Sound Mixers

[A71AN]

Sound Mixers.

I have one of those sound mixers used for stereo recordings, bought 2 years back and never used it.

Such mixer is having 8 mono input channels and 2 stereo channels, each channel is having number of effect knobs, some of those knobs are used for different inputs separations effects, i.e., the can separate for example the sound of guitar from the sound of a drum and so on, makes only one source hearable to you.

I do not have in mind using this for a mic but for signals receiving, where my head phone is connected to it while the unit is connect to the head phone input in the radio.

The idea would this reduce the noise and give more clear receiving signals or not, would it separate un wanted tones or not.

Is there some one tried this before, would worth trying, or it’s just a waste of time.


Thank you and 73

[WB2WIK]

May work pretty well, but if it's set up as a "mike mixer," it is designed for low-level (very small) signals, such as the miniscule voltages achieved from microphones, and not for high-level signals (often as much as 2-4 Watts of audio power) that come from speaker jacks on receivers.

Also, if it's a "mike mixer" its output level would normally be quite low as well, equivalent to a microphone's output or possibly "line level" which is usually 1V across 500-600 Ohms. That's too low a level, and at the wrong impedance, to drive a speaker.

MFJ makes something like what you're looking for, all set up to work at RX audio line levels. It's an inexpensive accessory that allows you independant low, medium and high frequency level adjustments to tailor received audio to best suit your particular hearing response and it's helpful to operators whose hearing is starting to fail. I don't own one of those, but I tried one out and it's pretty impressive!

WB2WIK/6

[kl7aj]

Quote[/b] (a71an @ Dec. 28 2007,14:26)]Sound Mixers.

I have one of those sound mixers used for stereo recordings, bought 2 years back and never used it.

Such mixer is having 8 mono input channels and 2 stereo channels, each channel is having number of effect knobs, some of those knobs are used for different inputs separations effects, i.e., #the can separate for example the sound of guitar from the sound of a drum and so on, makes only one source hearable to you.

I do not have in mind using this for a mic but for signals receiving, where my head phone is connected to it while the unit is connect to the head phone input in the radio.

The idea would this reduce the noise and give more clear receiving signals or not, would it separate un wanted tones or not.

Is there some one tried this before, would worth trying, or it’s just a waste of time.


Thank you and 73
It will certainly do what you want, in style. A bit of OVERKILL, but I guess if you already have the mixer, might as well use it!

eric

[A71AN]

Quote[/b] (WB2WIK @ Dec. 28 2007,14:53)]May work pretty well, but if it's set up as a "mike mixer," it is designed for low-level (very small) signals, such as the miniscule voltages achieved from microphones, and not for high-level signals (often as much as 2-4 Watts of audio power) that come from speaker jacks on receivers.

Also, if it's a "mike mixer" its output level would normally be quite low as well, equivalent to a microphone's output or possibly "line level" which is usually 1V across 500-600 Ohms. # That's too low a level, and at the wrong impedance, to drive a speaker.

MFJ makes something like what you're looking for, all set up to work at RX audio line levels. #It's an inexpensive accessory that allows you independant low, medium and high frequency level adjustments to tailor received audio to best suit your particular hearing response and it's helpful to operators whose hearing is starting to fail. #I don't own one of those, but I tried one out and it's pretty impressive!

WB2WIK/6
I have not tried mine yet, just after 6 hours from now , need to drive down town and by the mono cabels with 2 sides jaks, and see then how this unit is going to respeond, specially that it is designed to have 8 high signal input and sperate microphone inputs, this makes the possiblities a little worthy, I hope.

I can not go with MFJ any more, I have to MFJ-989C tuners, never been used and both do not work, 2 MFJ-1700B switch , both do not work, made an order for noise reducer, my card was charged a month back and the order never went ok.
My experinces with them is not really good, although I already made an order yestrday with R& to send me this noise reducer of MFJ.


Thank you my friend and wishing you all of the best

73

[A71AN]

Quote[/b] (kl7aj @ Dec. 28 2007,15:12)]Quote[/b] (a71an @ Dec. 28 2007,14:26)]Sound Mixers.

I have one of those sound mixers used for stereo recordings, bought 2 years back and never used it.

Such mixer is having 8 mono input channels and 2 stereo channels, each channel is having number of effect knobs, some of those knobs are used for different inputs separations effects, i.e., #the can separate for example the sound of guitar from the sound of a drum and so on, makes only one source hearable to you.

I do not have in mind using this for a mic but for signals receiving, where my head phone is connected to it while the unit is connect to the head phone input in the radio.

The idea would this reduce the noise and give more clear receiving signals or not, would it separate un wanted tones or not.

Is there some one tried this before, would worth trying, or it’s just a waste of time.


Thank you and 73
It will certainly do what you want, in style. #A bit of OVERKILL, but I guess if you already have the mixer, might as well use it!

eric
Thank you my friend, I do approciate your input, my respect


73

[WB2WIK]

Quote[/b] (a71an @ Dec. 28 2007,15:18)]I can not go with MFJ any more, I have to MFJ-989C tuners, never been used and both do not work,
If they've never been used, how do you know they don't work?

[N2RJ]

My friend Leon, 9Z4BM, uses a mixer in his station to use multiple radios with multiple speakers and switch between them.

As for me I don't care for a mixer. I'd rather just put headsets on each rig and let individual ops use them.

[KC9JIQ]

broadcast quality audio....:D

[KG6WOU]

I have a friend who uses a similar setup. It's a bit more work, but as pointed out, you do own it.

A box-ready solution comes from New Communications Solutions - their Multi-Switcher line has a 6 radio input box, stereo output and a couple of ways to select the audio stage, plus switched outputs to a recorder. Not a cheap box, but I've had one for a couple of years with total satisfaction.

[A71AN]

I have a friend who uses a similar setup. It's a bit more work, but as pointed out, you do own it.

A box-ready solution comes from New Communications Solutions - their Multi-Switcher line has a 6 radio input box, stereo output and a couple of ways to select the audio stage, plus switched outputs to a recorder. Not a cheap box, but I've had one for a couple of years with total satisfaction.

I was in on holiday in dubai and bought a new sound mixer with amplifier and filters very large one but very high quality one and I have connected it to my radio just for the 30 meter, it work real good and I receive the signals with almost 0 noise, the signals comes very clear and loud, just forget about the radio signal indicator and you gonna be all ok. I will photograph the unit today and post here.


Wishing you all of the best my friend

73

[wy6k]

I'm not understanding how a mixer helps with noise. Are there filters in the mixer and is it the filters that you are referring to that help with noise?

[A71AN]

I'm not understanding how a mixer helps with noise. Are there filters in the mixer and is it the filters that you are referring to that help with noise?

Yes this mixer do have a lot of different filters, you do loose part of the signal strength but the adio quality is more clear and almost noise free, for example the stations you would receive on your scales 599 would be much less than that, the mixer having input and head phone out put, you plug your head phone there and do not refer to the radio signal scale.

The noise reducer is used for electrical instruments when plugged through this mixer. it purify the input and then you can do a better quality recording out of it, it is not cheap baby but nice when you have your hand on it, the only problem with it, it is a large unit and very heivy one.

Best regards

73

[wy6k]

How many of you use or need mixers? I just built one but thought I was probably about the only one in the world that would want one.

How many of you (or us) have multiple receivers and want to hear it all come thru one speaker?

[A71AN]

How many of you use or need mixers? I just built one but thought I was probably about the only one in the world that would want one.

How many of you (or us) have multiple receivers and want to hear it all come thru one speaker?

I have no designed my station for 3 different people to work at one time, through different antennas and radios for contest purpose and your idea is great to have out put of all the radios through the mixer for a fourth person to mointor the contest.


73

[wy6k]

I can not go with MFJ any more, I have to MFJ-989C tuners, never been used and both do not work, 2 MFJ-1700B switch , both do not work, made an order for noise reducer, my card was charged a month back and the order never went ok. My experinces with them is not really good, although I already made an order yestrday with R& to send me this noise reducer of MFJ.


I have had the same experience with MFJ. It is truly MF Junk. Just kill me if I ever buy anything else from MFJ ever again!

[A71AN]

I have had the same experience with MFJ. It is truly MF Junk. Just kill me if I ever buy anything else from MFJ ever again!

I agree with you everything I bought from MFJ is already damaged, but again not everything one is MFJ.


73

[ab8ro]

I'm not understanding how a mixer helps with noise. Are there filters in the mixer and is it the filters that you are referring to that help with noise?

They can only help to a limited extent. Most mixers have some form of EQ on each channel strip. It typically involves a low shelf, a high shelf, and, in some cases, one or more bandpass filters for the mids. In better quality mixers you might have more control over the mids such as center frequency and perhaps even width. What is true, however, is that these filters almost never have very steep slope because they are designed for mixing music.

So, if you roll off the bass, roll off the highs and peak the midrange you may get some improvement. It will be less fatiguing than typical audio filters designed for ham use which tend to have steeper slopes. At the same time, it will be less effective than audio DSP. One thing that you may discover, however, and audio guys have known this for years, is that there is quite a variable quality in EQ circuits so you might find a good analog EQ far less fatiguing for day to day listening than a DSP.

Don't confuse these filters with typical crystal filters or DSP, however, they are more like a super tone control.

If you're already using your computer a lot in the shack, and you don't mind spending a little more, a more flexible setup would be to use a multi-input sound card and a control surface. This would allow you to do all your mixing in the computer. You could even record specific channels while you listen to others or any other sort of routing that you can imagine.


That said, I can't be bothered with all this for the shack. I use mixers for recording and live production, but I think that it's overkill for ham radio.