Ever since Tim Wilson built the PodCave in (what seemed like) 1982, I’ve wanted to setup a “podcasting studio” sort of thing. I now have the chance to really put this together at work. I need your help ”gluing things together”.
My end goal is to create a “studio” that hosts a variety of types of “Internet based communications”. Webinars, audio podcasts, video podcasts, online meetings, etc. I imagine this starting with a desk setup with 2 microphones (more on that later), 2 headphones, a dedicated ‘studio’ computer patched in to play audio clips, a mixer (more on that later), a dedicated computer to capture the audio, and two dedicated computers that do nothing but accept Skype guests via audio and video.
Cutting to the chase, I’m comfortable with the both the hardware and the software requirements of what I’m looking for until I get into the world of mixers. I’m planning on putting 2 really good mics in the studio. Each person in the studio will have their own machine (byo laptop) and the host will have a dedicated desktop to play audio clips that may feed into the stream. There will be 2 dedicated machines that do nothing but run Skype to remote guests. We’ll record all of this audio on another dedicated machine.
The place I get a bit lost is in the world of the mixer. I’ll have a minimum of 5 audio-in sources (2 studio mics, 2 Skype sessions, and one studio computer) that need to be brought together and funneled into another computer for recording. Of course, all audio sources need the ability to monitor all of the audio sources (Skype guest 1 needs to hear Skype guest 2, etc). Somewhere in all of this I know we’ll have a mix of analog and digital audio (and possibly video later) sources that all need to live in harmony.
A little searching on the Internet and I find mixing boards that run from $40 to $25,000. Both are the wrong answer. On one hand I’ll say “money isn’t an object”, but the truth is there’s a point where we’ll never use all of the features of an expensive mixer.
I hope that explains things well enough for a few of you to make suggestions.
John,
I really like Mackie mixers. I own a Mackie Onyx 1220 (<$500) that I used for most of my Savvy Technologist podcasts. (Here's a picture of the setup: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timwilson/179160280/) It features two mixing buses which made it easier to work with the Skype audio. The Mackie mixers also have an optional firewire interface ($350) which makes a great interface to the computer that will be recording everything.
I think the Skype conversations are going to be the most challenging. I haven't thought this all the way through yet, but I think it will be tricky to make sure your Skype guests are hearing the whole conversation. I could do one Skype call with the 1220, but I did it my utilizing the secondary bus (a feature that not all mixers have). I'm not sure it would have worked with two separate Skype calls. That's why I always did a Skype conference call if I had more than one Skype participant. Here's more info about the setup I used: http://podcastacademy.com/2007/02/16/mackie-mixers-alt-3-4-bus/
Good luck with your project. If I were you I think I'd get some consulting from one of the U.'s A/V crew.
-Tim
I actually think I may have figured out the Skype piece using Audio Hijack Pro. I’m not sure how it will all play once I introduce the mixer. We’ll see where things bring me and I’ll share once I think I have it figured out.
My buddy Dan does podcasting for a living at 5by5.tv. He’s got a good guide up at http://hivelogic.com/articles/podcasting-equipment-guide-2009
I listen to a few of Dan’s shows. Never thought to look there. Incredible advice that’s pretty close to what I was looking at.