Simple audio mixing

[lorddef]

Doobrey wrote:

 A few years back I learned the hard way not to try and catch a soldering iron if you drop it...well, it was more a case of learning which end to catch  :-x

I know how you feel, I did the same when I was 7 years old.

[Karlos]

Same here, not sure how old I was though! I seem to recall it was something to do with souping up my old RC car with a beefier motor...

I think anybody with more than a passing interest in electronics has managed to burn themselves on a soldering iron at least once.

Its usually enough to make sure you don't do it again!

-edit-

Mind you, it wasn't a patch on the time when my poor mum dropped a pan of boiling spuds over her almost bare feet. That was nasty...

[KennyR]

Well, thanks to everyone for suggestions, but it seems that I'm not going to get what I want unless I build it. Oh well, I better go daisy chain these computer audio outputs to each other's sound cards now... ;-)

[Floid]

http://www.rdlnet.com/a_mix.htm - These look like they could be cheap, though they could also be hideously expensive.  Someone else would have to name the impedance you want.  I'm talking the 'STD-' models.

Things like these are punting around on the cheap; yes, it's a lot of features you don't need, but it has 4 inputs and perhaps the hope of a line output.  If you can get one on special somewhere for $9, do the extra features matter?

Anecdotal evidence suggests most people do use plain old nests of Y adapters, not that I'm advocating such.

[KennyR]

@floid

Interesting links, thanks.

The problem with "mic" mixers is that they're always mono - microphones don't need stereo output, of course. The ST-MX3 looks very promising though, even if it doesn't take the usual audio jack or double coaxial. :-(

The 5.25" bay mixer on compgeeks looks very interesting - but it needs its host computer to be on, sort of defeating the point. I suppose I could always put it in an external HD case, but then where would I put the backplate? ;-)

I'm sure I'm not the only person who just wants a simple computer output mixer in a box with a minimum of features. But it seems nobody makes such a thing. :-(

[Madgun68]

[KennyR]

@madgun

This looks like what I'll have to do. But since I don't run all of my machines all of the time, this is not what I wanted. Turning off my Pegasos (or if it crashes) will kill sound on all other machines this way.

[Cyberus]

I bought a nice new shiney soldering iron a couple of weeks back, to replace the massive thing I normally use.. and for 3 days I forgot I had left it powered up !!! Didn`t burn anything luckily, but I knackered the tip..

You know, I bought a soldering iron a couple of years back from Maplin. I bought the one that said 'suitable for occasional soldering work, not suitable for assembly line work/prolonged use'. The friend I leant it to left it on for three days and the tip was buggered and the whole shaft discoloured ...grrr :-x