There are lots of things that make a broadcast desk, which is why Calrec squeezes in more broadcast features into its equipment than most.

Features that make it easier for operators to concentrate on crafting their mix, automated features to encourage more creativity and tools to simplify workflows. Here are eight Calrec standard features, but we still get a lot of people asking about mix-minus.

Mix-minus busses are great – they are super-efficient and a typical broadcast infrastructure will need lots of them. All Calrec consoles have comprehensive mix-minus facilities built into the desk and are a button press away.

Mix-Minus, or IFB mixes, allow a full mix to be sent to multiple listeners, minus their own input. There are many reasons why this is useful. For example, a reporter in the field would need to hear a mix of the show’s audio to hear cues and communicate with the presenters. Mix minus removes the reporter’s own voice from the mix so they can’t hear it with any delay due to distance.

Of course, there are plenty of track outputs and auxes to build these feeds, and there are often good reasons for doing so.

The main advantage is that it gives you much greater flexibility and control over who hears what. This is essential for multi-language mixes – let’s say you have people who all need to hear cues in different languages. However, it is time-consuming and it requires a separate bus for every IFB, and adding someone else is a lot of routing work.

Clean feed diagram using auxes
Clean feed diagram using auxes

And that’s the big win with a mix minus bus.

It’s fast, it frees up all the output busses for other things, it simplifies routing and it’s easy to do – it’s literally one button press. But because everyone hears everything except themselves, it is no good for multi-language programs, so its efficiency is its downfall.

When to use a mix-minus bus: Clean feed diagram using mix-minus bus
Clean feed diagram using mix-minus bus

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