OT: USB Mixer Functionality

[Dave Labrecque]

Hoping some of you mixer mavens can help me out here.

My podcast client's cheapo mixer is dying (after five good years). Looking for a small budget mixer to replace it. Been using the computer's integrated audio (which ain't too bad for our purposes), but thinking now would be a good time to go with a USB mixer and improve the sound a little.

I've never owned or used one. My initial research is coming up with mixers that simply treat USB much like the RCA (tape) ins and outs on most consoles. In fact the features (RCA tape and USB inputs to the mixer, aka playback from sources) are tied to the same button that will direct the playback to the main mix bus and/or control room monitors. No mix control at all on the mixer. That won't work, because we use live computer playback for bumper music, etc., which is mixed live under the guest mics during the show.

Two questions:

1) is it likely that the USB driver for this mixer will be able to handle simultaneous and independent recording and playback from different programs? (a radio automation program for occasional playback, and a separate DAW for continuous recording of the show)

2) are there small, affordable USB mixers that include at the very least some kind of mix fader between the USB DAC and the main mix bus on the mixer?

Many thanks for your expert counsel.

[Butch Bos]

Ya I for some reason the manufactures don't get it
I just modified a Galaxy Audio chepo mixer to do just that but it took cutting a couple traces and adding 2 wires but it now works good
And yes you can play with 1 ap and record with another

Butch

[Dave Labrecque]

Ya I for some reason the manufactures don't get it
I just modified a Galaxy Audio chepo mixer to do just that but it took cutting a couple traces and adding 2 wires but it now works good
And yes you can play with 1 ap and record with another

Butch

Wow. Had to go DIY, huh? Crazy.

So, you've never heard of a mixer with a USB return fader built in? That seems more than a little odd.

Thanks for the info on the Rec/Play driver situation. Is that with an ASIO driver, do you know? I've had bad luck getting ASIO to be multi-client on playback between different apps, but I don't know if that applies to REC vs. playback.

[Butch Bos]

Yes ASIO will work

Butch

[Dave Labrecque]

Hoping some of you mixer mavens can help me out here.

Bump. Anyone else?

[Dave Labrecque]

UPDATE: OK... turns out that at least some (e.g., Allen & Heath) USB mixers do provide some mix level control over the USB "return" signal. Nice.

Still not clear on how flexible/capable the audio driver will be vis-a-vis simultaneous record and play using separate programs for each.