Is there such a thing as a box for multiple mics into one input?

N

Nick Janczak

New member
Okay, so this might be the stupidest question ever but if you don't ask you don't find out! I'm thinking of a situation where you run out of inputs on your mixing desk (mine only has 8) and you still need to plug more mics in, and you don't want to/can't afford another desk to link up to the existing one. So is there a junction box type thing where you can plug say 4 mics into it and then only have one xlr connection going to the input?
I know you won't be able to mix each mic but if you place them right and use some patience you could get a reasonable 'live' sound? Please keep the techie language simple, I'm just learning about this stuff.
 
With some exceptions pretty much EVERYTHING gets mixed down to two tracks @ 44.1KHz so what you want to do is get something like a Behringer ULTRAGAIN PRO-8 Mic Preamp/Converter or a Nady PRA-8 that will run 8 inputs down to a single output which you can then feed into your mixer or whatever. Mind you I can't speak to their quality.

Luck.
 
Build yourself a simple resistance mixer. You will learn many valuable lessons (like "I should have just saved up for a mixer with more inputs.")
 
Thanks

Guys thank you for some useful information.
Bouldersoundguy you just couldn't resist the wagging your finger/sucking in your breath patronising speech, could you? Oh well...
 
Hey Nick

Often people will just answer your question, without trying to find out why it's being asked. When you're a newbie, this can often send you down a path that you don't necessarily want to go down because you don't know what the right question is to ask.

Everyone's just answered your question, so you can just take that info and go shopping if you like.

But before you go doing anything, perhaps tell us WHY do you want to do this? What are you trying to achieve? Is this to do with recording things, or live performance? What things... what instruments? I'm asking because I'm not understanding WHY you'd want to do this. Perhaps the real answer is something else....

There's nothing condescending in what boulder said either - he's a very helpful dude and one of a handful of actual professional people who hang around and help noobs. You may need his help some day.

cheers
 
Hey FWIW- I didn't see like that at all (..oops- to Nick
There is 'teach to fish' Perfectly valid.
Now me, I buy the boxes' -But while not denying a) lazy! :p and b) more money than time or desire
 
yes..

Yes I'm sure boulderockguy is helpful and nice etc. just that I'm totally new to this field, this is in fact my first ever question here and that is why I went to the part of the forum for newbies,that specifically says that anything I asked would not be scoffed at or ridiculed. It only took two replies to get to the person who wanted to feel superior at my expense!!!!
Anyway, the reason I'm asking was to find out how I could expand the number of mics I could use with my existing equipment should I ever need to, I was kind of thinking about extra mics in the room to pick up the ambiance of the room. In a live recording situation.
 
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Yeah, don't take it bad. Hell my overall 'lack of a plan over the years.. I've spent hell prob' thousands in what I could have saved.
Hell in that respect every time that's talking' to me!
 
You can simply build a box with paralleled XLRs in it. While you are at it, populate it with similarly paralleled TRS jacks you then have a conn' converter box as well.

Think about this some more and you can fit a couple of sockets with reversed phase and maybe one or two fed via 1:1 traffs to beat hum loops, switchable earth lift.

I paralleled about 8 mics many years ago. I had the problem of some kids on stage, dancing and singing so I bought 10 very cheap dynamics, took them apart and "balanced" them and also weighted them (they were plarstik) with steel tubes. These were hung from a lighting barrell and fetched up about a mtr above the kids heads. All came back as mono to a Ferrorgaph in the Gods. Worked!

Dave.
 
Nick Janczak said:
Yes I'm sure boulderockguy is helpful and nice etc. just that I'm totally new to this field, this is in fact my first ever question here and that is why I went to the part of the forum for newbies,that specifically says that anything I asked would not be scoffed at or ridiculed. It only took two replies to get to the person who wanted to feel superior at my expense!!!!
Anyway, the reason I'm asking was to find out how I could expand the number of mics I could use with my existing equipment should I ever .
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no .... he made a joke that didn't knock you in anyway. You don't like jokes or have a sense of humor?
Show me any way at all that sharing a joke (that you've probably thought yourself) insulted you.
If you're so tender that everyone has to carefully watch their words around you then this isn't a good place for you 'cause why should we have to tip toe on eggshells because you're so overly quick to take offense?
Boulder is likely one guy now that won't ever answer a question from you again and that's your loss ...... don't be so over-sensetive.

As for the box ...... why? It wouldn't cost much less than a cheap mixer. For emergencies like what you have described there are tons of 4 input mixers for 50-60 bucks.
 
Yes Bob.
Forums tend to be rather "knock about" places (many FAR worse than this ever gets I assure you OP!).
And yup, mixer is good but has its downsides. I agree that for 4 mics it is on a par with a passive box for cost but loses out as the count goes up.
A mixer has the adavantge of gain trim but also the problem of overload, noise and a supply. A a passive box can be left in an inaccessable place and forgotten.

I have thought of more "frills"! Bank of XLRs for left, bank for right and a few that are switch selectable?

Dave.
 
Lt. Bob said:
As for the box ...... why? It wouldn't cost much less than a cheap mixer. For emergencies like what you have described there are tons of 4 input mixers for 50-60 bucks.
Click to expand...

This is pretty much what I was saying. You really will learn a lot by building your own summing box, but ultimately "the right tool for the job" will be a mixer with enough inputs. A submixer is a reasonable temporary alternative. Trust me, I've tried every cheap shortcut available to me in two decades of doing sound on a budget and in the long run it's best to bite the bullet and get the right piece of gear.

The problem with a simple summing box into one channel is that it will be mono. If you're looking to add ambience mics it doesn't make sense for them to all be summed to mono. If you're going to combine several mics with simple Y-cables you need them to be identical or there can be weird effects.

In my opinion the time and stress of earning enough to pay for the right tool is less than the time and stress of trying to do it the cheap way.
 
Lt. Bob said:
no .... he made a joke that didn't knock you in anyway. You don't like jokes or have a sense of humor?
Show me any way at all that sharing a joke (that you've probably thought yourself) insulted you.
If you're so tender that everyone has to carefully watch their words around you then this isn't a good place for you 'cause why should we have to tip toe on eggshells because you're so overly quick to take offense?
Boulder is likely one guy now that won't ever answer a question from you again and that's your loss ...... don't be so over-sensetive.

As for the box ...... why? It wouldn't cost much less than a cheap mixer. For emergencies like what you have described there are tons of 4 input mixers for 50-60 bucks.
Click to expand...

Hey I have been on plenty of forums and quite often it's full of old lags who do nothing more than show off how much they know and how much everyone else doesn't. I give as good as I get! If someone wants to share a joke with me that is cool I have a sense of humour, if someone wants to make a joke about me, then that depends on the joke! I came onto this forum to get info, simple as. I treat people the way I would want to be treated. If someone asks me about something I know (and they don't) I don't use it as as a cheap opportunity to boost my sad assed ego and start laying down the law according to moi!
I appreciate that boulderockguy came back to me on this and I like the real concrete info I've received. I have a limited budget and was wanting to hear if there was (or not) a cheap alternative to extending the number of mic inputs. But please save me the dad/expert lectures, I just switch off then and get bored and yawn a lot!
 
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Nick Janczak said:
Hey I have been on plenty of forums and quite often it's full of old lags who do nothing more than show off how much they know and how much everyone else doesn't. I give as good as I get! If someone wants to share a joke with me that is cool I have a sense of humour, if someone wants to make a joke about me, then that depends on the joke! I came onto this forum to get info, simple as. I treat people the way I would want to be treated. If someone asks me about something I know (and they don't) I don't use it as as a cheap opportunity to boost my sad assed ego and start laying down the law according to moi!
I appreciate that boulderockguy came back to me on this and I like the real concrete info I've received. I have a limited budget and was wanting to hear if there was (or not) a cheap alternative to extending the number of mic inputs. But please save me the dad/expert lectures, I just switch off then and get bored and yawn a lot!
Click to expand...
gotcha ........ we've seen douches before.
have fun ..... make music.
 
Whay hay, lad !

This mic mixer should do the biz. The 4 inputs have individual volume control, as does the single output. Whatever you record will be mixed, obviously, to mono as Bouldersoundguy pointed out. I've used a mic mixer for the last 20 years and they are most willing and useful.
 
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