In this video I take a look at the Teyun A4 USB mixing console (also known as the TU04 mixing console) that can be found on many different websites. I go into a ton of detail in the above video (mostly to make up for the lack of a proper manual for this mixer) and even include some audio clips, but for those of you in a hurry I can provide a few highlights here.
First off, like the title says, this is a USB mixer. It allows you to plug multiple analog mics or other audio sources into your PC, though you are not just limited to USB audio output. Also, the mixer pulls all of it’s power from the USB cable, though if you don’t want to plug it into your PC you could just use a USB AC adapter or rechargeable power bank.
For your inputs you have an XLR & 1/4 inch mono plug combo jack on both inputs 1 and 2, while inputs 3 and 4 are actually just a single stereo input that handles both analog (using left and right RCA plugs or 1/4 jacks) as well as your digital inputs (Bluetooth, PC audio, and audio playback from a USB thumb drive). I should note that while the XLR inputs claim to have phantom power, it’s not true 48V. instead you’re looking at between 38V and 40.5V, though that is more than enough juice to drive most condenser mics.
As for your outputs, you can either go the analog route or digital. For analog, you can use either left and right RCA plugs or a pair of mono 1/4 jacks. For digital, you can output to your PC, or record directly to a USB flash drive. Sadly you can’t output your mics’ audio over Bluetooth.
Speaking of the flash drive, getting it to record is a little tricky. First off, you need to make sure you have an audio file already saved to the it. After that, with your mixer set to “line” mode, plug the flash drive into the USB port on the front of the mixer. Once you do that the mixer will switch over to “USB” mode and autoplay the first audio file it sees (or ignore the drive if you forgot to add an audio file beforehand). Once the playback has started just hold the play/pause button down for 3 seconds and your mixer will begin recording to the flash drive, and you can stop recording by holding down the play/pause button again.
If you wanted to, you could easily use a rechargeable USB power bank and a USB flash drive to turn this mixer into a field recorder for podcast interviews without the need for a PC.
Of course, there are a few limitations that you’ll encounter with this mixer. First, channels 1 and 2 are center pan mono, so you can’t isolate the mics for editing in post. Second, every analog input other than XLR is incredibly quiet, so it would be a good idea to run some audio through a preamp first. Third, the 1/4 inch jacks are not powered, so using jack powered condenser mics that aren’t XLR is a no-go. Finally, audio output either to your PC over USB or to a flash drive will be in mono. All of these are only minor inconveniences though when you consider the price you’re paying for this mixer, especially since it has the USB flash drive recording capability.
Ultimately, I believe that this mixer is a great grab if you can find it at the right price. I actually didn’t buy mine on Wish, but instead on AliExpress on sale for just under $32. As for the prices you can find it for elsewhere, there’s Amazon for $50, Banggood for $45, and Wish for $40+ after shipping. I’ll go ahead and include a few affiliate links that’ll take you to the mixer on a few of the platforms, but feel free to shop around.
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