- [Tom Buck] The RODECaster Pro is an incredible all-in-one
Podcast Production Studio with four XLR inputs.
But what if you need more than four?
What if you need extra XLRs?
Welcome to the most ridiculous video I've ever made.
(upbeat music)
One of the most common questions I get
about the RodeCaster Pro has to do
with adding more microphone inputs
and whether or not that's possible.
So, I'll be the first to say this video is all
about the could and not about the should.
We're gonna go to some places.
It might get a little bit weird.
And I wanna give that disclaimer
just because if there happens to be like,
a professional audio engineer watching,
I'm not trying to make you cry. [awkward pause]
So right now I've got the Shure MV7
running into the RodeCaster Pro.
I'm gonna pop on my headphones,
which, by the way, thank you very much
to Ron at New Record Day, an amazing YouTube channel.
If you haven't checked it out, you should,
for sending me these.
These are Meze 99 NEOs,
they're the best headphones I've ever had.
It was just like a really nice Christmas gift
and I've really enjoyed them.
So this is the MV7 running into the RODECaster Pro.
A pretty standard setup,
but I've got a few other things connected.
I've got a PodMic running through the RODECaster Pro.
I've got the Shure 55 SH series two,
and I've got the Monoprice Stage Right
Classic? Memphis? Something or other.
It's a pretty cool microphone also running through
the RODECaster.
So I've got these four mics connected.
So while this is the standard four XLR input
RODECaster Pro setup,
what if, for some reason, you need more than four?
You might remember a while ago I did a video
all about the Focusrite Scarlett.
And in that video, I talked about how it's kind
of neat to have both because they do do different things.
They do, they do do different things.
I use my Focusrite mainly for connecting
guitars and instruments.
And, of course, the RODECaster
for podcasting and streaming.
But a lot of people have both of these
because you might've started
with the Scarlett and then upgraded to the RODECaster.
And now this thing is just kind of hanging out.
So here's how you can use the Scarlett
as an additional input to the RODECaster.
So, first thing, I have the RODECaster running
into my computer via USB, and I'm also going to
connect the Scarlett separately via USB.
Now, I'm using MacOS
but this process will be pretty much the same in Windows.
So the first thing I need to do is go
to my computer's audio settings
and change my output, or at least make sure
my output is set to the RODECaster Pro.
So now all of the audio
from my computer is going into the USB channel
of the RODECaster Pro.
Pretty standard setup,
you can bring in Zoom calls this way,
interviews, sound effects, all that kind of stuff.
You know, like, "Why does Batman use the Shure SM7B
and Robin uses the Shure SM57?"
It's because they're a
"dynamic duo."
(clown horn sound effect)
Sound effects, via USB.
But USB doesn't just have to be sound effects.
I'm going to open up Garage Band because it's free.
So if you have a Mac, you already have it,
but you could do this with basically
whichever audio editing application you use.
In garage band I'm going create an empty project
using a microphone,
and I'm going to make sure the input is selected
as
inputs one and two.
My instrument is connected with the Scarlett 2i2
and I want to hear my instrument play as I record.
Create the track.
I'm not going to be recording
in this track, although you could
if you just wanted to isolate the tracks from the Scarlett.
And now you can see down here, I have the Scarlett selected
and this little, like, double linking means
that both channels are going to be active.
If I click that
then it would be channel one and then channels one and two.
The most important thing, though,
in whichever application you're using is to go
into the settings, because pretty much all audio
editing applications have audio input and output settings,
and make sure that your input device is the Scarlett
and that your output device is the RODECaster Pro
which is also connected separately via USB.
And that means that everything that's connected
to the Scarlett will go
out the computer and into the RODECaster.
So let's test that out.
So here's the Shure Super 55 and a PodMic.
So now let's see how this works.
I can mute myself and then unmute the USB
and now I've got,
Oh, weird stuff happening.
So here's the PodMic.
This is me talking to the PodMic into the Scarlet.
There's virtually no delay,
maybe the ever so slightest like milliseconds of lag.
And here's me talking into the Super 55.
What you might notice right away is
that the way the Scarlett works is one channel is left
and one channel is right.
So the Super 55 is coming through one side
and the PodMic is coming through the other side.
If I turn them both up at the same time
and then I talk next to them,
then it gives it a stereo effect.
So that might be something you could fix in editing.
It might be something depending
on the software you're using, you can adjust the output.
That's kind of a separate
can of worms with a whole bunch
of variables that I just don't want to get into right now.
So we won't.
Despite that we do have two XLR microphones
coming into the Focusrite and into the RODECaster.
So now I have six XLR microphones connected
to the RODECaster pro.
And one other important thing to note is that both
of these microphones through the Focusrite, are coming
through the single USB channel.
So, all of my mixing and anything that has to do
with affecting the USB channel will affect both
of these microphones, but there's also the variable
of the fact that I can turn the gain up and down over here.
And I can even go into my software
and do it that way too.
So, the more things that you add to this setup,
the more complicated it becomes
and the more points for trouble, failure,
quirks, interference, those start to develop.
So let's add a whole bunch more into this mix
with this mixer right here.
This is the Yamaha M G 10 X U.
I got this like 10 years ago, mainly
for connecting synthesizers and instruments
but it's got four XLR inputs.
So now what I've done is I've unplugged the 55 S H
from the RODECaster and plugged it into the Yamaha mixer.
And then I've plugged the output XLR from the Yamaha mixer
in to channel one of the RODECaster,
which means now I can talk into this microphone,
into the Yamaha mixer, into the RODECaster.
The sound is a little funky, and there's definitely
a lot more background noise, but I can do
fun things like this (voice warps to low pitch)
because this is how I've always really wanted to sound.
Or maybe something like this. (voice warps to high pitch)
I don't know.
That sounds pretty cool.
(voice warps to low pitch)
This is completely unnecessary.
(voice returns to normal pitch)
So let's take this a step further.
Actually, let's take this three steps further
because this mixer has three more XLR inputs.
So here is the Neewer NW 800 running into channel two
on the Yamaha mixer.
Here is the Shure SM 57 with a big old wind screen
running into channel three on the Yamaha mixer.
And here is the Pyle P D MIC 78 running through channel four
on the Yamaha mixer.
So what that means is I've got four microphones here.
This mixer is a single input on the RODECaster Pro,
but there are still three other microphones connected
to the RODECaster Pro.
So that's seven microphones,
plus the two microphones
connected through the Focusrite Scarlett.
So now I've got nine microphones running
through the RODECaster Pro. (voice changing volume)
And where you're likely to have the biggest issue here
is now you've got nine microphones in one location.
So if I unmute all of them,
this is what it sounds like with
my voice being picked up through all these microphones,
even though I'm speaking into this one here.
So if you've got a producer, who's recording all this stuff
they're really going to have to pay attention
to muting and unmuting and playing
with the volume knobs and the volume sliders.
It's gonna get confusing
but I have no sympathy for a podcast producer.
So let's make it even more difficult on them.
I'm going to take the RODE wireless GO
and connect the transmitter
to the TRRS channel on the RODECaster Pro.
So now I've got the Wireless GO connected
to the RODECaster Pro.
The thing about this Yamaha mixer is the reason
it's called the MG10 is because
technically it has 10 inputs.
I'm going to take these two RCA jacks
because that's a thing that you still need
and plug that into this channel of the mixer.
And then these guys are going to go into my synthesizer.
(low keyboard notes)
Oh, there it is.
So now...
(electro beat from keyboard)
We've got Euro beats happening
in addition to all these microphones.
(plays 'The Final Countdown' melody on keyboard)
We'll put that...
(Tom shouts)
We'll put this here
We need this.
So now we've got the 1980s Casio keyboard in the mix.
(techno beat containing rhythmic barking sounds)
And now, what do we have?
We have four XLR mics going through the Yamaha mixer.
We have one, two, three more XLR mics going
through the RODECaster Pro.
We've got two XLR mics going
through the Focusrite.
And we have the RODE wireless GO connected
to the RODECaster Pro.
So that's 10 microphones running into the RODECaster.
Plus,
(plays notes on synthesizer)
the synthesizer.
Plus,
(electric keyboard note)
the Casio keyboard,
and
welcome to the most ridiculous video
I've ever made.
So while everything is technically working
if I unmute it all at once, you can start to hear how
there are these different, you know,
echoes and overlaps
and mics phasing in and out and wireless
mics getting thrown into the mix
and just kind of chaos in general.
(drum beats)
Was that a bongo?
(continued drum beats)
Cool. And there's probably no real reason
you would need to do this,
but, look, if you want to add more stuff
to the RODECaster Pro,
clearly it's possible.
And while I am going completely overboard in this example,
my purpose is to just sort of show how this could work.
One other mixer
or one other interface can be additional inputs
for the RODECaster,
If you've already got them.
I wouldn't invest in a setup like this
specifically to do this because
it's just going to make you insane.
But if you've already got an interface
or you've already got a mixer
and for some reason you just need more inputs,
maybe you're making something like a drum set,
I don't know, something where
you just need more microphones.
You can do it all and run it
all directly into the RODECaster Pro
and then it can end up actually working.
And of course you can extrapolate on this
because if this were like a 16 channel mixer
then it would be 16 other inputs into the RODECaster.
Or if you're using like the Focusrite
that has four inputs or eight inputs,
obviously it's just going to be more and more
but you know what they say,
Mo inputs Mo-in problems.
(percussive sting)
So with that being said,
if you want more practical RODECaster Pro
videos and info,
check out this playlist right here
so that you can become a pro
with the RODECaster Pro.
Master the RODECaster, yo.
(drum beat with rhythmic dog barks)