An Introduction to Sound Mixer Technology

In sound production and sound mixing, a mixer is an electronic device used to combine sounds of many other sound sources. A mixer is used to combine different types of signal processing tools, usually speakers, with knobs, buttons, and dials that control what the user hears. Mixers are usually found in recording studios or live sound venues. They can be used to mix a recorded track, or they may be used to mix live sound.

A sound mixer usually consists of a pair of audio equipment, called a handheld and a mixing console. The handheld is the main mixing console where the sound is processed. The handheld has a circuit that sends midi messages to the input devices. The mixing console then processes the midi messages, giving the results desired. It is important to know the difference between a mixer and a soundboard or effects processor. A mixer uses special software to process and store audio signals, whereas a soundboard does not, but contains samples of sounds that can be processed using the mixer.

Some analog mixers work by using an envelope follower. The envelope follower will determine when to send a signal to another device, such as a fader or an audio input device. Some mixers use a mixer bus mastering, which allows one signal to be sent to several inputs. Other mixing desks use what is known as signal routing, which is the process of sending one signal to multiple outputs, rather than being required to send each output to several input devices.