Tips and guide to buy a mixer to make your own podcast

If you are going to create your own podcasts and you want to look for the most professional side, so that they look great from the beginning, the best thing would be to have a mixer. We are going to explain why and we will advise you on your purchase.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve already started doing a podcast or you’re about to start, since one of the tools that can help you the most is a mixer.

This type of device will give you a much more professional air and better sound quality, in addition to the production of the podcasts themselves.

If your recordings consist of you doing the talking all the time, just saying what’s on your mind and then cutting it off, a mixer probably doesn’t make much sense to you either.

But the moment we want give it a radio style touch or we have collaborators With us, these types of devices almost become paramount.

Something that should also be clear is that a mixer makes the process more complicated, but much more professional, so surely, if we are not used to this type of device, we will need a period of adaptation.

Depending on the level of professionalism that we want to give our podcasts, this should be the mixer we buy.

For example, if we have a professional microphone that uses an XLR connection and we want to get the most out of it, there will be no choice but to purchase a device of the type we are talking about.

What is a mixer?

A mixer is a electronic device used to mix different signals audio.

In the case of podcasts, it may be that a table with two channels is enough for you, especially if you only use your voice and occasionally some music.

If you have constant music changes and collaborations, your next mixer should have multiple channels to handle it all.

a mixing desk allows you to mix sounds, equalize them, adjust volume and balancein addition to add sound effects. In conclusion, it is clear that mixers have the function of controlling and modifying the parameters of the sound sources that reach them, in order to give the sound a higher quality.

There are two types, analogwhich work only with this type of signals, and the digitalwhich are capable of memorizing and storing information.

Why a mixer?

There are several reasons why we can ensure that a mixer can become a practically essential device for your podcasts.

Obviously, if we talk about extremely simple podcasts, they will always be able to be done with a microphone and nothing else, but when you need to upload everything so that the level of the broadcasts is better, this device will become your best ally .

As we said before, if we want to use microphones with XLR connectionthe mixer is very necessary.

Pronomic Mixer M-602Maomo AM200-S1

If what we are going to need is to control several channels at the same time, the console will provide us with the capacity to they all play at the same volume. For example, if we have several people talking at the same time, we can manage the volume of all of them and even lower it if we don’t want some to interrupt others.

We too will allow you to add musicwhen we need, of different emissions, granting a much higher production quality.

can be use filters for each channel, equalize each as we want, there are even mixers that offer compression and limiters.

But one of the most important facets that a mixer can help with is if we want to do without post-production of our podcasts.

Once we know how to handle this device with total ease, we will be able to give it a quality, both in sound and in production, so high that we will not need to retouch it later with any computer program.

Even if you manage everything once recorded, you can use the mixer to modify channel by channel, which will mean less arduous work.

Alto Professional ZMX122FXRØDE RØDECaster Pro

What to look for when buying a mixer

Once you have decided to buy a mixer, this is when one of the most complicated parts arrives, if you are not a person who understands too much about this type of device.

There are so many on the market, from so many brands and with so many prices, that choosing the most suitable one for our situation can become a real odyssey.

There are certain parameters that we must look at to get the best table for us and what we expect:

• Channels: We must be clear about how many channels we are going to need depending on the type of podcast we are doing. In those who are more professional, it is not at all strange to use between four and six in each recording. For example, you might need a channel for your microphone, a couple for your collaborators, and a few others for music and sound effects.
• Tickets: another of the things that must also be clear is the inputs that the mixer has, since it should have all those that we are going to need.
• Control Types: dials are used on most lower priced mixers, which are quite comfortable to operate and much more intuitive. However, it is always advisable, in the case of the main control, to have a father or fader. This type of control is much more precise, but it can also be said that it is more complicated if you do not have much experience.
• Other functions: If you intend to have a high quality sound and reduce or even disappear the post-production, then you will have to look for mixers that have at least an equalization system, gain control and a low pass filter, in addition to compression and limiters.
• Budget: Obviously it is very tempting to buy a mixer that is worth a lot of money and has many capabilities, but it is also true that we must stick to our budget so as not to go crazy, since there are many prices. In addition, we must be aware that we are really going to get the most out of this device, so it is not useful to buy one that is too big for us. As there is so much variety, it is best to stick to our budget.

Now you have all the information you need to buy a mixer for your podcasts and give them a much more professional touch.

If you don’t have experience with this type of device, take it easy and you’ll see how little by little you’ll be able to get the most out of it.