If you're using or considering BEACN gear like the BEACN Mic, BEACN Studio, or BEACN Mix Create, you might have wondered: "Why do I need to run the software? Can't I just plug it in?"
It's a great question, and our CEO, Craig, recently broke down why the BEACN software isn't just an add-on, but the essential core that unlocks the true power and flexibility of your hardware. While the hardware itself is powerful on its own, it's the seamless integration with the BEACN application that provides the deep control and advanced features that sets BEACN apart.
Let's dive into why the software is so crucial:
1. It's Your Command Center for Unmatched Control
Think of the BEACN software as the central command center for your audio. While we could have made devices that just work as simple inputs and outputs, that would mean sacrificing the incredible level of customization BEACN offers.
Inside the app, you get access to:
Powerful Mixers: the ability to create independent submixes, controlling exactly what you hear versus what your audience hears.
Advanced Processing: Fine-tune your voice with multi-band equalization (EQ), compression, noise suppression, expanders, and more.
Without the software providing this interface, accessing and manipulating these settings in real-time wouldn't be possible. Moving a slider in the app directly adjusts the processing happening inside your BEACN device.
Plus, your BEACN devices and the BEACN software are in constant, two-way communication via USB. It's not just about the software telling the hardware what to do; the hardware is constantly sending information back to the software. From a technical level, a lot of cool stuff is going on under the hood!
Sending Commands: When you adjust your EQ in the app, that command is instantly sent to the processor inside the BEACN Mic or BEACN Studio.
Receiving Data: The hardware sends data back to the app, like the real-time spectral analysis (FFT) of your voice that you see on screen, or the background noise levels used by the noise suppression and expander. This allows for visual feedback and smarter processing.
Driving Displays: For the BEACN Mix Create, this bidirectional communication is how the screen updates dynamically. When you adjust a setting in the app or turn a knob on the device, the information flows back and forth to keep the screen relevant and responsive.
This continuous interaction ensures everything works together seamlessly, providing you with both control and real-time feedback.
2. Unlock The Magic of Virtual Routing
One of the most powerful aspects enabled by the software is sophisticated audio routing. The BEACN app uses drivers to create virtual audio devices on your computer – channels like "Game," "Chat," "Music," "Browser," etc.
Why is this important? It allows you to assign specific applications directly to these virtual devices within Windows or macOS.
Assign Discord to "Chat": Route your Discord audio only to the Chat channel.
Assign Your Game to "Game": Keep your game audio separate.
Assign Chrome to "Browser": Isolate browser audio.
Once your applications are sending audio to these distinct virtual channels, the BEACN software's internal mixer takes over. It pulls the audio from each virtual device, letting you mix, control levels, and route them precisely into your different outputs (like your Personal Mix, Audience Mix, and even a separate VOD Track mix).
Without the software creating and managing these virtual devices and the internal mixer, this level of granular control over individual application audio simply wouldn't exist.
3. Smart Features to Simplify Complexity
We understand that advanced audio control can sometimes seem daunting. That's why the software also includes features designed to make setup easier:
Auto-Device Assignment: Helps ensure your audio outputs (like Chat) are correctly mapped.
Intelligent App Routing: The software recognizes common applications (like web browsers) and can automatically suggest routing them to the appropriate channel (like the "Browser" knob) the first time you run them. You can always change it, but it provides a helpful starting point.
4. BEACN Becomes Your Virtual Producer
As Craig puts it, the BEACN application acts as the "epicenter," binding all the hardware, virtual devices, routing, and processing together. It's the brain behind the operation, enabling the sophisticated control, mixing, and feedback that helps you achieve the sound you want without a 4 year audio engineering degree or an extra person in the room. When audio's made easy, it's one less thing you'll have to worry about the next time you go live.
Got questions or want to see us dive into a topic of your choice? Tag us on our social media pages to get involved in the conversation or join our official Discord server.
