Comments on: Wanted: Custom Audio Solution

By: jim dorey

jim dorey — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:09:56 +0000

i’ve got a circuit i made up a while ago, it’s 8 channel s-video, composite and stereo, could be modified. i actually have several, it was for fun.

By: fb

fb — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 01:58:55 +0000

Crazy suggestion but how about using your mixer to mix the stereo sources and pass the result into the AUX input on your sound card and use the sound card for output.

This way you’ll have all stereo sources premixed via the mixer and still be able to retain the surround from the sound card.

Alternatively, you could use the multiple CD/AUX inputs into your sound card directly and use the sound card’s mixer to mix the sources. I’m not sure how many sources exactly that you’d like to input but most sound cards these days can handle at least 2 to 3 input sources between the external jacks and the internal plugs (you may need to create a custom adapter to convert the 3.5mm jack to a 4-pin CD-style connector).

By: shew

shew — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:38:03 +0000

TheGZeus hit the nail on the head. A receiver is what you need.

By: Mez

Mez — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:29:51 +0000

It seems that I haven’t made it clear.

What I need to be able to do is mix down several inputs (one of them is 3 inputs for Surround Sound). I then need to be able to switch those inputs from my Surround System to my headphones.

I already have a mixer, however, this only deals with Stereo, not with surround sound… While I could mix everything from the surround down to stereo, pass through the mixer, then back out to “fake” surround from the mixer, I don’t want to do this, I want proper surround sound being sent to the surround sound, with the stereo mixed in. It’s not really an easy thing to do, and would probably need something custom made.

Plus, you have the fact that generally, your difference between control room and master out for mixers would mean that you’d have to press several buttons to actually switch everything. While this is nice as you can select some items for speakers, and some for headphones… It’s not exactly what I want to do.

By: Justace Clutter

Justace Clutter — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:57:55 +0000

Or you could just…. get a mixer…..

By: blueget

blueget — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:19:56 +0000

We’ve got something like that at School, you can switch there between the PC, the DVD Player and the Video Recorder. Unfortunately I can’t really find out what vendor it is from and where to get it since we have big school holidays until september here in Austria. The surround sound is likely to be problematic, because the box I know only can handle stereo sound from single 3,5 mm Jacks, but maybe there are other models that can cope with surround sound. Oh, and it also doesn’t have any mixer, you can just switch between the different sound sources.

I’ll post again here as soon as I found out where to get these boxes.

By: djurodrljaca

djurodrljaca — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:50:24 +0000

It would help if you could write what are your “capabilities” with electronics.

If you get a circuit diagram, can you build the circuit?

The circuit shouldn’t be a problem.
- The surround: you can use a summing op. amp. so you get “stereo” from surround (no need for potentiometers here)
- Mixer: another summing op. amp. with potentiometers so you can regulate the volume of every source
- output selection: you can use a simple switch to switch between the speakers and headphones

You can get “stereo” potentiometers for volume control and “stereo” switch for output selection. You can also use “stereo” switches to enable/disable sources.

By: TheGZeus

TheGZeus — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:38:45 +0000

Sounds like you want a Reciever.
Any modern Home Theater reciever (even bottom barrel ones) should do the trick. Find a Pioneer from a few years back, even.

By: Wanted: Custom Audio Solution

Wanted: Custom Audio Solution — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:02:15 +0000

[...] http://www.sourceguru.net/archives/142 asks Hoosgot, [...]

By: Mez

Mez — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:41:02 +0000

Unfortunately, while that’ll combine the inputs, it doesn’t fix the
other issues, like being able to switch between different outputs,
convert 5.1 to stereo, or route the sound differently dependant on a
switch state.

Though it does fix one major issue. I’m sure if I knew more about
electronics, I could come up with a really nice Circuit Diagram from
this to do what I need it to do…. though working with 2 channels,
keeping the potentiometers in sync with each other, etc etc…

It’s a start though