Thank you Kurt and pcrecord. I do find the Behringer to be lacking in some of the things I would like hence me putting in the DBX286s to make the mic sound better. I don’t have unlimited money, and looking back, I wish I hadn’t got the Xenyx but it did offer lots of inputs and did do the job to get me by over the past three years. I appreciate the links to the other mixers and that’s something which I will look into

Boswell, post: 462074, member: 29034 wrote: As an update to what I suggested earlier, use either one of the soundcards to take a stereo signal from the computer into the mixer, and then use the mixer's USB output to feed the result back to the computer.

You will need a correctly-configured lead for splitting the stereo headphone output of a soundcard to two separate mono channels. It should go from a 1/8" minijack to a pair of TS 1/4" plugs, e.g. the Hosa CMP-153.

Thanks Boswell, as I mentioned previously, I think I have one of those leads as I have tried every single possible combination to get this working, that looks like the best solution for me - and it means I didn’t waste more money with buying the second soundcard. I will report back if that’s ok with everyone.

One day, I will be back in a proper studio!

Kyle1974, post: 462076, member: 51674 wrote: I will report back if that’s ok with everyone.

Please do, it's always great to have a follow up and conclusion on a thread ! :)

Kyle1974, post: 462075, member: 51674 wrote: Thank you Kurt and pcrecord. I do find the Behringer to be lacking in some of the things I would like hence me putting in the DBX286s to make the mic sound better. I don’t have unlimited money, and looking back, I wish I hadn’t got the Xenyx but it did offer lots of inputs and did do the job to get me by over the past three years. I appreciate the links to the other mixers and that’s something which I will look into

imo there's nothing wrong with the Behringer mixers other than they aren't very robust. almost every Behringer mixer i have seen for sale on C/L or Ebay have at least one fault like a channel or a send not functioning.

i don't think they really sound better or worse than their counterparts (Harbinger/ Mackie/ Alto, etc). do they sound like a Neve design? no ... but nothing but a Neve does. Behringer sound is typical of low volt rail designs. on paper they spec well but in use they can be frustrating to say the least. imo all table top mixers are a compromise.

but adding the DBX won't really make it sound better. i see people make this mistaken assumption all the time. what you describe is like putting condiments on a turd. it's still a turd! processing never makes anything better. it never gets better, it just makes it sound different. different can be perceived as better but the reality is all processing degrades the signal.

this is actually for sale! the inputs that have tape over them aren't working!

Kurt Foster, post: 462078, member: 7836 wrote: i don't think they really sound better or worse than their counterparts (Harbinger/ Mackie/ Alto, etc)

I think the Mackie VLZ pro were a bit better than Alto and other cheap board.. But they still aren't as good as soundcraft and Allen&heat ...

Kurt Foster, post: 462078, member: 7836 wrote: but adding the DBX won't really make it sound better. i see people make this mistaken assumption all the time. what you describe is like putting condiments on a turd. it's still a turd! processing never makes anything better. it never gets better, it just makes it sound different.

I agree, the dbx 286 are compressors. It will sound like the behringer but compressed.. that's it.. no magic there.
If we would talk about a channels strip including a preamp and a compressor.. maybe we'd get a bit better quality going line in into the mixer.. but again.. if the mixer is noisy.. you can't get rid of that with external gear, unless a denoise unit of a noise gate..

i don't know ..... personally i don't think the Mackie VLZ pre is all that. lots of comparisons to better pres have said they stand up but imo they are thin and papery. the Behringer mixers started out with pres that were reverse engineered to the Mackie VLZ but after the acquisition of Midas they became the XENYX preamp which i have heard is supposed to be descended from a MIDAS design. even a Behringer mixer specs out well. it's just they don't sound good. and again my opinion is all table top mixers exhibit deficiencies due to small low voltage internal power supplies. my experience is that we need at least a 30 volt swing (+ /- 15 volts) to get "there".

Kurt Foster, post: 462080, member: 7836 wrote: the Behringer mixers started out with pres that were reverse engineered to the Mackie VLZ but after the acquisition of Midas they became the XENYX preamp which i have heard is supposed to be descended from a MIDAS design

Interesting !

pcrecord, post: 462077, member: 46460 wrote: Please do, it's always great to have a follow up and conclusion on a thread ! :)

Nope! I'm still trying to fix it!

Following all the advice here and mainly from Boswell. I am going to reassign the "line in" socket to be a "line out socket", run a trs 3.5 cable from the PC into the Behringer split into left/right, so I have the 2-track USB thing going on - and feed my mics via USB cable out from the mixer into the pc which is recording.

(Does that sound right or have I managed to confuse myself again?!)

Kyle1974, post: 464301, member: 51674 wrote: Nope! I'm still trying to fix it!

Following all the advice here and mainly from Boswell. I am going to reassign the "line in" socket to be a "line out socket", run a trs 3.5 cable from the PC into the Behringer split into left/right, so I have the 2-track USB thing going on - and feed my mics via USB cable out from the mixer into the pc which is recording.

(Does that sound right or have I managed to confuse myself again?!)

This seems overcomplicated for no reason. If you use any usb unit as your audio interface, you shouldn't try to send or receive any audio signal from another way than the USB unit.
Most audio software won't cope well with having more than one unit to deal with.
Those using a mac computer can agregate audio interfaces and sound card.. Windows OS can't do it well unless the driver support all the units..

Your limitation starts with the behringer being only 2 mono channel or 1 stereo ch in & out.
If more are needed, I'd say buy an other unit that fits your need.
Most audio interfaces comes with a realtime mixer (software). It will allow you to do all the mixing required. Just choose one that has enough inputs for you need..
Focusrite scarlett are good, or audient or RME etc..

In my own opinion, cheap Behringer mixers are just crap.. (of course I just bought a 3k RME interface... lol)

Kyle1974, post: 464301, member: 51674 wrote: Does that sound right or have I managed to confuse myself again?

I think the connection is correct, but you have described it rather awkwardly.

What it's difficult to judge is the behaviour of the input and output 3.5mm sockets on your PC. It would be usual to have separate input and output connectors, but quite possible that your PC has a single re-assignable connector.

The additional thing is whether your software will cope with I/O arranged in this way, but it should work.

Boswell, post: 464328, member: 29034 wrote: I think the connection is correct, but you have described it rather awkwardly.

What it's difficult to judge is the behaviour of the input and output 3.5mm sockets on your PC. It would be usual to have separate input and output connectors, but quite possible that your PC has a single re-assignable connector.

The additional thing is whether your software will cope with I/O arranged in this way, but it should work.

Thanks both. I think originally my question was about feeding sound back from the PC so that callers could hear audio clips back to them (with a mix minus) - but after all these years I have abandoned the idea. I rarely use it that way so not worth the effort and resource!

I do appreciate it though.

Out of interest, is there a alternative to the Behringer for under £300? I know people here talk about the focusrite but that is no use to me doing online radio as I need my faders and things.

Kyle1974, post: 464330, member: 51674 wrote: Out of interest, is there a alternative to the Behringer for under £300? I know people here talk about the focusrite but that is no use to me doing online radio as I need my faders and things.

Not sure of price points, but believe rode and tascam or zoom make podcast specific devices, and Yamaha has a little white mixer with loopback for podcasting for under $200.

That's interesting, thank you. I know my friend has the Rode which seems to come highly recommended.

Just plug the music source into a channel. Treat it like there's another person so you can "cut his mic" when you want to, send it to the monitor, through the FX, EQ it or whatever the hell you want to do!