Hi, I was wondering if I used the Harbinger L802 8-Channel Mixer [ http://www.guitarcenter.com/Harbinger/L802-8-Channel-Mixer-with-2-XLR-Mic-Preamps.gc ] with 5 people to record a podcast… would it work if i used the 1/4 ports with the other 3 people? would it work the same as the xlr ports if they bought xlr to 1/4 cables? im pretty sure it would, but because my friends never trust me i need more confirmations that it will. if for some reason it doesnt work, and you have any suggestions please please please tell me.
my friends refused to listen to me and all bought usb mics for $50 ( i told them we should buy the mxl 990 since they dont want to spend alot of money) and now they wonder why only one mic works at a time. now they want to record it in omnidirectional on one of their mics(the blue snowball and i know its a decent mic but for a room of people its not going to sound good.) and they want it to have really good sound quality.
It looks like that would only work for 4 people. To me it looks like the 3-4/5-6 channels are locked together, and then if you try and blend them, two of the people would only have sound coming out of one channel.
Also, since it's guitar center, you might be able to bring a 2 headsets to the store and try it out before you buy it and make sure it's what you want.
For a podcast you might consider one of the monoprice mixers. If I'm understanding correctly this does what you need since it's 4 XLR jacks plus 2 stereo channels.
It also has USB, so you can use it with normal recording software as if it was a USB mic or line in.
If they're using USB mics, try OBS. I think it'll let you use it like an audio mixer, so that would at least let you hobble along till you got better microphones.
well with obs windows doesnt support more than one mic at a time unless obs some how bypasses that whole problem. have you done it before ? ill try it out though
I use a Xenyx 302, but that's just for my microphone and PC audio. The USB DAC was crap on the 302, so I had to keep it analog all the way.
The 1/4 ports will work the same as on your first one, but it SHOULD allow you to pass mono as 'stereo' if you only have channels 3, 5 and 7 populated. Again, check it out at GC before you buy. Usually they'll have a few demo models out for you to test and make sure it's what you want. When I got the 302, I actually brought my mic and laptop and tested that it did what I needed first.....and then when I got home I noticed the buzz from the DAC.
thanks for the help im really trying to budget everyhting because they are being pennypinchers about everything so atleast with someone else saying it they might finnally belive me.. and thats why i wanted to look at what guitar center had because they normally have testers.... Thanks!
The mixer you linked only has two mic preamps. You'll need a mic preamp for each mic to bring it up to line level. The 1/4" inputs are line level only, and it will likely hard pan whatever you put in it; e.g. Ch3 only routes to L, and Ch4 only routes to R.
The main issue is the preamps. You need one mic preamp per mic.
so without knowing what Mic's you are using the Harbinger is more than likely not going to work and the Behringer may only let you get 4 mics. If you are using Condenser style mic's then you will be relying on phantom power which the Harbinger will not support as it is unpowerd and the Behringer only has 4 xlr plugs so that is all the phantom power options you will get out of him.
From passed experience, I recommend staying away from harbinger. From speakers/subs to mixer-boards you are literally better off going with pyle (of crap) pro. Behringer makes reliable stuff. Though I have a preference towards Mackie and Yamaha for whatever it is worth.
"Powered" and "Unpowered" do not denote whether phantom power is applied through a mixer. "Powered" means that a mixer has an integrated amp and can drive speakers. An unpowered mixer will output line level and is what you want for recording.
Routing the speaker output of a powered mixer to a line level input will damage equipment and could catch on fire.
Most small mixers have a global phantom power button for all inputs, including the 1/4". By the way, if you plug a phone into a line input (TRS-TRS) with phantom power active, you can kill the jack on the phone. I have seen it happen.
Try looking through some Mackie mixers. They are ok, but plenty cheap for the quality. Look for a 1202 or similar used. You should be able to find a decent deal. Keep your distance from Behringer.