In response to customer demand, Calrec has added Automixer, an automatic mixing function, to its Bluefin2 signal-processing engine, the driving force behind its Apollo and Artemis mixing consoles.
Automixer attenuates the output levels of all channels under its control to maintain consistent program levels in environments with multiple open microphones and unpredictable audio content. The feature is especially useful on panel-style discussion shows where guests might speak over each other and dramatically raise their voices.
Users can have eight separate automixers, each of which can be assigned to control any number of mono input channels and group paths on the control surface. Unlike compression of a mix bus, or use of individual or linked compressors on paths, the use of an automixer applies differing amounts of attenuation to each path, depending on its own level, as well as the overall mix level. Paths can be assigned different levels of emphasis to allow, for example, the host of a show to stand out from the guests.
Automixers can be selected on a channel-by-channel basis to be placed in the signal path pre-EQ, prefader, or postfader. Upstand metering can be configured to show Automixer attenuation alongside signal level on each path.
