Microphone Overlay

[sucellus]

We are setting up a Presentation/Training/AV room at my office. Its not a huge room, but we would like to be able to use a microphone while giving presentations. Invariably some of these presentations are going to require sound, and we want to overlay the microphone input on top of the other various inputs (vcr, dvd, computer). Any ideas?

[dean_martin]

We are setting up a Presentation/Training/AV room at my office. Its not a huge room, but we would like to be able to use a microphone while giving presentations. Invariably some of these presentations are going to require sound, and we want to overlay the microphone input on top of the other various inputs (vcr, dvd, computer). Any ideas?

I'm approaching your scenario from a little different perspective, i.e., PA system for live music. You may be able to find a powered mixer (amplifier/mixing board combo) and PA speaker combination that will suit your needs. The thing to look for is number and type of inputs for sources. Most will have at least one line-level input for cd and audio from vcr and dvd. I believe all will have XLR inputs for mics and some have XLR and 1/4" inputs for each channel. Some also have record out jacks for recording your presentation.

I've been doing a little research on PA systems for my son's band. I'm not sure about equipment designed for your specific needs. If there's nothing in the power point/computer world more suited for your needs, then a good place to start looking for a powered mixer, microphones and PA speakers is www.musiciansfriend.com or any pro audio or musical instrument store.

[Resident Loser]

...buy mic and a small musical instrument amplifier...it all depends on the equipment you plan to use for your presentations...some older gear actually had dedicated mic inputs and volume controls to balance out the various sources, but few, if any, had facilities to actually mix the sources. Sadly, with the advent of HT( with all it's bells and whistles) such features are virtually non-existent...

On plain ol' garden-variety receivers and such, you can use line level inputs(except phono, another rarity anyway) but you'll need a mixer to connect all the audio inputs or some other method to level-match the various sources and control the mics volume...that will enable you to have sound with sound; just using normal inputs and their respective switches will not allow simultaneous use of them all. There are other ways, but it gets complicated and requires certain features...suffice it to say, you probably aren't interested in any further complications.

jimHJJ(...a cardoid mic will help in keeping feedback under control...)

[sucellus]

I would assume this would be a similiar problem to karaoke (or however its spelled). What series of equipment would a proffesional use for this? Would you first input the sound into a mixing board and then output it to a reciever? It almost sounds like I would be better off getting a cheap computer and having it do all the work.