In simple terms

[Erland]

Could someone help answer a few puzzles I have.

How does a mixer work? ie. How do you actually record with it. If it is fed into a computer then how do they talk to each other and record?

I understand analoge and digital with a multi track. I am a little confused by this with regard to mixers.

mmm

Erland

 

[regebro]

How does a mixer work? ie. How do you actually record with it.

You don't. You record with something that records. You can use a mixer while recording, to do several different things, but it is not necessary, and what role the mixer has depends entirely on, well, what you set it up to do.

A mixer takes several signals signal and mixes them. Most mixers also have other neat features such as filters and preamps. Some even have compressors and other effects. Some things that look like mixers also can record. Those are usually called portastudios or digital audio workstations and is a mixer-recorder.

If it is fed into a computer then how do they talk to each other and record?

You need to say 'it' and 'they' a lot less when you ask questions, and start saying 'the mixer', 'the signal' and 'the computer' a lot more. It gets very confusing, becuase it's not clear what you referr to when you say 'it' if you use 'it' to much.

"Aaarg!! Don't say it!"
"But how can I not say it, if I don't know what it is!"
"You said it again!"


It (ie the mixer) is not fed anywhere. It sits on your table, and will not be eaten. The signals from the mixer is fed into the computer via a cable. Maybe that answers your question about how "they" talk to each other? Hope so.

 

[StevenLindsey]

Here's the way I do my drums through a mixer, for example. I use five mics - 2 overheads, one snare, two for bass drum into a 12 channel mixer. On the mixer, I pan the overheads left and right, the snare a little off center and the 2 kick mics right at center. Then I run the stereo main outputs of the mixer to the 2 inputs of my recorder and then record to a stereo track. The stereo output of the mixer sends the summed signal of all the mics with the left and right panning to the recorder. When the stereo track is played back, you can hear the different positions of the drums in perspective. You can record a whole band this way into 2 tracks in stereo. As to how a mixer "talks" to a computer or recorder, simply put, the mixer (generally - some mixers have digital outputs) sends an electrical signal to a digital converter that changes the electrical patterns to a humongous stream of numbers ( 0's and 1's ) that is stored on the drive of the computer. The computer, at playback, then sends this huge stream of numbers to a converter that changes the numbers back to electrical impulses that a speaker can interpret and project. A/D D/A converters. Analog to Digital. Digital to Analog. This had to be simple because that's about all I know and I'm about half ignorant. Hope this helps a bit. This may not even be what you were asking but I like to give information, even if it stinks.

 

[Erland]

cheers

Thanks chaps. Sorry for not thankin earlier. I understand a little better.

Erland

 

[jonobacon]

In most cases the computer does not control the mixer by the way - the mixer just controls the signal before it hits the computer and is recorded.