How to Choose a Mixer for Your Studio
One of the advantages of recording in studio is that it's easy to ensure that each microphone and other input has its own recording channel. This lets you record in isolation and then combine the tracks for the final product.
What is a Studio Mixer?
While many mixing consoles can work in either a live or studio environment, there are certain features that are better suited to the studio than to the stage. After all, you're not going to be lugging your studio board from place to place and then setting up before every show. Instead you're taking multiple performances and building a final product from the combination. Some features are really helpful, others less so.
- Powered Output: A powered mixer has a built-in amp so that it can drive either your main performance speakers or your monitors. This is useful for stage performances but less so for studios that already have plenty of power options.
- Equalization: Many boards include an EQ, but studio work often involves a lot of fine tweaking, so this is one area where a more complex equalizer pays off.
- Channels: The more channels the merrier. Each instrument and microphone needs its own channel so you can lay down individual tracks. Some also need phantom power.
What is Phantom Power?
In order to understand phantom power, you have to understand how a mic works. While they are all based on using a diaphragm to pick up sound waves as they vibrate in the air, there are significant differences between the types. A dynamic microphone is the simplest type where the diaphragm connects to a coil which energizes a transducer. It's a fine design, but it's limited in sensitivity. A condenser mic uses a lighter diaphragm that works in conjunction with a charged plate. This makes it more sensitive, but the power has to come from somewhere. In fact, it's a 48 Volt DC power supply that flows up the cable like a phantom from an XLR connector. It also works with both kinds of microphone:
- Dynamic: While dynamic mics don't need current, the fact that phantom power is supplied through a balanced connection means that there's no direct current flow from the phantom power supply to these mics.
- Condenser: These are even simpler; the phantom power energizes the plate and they just work.
Running a Mixing Board
Whether you prefer the warmth of analog or the accuracy of digital, it's impossible to underestimate the power of a good mix. It really does bring out the soul of the audio recording and helps make the musical experience that much more real. It's all about getting everything you can from every performance.