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We’re using Behringer’s MXB1002
mixing board for our setup, but feel
free to select any mixing board that
comes with the number of inputs you intend
to use. For our setup, we need one XLR input
(fat connector, three prongs) and a single
1/4-inch input. The condenser microphone
provides the show’s host with far better
sound quality than what a typical USB head-
set or 1/8-inch microphone off ers. The lava-
lier microphone is a perfect, less-expensive
alternative for guests, and it gives you more
mobility if you need to stray from your desk
for a segment.
As for the mixing board, you can opt for
a fancier model to give yourself the option of
more guests, or you can just go for a cheaper
model with the bare essentials. You won’t see
a diff erence in quality at this price level, just
connection options.
Connecting the microphones to the
board is simple. For the XLR microphone (top
image), plug one end of the male connector
into the mic and the other end into the fi rst
position on the mixing board. The lavalier
mic we’ve chosen, Audio-Technica’s ATR35s,
comes with a converter that allows us to plug
its 1/8-inch connector into the second chan-
nel’s 1/4-inch line-in on our mixing board
(bottom image). Finally, to get the audio to
our PC, we’re attaching our Y cable’s 1/4-inch
connectors to the left and right outputs on
the board and the cable’s 1/8-inch end to the
microphone input on our motherboard.
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Physically installing the webcams is
pretty straightforward. We recom-
mend you do it systematically, to
prevent your OS from freaking out, espe-
cially if you’re using webcams from diff erent
manufacturers.
Start by connecting the fi rst webcam to
your rig and then installing the accompany-
ing drivers from either the provided CD or
a packaged download. Depending on your
camera, you might be given the option to
enable a face-tracking feature. We recom-
mend you resist the urge to enable this or
any special eff ects. They’ll make your show
look lame at best, and at worst, the jittering
of the automatic lens seeking out your mug
will annoy viewers to the point of turning off
your show.
Once you have your fi rst webcam up
and running, attach the second one. If it’s the
same make and model, the soft ware interface
should allow you to toggle between the two
as-is. If not, install the drivers for your second
webcam. They should be compatible, but if
you want to experiment with live-feeding the
images from both cameras at the same time,
the two apps will have to run simultaneously.
All that matters at this point is that you
can operate two cameras. Check both to see
that they produce images, place the cameras
where you want them to broadcast from, and
proceed to Step 3!&
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