Hello,
My question is about using a AR12 USB (or any of the newer AR mixers like the 16c) as the mixer board and audio interface for a Zoom broadcast. Here is the situation:
I connected eight inputs to the AR12 USB using xlr cable to the mic inputs. I then connected the AR12 to a Macbook Pro via usb. A Zoom meeting was started and the AR12 was selected as the audio input. All of the eight mic inputs plugged into the AR12 did come through the Zoom broadcast, however, the only control of the eight inputs was with the Mic/Line knobs at the top of the board (just below the input plugs). No EQ control, mute switch function or fader control at the bottom of the mixer board had any control over the inputs to Zoom (the Main fader on the right side of the board at the bottom had no effect either).
Previous to the above described configuration our setup was the eight inputs into an old Yamaha mixer board I have, with the Yamaha mixer board connected to a Presonus 26C that was connected to the Macbook Pro. With this configuration I do have full control of all of the inputs from the Yamaha mixer right to Zoom (EQ, etc. except the Yamaha board surprisingly does not have channel mute switches). The reason for trying the AR12 USB board was to eliminate one component (the 26C) and replace one component with a better one (the AR12 USB for the Yamaha mixer). Obviously, with the setup I described above using the AR12, what I thought I would achieve hasn't happened.
The final piece of information to provide is that I did install Universal Control on the Macbook Pro thinking that some additional driver may be needed to enable the Macbook to pickup usb input from the AR12 that had the control the mixer provides right to the bottom of the board. This did not make any difference.
So, Ladies and Gentlemen, my question is: Does the AR12 board offer full mixer board control from all of the inputs to the usb output? The research I've done tells me that channels 1 and 2 can provide all this control to usb output if you use the USB 1/2 Send switch by the Main fader. But that is only for channels 1 and 2. I need full control from all eight channels and I'm not able to achieve this the way I've set things up. Am I expecting a capability from this particular mixer that it does not offer?
Finally, I have tried connecting the AR12 board to the 26C via the Main Out xlr jacks. The 26C then feeds the Macbook into Zoom and I have full control of the eight inputs. This is the same setup as using the Yamaha mixer but it defeats the advantage, again here my presumption, of having a usb capable mixer board.
Thank you in advance for any replies.
Regards, Richard