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I have this mixer:
http://www.allen-heath.com/ahproducts/zed-10fx/

My computer has a Creative Audigy 2 sound card.

I want to connect the Main XLR outs from the ZED to my computer so I can select it as a microphone source in Skype. How should this be done? Do I get a Y-cable XLR to mini-stereo cable (if it exists) and go directly into the sound card's mic input?

I've also heard of XLR to USB cables.

I should also mention that I have a Black Magic Design Intensity Pro 4K card in the machine:
https://www.blackmagiCDesign.com/products/intensitypro4k and it has its own audio in method.

Not sure the best way to go about this. Thanks!

Comments

Boswell Sun, 02/05/2017 - 13:54

You would have two problems with using the XLR main outs from the mixer: too great a signal level, and balanced signals where a computer sound card needs unbalanced.

Fortunately, the mixer has unbalanced outputs at domestic levels on a pair of RCA connectors. I would use these to go in via a twin RCA cable terminating in whatever plug your soundcard accepts as audio input.

I once used an Audigy card in the distant past, and I remember that I was unable to find a way to prevent it messing with the signal on its way in to the computer. I don't know the Black Magic card, but I hope it's better than the Audigy in that respect, and also that there is software to record just the audio input.

Good luck, and come back and tell us how you got on!

pcrecord Mon, 02/06/2017 - 05:06

Forget about the Audigy,
Just plug in a USB lead to your ZED, select the USB routing on the mixer and the device on your computer and that’s it! CD quality audio to and from your PC or Mac.
Send options:
1) Main Mix Left + Right (Post master Level)

2) Aux + FX bus (Aux is a pre-fade send, FX is a post-fade send)

3) Record Bus Left + Right (Separate stereo bus to Main Mix)

Return options:
1) To Playback input (through jack socket break contacts)

2) To Stereo 2 channel (through jack socket break contacts)

pcrecord Mon, 02/06/2017 - 07:32

MC208, post: 447278, member: 49667 wrote: Hey pcrecord, I didn't even think of USB, thanks for the tip. I took a picture. So do I just need to press that main mix bottom button to send the main mix audio out through the USB?

The manual may give more info about this, but I guess you are right.. the boutons help to chose which signal is sent to the USB

MC208 Tue, 02/07/2017 - 06:50

So I tried this with an actual skype call and it worked, almost.
What happened was that the other party could only hear channels on the mixer whose AUX volume was turned up. This won't work for me because I have a mic and a guitar in the mixer. The guitar comes out the speakers (aux out) but I have the aux volume all the way down on the mic's channel, so the mic doesn't come out the speakers and create feedback issues.

What I want to happen is only for the main mix to go out to the USB, and be controlled by the main channel controls and main master.

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