorder and it works great but is limited to 128kbps MP3 files which is what I end up saving my actual Podcast files to anyway after the editing process of the WAV files. Guess my question is if you think it is worth spending more money on Pamela or should I keep using the simple and great MP3 Skype Recorder? All this of course knowing that I can get 92kHZ/24bit WAV files with my H6 but it would help doing the Skype interviews with less setting up to do every single time I need to get on Skype. Thanks again for your help and I would love to hear your comments on our Podcast. All the best and thanks for this awesome website!
Hey Maximiliano, thanks for the kind words and really looking forward to checking out your podcast.
So your first question – when you connect any external equipment to your computer and want to use it to record in your editing software then there’s usually a setting you’ll need to change. I’ve never used Goldwave before but they all work on very similar principles so I’ll explain how to do it in Audacity.
After connecting your equipment, open Audacity, click ‘edit’ in the menu along the top, then ‘preferences’. In here there’s a section called ‘Devices’ and a ‘Recording device’ dropdown menu where you need to select the device you wish to record with. In any editing software it’s a ‘preferences’ menu where you’ll usually find these options.
Immediately under ‘Recording device’ is another option called ‘Channels’ that let’s you choose either stereo or mono recording. If you’re recording with two microphones and a co-host or interviewee, use stereo and this will record the both of you in two separate tracks.
Regarding your Skype question, as you say yourself it is always better to work with WAVs, as each time you edit an MP3 file it can add unwanted artifacts to your recording. However if you’re working with an 128kbps MP3 and just mixing it once, then it’s pretty unlikely to be doing any harm. If this is convenient for you and you’re happy with the sound of your interviews then I’d just keep doing what you’re doing!
Hope that helps
Matthew
Great article, Colin. I am using a digital recorder and am purchasing a yamaha mixer with some nice mics. The folks at Guitar Center seem to think a USB mixer is best. I don’t record into the computer directly, but into the digital recorder (Tascam dr 05). I don’t see why I need the USB since the recorder is doing that via the 1/8″ mic port. Thanks much, Bernie
Hi Bernie, you’re right – if you use a digital recorder there’s no need to involve a computer or USB connection!
Hi Matthew. I will try the interface with goldwave later today and will change the devise preferences as you explained. If I will be using more than 2 mics is the process the same? For example, I often have 3 mics being used (1 for myself, for my cohost, and one for our producer who jumps in from time to time). If I use the stereo setting will that just simply mix all 3 tracks into a single stereo file? If I want in fact an individual audio stem for each should I use the mono setting?
Thanks also for your suggestion about MP3 Skype Recorder. As it stands I am very comfortable with the audio quality I get with it. I do wish it had better res but it does the job well enough. I downloaded a demo of Pamela and will try that as well but I don’t expect the difference to be huge. Plus, neither is really accessible with a screen reader so I always need a sighted person’s help setting these things up and MP3 Skype Recorder is already set while Pamela would take some getting used to.
All the best and thanks again for your time and for this great website. It truly has been a great resource for my research once I decided to do the Podcast with much better gear than when we first started.
Hey Maxamiliano, if you’re using more than 2 mics you’d still only be recording in a mono or stereo track where you wouldn’t end up with 3 (or more) tracks for each voice. There’s equipment (such as FireWire mixers) out there that allow you to do this but they can be pretty expensive!
This is a great article! Thanks so much for posting it. I have some questions. I am looking at getting the BEHRINGER XENYX 1202 to record a podcast with my brother and the most we will probably ever have recording at one time is 4 microphones. The trouble I am having is finding a decent set of headphone mics that will work good with this mixer. I can’t find anything headphone mics that look like they will work good with XLR outputs. We prefer headphones over traditional mics as we would like to record our talking while gaming and yet still be able to hear each other over the headphones. Do you have any suggestions for this? Also would a headset with 3.5mm output work ok with a 3.5 to 1/4″ adapter?
We’ve been doing our podcast for a few years now using google hangouts; we all live in different states, and we have different guests on for each episode. Where as myself and my co-hosts can record our own tracks, when we have guests we’re pretty much forced to use the google hangouts call audio and try to clean that up in editing.
My question is, if I were to use a mixer, could I call the guest on a separate hangout call and run it through the mixer into the hangouts with us so I could record just the guest’s audio? Or am I really over thinking this haha. It would just be cool to have their audio separate from ours but make the experience as easy for the guest as possible.
Thanks! Oh and I’m def getting that podcast book!
Hi Matt, your audio will still be recorded as a stereo track so they’d still have to be divided up onto the left or right hand side whilst recording, and that would mean someone sharing an audio track with someone else if you have anymore than 2 people on the call.
Im mostly concerned with the idea of supporting headphones for each mic. For radio style talk show broadcasting. Im old school kinda. (2002) i used to be on the radio and im trying to build something as close to my old booth as i can. Id kill for a cart machine a bulk eraser and a DAT but id settle for two CDs and a turntable. But i need two have at least three mics and a set of cans for each.
if you already have a mixer for the microphones, you could plug this into the headphone socket & distribute 4 ways with each user being able to set their own level,
Behringer make something that does the same job;
I haven’t tried this version but the older one was a bit noisy.
I mentioned on one of your other links (can’t remember which one), that I’m using the Zoom R16 mixer/recorder – one of the best budget priced mixers on the market and really great value. You can plug in a couple of SM 58 mics into separate channels for interviews or mulit-mic setups, and mix them later in Audacity. The R16 is truly versatile and offers all the on-board features that you require for live mixing and effects, but if you’re using a DAW like Audacity, you can just take the raw recording and do with it what you want in post-production. It also offers phantom power channels for condenser mics and hi-z input for electric guitar. If you’re into recording vocals, you can pre-record a backing track and dub the vocals whilst listening to your backing.
Question and a comment:
We record our podcast into a Mackie ProFx12 (major overkill for our little podcast!) and record in WAV format into a Zoom H5N. Then export that to Audacity to edit. I’d love to record directly into Audacity, but my notebook makes enough noise I’m afraid the mics would pick it up.
Here’s my question: I’ve used the Berhinger mixer and this Mackie, using two MXL 990 condenser microphones. With both mixers, we find we have to turn up the gain knob for the mic channel (not the volume slider) to 98% or so in order to get the LEDs on the Main Meters to register at all. This makes using the LEDs on the Main useless for monitoring/setting our output levels. I tried a couple of good dynamic mics, and exactly the same issue. Yet, I can hear every little background sound in my headphones.
Why is this? Are the mixers just set up more for things like instruments? I find it hard to understand why having the gain at Unity or even 75% results in a signal that can’t light up even the lowest LED lights on the main meters!
Hi Jeff. This is a common gripe in podcasting. You’ve pretty much summed it up though, mixers are built to handle loud signals from instruments so they have a lot of headroom on their meters. With purely spoken word content there’s unlikely to be drastic changes in volume so if your files are looking fine one you load them into your DAW then just keep doing what you’re doing! Cheers.
Hi Colin,
Thanks very much for the advice here. Really interesting.
I did a lot of podcasting a few years ago and want to get back into it as I have a few ideas for new shows.
I purchased the Mackie mixer you mention above but I have been having problems getting the sound to come through clearly when I connect the audio output from my PC and also when I connect my mobile phone. For some reason when I do this and play a piece of music or do a Skype call from either device through any of the mixer’s channels I get quite a bit of crackling/distortion in the audio.
The sound when speaking into my microphone through any of the channels is fine, no problems there.
Do you know why this might be happening? It’s really troubling me and I was so excited about my new piece of kit!
Many thanks!
Hi Ed, have you tried another cable to eliminate that as a potential cause?
Hi,
Thanks for the reply. A friend of mine came over the other day to help (he’s a sound engineer). Interestingly, yes, the problem was the cable. Phew!
It’s funny, I did all this research on Amazon as to what the best cables are, and it looks like I went for the expensive duds! 🙂
Apparently it’s often the case that cheap/rubbish cables are covered in a layer which makes them look high end when actually the opposite is true.
You live and learn!
Great to hear you got it sorted Ed! Yeah cables are a bit of a dark art. They’re always best to be your first port of call when something goes wrong with your audio quality. What was the name of the one that caused the issues?
Hey im starting a podcast for 4 people. im on a tigh budget for a mixer. im thinking of getting the xenyx1202fx but not understading if I need a powered mixer or unpowered mixer for my podcast. Please advise
Hi, are you looking to record 4 people at the same time in the same location? What is your aprox budget if you don’t mind me asking?
I’m an audio engineering student with a friend who wants me to help him start a podcast. I’m looking at getting the SoundCraft Signature MTK 12 for a board. It has the live mixing capabilities for live signal routing during the recording process, but it also has a multitrack capability that captures the digital audio right off of the preamps. Thoughts?
Looks like a great bit of gear without a doubt. It all depends on your friend’s podcast though really, depending on his/her show that might be quite a lot of money to fork out if a solo mic or smaller mixer is all that’s needed.
I would love some more input. I have a zoom h4n and a mackie profx8v2 and I use my surface pro 3. Just really confused on setting everything up properly. My mic is the audiotechnica atr2100
What specifically were you having trouble with, Afam?
Question. I’m set up with Behringer Xenyx Q802USB without using mix minus and my Skype caller doesn’t seem to hear their own voice. I’m using the mixer’s usb as Skype microphone in and using speaker output from laptop into the mixing board (using input 2 on 802 but wondering if 3/4 or 5/6 is better option). When I tested with mix minus, and then use Audacity with the 802’s usb as microphone to record from the Behringer, it only picked up the microphone voice, not the Skype caller. This leads me to believe the 802 is not sending back the full audio over usb, just the input 1 microphone, or am I nuts? I have H4N Pro as well connected to Tape out and it works fine. Happy with how everything works, but concerned something must be wrong. Thoughts?
Hi Kevin, thanks for the question.
You should be able to send all inputs to the USB output, so there’s definitely something a little unusual about your settings there. Are you making sure that the levels and gain are a decent level on all channels? Basic question, I know, but surprising how often it’s forgetten!
What Our Readers Think About Best Podcast Mixers: When to Get One & Which to Buy (All Budgets)
I am wondering what is the real positive to pro level mixer and the mid-range mixer
Hi Colin,
Thanks heaps for your article, very informative.
I am currently in the process of researching for for the setup of my first podcast. I would like my sound to be as professional as possible however I have limited budget as do most people.
Currently I have a quality AKG D5 dynamic mic and have just purchased a Zoom H5 as my audio interface to record into. I know the Zoom is a really great versatile unit and offers some compression etc. I will be doing most of my podcasts with myself and one other guest either in person or via skype.
Would the Zoom H5 be enough to produce a good sound or would u recommend I invest in a mixer in addition to the Zoom. Also apart from the zoom and a potential mixer is there any other gear I am missing? I plan on using Audacity,
Regards
Hi Steven,
Sounds like you’re off to a great start with your gear. If you’re going to have in person guests then another D5 mic (or something similar, like a Shure SM58) would be good, you’d obviously need another XLR cable too. On the subject of XLR cables, I really like the Planet Waves ones.
That will be more than ample for getting you started. You might consider a mixer in future if you’re thinking about adding in music and sound effects ‘as live’ rather than editing them in afterwards. A mixer would also be useful for having more than one guest on the show at a time.
Hope that helps, and keep us posted with how you get on!
Hi Colin. This post is Great! I really love your website. Ok, so here are my questions. A bit specific but I am certain you can help with at least the basic parts of it. I am a visually impaired guy doing a Podcast called The Blind Hour Podcast. Currently we use a Zoom H6 to record our shows and depending on location we either use the included X/Y Mic or if in house the Shure SM58 mics. When we have our producer with us he does all the interface work with his personal mixer since he is able to visually look at all the set up on Logic and all that. My question is about the H6 as an audio interface. I know it can be used but I am not sure how to do this. I have tried plugging it into my HP Spectre (which I often use to edit the shows recorded without a producer) and had a family member set it up as an audio interface. However, when I do this I cannot get it to work with GoldWave or Audacity. My question is if there is something on the software side of things that I am missing? Should I change any of the settings on either GoldWave or Audacity in order to accommodate the H6 as an interface? Also, will this leave me with separate tracks for each of the SM58s I use? My last question is about Pamela for Skype. I use my H6 to record Skype interviews but I have just gotten a Blue Yeti as it makes it easier to record Skype without always having to pull out and set up the H6, XLR cables, mics, etc. Do you think Pamela is a good option as the website says it can record as WAV files? I would prefer that as it would give me better audio resolution when editing. However, I have been using MP3 Skype Recorder and it works great but is limited to 128kbps MP3 files which is what I end up saving my actual Podcast files to anyway after the editing process of the WAV files. Guess my question is if you think it is worth spending more money on Pamela or should I keep using the simple and great MP3 Skype Recorder? All this of course knowing that I can get 92kHZ/24bit WAV files with my H6 but it would help doing the Skype interviews with less setting up to do every single time I need to get on Skype. Thanks again for your help and I would love to hear your comments on our Podcast. All the best and thanks for this awesome website!
Hey Maximiliano, thanks for the kind words and really looking forward to checking out your podcast.
So your first question – when you connect any external equipment to your computer and want to use it to record in your editing software then there’s usually a setting you’ll need to change. I’ve never used Goldwave before but they all work on very similar principles so I’ll explain how to do it in Audacity.
After connecting your equipment, open Audacity, click ‘edit’ in the menu along the top, then ‘preferences’. In here there’s a section called ‘Devices’ and a ‘Recording device’ dropdown menu where you need to select the device you wish to record with. In any editing software it’s a ‘preferences’ menu where you’ll usually find these options.
Immediately under ‘Recording device’ is another option called ‘Channels’ that let’s you choose either stereo or mono recording. If you’re recording with two microphones and a co-host or interviewee, use stereo and this will record the both of you in two separate tracks.
Regarding your Skype question, as you say yourself it is always better to work with WAVs, as each time you edit an MP3 file it can add unwanted artifacts to your recording. However if you’re working with an 128kbps MP3 and just mixing it once, then it’s pretty unlikely to be doing any harm. If this is convenient for you and you’re happy with the sound of your interviews then I’d just keep doing what you’re doing!
Hope that helps
Matthew
Great article, Colin. I am using a digital recorder and am purchasing a yamaha mixer with some nice mics. The folks at Guitar Center seem to think a USB mixer is best. I don’t record into the computer directly, but into the digital recorder (Tascam dr 05). I don’t see why I need the USB since the recorder is doing that via the 1/8″ mic port. Thanks much, Bernie
Hi Bernie, you’re right – if you use a digital recorder there’s no need to involve a computer or USB connection!
Hi Matthew. I will try the interface with goldwave later today and will change the devise preferences as you explained. If I will be using more than 2 mics is the process the same? For example, I often have 3 mics being used (1 for myself, for my cohost, and one for our producer who jumps in from time to time). If I use the stereo setting will that just simply mix all 3 tracks into a single stereo file? If I want in fact an individual audio stem for each should I use the mono setting?
Thanks also for your suggestion about MP3 Skype Recorder. As it stands I am very comfortable with the audio quality I get with it. I do wish it had better res but it does the job well enough. I downloaded a demo of Pamela and will try that as well but I don’t expect the difference to be huge. Plus, neither is really accessible with a screen reader so I always need a sighted person’s help setting these things up and MP3 Skype Recorder is already set while Pamela would take some getting used to.
All the best and thanks again for your time and for this great website. It truly has been a great resource for my research once I decided to do the Podcast with much better gear than when we first started.
Hey Maxamiliano, if you’re using more than 2 mics you’d still only be recording in a mono or stereo track where you wouldn’t end up with 3 (or more) tracks for each voice. There’s equipment (such as FireWire mixers) out there that allow you to do this but they can be pretty expensive!
This is a great article! Thanks so much for posting it. I have some questions. I am looking at getting the BEHRINGER XENYX 1202 to record a podcast with my brother and the most we will probably ever have recording at one time is 4 microphones. The trouble I am having is finding a decent set of headphone mics that will work good with this mixer. I can’t find anything headphone mics that look like they will work good with XLR outputs. We prefer headphones over traditional mics as we would like to record our talking while gaming and yet still be able to hear each other over the headphones. Do you have any suggestions for this? Also would a headset with 3.5mm output work ok with a 3.5 to 1/4″ adapter?
Hi Troy, this article might help answer your questions https://www.thepodcasthost.com/blog/headset-microphones-for-podcasting/ and yes, you’d use the 3.5mm to 1/4″ adapters.
Hello and thank you for this great guide!
We’ve been doing our podcast for a few years now using google hangouts; we all live in different states, and we have different guests on for each episode. Where as myself and my co-hosts can record our own tracks, when we have guests we’re pretty much forced to use the google hangouts call audio and try to clean that up in editing.
My question is, if I were to use a mixer, could I call the guest on a separate hangout call and run it through the mixer into the hangouts with us so I could record just the guest’s audio? Or am I really over thinking this haha. It would just be cool to have their audio separate from ours but make the experience as easy for the guest as possible.
Thanks! Oh and I’m def getting that podcast book!
Hi Matt, your audio will still be recorded as a stereo track so they’d still have to be divided up onto the left or right hand side whilst recording, and that would mean someone sharing an audio track with someone else if you have anymore than 2 people on the call.
Im mostly concerned with the idea of supporting headphones for each mic. For radio style talk show broadcasting. Im old school kinda. (2002) i used to be on the radio and im trying to build something as close to my old booth as i can. Id kill for a cart machine a bulk eraser and a DAT but id settle for two CDs and a turntable. But i need two have at least three mics and a set of cans for each.
if you already have a mixer for the microphones, you could plug this into the headphone socket & distribute 4 ways with each user being able to set their own level,
Behringer make something that does the same job;
I haven’t tried this version but the older one was a bit noisy.
I mentioned on one of your other links (can’t remember which one), that I’m using the Zoom R16 mixer/recorder – one of the best budget priced mixers on the market and really great value. You can plug in a couple of SM 58 mics into separate channels for interviews or mulit-mic setups, and mix them later in Audacity. The R16 is truly versatile and offers all the on-board features that you require for live mixing and effects, but if you’re using a DAW like Audacity, you can just take the raw recording and do with it what you want in post-production. It also offers phantom power channels for condenser mics and hi-z input for electric guitar. If you’re into recording vocals, you can pre-record a backing track and dub the vocals whilst listening to your backing.
Question and a comment:
We record our podcast into a Mackie ProFx12 (major overkill for our little podcast!) and record in WAV format into a Zoom H5N. Then export that to Audacity to edit. I’d love to record directly into Audacity, but my notebook makes enough noise I’m afraid the mics would pick it up.
Here’s my question: I’ve used the Berhinger mixer and this Mackie, using two MXL 990 condenser microphones. With both mixers, we find we have to turn up the gain knob for the mic channel (not the volume slider) to 98% or so in order to get the LEDs on the Main Meters to register at all. This makes using the LEDs on the Main useless for monitoring/setting our output levels. I tried a couple of good dynamic mics, and exactly the same issue. Yet, I can hear every little background sound in my headphones.
Why is this? Are the mixers just set up more for things like instruments? I find it hard to understand why having the gain at Unity or even 75% results in a signal that can’t light up even the lowest LED lights on the main meters!
Hi Jeff. This is a common gripe in podcasting. You’ve pretty much summed it up though, mixers are built to handle loud signals from instruments so they have a lot of headroom on their meters. With purely spoken word content there’s unlikely to be drastic changes in volume so if your files are looking fine one you load them into your DAW then just keep doing what you’re doing! Cheers.
Hi Colin,
Thanks very much for the advice here. Really interesting.
I did a lot of podcasting a few years ago and want to get back into it as I have a few ideas for new shows.
I purchased the Mackie mixer you mention above but I have been having problems getting the sound to come through clearly when I connect the audio output from my PC and also when I connect my mobile phone. For some reason when I do this and play a piece of music or do a Skype call from either device through any of the mixer’s channels I get quite a bit of crackling/distortion in the audio.
The sound when speaking into my microphone through any of the channels is fine, no problems there.
Do you know why this might be happening? It’s really troubling me and I was so excited about my new piece of kit!
Many thanks!
Hi Ed, have you tried another cable to eliminate that as a potential cause?
Hi,
Thanks for the reply. A friend of mine came over the other day to help (he’s a sound engineer). Interestingly, yes, the problem was the cable. Phew!
It’s funny, I did all this research on Amazon as to what the best cables are, and it looks like I went for the expensive duds! 🙂
Apparently it’s often the case that cheap/rubbish cables are covered in a layer which makes them look high end when actually the opposite is true.
You live and learn!
Great to hear you got it sorted Ed! Yeah cables are a bit of a dark art. They’re always best to be your first port of call when something goes wrong with your audio quality. What was the name of the one that caused the issues?
Hey im starting a podcast for 4 people. im on a tigh budget for a mixer. im thinking of getting the xenyx1202fx but not understading if I need a powered mixer or unpowered mixer for my podcast. Please advise
Hi, are you looking to record 4 people at the same time in the same location? What is your aprox budget if you don’t mind me asking?
I’m an audio engineering student with a friend who wants me to help him start a podcast. I’m looking at getting the SoundCraft Signature MTK 12 for a board. It has the live mixing capabilities for live signal routing during the recording process, but it also has a multitrack capability that captures the digital audio right off of the preamps. Thoughts?
Looks like a great bit of gear without a doubt. It all depends on your friend’s podcast though really, depending on his/her show that might be quite a lot of money to fork out if a solo mic or smaller mixer is all that’s needed.
I would love some more input. I have a zoom h4n and a mackie profx8v2 and I use my surface pro 3. Just really confused on setting everything up properly. My mic is the audiotechnica atr2100
What specifically were you having trouble with, Afam?
Question. I’m set up with Behringer Xenyx Q802USB without using mix minus and my Skype caller doesn’t seem to hear their own voice. I’m using the mixer’s usb as Skype microphone in and using speaker output from laptop into the mixing board (using input 2 on 802 but wondering if 3/4 or 5/6 is better option). When I tested with mix minus, and then use Audacity with the 802’s usb as microphone to record from the Behringer, it only picked up the microphone voice, not the Skype caller. This leads me to believe the 802 is not sending back the full audio over usb, just the input 1 microphone, or am I nuts? I have H4N Pro as well connected to Tape out and it works fine. Happy with how everything works, but concerned something must be wrong. Thoughts?
Hi Kevin, thanks for the question.
You should be able to send all inputs to the USB output, so there’s definitely something a little unusual about your settings there. Are you making sure that the levels and gain are a decent level on all channels? Basic question, I know, but surprising how often it’s forgetten!
Colin