Mini Extreme ISO: Overcoming Unbalanced Input Issues with HDMI Audio Extraction

When recording high-quality audio, it's essential to ensure that the signal is clean and free from noise. However, when using an Atem Mini for gaming channel recordings, I encountered a common issue - unbalanced input noise affecting the mic output. In this article, I'll share my experience and solutions to overcome this problem.

I've been using the Atem Mini for my gaming channel, and while it's an excellent tool with many features, its unbalanced microphone inputs pose a significant challenge. When recording audio from the headphone output (unbalanced) into the mic input, the game Audio/my background music also needs to be on this HDMI input. Although I've achieved perfect sound quality, the problem lies in capturing a clean copy of the mic input for later editing purposes.

To address this issue, I tried several methods:

1. Splitting inputs in control software: Unfortunately, setting the inputs as mic or line didn't resolve the problem.

2. Using a DI box: Adding a DI box between the audio interface and Atem didn't improve the situation either.

3. Loopback software: I attempted to feed the mic audio from the interface into the HDMI output connected to the Atem using loopback software. Unfortunately, this approach didn't yield satisfactory results.

After researching on the Blackmagic forums, I discovered that many others have encountered similar issues with unbalanced inputs causing noise and hum. As I use an audio interface with balanced outputs, the unbalanced mic inputs pose a significant problem. To overcome this, I employed an HDMI audio extractor to feed the audio into my DAC (digital-to-analog converter).

While this solution works, there are some drawbacks:

* No proper headphone out: The Atem Mini doesn't have a dedicated headphone output for monitoring, which can be inconvenient.

* Audio quality limitations: Monitor headphone outputs typically don't provide the same level of audio quality as balanced outputs.

Despite these issues, I've found that the Atem Mini is an excellent piece of gear that offers many features and opportunities for creating engaging content. By using the HDMI audio extractor, I've managed to overcome the unbalanced input noise issue and maintain high-quality audio recordings.

In conclusion, if you're facing similar challenges with unbalanced mic inputs on your Atem Mini, consider using an HDMI audio extractor as a workaround. While it may not be the most ideal solution, it can help you achieve clean and noise-free audio recordings for your gaming channel or other content creation endeavors.

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