Best Podcast & Livestream Mixer [2023] | Mackie DLZ Creator

In this week’s episode, we have a look at Mackie’s new DLZ Creator mixer. This competitor to the RODECaster Pros and Zoom Podtraks is made specifically for capturing great audio in podcast and livestream workflows. In this video we walk through the DLZ’s feature set, briefly compare it to the RODECaster Pro, and identify some advantage and disadvantages for each. Let’s take a closer look!

Check out our reviews of the RODE and Zoom podcast mixers here:

RODECaster Pro

RODECaster Pro II

Zoom Podtrak P4

Zoom Podtrak P8

Zoom Livetrak L8

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, Trew Audio or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Mackie DLZ Creator USB audio mixer/interface/recorder — B&H, Amazon

- Mackie 802 VLZ 4 8-Channel Ultra Compact Mixer — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- RODECaster Pro Podcast Production Studio — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- RODECaster Pro II Podcast Production Studio — B&H, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Amazon

- ZOOM Podtrak P4 Podcast Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- ZOOM Podtrak P8 Podcast Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- ZOOM Livetrak L8 Podcast Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Amaran 200x S LED light — B&H, Amazon, Aputure

- Aputure Light Dome II soft box — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store. Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H

- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2023, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session — Hush noise reduction, physical vs. software mix controls & Q&A

In this week's session, we cover the pros and cons of physical versus software mix controls or mixers. Is one universally better than the other? When does one make more sense than the other? We also demonstrate the new noise reduction app called Hush. Then we answer your sound for video questions.

You can learn more about Hush here.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We have a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini and just added Introduction to Izotope RX for Dialogue Audio.

Gear I often use or that we mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Waves, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Earthworks ETHOS microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- RODECaster Pro II audio workstation — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C200 Camera - B&H

- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 lens — B&H, Amazon

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

- Universal Audio 6176 channel strip pre-amp, EQ, compressor — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2023, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Q&A

In this week's Sound for Video Session, we cover your sound related questions.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We also just added a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVE Store, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Behind the Sound Cart by Patrushkha Mierzwa - Amazon

- Earthworks SR314 - B&H, Sweetwater

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 Camera - B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L IS lens - B&H, Amazon

- TA3-M to XLR-F Adapter cable to feed microphones to C70 or Blackmagic Pocket cameras - B&H

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Q&A

In this week's Sound for Video Session, we cover your sound related questions.

Watson Wu - Sound FX recording

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We also just added a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVE Store, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Allen & Heath SQ5 digital mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Behind the Sound Cart by Patrushkha Mierzwa - Amazon

- RODE Wireless GO II wireless microphone system - B&H, DVE Store, Sweetwater, Amazon

- SHURE Duraplex lavalier microphones - B&H, Sweetwater

- SHURE Twinplex lavalier microphones - B&H, Sweetwater

- SHURE Axient Digital wireless microphone system - B&H, Sweetwater

- Earthworks SR314 - B&H, Sweetwater

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 Camera - B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L IS lens - B&H, Amazon

- TA3-M to XLR-F Adapter cable to feed microphones to C70 or Blackmagic Pocket cameras - B&H

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Cleanup Order of Operations & Q&A

In this week's session, we'll talk about the order you might consider using when cleaning dialogue audio. We'll also answer your sound for video questions.

Summary of study on audio quality and audience reaction.

Source journal article (Abstract plus full article behind pay wall) Good Sound, Good Research: How Audio Quality Influences Perceptions of the Research and Researcher

Mike Metlay's article on Order of Operations: Audio Repair

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses​ including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We also just added a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Earthworks SR314 - B&H, Sweetwater

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 Camera - B&H

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H​

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Mixing Basics for Live Streams & Q&A

In this week's session, we'll cover some of the basics of mixing for live streams and then cover your sound for video questions.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses​ including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We also just added a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- D-tap to 4 pin hirose cable to power MixPre-10 & ZOOM F4/F8 via cine battery - Amazon

- Earthworks SR314 - B&H, Sweetwater

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 Camera - B&H https://geni.us/ABYB​

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Digital Mixer and Q&A

Welcome to our weekly Sound for Video Session where we answer your questions about audio for video and film. In this week’s session we demonstrated the setup of a digital mixer - the Allen & Heath SQ5 - and how we configured the microphone channels, moved the phone input channel, configured the HP filter, compressor, gate, and EQ.

The Sound of Hamilton by The Dolby Institute.

Please consider enrolling in my courses on sound production and post processing and how to operate the ZOOM F series or Sound Devices MixPre series recorders over at Learn Light and Sound.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, Pictureline, Musicbed or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

Aukey 3.5mm line isolator - Amazon

Sound Devices MixPre audio recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

Earthworks SR314 condenser microphone - B&H, Sweetwater

TZAudio Stellar X2 Vintage condenser microphone - Tech Zone Audio Direct

Allen & Heath SQ5 digital mixing board - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Pro livestream HDMI switcher - B&H, Amazon

Thanks to Musicbed for the music for this session - "Light Blue" by Utah. Get a free trial of the best music for your videos at Musicbed.

Copyright 2020, Curtis Judd

Sound Mixing a Short Film: Post Production Walk Through

Recently I worked with Uphill Cinema on a short film where I was the production sound mixer and also post production mixer. In this episode, I walk you through the finished post mix in Adobe Audition so you can see how we did it.

See the short film Listen:

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F8 and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders.

Gear used to record the film:

DPA 4017b Shotgun Microphone (B&H)

Audio Ltd A10 Wireless Microphone System (B&H)

Sound Devices 633 Mixer/Recorder (B&H)

Countryman B6 Lavalier Microphone (B&H)

DPA 4160 Lavalier Microphone (B&H)

Tentacle Sync E Timecode Generator (B&H)

Sony FS5 (B&H)

ATOMOS Shogun Inferno

Get a free trial of the best music for your videos at Musicbed

Copyright 2019 by Curtis Judd

Ethics statement: Some of the links above are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, or other affiliate links.

Mixing Board Basics for Video/Filmmakers

Why are we talking about mixing boards on this channel where we normally cover sound for video? Because understanding the basics of mixing boards makes you a better location sound mixer for film/video! Here’s a quick high-level look at how mixing boards are laid out and how knowing that can help when you're troubleshooting sound issues.

Links to gear discussed and used to record this session:

Allen & Heath SQ-5 Digital Mixing Board - 48 channel, 36 Bus Mixer with Motorized Faders

Panasonic GH5S 4K Camera - works great when you don't have a lot of light. Much improved over the GH5, but alas, you give up the in-body image stabilization of the GH5 so it is a tradeoff.

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - incredibly versatile lens that is on the GH5S most of the time

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Mixing a Commercial - Foley, Effects, Music

In this week's Sound for Video Session we have a quick look at a commercial mix I’m working on at the moment. We run through each sound effect/foley, and music track, the effects applied and talk briefly about fader automation.

Links to gear we discussed or used to record this session:

Presonus Faderport Motorized Fader and Control Surface:

Focal CMS 65 Near Field Monitors - Same as the 40s but with 6.5 inch woofers and bass response that reaches a little lower on the spectrum. These are on closeout so a good time to buy if you’re in the market.

Focal Shape 65 Near Field Monitors - These are the newer versions of the CMS. Will be included in our upcoming comparison

Electrovoice RE20 Dynamic Broadcast Microphone (this is the mic I used for this session)

Antelope Audio Orion Studio Audio Interface (This is what I used to record my sound for this session)

Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd