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How to Connect Audio Mixer to Phone: Step-by-Step Guide

In this post you will learn step by step how to connect your mobile phone to your audio mixer. Both ways round. Stream audio from your phone to your mix, or record your mix on your phone.

Whichever way around you want to connect an audio mixer to your phone, you will discover the right way to do it here

First, you will learn how you can stream the audio playing on your phone to your mixing console so you can incorporate audio tracks in your mix alongside your microphones and instruments.

Second, you will discover how to go the other way round. If you want to get the stereo mix from your mixer into your phone for livestreaming, or to film a video, or to just record the audio from your mixing console then you will learn how to do that too.

So if you want to do any of the following, this post is going to help:

  • Create videos with your phone using the great audio from your mixing console – film your band
  • Live stream from your phone with excellent audio to YouTube, Facebook Live or any other streaming platform
  • Record direct from your mixer into Garageband and other recording apps
  • Incorporate tracks playing on your phone into your mix alongside your instruments and microphones
  • and much more …

Table of contents

Connect Audio Mixer to Phone – a Step-by-Step Video Tutorial

Connect Audio Mixer to Phone - Both Ways Round! (Android and iPhone)

Cables, Connecters and Recording Gear Used

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Connect Cell Phone to Audio Mixer

If you want to incorporate audio from your phone in your mix, then there are two ways you can do this.

Option 1: Headphone Output -> Line Input

image of phone connected to mixing console
Line out from phone to mixing console using TRS-TS Adapter

The simplest and cheapest way to output the audio from your phone is to go through the headphone port.

If you don’t have an actual headphone port on your phone, then you’ll need a headphone jack adapter. In the video we showed an Android phone with a USB-C port so we used a USB-C headphone port adapter. If you have an iPhone you’d need the Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter.

Whether you have a headphone port, or a headphone adapter, the principle is the same.

If your audio mixer as 1/4″ line inputs, then you need a 3.5mm TRS to Dual 1/4″ TS Stereo Breakout Cable. One end has a mini stereo jack, and the signal is split left and right to two ¼” jacks. Plug the mini jack into your headphone port, then the black/white jack into the left input and the red jack into the right input on one of the line in channels on your mixer.

The left jack may be a different colour, but red is nearly always right.

Bear in mind this connection is UNBALANCED which means the cable should not be too long. Preferably less than 3m or 10ft. If you need a much longer cable run from your phone to your mixing board, then you should consider using a DI box to convert the signal from unbalanced to balanced.

Control the volume of the audio coming out of your phone using the volume control on the phone. Adjust the level of the phone audio in your mix by raising or lowering the level on your mixer. 

Option 2: Use an Audio Interface

Example 1: Behringer U-Control

image of phone connected to mixer via Behringer Audio Interface
Phone to Mixer via Behringer Audio Interface

Another way you can stream the audio from your phone to your mixing console is with an audio interface.

You will need the interface, an adapter to connect it to your phone, and the correct audio cables.

To connect to an Android phone you use an OTG adapter which allows you to connect a USB device to your phone.

For an iPhone you need the Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter (tip: buy the powered adapter or your iPhone may not provide enough power to the interface)

Once the interface is correctly connected to the phone then it automatically becomes the default audio input and output device for that phone. All you need do then is connect the line outputs from the interface into a set of line inputs on the mixing console.

The first demonstration in the video tutorial was using the Behringer U-Control USB Audio Interface. It is cheap as chips and is a handy little audio interface to use with a phone.

The line outputs are RCA outputs, so to connect it to the mixing console, you just need a pair of RCA to TS. Connect the left and right outputs of the interface to the left and right inputs of the mixer.

Again, these connections are UNBALANCED in this instance, so shorter cable runs are the order of the day.

The Behringer U-Control does not have any onboard controls. So adjust the level of the audio coming out of your phone using the volume control on the phone. Then control the level of that audio in your mix by adjusting the level control for that channel on the interface.

Example 2: Focusrite Scarlett Studio 4i4 Audio Interface

image of phone connected to mixer via focusrite audio interface
Connecting phone to mixer via Focusrite 4i4 Audio Interface

The Focusrite Scarlett Studio 4i4 is a more complex USB Audio interface but the principle of how to connect it to your phone is very simple. It is a USB-C device, so you can use a USB-C cable and connect it direct to an Android phone with USB-C port. You could equally use a USB-C to USB-A and the OTG adapter.

With an iPhone, you would need to use the USB-C to USB-A cable and the lightning adapter mentioned earlier.

The line outputs of this Focusrite interface are 1/4″, and they are BALANCED. So in this case you can use balanced quarter inch TRS jack cables to connect the left and right outputs of the interface to the line inputs of the mixer. The line inputs on the Behringer Xenyx Q802USb Mixer accept a balanced connection. This would enable you to have a longer cable run if needed.

Although the interface looks completely different, the principle is exactly the same as with the Behringer U-Control except for one thing. You control the volume of audio from my phone using the volume control on the phone, as before. But you adjust the  volume of audio being output from your interface using monitor level control. Finally you control the level of the phone audio within your mix by adjusting the level control on the line in channel on the mixer.

Summary

So that covers 2 different ways you can stream the audio from your phone into your mixer.

Connect Audio Mixer to Cell Phone – To Stream, Record, and Make Videos

image of mixing board connected to phone via audio cable
Mixing Board connected to phone via TRS cable and TRRS Adapter

What if you want to go the other way around and stream audio from your mixing console to your phone. Maybe you want to create a video with your phone, or use it to livestream, or you want to record the audio with good quality.

Theoretically it is possible to do this with just a cable. Here is how. The breakout cable you used earlier can be used to combine the left and right outputs from the mixing console to a mini stereo jack. You then need to use a TRS to TRRS adapter to plug the cable into your heaphone port (or headphone port adapter) on your cell phone.

This will work, BUT the quality will not be great, and also the signal will be mono.

Your heaphone port is an input and output port, and although it gives you stereo headphone out you only get mono mic in. So you can get audio from your mixer into your phone this way but it is not recommended.

The signal from the mixer is line level, the input on your phone is mic level. You will probably get distortion.

A much better way to connect your mixer to your phone is to use an audio interface. This will give you a higher quality stereo signal into your phone.

Example 1: Behringer U-Control

image of mixer, audio cables and audio interface with phone
Behringer Mixer Connected to Phone via Audio Interface

The Behringer U-Control is a cheap interface that works well with a mobile phone. Connect the interface to your phone using the OTG or lightning USB adapter as you learnt before before. Now the interface becomes both the audio output and input device of your phone.

The next step is to connect the line outputs from the mixer to the line inputs of the interface.

In this case you simply need a pair of TS to RCA cables. Take the left and right main outputs from the mixing console and connect to the left and right inputs of the interface.

The Behringer U-Control has no onboard level controls, so you adjust the level coming from your mixer until it is at an appropriate level to record or stream in whichever app you are using.

Recording Example on Android – Open Camera

screenshot of open camera app
Open Camera Audio Source Settings

On an android phone, our favourite App is Open Camera to make videos. Here are the steps you need to get stereo audio for your video from your mixing console. And the principles shown here will be the same whatever app you want to use with your mixer.

In Open Camera, you open up the settings and go to the Video Settings -> then Audio Source -> and choose the option to use External mic (if present).

Then still in Settings go to Audio channels where you can select stereo input.

It is a good idea to also open the Camera Preview settings and ‘Show audio level meter’ so you can see that the audio is working while you make your video, and also get some idea of the recording levels.

 Now just shoot your video. You will get excellent recording quality from your mixer.

Recording Example on iPhone – Pro Movie

screenshot of pro movie app
Pro Movie Audio Settings

On an Apple device rather than using the default camera app we like to use Pro Movie, because this enables you to select the audio device when filming videos. It also gives control over the levels.

However, you can use the built in camera app on iPhone, but what you should do is start up the Camera App and THEN connect the interface.

Example 2: Focusrite Scarlett Studio 4i4 Audio Interface

image of mixing console, focusrite interface, audio cables
Connecting mixer to phone via a Focusrite Audio Interface

In exactly the same way, you could use a much more expensive and complex interface like the Focusrite 4i4.

Connect it direct via USB-C or use the OTG or Lightning adapter as before.

To stream the audio from your mixer, you need a pair of quarter inch jack cables. The manual for this Behringer Xenyx Q802mixer states the outputs are unbalanced, so you just need a pair of quarter inch TS cables.

If you had a mixer with balanced outputs (as the Yamaha mixer in our example), then you can use TRS jack cables as the Focusrite 4i4 interface has balanced inputs.

You can adjust the audio levels coming from the mixer by adjusting the main output level. You also have gain controls on each input on the Scarlett 4i4 interface so you can adjust the levels in two places to get the volume you want within whichever app you are using.

As a rule of thumb, aim for a peak of 12dB in whichever recording app you want to use. If you are livestreaming, then you may want to aim for nearer -6dB to ensure a good level for your audience. Do not exceed that!

How to Connect An Audio Mixer to an Interface – Step by Step Video Tutorial

If you want more details about how to connect a mixer to an interface, then the video below goes into much more detail. The principles for setting levels for recording are exactly the same on your phone or mobile device as your computer.

Connect Mixer To Audio Interface For Recording: Step by Step Tutorial

Once you have the audio interface correctly connected, and levels adjusted, then the recording process is exactly the same as we showed you with the simpler Behringer U-Control.

Monitor Your Audio

image of headphones being plugged into Focusrite Interface
Monitor via headphones plugged into interface

Finally, to monitor the audio going from your mixer in to your phone from your mixer, plug your headphones into your audio interface.

Connect A USB Mixer to your Phone

image of usb mixing console connected to phone via adapter
USB Mixer Connected to Android Phone using OTG Adapter

The Behringer Xenyx Q802USB is in fact a USB Mixer. This means it has a built in audio interface. You can connect it directly to your phone, using an OTG adapter (Android) or powere Lightning USB Camera Adapter (iPhone).

Once you have made that direct USB connection, then you proceed exactly as if you had connected a standard audio interface. All the steps outlined above will be exactly the same. You will not require any audio cables to stream audio to and from your phone.

Tip: Make sure you have pressed the USB to main mix button if you have a Behringer USB Mixer. Or you won’t hear anything on your phone!

A Quick Reminder! The Gear You Need

Summary

Well now you have the basics of how to connect your phone up to your mixer. Both ways round. If you follow the steps and use the correct cables and adapters you should be able to get audio from your mixer to your phone in any app you wish to use. And you can also incorporate audio from your phone in your mix.

Happy recording!

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