Can you record two separate audio channels on any mixer? Yes, you can get 2 separated tracks by panning two channels of a stereo mix.
Most mixers don’t record true multitrack audio, that is, they don’t send each of the individual inputs out to software (typically via USB) so that you can record each audio channel onto its own track.
By hard panning (all the way) one channel left and another channel all the way to the right, you can record a stereo file that will contain microphone one only on the left side and microphone two only on the right.
In this video, the mixer was connected to the computer via USB but you could also connect via the L/R, 1/4″ outputs using a cable that has a 1/8″ stereo connector on the other end to go into the line input of your computer. In your DAW (aka audio software) make sure you are recording to a stereo track so that you get both the left and right signals separately from the mixer.
In your editor (DAW), during post-production, you simply separate this stereo track into two mono tracks and now you have channel one and two on their own tracks or in their own mono file.
This allows you to give each track its own customized FX as well as remove unwanted audio that would otherwise be blended together with the other channel if you did not use this method.
This is excellent for podcasters using cheaper mixers that only send a stereo mix output, allowing at least two hosts to record audio onto their own track for further processing in the edit.
In a follow up tutorial, I show how to get multiple separated channels out of an analog mixer that has insert channels by using the “one-click” method.
Gear used to make this video*:
- 2nd Gen of my mixer: https://amzn.to/2KrGZ4S
- Sony a6500: https://podhelp.me/a6500kit1BH
- LENS: Sigma 16mm F1.4: https://podhelp.me/SigmaE16mmBH
- DR-10L Lav mic/recorder: https://podhelp.me/TascamDR10LBH
- Rode VideoMic Pro http://podhelp.me/RodeVMP-R_BH
- Shure SM58 mic.: http://podhelp.me/sm58BH
- Samson Q2U (all black) mic.: https://amzn.to/2P08LZb
- My rack case: https://podhelp.me/ODYFRGS808BL-FC
- Transcend 65GB SDXC card for 4K http://podhelp.me/Trans64U3zon
- Adobe Creative Cloud https://podhelp.me/CC1yearBHdownload
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