Microphones and Mixers

Spencer Fuller Colin Rex and Chase Lefort

Mixers

What is a mixer? A mixer is a piece of equipment used

in the production of audio, by connecting all of the input with the outputs.

What are the different sections of a mixer?

There are three sections to a mixer: the patch bay, the output section, and the channel strips.

Patch Bay

The patch bay is the part of the mixer that houses all of the hardware input connections.

PATCH BAY

Microphone/Guitar Inputs 

Located on the patch bay these inputs are used to record directly from a microphone or electric guitar into the Mackie Mixer

Output Section

The output section is where you control the final mix that comes out of the mixer.

OUTPUT SECTION

Specific sections of the Output Section

Headphone & Speaker Volume Knobs- Puts audio into the microphones and monitor speakers

Control Room-designates what audio is sent to the monitor speakers and headphones

Main Mix Volume Fader-This fader controls the overall volume of your mix

Sub-Out Volume Faders-Channels 1 and 2 control how loud the left and right audio channels are going into the computer

Channel Strips

The controls for each of the inputs connected to the mixer are called the channel strip.

CHANNEL STRIPS

Specific sections of the Channel Strips

Trim Knob- Controls the upper volume of each channel

Auxiliary Sends- How sound is sent and received

 Equalizer Knobs- Manipulates frequencies Pan- Puts sound in either left or right speaker Solo & Mute Buttons-Solo makes this the only

channel that you are able to hear Channel Volume Fader- Adjust output volume

of each input Channel Assign Buttons-Designates which

output the given input is routed to

Volume

Volume on the mixer is measured in decibels, or dB.  As a dB value decreases, the audio volume goes down. As it increases, the volume gets louder. To take proper care of the mixer, you should avoid pushing the faders past 0dB.

Microphones

What is a microphone? A microphone is a sensor or

transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many everyday applications such as phones, tape recorders, hearing aids, and TV and radio broadcasting.

There are many types of microphones, but the most popular types are dynamic, condenser, ribbon, and USB microphones.

Dynamic Microphone

Dynamic microphones are the most ideal kind of microphone for on-stage performance. These microphones work via electromagnetic induction and are resistant to moisture and relatively inexpensive.

Condenser Microphone

Condenser microphones are used mostly in studios because of their sensitivity to loud sounds and the fact that they're much more fragile than dynamic microphones. You’ll find condenser microphones onstage at live music venues for use as drum overheads or for use in orchestral or choral sound reinforcement.

Ribbon Microphone

In ribbon microphones, a voltage is induced at right angles to both the ribbon velocity and magnetic field direction. As the sound wave causes the ribbon to move, the induced voltage in the ribbon is proportional to the particle velocity in the sound wave.

USB Microphone

In 2005, more affordable USB microphones were introduced, meaning that musicians, vocalists and voiceover professionals could finally record their voice or music with sound quality similar to that of much more expensive sound cards and A/D converters, software, and studio microphones and cables.

The next slide exhibits many styles of USB microphones.

USB Microphone (cont.)

Fiber Optic Microphone

A fiber optic microphone converts acoustic waves into electrical signals by sensing changes in light intensity, instead of sensing changes in capacitance or magnetic fields as with conventional microphones

Microphone and Mixer Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIdi0PdG0so

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI6Xh04Sp7o