How To Connect A Mixer To A Smart TV – In 7 Steps – stampsound.com
Smart TVs allow us to access streaming services, apps, and music. Pairing a smart TV with a mixer is a great way to maximize the audio quality that occurs when using it to watch movies, TV shows, or stream music.
how to connect a mixer to a smart tv-
To connect a mixer to a smart TV, you need to send the TV’s audio output to the corresponding inputs on the mixer. you will need the correct audio cable which has dual ¼ inch jack connectors on one side and dual rca connectors on the other side. additionally, the connection must be in stereo so that the mixer receives the audio from the left and right side of the smart tv.
Connecting a mixer to your smart TV may seem confusing at first, but once you understand what cables and plugs are required, it’s pretty straightforward.
In this guide, I’ll provide you with seven easy-to-follow instructions and help you identify all the equipment you’ll need. then you can use your mixer to get the best possible audio quality from your smart TV.
Step 1 – Locating The Outputs on Your Smart TV
Before making the connection between your mixer and the smart TV, you will need to establish which outputs are available to you. On the back of the smart tv, you’ll find the control panel, which includes HDMI connectors, video inputs, and audio outputs.
The outputs you are looking for will be located in the “audio output” section, labeled “audio l” and “audio r”. the output on the left side should be white and the one on the right side should be red. These plugs are designed for RCA cables, which I’ll get to shortly.
hdmi cables are also used to stream audio from the smart tv, and we’ll also use them to connect to our mixer. HDMI cables also carry visual signals and are typically connected to a computer, firebox, or other device that transmits video.
once you’ve correctly located the audio outputs and hdmi connector on the back of your smart tv, it’s time to make sure you have the correct cables to connect to the inputs on your mixer.
This table simplifies the outputs found on most smart TVs and what they are used for.
step 2: identify the necessary cables
To connect your smart TV to a mixer, you will need a specific type of audio cable. this cable has dual ¼ inch jack plugs on one side and dual rca plugs on the other side.
- The reason the cable needs to have dual connectors on both sides is because the audio signal being sent from the smart TV to the mixer is stereo.
This means there is audio coming from both the left and right sides, as opposed to mono, where only a single audio signal is transmitted.
Another thing you’ll need to make sure is that the rca/1/4-inch stereo plug cable is long enough to reach from the back of the smart TV to your mixer. you can get these cables in different lengths and the audio quality should not be affected if you need to use a longer cable.
step 3: identify the inputs in your mixer
Although mixers vary in terms of the number of inputs and outputs they offer, even the most basic device should have two stereo inputs that can be used to connect to your smart TV.
Inputs are usually located at the top of the mixer’s front control panel. you’ll need to use a channel that has two stereo inputs so you can plug the dual ¼-inch jack plugs into these.
At this stage, it’s also a good idea to find out which controls, sliders, and knobs affect the sound of the inputs you’ve chosen. That way, you can avoid any mishap when playing the audio from the smart tv through the mixer.
To learn more about mixers, take a look at this popular youtube video.
step 4: make the connections
take your rca/1/4 inch jack cable and locate the two rca connectors which should be red and white. the white connector should be plugged into the left channel of the smart TV’s audio output, while the red connector should be placed on the right side to form a stereo connection.
rca connectors tend to be a bit fiddly, especially when plugging into the back of a smart TV. make sure you have sent them completely so that the connection is secure.
then take the other end of the cable which has dual ¼ inch jack plugs and plug them into the mixer’s stereo inputs. you can use either the “Aux Line In” or the “Track Line In”. “. in”.
- Using “Track Line In” means you can mix the TV’s audio signal as one signal, while “Aux Line In” allows you to set the right and left channel levels. left individually .
plug the ¼-inch jack cables into your chosen stereo inputs on the mixer and set the levels to zero before powering up. this will prevent unexpected volume spikes from occurring!
step 5 – speakers & monitors
If you are using a set of speakers or monitors to play the audio from the mixer, you will need to connect them at this stage to check if the connection to the smart TV has been made.
The mixer should have clear “speaker out” or “network out” sockets on its control panel. preferably using balanced cables, connect these outputs to the inputs of your speakers. volume faders on the speaker output channel should be raised to a center value.
step 6: test the connection
Now that the connection from the TV to the mixer has been made, you can turn on both devices. put a video with audio on tv and press play. then adjust the level on the mixer input channel to which the ¼-inch jacks are connected.
Gradually increase the volume until you can hear the audio from the video. if audible, your smart TV is now successfully connected to your mixer. Audio must come through the speakers.
the mixer should also show a green signal in the signal meter. this is an indicator that you have adjusted the levels in the mixer to an optimal level. if the meter turns red, you should reduce the volume of the inputs to avoid distortion.
step 7: sound customization
- The nice thing about using a mixer with your smart TV is that it gives you a wide range of options to adjust the dynamics and tonal aspects of the audio. you can adjust the gain, level, and master volume settings using the corresponding controls.
Also, mixers often include some built-in effects that can be a lot of fun to play around with. these effects can include reverb and delay. eq is also commonly featured, and this is a valuable tool for tailoring smart TV audio to your liking.
The eq controls are presented in the form of frequency bands. each band represents a group of frequencies in the sound spectrum, for example, 20hz – 100hz, or 100hz – 500hz.
- By adjusting the EQ settings, you can make frequencies more or less prominent in the mix.
This is a good way to compensate for bass-heavy songs that may sound muddy through the speakers, or movie audio that has too many prominent treble frequencies and therefore sounds harsh.
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If you wish, you can also connect a microphone to one of the mixer’s xlr inputs. For karaoke or singing practice, this is a great way to get live vocals through your speakers via the mixer, and you can sing along with the audio produced by the smart TV.
It is also possible to adjust the panning of the smart TV audio using the mixer controls. this allows you to move the signal through the speakers in the stereo field. additionally, you can take a line out of the mixer and record the audio signal from the smart tv.
I have also written a guide on how to connect a mixer to an ipad. you can read it here.
related questions
can a mixer be connected to a soundbar?
some mixers have hdmi outputs, allowing them to easily connect to a sound bar. even if this connector is not offered, you can use auxiliary and rca cables to connect the two devices.
what is a digital audio output on a smart tv?
A digital audio output is used to drive the audio signal to the input of an external audio device. this output can be used to connect a smart TV to a set of speakers, an amplifier or a receiver.
is the optical audio of a smart tv better than hdmi?
hdmi cables can transmit higher resolution audio than optical audio connectors. This is why HDMI is considered the gold standard for modern high-definition video and audio transmission.