Help choosing mic for unusual studio setup

One possibility is this:

Mike 1 into channel 1 panned left: fader level adjusted to suit
Mike 2 into channel 2 panned right: fader level adjusted to suit

Mike 3 (your mike) into channel 3: fader level off (so that it doesn't go into the main mix)

Connect mixer to Lambda, left main output into line in 1 of lambda, right main out into line 2 of lambda. The main mix controls level going into Lambda

The above is your recording set up.

Now for your monitoring set up:

Press the 'FX to CTRL Room' button.

On Channels 1 to 3, adjust the red FX knob on each to send signal, via 'FX to CTRL Room' to the 'CTRL ROOM OUT', whose level is determined by the 'PHONES/CONTROL ROOM' knob.

Your voice is on channel 3, which is not going to the main mix because the fader is pulled down, but is going to the control room output via the FX knob. Likewise, the two using Channels 1 and 2 also go to the control room output the same way. Note also that the FX levels are independent of the faders, so you can have different level for mix and different level for monitoring.

For monitoring itself, there is a headphone socket on the mixer controlled by the PHONES/CONTROL ROOM knob. There are also Left and Right line outputs 'CTRL ROOM OUT' which can be used to go to powered speakers, or an amp, or even a headphone amp.

Thanks a lot for this. I will try setting it up this way when I get to the office tomorrow morning. I only have one mono plug for the headphones at the moment (which is then split to the two sets of headphones - hardly ideal but this is how the original soundmaster set up the studio), so I have to choose L or R, but I can just use the one most often used (the second microphone only gets used now and then) and the second person just won't be able to hear themselves I suppose. The main thing is them being able to hear me, so if I can get that working, that will be perfect. I can buy a stereo cable for future recordings. Fingers crossed!
 
Thanks a lot for this. I will try setting it up this way when I get to the office tomorrow morning. I only have one mono plug for the headphones at the moment (which is then split to the two sets of headphones - hardly ideal but this is how the original soundmaster set up the studio), so I have to choose L or R, but I can just use the one most often used (the second microphone only gets used now and then) and the second person just won't be able to hear themselves I suppose. The main thing is them being able to hear me, so if I can get that working, that will be perfect. I can buy a stereo cable for future recordings. Fingers crossed!

Two things . . .

1 You can get a stereo headphone splitter for not much at all. This is a 6.5mm stereo jack into which you can plug two sets of stereo headphones.

See here: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/asMAAOSwIFRbmeeG/s-l640.jpg


2 Although you are sending ch1 and ch2 panned left and right out the main mix, the FX send is mono. So channels 1, 2 and 3 are all going to the control room outputs in mono. This means that everyone will be able to hear everyone. However, the mono plug means that you may only hear these out of one side of the headphones. That highlights the value of getting the stereo adapter mentioned earlier.
 
Oh, if it's mono that's great. At least they'll be able to hear everything, if only on one side. I'm already using a splitter to split the sound to the headphones, it's just that the cable leading to the splitter is mono, so I can only get one side or the other of the headphones for both of them. Basically, the original sound master set up this little studio and he put some jacks in the wall so that both the microphones and headphones plug into the studio wall, then there's another plug on the other side which I use to connect to the audio interface (or mixer, now). So the headphones aren't being plugged directly into the mixer, there's a mono cable plugged into the mixer and then a splitter that splits it to both the headphones. I feel like I'm making this sound more complicated than it is. :P

What I need is just a simple stereo cable to replace the mono one (or a second mono cable, same thing). Or rather, a cable with stereo on one end and mono on the other, and then I can plug the stereo end into the mixer and the mono end can be split to the headphones, so both of them can hear everything. The only issue is that my source for all these little bits and pieces is online, and there's no convenient place for me to pick them up in person, so every time I order something I have to pay a shipping fee, and those add up quickly. And just a couple of days ago I placed an order for a pop filter for one of the mics. I wish I'd realized I would need something else! But something this simple I might be able to get in person at an electronics store, I'll have to look around and see what I can easily find. Anyway, the important thing is that they'll be able to hear me, even if only on one side for now.
 
Oh, if it's mono that's great. At least they'll be able to hear everything, if only on one side. I'm already using a splitter to split the sound to the headphones, it's just that the cable leading to the splitter is mono, so I can only get one side or the other of the headphones for both of them. Basically, the original sound master set up this little studio and he put some jacks in the wall so that both the microphones and headphones plug into the studio wall, then there's another plug on the other side which I use to connect to the audio interface (or mixer, now). So the headphones aren't being plugged directly into the mixer, there's a mono cable plugged into the mixer and then a splitter that splits it to both the headphones. I feel like I'm making this sound more complicated than it is. :P

That does make it slightly more complicated. From mixer to splitter isn't a problem. The mono plug going into the mixer is not a problem, because the control room output will be in mono, so it doesn't matter whether the tip of the plug is picking up left or right channel . . . they will be identical. So the splitter is where the hurdle is, because rather than a mono plug going into a stereo socket, where left and right are identical, you have stereo headphones going into mono sockets, so this is where you would get to hear the sound in one ear.

What I need is just a simple stereo cable to replace the mono one (or a second mono cable, same thing). Or rather, a cable with stereo on one end and mono on the other, and then I can plug the stereo end into the mixer and the mono end can be split to the headphones, so both of them can hear everything.

A simple stereo cable to replace mono would be good. But not stereo one end and mono the other end. Mono the other end would still mean they only hear out of one ear.

Actually, what you really need is someone local who is technically minded and can help you rationalise your system. Can you appeal for help on facebook or something like that?
 
My boss has told us that we'll probably be moving to a new office soon, though they haven't found one yet, so at the moment I think my goal needs to just be to get everything working at a basic level. Whenever and wherever we move we're unlikely to have even this basic sort of studio and I'll probably have to put the voice actors in a closet, like we did in our previous office. I can ask around and see if there's someone who could help make the system work better but I wouldn't feel right getting someone to do it for free, and I definitely won't get any money from the company to pay someone.
 
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