Limits of our recording capability

A few days ago, I posted a challenge, to find out what ideas there was to revise and upgrade our live-gaming audio capabilities. Although I didn’t receive any feedback or suggestions, I dove into the challenge myself. My theory, a series of cheap microphones, connected via 3.5mm audio cables, and split out into multiple mono signals on my recorder. The recorder in turn would feed directly into OBS, providing separate mono channels for each of the various players, instead of the more ambient style I currently have.

After a bit of experimentation, and a lot of cheap hardware, I have realized that my plan was fundamentally flawed. The microphones, though cheap, work well. The cabling, once I had some swaps, was solid as well. There is a bit of background hum and interference, but that is easy to clean up. However, my main bottleneck is really my audio-recorder itself, the Zoom H6. Most specifically, the H6 refers to 6 input channels – we have 7 players plus the GM – if you can tell the problem already.

I had incorrectly understood that each channel was a stereo connection, with a left and right input. In my mind, two mono signals could make up a single stereo signal and thus occupy one channel. This is where my lack of experience came in – a channel is effectively a single signal – i.e., a Mono signal. With the H6, and 6 channels, I can record 3 Stereo signals, or 6 mono signals. Not (as I incorrectly understood), 12 mono signals across 6 stereo channels. As such, regardless of how I wired it, I could only ever get 6 data streams.

With this realization, I am defaulting back to my prior configuration, with multiple ambient microphones.

One logical next step, if and when I decide to make that leap, is to upgrade the audio recorder to something with at least 8 channels. The Zoom LiveTrak L-8 seems to fit this option, but at $400 list price, it is a bit out of reach for now. I have concerns about it being able to feed 8 distinct tracks into OBS as well for the recording, but some research seems to indicate that isn’t an issue, with the same options I am using for the H6. I am also a bit hesitant to plug $5 bottom of the barrel microphones into a quality recorder, but that is a separate puzzle.

In the meantime, hopefully my audio processing improvements will hold us for the time being. Perhaps I can sell enough Wargame Widgets or Scoreboards to set aside the upgrade money.