CONNECT a MIXER to AUDIO INTERFACE: 3 Ways to Use a Mixer for Recording

How to connect a mixer to an audio interface for recording. In this video, you'll learn three ways to use a mixing console in your home studio. Whether you want to add more microphones, mix with a mixer, or route audio signals between different devices in your studio, you've come to the right place.

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Live Sound Mixers:

Studio Mixers:

Used Mixers:

AUDIO INTERFACE -
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2:

0:00 - Introduction
0:29 - Number One: Recording More Inputs
2:33 - Number Two: Routing Signals
3:04 - Number Three: Mixing with the Mixer
3:35 - QUESTION: Do you use a mixer in your studio?
3:40 - Subscribe to Audio University!

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[AudioUniversity]

Need help setting up your studio? Check out these free resources I've created for you...

[leonline]

A mixer is a problem solver, you can use it as an advanced patch bay, you can use the mic pre-amps, the eq's, hook the monitors to it. You can mix in analogue and send the the mix to box. They look cool and have the WOW factor. Last but not least you can find some nice old quality mixers for cheap !!

[vitaharvey]

I have an Allen and Heath 10-channel mixer (zed-10) and love it. Totally recommend. It has really nice-sounding EQ on every channel, some great routing options, and the 3rd and 4th channels have special solid-state preamps that are designed to overdrive in a tube-like manner when the gain is cranked (they recommend using these channels for recording guitars directly, and I can attest, this makes DI guitars sound so much better, even sans effects). Oh and I got it for less than $400. Totally recommend. Anyway loved this video! Thanks for making these.

[DUKEofWAIL]

I haven't used a mixer up till now, but I will after watching your instructions.

[Teen-Conor]

I didn't know much about mixers, but now, I know more. Good shit, good shit. 👍

[Ayjay]

Excellent - thanks. Clear, Concise, and best of all - understandable!

[odrot]

Nice. I've been doing this for years. People look at me with doubt when I suggest it to recording newbies then I show them some of our songs and they quickly change their minds.

[deltazed]

your videos are the best and yes i use a mixer in my home studio, it’s a Sony dmx p05 portable mixer and it’s got some awesome compression on it, and the crazy thing is this thing literally have like tons of adjustments through 2 knobs and a very small panel on the front to show you the numbers and let’s you save up to 10 different types of custom compression and limiter settings, it also has a Low Cut filter that works up to 400hz and the good thing is it does have a mid side link that i can do magic with when i’m recording my artist

[chillack]

I use a mixer in my studio. For a while I use the Mackie CR 1604VLZ yet it needs to be cleaned via an electronics repair shop. I sometimes used the Yamaha MG06X as additional inputs. I also use the PMP2000.

[MattEliasDrums]

Dude how did I not think of PANNING the audio !! Thank you so much !

[Drinkyoghurt]

So, I'm an idiot. I bought a mixer because I was tired of unplugging and plugging in instruments into my audio interface, but I didn't realize that it would mix it all down to stereo. Now, my mixer does actually have separated outputs over a DB25 connector, but my 2i2 still can't take more than 2 inputs so it's moot. However, what this does allow me is to have all my gear (3x synths, 1x mic and 1x guitar) plugged in and set at the correct level but they're muted (and panned) and only go full volume when I actually need it. This has made producing a whole lot easier. Another thing I like is how hands-on it is. Yes, I have a midi controller with 8 faders and Ableton integration, but it still doesn't have any physical meters and the workflow on the mixer is just faster for me.

Best of both worlds would be a mixer with individual outputs for each channel and an audio interface that can take that. Because the best part about a mixer is that you don't need a computer to actually get sound out of it.

[morgankpabitey]

Very wonderful from Mr. Avle, my favourite TV personality.

[jandreicapuyan]

This is very informative and I would definitely buy a mixer soon for my audio interface and get a decent preamp for it.

[itube]

Most helpful and most enjoyable presentation. Ta

[tukoramirez]

Awesome, i use my xenyx2222 to plug all mi vocal mics and quickly find the sound i want through the onboard channel strip. Also use the main output to get the signal with fx, and the insert to record a dry signal (as safety net).. having two versions of each take. Which can become handy if later you want to tweak the dry signal in the DAW. Also monitoring from the mixer headphones with zero latency improves expressiveness of the artists.

[ojongBenjaminfrancis]

thanks so much i really do need help on how to set and manage my sound

[teashea]

straight forward explanation - well done

[thekalm]

I use the behringer x1222 usb mixer and use the compressors and eq effects live while recording. Record in Cubase 9, do any other mixing necessary, and master! :)

[frethand]

I'm getting to where I'm understanding the whole interface vs. mixer debate enough to know that I def should be using a mixer, and I'm also beginning to get a better idea of what mixer price-points to start researching, but I'm still in the dark about certain routing scenarios that I know I'll need to understand more clearly before I can start narrowing it all down to the mixer that's best for me.

The current scenario that I've got stuck in my brain is when I'm recording live guitar while hearing tracks that have already been recorded like drums-n-bass playing back through my monitors "OR" headphones. I have seen a few tutorials that suggest I can "somehow" route the tracks/audio that I've already recorded (aka "backing tracks") from my DAW back to a channel(s) on my Mixer, but I've yet to see anyone fully-n-clearly cover the reasoning behind this routing option as well as the possibilities that are afforded by taking this route??

I do know that I can monitor my pre-recorded audio through the outputs of my interface and record that way, but if re-routing my finished tracks back to the mixer for playback while I'm recording guitar tracks offers me some more/better tonal options, then I'd really like to know more about that option before I buy a mixer that I discover later on cannot do something that would've been very important/useful to me had I known more. lol

[jdjd]

The old nameless 4-channel mixer I have, with very nice pre-amps, gets connected to the 4-channel interface (UMC404HD) directly into the return to bypass the interfaces pre-amps. The setup is mainly used for talk radio.