DAC/AMP/Mixer Help

[Activatemyrem]

I've been pulling my hair out for the last like four hours trying to figure out how DACs and AMPs and mixers work. I've watched like every linus video and looked for guides and calculators and they don't help me at all. I just can't wrap my head around it. I am wanting to be a twitch streamer, and I also want to get some high quality headphones (either Oppo PM-3's or Philips Fedelio X2's, feel free to offer your opinions on which you think I should get). So I want to get an amp and a dac for the headphones, but I also want to get a mixer so I can route all of my audio to the mixer for the maximum amount of control I can get for my audio. Each time i've streamed the audio is such a hassle and I think it would help so much to have like a dedicated and physical thing on my desk that I can go like oh the desktop audio is too loud, the console is too loud, mic, etc. That and I've seen streamers play music or something and they're obviously doing entirely different things in the background involving watching videos or talking with people, and unless you can mute single tracks or applications, I don't know how they can still be playing music and talking with someone without the other person's voice being broadcasted, or just entirely muting everything so nothing is playing. So I guess I'm looking for all of that kind of stuff, and I also want a decent dac/amp for the headphones so I can take advantage of the $400 cans that I buy. I looked into a certain mixer that nearly every streamer seems to go for and they have all of their stuff plugged into it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IBIVL42/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 So there's that. And I swear I remember someone saying that you don't need a dac/amp if you use this as well as a pre-amp for the mic. I could be wrong and that's the thing that's been making me tear my hair out. So Please tell me if I buy that, will it work for everything or if I need to buy it and a dac or amp or both together whatever. That and just some basics for how all this stuff works because before I was looking at more expensive headphones I literally didn't know that amps or dacs existed. I'm not even kidding. Please help.

[Guest savagepain]

2 minutes ago, Activatemyrem said:

I've been pulling my hair out for the last like four hours trying to figure out how DACs and AMPs and mixers work. I've watched like every linus video and looked for guides and calculators and they don't help me at all. I just can't wrap my head around it. I am wanting to be a twitch streamer, and I also want to get some high quality headphones (either Oppo PM-3's or Philips Fedelio X2's, feel free to offer your opinions on which you think I should get). So I want to get an amp and a dac for the headphones, but I also want to get a mixer so I can route all of my audio to the mixer for the maximum amount of control I can get for my audio. Each time i've streamed the audio is such a hassle and I think it would help so much to have like a dedicated and physical thing on my desk that I can go like oh the desktop audio is too loud, the console is too loud, mic, etc. That and I've seen streamers play music or something and they're obviously doing entirely different things in the background involving watching videos or talking with people, and unless you can mute single tracks or applications, I don't know how they can still be playing music and talking with someone without the other person's voice being broadcasted, or just entirely muting everything so nothing is playing. So I guess I'm looking for all of that kind of stuff, and I also want a decent dac/amp for the headphones so I can take advantage of the $400 cans that I buy. I looked into a certain mixer that nearly every streamer seems to go for and they have all of their stuff plugged into it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IBIVL42/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 So there's that. And I swear I remember someone saying that you don't need a dac/amp if you use this as well as a pre-amp for the mic. I could be wrong and that's the thing that's been making me tear my hair out. So Please tell me if I buy that, will it work for everything or if I need to buy it and a dac or amp or both together whatever. That and just some basics for how all this stuff works because before I was looking at more expensive headphones I literally didn't know that amps or dacs existed. I'm not even kidding. Please help.

you need that lmao thats so overkill for a streaming setup what do you need 10 inputs for anyway

 

[vanished]

A DAC takes the digital information from your PC or other compatible device and converts it into an analog signal - a voltage wave that can be fed into speakers... or at least it could if it had enough power.  An amp (not need to capitalize as it's not an acronym) takes an existing analog signal and makes it stronger/louder/more powerful, perhaps even in excess of 100 W if you are powering large speakers to high volume.  It should be obvious why this is needed with that number in mind since your PC's 3.5mm jack can not output that much wattage!  A mixer allows you to combine, duplicate, and route different "line level" signals where you wish.  "Line level" refers to a standardized amount of power or volume that all audio equipment can agree on.  A mixer may also include other components as well such as a mic preamp (an amp that takes the weak analog signal from a mic and brings it up to line level), and a headphone amp (an amp that takes the line level signal and makes it suitable to power headphones).

[Activatemyrem]

3 minutes ago, savagepain said:

you need that lmao thats so overkill for a streaming setup what do you need 10 inputs for anyway

 

It has effects and it's phantom powered I don't need the ten inputs but thanks for the non helpful response anyway

 

[Guest savagepain]

1 minute ago, Activatemyrem said:

It has effects and it's phantom powered I don't need the ten inputs but thanks for the non helpful response anyway

 

yo im looking one for you right now chill also you can do effects with software 

[Activatemyrem]

Just now, savagepain said:

yo im looking one for you right now chill also you can do effects with software 

coulda asked what the situation was instead of saying what you said just saying shruggo

[Guest savagepain]

Just now, Activatemyrem said:

coulda asked what the situation was instead of saying what you said just saying shruggo

i read it man 

[Guest savagepain]

here take a look https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-1000-Gaming-Audio-Amplifier/dp/B01LDTP484/ref=sr_1_1?tag=hardwar0d-20&ie=UTF8&qid=1480704673&sr=8-1&keywords=Sennheiser+GSX+1000

i think this will be a great choice and do effects with software 

[Activatemyrem]

5 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

A DAC takes the digital information from your PC or other compatible device and converts it into an analog signal - a voltage wave that can be fed into speakers... or at least it could if it had enough power.  An amp (not need to capitalize as it's not an acronym) takes an existing analog signal and makes it stronger/louder/more powerful, perhaps even in excess of 100 W if you are powering large speakers to high volume.  It should be obvious why this is needed with that number in mind since your PC's 3.5mm jack can not output that much wattage!  A mixer allows you to combine, duplicate, and route different "line level" signals where you wish.  "Line level" refers to a standardized amount of power or volume that all audio equipment can agree on.  A mixer may also include other components as well such as a mic preamp (an amp that takes the weak analog signal from a mic and brings it up to line level), and a headphone amp (an amp that takes the line level signal and makes it suitable to power headphones).

I hate to be a bother but do you know if the mixer that I linked has all of that? Like is it enough for me to be able to plug an xlr mic in and plug my headphones in and get the amount of power and has the dac to convert it? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IBIVL42/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1&tag=linus21-20

[vanished]

6 minutes ago, Activatemyrem said:

I hate to be a bother but do you know if the mixer that I linked has all of that? Like is it enough for me to be able to plug an xlr mic in and plug my headphones in and get the amount of power and has the dac to convert it? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IBIVL42/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1&tag=linus21-20

10 inputs is excessive, but that should cover everything you need.  It has USB so it has a DAC and ADC built in, it accepts up to 4 XLR mics with phantom power, and it even has a built in compressor which is great for streaming since it can bring your quiet talking and surprised yelling all down to about the same level which is a lot easier on the audience.  And yes it supports headphones and I'm sure has enough power for whatever you use.

 

Whatever routing you need to do, I'm sure this will handle it.  In fact, there's even a video on this unit:

 

[Activatemyrem]

1 minute ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

10 inputs is excessive, but that should cover everything you need.  It has USB so it has a DAC and ADC built in, it accepts up to 4 XLR mics with phantom power, and it even has a built in compressor which is great for streaming since it can bring your quiet talking and surprised yelling all down to about the same level which is a lot easier on the audience.

 

Whatever routing you need to do, I'm sure this will handle it.  In fact, there's even a video on this unit:

 

I actually watched that video, so that's probably where I remember hearing all of that. I'm having trouble understanding what you mean by it having a DAC and an ADC because I looked it up and they mean the same thing unless I found the wrong thing. So just to clarify, it has a dac to convert the audio, it has the power to push that dac, I can plug my headphones into it without buying anything else, and I can plug my mic into it. Right?

[vanished]

Just now, Activatemyrem said:

I actually watched that video, so that's probably where I remember hearing all of that. I'm having trouble understanding what you mean by it having a DAC and an ADC because I looked it up and they mean the same thing unless I found the wrong thing. So just to clarify, it has a dac to convert the audio, it has the power to push that dac, I can plug my headphones into it without buying anything else, and I can plug my mic into it. Right?

A DAC converts the digital signals from your PC sent over USB into analog that can be amplified and sent to your speakers or headphones.  An ADC is the same idea but in the other direction.  It will take the analog signals picked up by the mic, or fed in with other XLR or TS/TRS cables and convert it into a digital signal that can be sent to the PC over USB.  I didn't specifically look for those things but the fact that it has a USB connection implies that it must.  Yes you can plug your headphones directly into this, as well as your mic, and then connect them both through this to the PC using just the USB cable.

[Activatemyrem]

1 minute ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

A DAC converts the digital signals from your PC sent over USB into analog that can be amplified and sent to your speakers or headphones.  An ADC is the same idea but in the other direction.  It will take the analog signals picked up by the mic, or fed in with other XLR or TS/TRS cables and convert it into a digital signal that can be sent to the PC over USB.  I didn't specifically look for those things but the fact that it has a USB connection implies that it must.  Yes you can plug your headphones directly into this, as well as your mic, and then connect them both through this to the PC using just the USB cable.

Alright wicked, thanks.