Skills before hardware
Teach gain, routing, and the strip without a console in the room.
Free in the browser
Web apps
Mixer and patchbay practice on Chromebooks, tablets, phones, and desktops. No install. Built for class and the first hour at home.
Silk Audio Mixer
A mixer with interactive controls and a mini patchbay for first routing. X-Ray mode shows the path under the strip — gain, EQ, send, pan — without opening a schematic.
Patchbay Commander
Connect sources and destinations the way a studio does, without audio. Add cables, read the bay, then run the Commander mini-game until the route is automatic.
What you will learn
Introduction to mixers
Meet the mixer in its simplest form before a hardware lab.
The channel strip
Input gain, EQ, FX send, pan, and level — one strip at a time.
FX sends and reverb
Add effects to a signal. Build a headphone mix.
Critical listening
Find and treat the parts of a sound you do not want.
Patchbay routing
Connect sources and destinations the way a real room does.
Workflow
Reps on a desk you can reset. Then walk into the lab ready.
Teach over Zoom
Share the mixer, then annotate on top. Same strip the student has in the browser. No extra window, no lab booking.
X-Ray on the strip
Silk's X-Ray mode draws the signal path through the mixer. Students see where the sound goes, not just which knob moved.
Why schools use it
Devices you already have
Chromebooks, iPads, phones, and lab PCs. Outside class too.
Time for the fundamentals
Less setup, more listening. Built for K–12 and first-year programs.
Need the full desk?
Lesson plans and knowledge base articles are free. For more of the console, use SoundcheckPro.
