Real mixer

[SoundCard]

Has anyone come across a real-time mixer app (for free or low cost) that will play two tracks and allow you to mix them on the fly? Audacity makes you set up the volumes separately in the tracks then adds them together into one, but you can't raise or lower the volume as you record. Very low latency would be good.

Thanks

 

[42low]

Audacity makes you set up the volumes separately in the tracks then adds them together into one, but you can't raise or lower the volume as you record.

No you can't in audacity? Sure?
You can control recording vollume in two way's.
Set the volume in in your os.
Or...

 

[SoundCard]

I don't think you grasped what I wanted.
What you suggest sets up the volume before recording. I want to adjust the volume control of both a vocal track and a BG track, WHILE they are being recorded (mixed).
....as you would do, manually, on a 'board'. I won't be recording any more than two tracks so there must be something cheap or free out there. Maybe an add-on like you can get with VU meters.
(or am |I still missing something?)

 

[miroslav]

You mean like this..

www.eecg.toronto.edu/~pc/courses/432/2007/projects/audiomixer.doc

 

[42low]

I don't think you grasped what I wanted.
What you suggest sets up the volume before recording.

Or while recording. But indeed that is not for the playing track.
I indeed didn't understand you fully.

I want to adjust the volume control of both a vocal track and a BG track, WHILE they are being recorded (mixed).

While playing two (or more) tracks you can ajust the volume within audacity. With the slide in the image.
You could try if this one does too works for what you want? I think this could work when recording too.

But if i was you i wouldn't do this in the software but on hardware.

 

[mjbphotos]

In Reaper you can set the automation to 'write' based on the sliders but not sure you can do this when tracking or just after the tracking is done.

 

[PSR]

Has anyone come across a real-time mixer app (for free or low cost) that will play two tracks and allow you to mix them on the fly? Audacity makes you set up the volumes separately in the tracks then adds them together into one, but you can't raise or lower the volume as you record. Very low latency would be good.

Thanks

You can do this in Reaper by setting an INPUT FX on each track, such as ReaEQ, and using the Gain controls in FX boxes - I just tried it.

There might be another way of linking tracks and recording from one to another too.

The latency should not really be an issue, but it will depend on your interface more than anything else.

 

[42low]

You asked at first for Audacity so i thought your goal was to do it within it. But indeed several (or all?) DAW's can do that.
And like i said, hardware slides are much easier.

But why should you do it while recording? If i do it the changes are mostly negligible and hardly necessary.
It's even easier to instruct the singer to keep the right distances from the mic, so that the distance does not deviate continuously. A singer should have to know a bit how to do that. And slight differences you can edit later in the DAW easily.
If i have to big and to continuously abnormalities i start a new recording session after giving instructions, and sometimes some testing first before actually recording. So most i set while testing between recording.

Hope you can do some with it. Good luck!

 

[miroslav]

You can do this in Reaper by setting an INPUT FX on each track, such as ReaEQ, and using the Gain controls in FX boxes - I just tried it.

There might be another way of linking tracks and recording from one to another too.

The latency should not really be an issue, but it will depend on your interface more than anything else.

That's a band-aid though...sorta like in the hardware world running your audio to a hardware EQ or compressor...and mixing there.
Plus, how do you then mix 2+ tracks together in real time if you're just adding an input plug to each track...?

I think he's talking about a real-time soft mixer...and then any plugs/FX, would be added in....just like with a hardware mixer.
Not sure there's anything there...I think it would have to almost happen at the interface to be real-time mixing, not the DAW.
The difference is that with analog signals, your always working with the signal...with digital, it would have to be getting converted and mixed and processed...all at the same toime.

Personally, I would just use a hardware mixer...and then send the mixed output to the DAW.

 

[SoundCard]

Thanks for the input, guys. I think I need a small hardware mixer with, maybe, 4 slider pots.
One last explanation: two mono waveforms in Audacity. One voice, one BG music. I want to mix one with the other into a single, mono waveform. Either leave one as is and adjust the volume of the other, AS IT IS MIXING IN REAL TIME. If this can be done in Audacity, great, but I haven't found a way yet. Audacity wants you to set the volume, in various areas of the waveform, ahead of time and them mix the two. I thought for sure there'd be an app or add-in that allows you to alter each track while it is being mixed or recorded, using a GUI which looks like pot sliders...like on a mixing board.

 

[gecko zzed]

AS IT IS MIXING IN REAL TIME.

If I understand your requirement correctly, it's something like this:

If you are mixing at a gig, you will have your hands on the faders, adjusting them in real time according to what's happening on stage, and take a recording of this onto a device of some sort. And it seems you want to be able to replicate this process using a software mixer.

I daresay there are solutions. But my curiosity has been piqued, and I'm keen to know why you want to be able to do this, and why mixing after the event is unsuitable.

 

[ecc83]

As shown, changing the faders in the mixer (Samplitude SE8) changes the level written to the DAW but not any of the meters.

Windows (7) Sounds has an input level control but it is buried and hard to use and also operates on the stereo pair.

I would think any kind of 3rd party software would have to somehow access that Windows driver. Where else in a DAW is there software control of input level?

If $$s no object I dare say RME's latest digitally controlled pre amps would serve!

Dave.