Microphone, Line In and live broadcasting

Automation matters, but radio has to be live

On Air Studio is not only for fully automated broadcasting. A live show needs fast transitions between music and speech, safe switching of the microphone and control over the balance between the presenter and the music bed.

Microphone in the master mix

You select the microphone input device, and its signal goes to the internal master mix — the presenter’s voice enters the same programme chain as the rest of the system. PTT (push-to-talk) operation is available, along with several modes for local monitoring and for sending the microphone to the stream.

Music ducking

When the microphone is switched on, the music does not have to stop completely. You set the percentage the music drops to during speech and how quickly the transition happens.

For the presenter, this means more natural talk over the music bed, without manually moving several faders for every link.

Local monitoring must not bring down the stream

A problem with local microphone monitoring does not block the microphone from being sent to the stream. Hearing your own voice on a local output and sending the microphone to the main signal are not the same thing — and keeping them apart can also help avoid feedback.

Line In and external sources

The streaming settings let you choose the audio source and work with the Line In input. The main audio can then come from an external mixer or another studio system, while On Air Studio is used for streaming and control. Manual metadata entry is also available for this mode.

Why this is useful

Not all stations are the same. Some work entirely “in the box”, with music and microphone on one computer. Others already have a physical mixer and want the software to take its Line In signal. On Air Studio supports both ways of working.

A real-world example

While the music plays, the presenter gets the microphone ready. When the link starts, the application lowers the music to the set percentage and brings the voice into the master. After the microphone is switched off, the music comes back in a controlled way. If an external mixer is used, the encoder takes the signal from the selected input instead.