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Written by Terry Doner, Jan 9, 2021.
An often asked question is 'How do I connect my audio mixer to my computer?' and this is often asked in the context of trying to setup a streaming computer system. If you Google the topic, a lot of what you will find is tailored to studio recording. This is somewhat different.
There are three main ways to accomplish a connection between your mixer and a computer; 1) Analog, 2) USB, 3) Network.
Note: throughout this article I will make reference to specific gear that can accomplish the goal. I point at products I recommend. And products which are mid-priced. For every choice you can likely find a product at half the price, and another at 10 times the price. There are reasons why things are priced the way they are. If you are reading this article to figure this out, you should avoid the cheapest. It will bring you trouble. And at the other end if you are an educated high end purchaser who thinks the "Whiz Bang 5000" is a much superior choice; you might be right! But I am aiming this article at people who are trying to figure this out for the first time.
1. Analog
1. Analog
Almost all computers have a built in audio interface. Some may only have a headphone jack, others may have a microphone jack as well, or more. Many built-in sound cards are poor quality and can be subject to noise interference. The typical 3.5mm (1/8th") jack can be fragile as well. Nonetheless, these can be a simple and easy starter choice.
The output from your mixer may come in a variety of choices. Most common are RCA, 1/4", and 3-pin XLR.
In the picture below, we see a "Tape Output" pair of RCA jacks, and above that a pair of 1/4" jacks.
TODO - Insert picture and description of XLR outputs
One of the key characteristics to help you decide is whether your mixer outputs are "Balanced" or "Unbalanced". The best way to know for sure is to read your manual - or maybe it might be printed right next to the jack. RCA connectors are always unbalanced. XLR connectors are almost always balanced. And the 1/4" could be either.
If your cable distance is more than 3m (10') then you will want to go with a balanced option. Sometimes even with shorted runs, if it is noisy, you'll want balanced. This short video explains why it makes a difference.
If your audio mixer doesn't provide a balanced output option, then you can use a direct box to create one. There are very many options and the exact choice depends on the other end as well. Here is a middle of the road unit to look at. This particular unit is stereo, a mono (single channel) unit might be sufficient for what you need.
At the other end you could use a similar unit to convert to 1/4" and use a 1/4" to 1/8" cable to plug into the computer. But I would recommend a USB interface instead (See the next section).
Sample Connection
Sample Connection
Suppose you have an audio mixer with Balanced TRS (Tip-Ring Sleeve) 1/4" output jacks and you want to run a 50' distance to your computer that has a 1/8" input. This is what you would need for a mono feed (with links to B&H).
A isolation box, this one has RCA connections.
A RCA to 1/8" cable - intentionally short.
If you need a 2-channel input, you might need this as well.
If your source is stereo, then you would need to double up on #1, and #2, and would not need #5.
2. USB
2. USB
There are two ways that USB interfaces can come into play; external USB interfaces and mixers that have a built-in USB interface.
Some mixers offer a USB interface that can transmit digital audio output directly from the console to your computer via USB. USB is length limited to about 5m (16'). There are USB extension products that can enable longer distances, but I would avoid them, if possible; your system will be more reliable if you stay within standard design specifications.
The one advantage of many of the USB mixer interfaces is that they can transmit multiple (usually 16) channels of audio over the USB connection. The value of this depends on whether you are doing your mix down in the mixer, or if you want to do that on the computer. (See this article Why you need an independent audio mix for a discussion of options).
If you are further away than the 5m and two (maybe more) channels of audio are enough then at the computer end you could send via analog at the mixer and use a USB interface at the computer. Here are two middle-of-the road options:
Scarlett 2i2 - the 2i2 is one of a family of devices. There are 4-channel and up options to choose from.
3. Network
3. Network
This option becomes more interesting when you are trying to send dozens of channels or over a longer distance. Or if you already have the infrastructure in place. The most common solutions are AVB or Dante. I think that Dante has the greater market momentum, so will focus on that approach. But if your mixer has built-in AVB support then that is worth exploring.
Dante is a means of transmitting a large amount of digital audio over IP networks with well-managed latency. If you have a well managed gigabit ethernet network, you can quite easily add Dante to it. I recommend the you go to the audinate channel on YouTube, and watch their videos, at least the level 1 certification videos, before deploying a mission critical Dante solution.
What would a Dante solution look like in our focus area of getting audio from a mixer to a computer? At a minimum it needs three things:
A Dante source, such as a Dante interface card for your mixer, or a simple adapter.
A well-managed ethernet network. This could be a simple ethernet switch with no other traffic on it.
Audinate's "Dante Virtual Soundcard" software installed on the computer.
Special Case: Connecting two computers
Special Case: Connecting two computers
A common variant of the question is how to move audio from one computer to another. For example, from a DAW to a streaming computer. This is very similar to the mixer to computer case. Most of the same solutions apply, except you likely only have 1/8" outputs as the source.
Also see below.
Audio Input and Output on the same computer
Audio Input and Output on the same computer
A common situation is audio coming in over one interface (say a USB interface) and you need to send it out over a different interface from the same program, say a DAW. Most such programs limit you to a single interface, but you need two. This can be solved in a few different ways.
On a Mac, you can create a new device called an aggregate device. This new device can encompass multiple physical devices and appear as a single device to your DAW.
On Windows, you can do something similar by acquiring additional software.
or http://www.asio4all.org/ This is the closest to the Mac's aggregate device concept. Look at this first.
Which one you need depends on your particular situation.
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