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Connect Mixcast 4 to a computer by USB, and Podcast Editor allows you to record, edit, and mix your podcast as a multitrack production.
Though Tascam just logged 50 years in the audio electronics industry, it's clear they're not finished innovating. One of the company’s newest products is the Mixcast 4 Podcast Station, a forward-thinking mixer/recorder targeted at a very specific market: podcasting. If that application doesn't ring any bells (i.e., you're old enough to know how to tune in an FM station), you can think of Mixcast 4 as a miniature radio control room. Picture four people around a table, mics and headphones wired up to a little black box, discussing politics or entertainment or theology.
What’s good?
In the case of Mixcast 4, that little black box combines a generous eight input sources. These include four mics, stereo line, USB, Bluetooth, and sound effects. The dual mic/line inputs are XLR and TRS with switchable phantom power, a nod to professional-quality productions using condenser mics. The stereo line input offers switchable ¼-inch and 3.5mm jacks, making it useful for a music player or cell phone. If you're comfortable adding a bit of wireless uncertainty to your audio path, Mixcast 4 will connect to a phone or other Bluetooth source. Connect Mixcast 4 to a computer, and you can bring the computer's stereo audio up on the USB audio input. Finally, Mixcast 4 has an input dedicated to its eight sound effects pads.
These inputs flow in as eight audio channels, each with a 100mm fader and solo button. All inputs but the last (the pads) also have a mute button. On the analog output side, Mixcast 4 has four ¼-inch headphone jacks with individual volume controls. The mixer also has a stereo monitor output, useful only to those rare folks with an actual control room. Instead, most users will plug into the headphone 1 output, thoughtfully duplicated on the front of Mixcast 4 as a 3.5mm TRRS jack. That extra "R" (ring) allows the use of a headset with built-in microphone. Nice touch.
Thanks to its eight colorful pads, one could mistake Mixcast 4 for a drum machine at first glance. You wouldn't be far off. Like a drum machine, those pads trigger eight different sound effects. The pads come loaded with applause, a drum loop, censor "bleep," and a few other sounds. The last pad will also trigger audio effects on microphone 1, including pitch change and reverb. One fader controls the level of all the pads, but—surprisingly—there's no way to adjust the relative volume of individual pads.
Most of Mixcast 4 is covered with faders, knobs and pads, but the heart of the interface is definitely its colorful five-inch touch screen. Here you access the many menus that make the whole system work. If you don't need to do any additional editing, Mixcast 4's built-in interface offers all the controls and functions you need for a stereo mix. Put in an SD memory card, and Mixcast 4 allows you to record that mix with simple transport controls. REC/PAUSE and STOP buttons do the heavy lifting, while a MARK button lets you flag a specific spot to return to later.
Kudos to Tascam for not making Mixcast 4 users wade into dB gain values, headroom, and the like for their final mix.
Mixcast 4 has an impressive array of audio processors, most of them offering both simplified and full manual controls. Compressor, de-esser, exciter, noise gate, EQ—all work very well to deliver an extra level of polish to Mixcast 4's recordings. My main complaint is the lack of gain reduction metering on the compressor and de-esser. One more notable feature ducks mics 2-4 if the person on mic 1 is talking, giving that person priority. I doubt many churches will end up recording shouting matches, but it's still a thoughtful addition
Hard and soft
Hardware is only half the story here, as Mixcast 4 is meant to integrate tightly with Tascam's Podcast Editor software. Connect Mixcast 4 to a computer by USB, and Podcast Editor allows you to record, edit, and mix your podcast as a multitrack production. The software is also the only way you can control certain aspects of Mixcast 4, such as changing out the sounds on the pads.
Mixcast 4 shows up on the computer as a multi-channel audio device. Recording through the mixer to the computer nets you an individual track and waveform display for each of the eight inputs. You can add to those eight tracks with other audio files. Then Podcast Editor works like a traditional digital audio workstation (DAW), allowing you to cut, crossfade, move and mix your audio.
Some functions and processing appear on both the hardware and software. Ironically, certain audio processes are better implemented on Mixcast 4 itself. Manual compression settings, for example, are more intuitive and effective on the black box. The software noise gate lacks the crucial maximum gain reduction control of the hardware processor, and the result is—as expected—dreadful. Did the Mixcast 4 hardware and software design teams communicate?
Software wins the pitch-shift duel, however. The voice change effect on the mixer is not very useful, but the pitch shift effect in software is impressive. Taking the pitch of the voice up is fun, but lowering the pitch is where things really get interesting. The results remain articulate and clear, adding depth (or menace) as you transpose the voice lower. Darth Vader would be proud.
When you're done editing and mixing, Mixcast 4 outputs individual WAV files or a stereo audio file. The latter runs through some final processing to hit loudness unit full scale (LUFS) target. Kudos to Tascam for not making Mixcast 4 users wade into dB gain values, headroom, and the like for their final mix. Mixcast 4 will also output an mp4 video file (with still image), should you prefer that format.
Mixcast 4 is really two products in one. The hardware part is solid, well-built and well-conceived. In short, Mixcast 4 itself is fun to use. Podcast Editor is a different story. The basic functions work, but the software lacks refinement—especially where the audio processing functions are concerned. Yes, you can add your own VST plug-ins, but you shouldn't have to. I suspect Tascam put its energies toward dialing in the hardware, with plans to improve the software later. Time will tell.
Warts aside, Mixcast 4 is a fine tool for certain types of productions. Podcast recording is the obvious application, but Mixcast 4 would also do a fine job with a panel of four experts—even in a live setting. Want to scratch out a quick song demo? Mixcast 4 could do that, as well. If you think outside the box a bit, you'll likely discover Mixcast 4 can effectively cover several audio production roles in a church setting.
