Creative professionals are increasingly producing audio content away from the traditional studio, without the aid of the dedicated engineer. We look at one solution that promises a mixer-less workflow for those producing podcasts, radio, or other online content.

In Summary

Professionals from other industries including print media and conventional linear radio increasingly find themselves creating audio content. With this frequently happening outside of the traditional broadcast studio environment, creators’ work can be produced in the mixer-less studio when the power of in-the-box mixing is utilised.

Going Deeper

Hardware Mixers - Are They Needed?

Most engineers enjoy the benefits of mixing in the box (ITB) either partially or totally thanks to their DAW’s mixer. While the concept of working without a central hardware monolith for inputs and outputs has become commonplace in the studio recording and mixing industries, the idea of managing audio routing and mixing without a console will be less familiar to those from related media such as radio broadcasting or podcasting.

Certainly, the practical advantages of hands-on monitor control and the ability to control inputs to ‘air’ is undeniable, as well as other broadcast-specific duties such as integrating remote guests or spot sound effects and stings into the programme output. For some, the reassurance of the console’s reach-and-do workflow is quick and reliable, but it has its drawbacks.

Virtual Mixers For Virtual Inputs

With the radio show or podcast featuring more than two or three live studio inputs being less common, even small productions will often see an equal number of virtual sources that can sometimes outnumber the hardware input count.

On the understanding that live inputs must hit A-D conversion in any scenario, by contrast virtual inputs already exist in the box. For those producing content from such a mix of sources, the idea of taking virtual inputs for a trip through the convertors and back to be run through an external mixer could be unnecessary at best.

Ginger Audio GroundControl CASTER Live

Back in 2022 we took a look at Ginger Audio’s virtual mixer GroundControl CASTER (GCC). Allowing the user to combine virtual audio streams, it provides loopback, routing and streaming functionality for Mac users. Following on from it is their GroundControl CASTER Live, whose primary purpose is to add hardware input functionality to the show plus an expanded virtual input count. Joining the company’s other problem solvers, GroundControl CASTER Live presents a natural tool for those who are making programmes for podcasting or ‘live-to-air’ style radio over the internet or even conventional broadcast chains.

In the video we use GCC Live to bring in a selection of virtual and hardware inputs for mixing, monitoring, processing, and final output. We take a walk through its clean GUI and examine its functions before showing how its internal recording isn’t the only option…

Final Thoughts

Those professionals migrating from other media into the world of audio content creation may have preconceptions about the complexity and amount of equipment needed. While it’s true that producers still need a considerable amount of knowhow to get the best from their setup, the amount of physical equipment needed can be minimal. Certainly with nothing more than a mic, some headphones, an interface, and a large space where the mixer used to be, using an ITB mixer/recorder such as GroundControl CASTER Live could redefine what the production studio looks like.

A Word About This Article

As the Experts team considered how we could better help the community we thought that some of you are time poor and don’t have the time to read a long article or a watch a long video. In 2023 we are going to be trying out articles that have the fast takeaway right at the start and then an opportunity to go deeper if you wish. Let us know if you like this idea in the comments.