Q: How to 'monitor' audio from three computers ?

[koalaboy]

Setup:
Windows PC for Audio/DAW, likely with external audio interface
Linux PC for development
Mac Studio for work

I would like to use one pair of headphones without having to change the cable.
Currenly I can plug the headphones into the display monitor and use HDMI audio on each, but that's obviously not great for DAW work.

I use a KVM to switch between machines and ideally don't want anything additional that takes up lots of space, but would consider a new audio interface if it could handle this situation - it would need to work for any machine if the others are turned off (so not reliant on computer software to route things if it's not attached).

I have a UAD Twin, but that's not great at other inputs (or control when the host machine is off). I also have an original BabyFace USB which potentially could work, but I use that elsewhere and would rather something newer if there is a solution.

I've considered a cheap 'headphone switch' with 3.5mm inputs/outputs, but that feels as if I'd be ruining any decent sound from my audio interface.

All ideas welcomed, especially if anyone is doing the same and it 'just works'. I'm probably missing something obvious.

[T-CM11]

3xPC outputs -> Small analog mixer -> Speakers / headphones
Something like this maybe:
https://www.thomann.de/be/soundcraft_notepad_8fx.htm
(just an example, I'm sure you can find a lot of alternatives)

[T-CM11]

An even cheaper option:
Do you really need studio headphones on those computers for development/work? Get an extra 2 pairs of relatively inexpensive headphones.

[highkoo]

I have a crazy setup kind of like this, and I def +1 just justing some analog outs for the audio into a mixer.
KVMs are often fiddly, especially 3x cross OS..., and adding audio switching to data and monitors is one fiddle easily skipped, for me at least.
I do also use this-
https://download.cnet.com/CheVolume/300 ... 74426.html
for routing the adio per-application, cuz one hub has multiple audio/video outs..

[koalaboy]

Do you really need studio headphones on those computers for development/work? Get an extra 2 pairs of relatively inexpensive headphones.

I don't have a shortage of headphones, but with my current setup all 3 computers are at the same desk, and my KVM lets me switch between them and the displays easily - I don't want to have to keep changing headphones when I switch machines.

I considered a small mixer, but that seems to be adding more noise potential into the path. I did consider something cheap like this and I could route my audio interface into one of the digital inputs... but it feels like I'd be downgrading the signal - but then with it being so cheap, I wouldn't have to worry if it's not great.

The core need is for great DAW monitoring, but I would really like to be able to use the same setup when my music PC is switched off, without having to switch things around.

[uOpt]

Analog mixer.

[BertKoor]

I can plug the headphones into the display monitor and use HDMI audio on each, but that's obviously not great for DAW work.

Sorry, to me that's not so obvious. Can you explain, please?

[...] don't want anything additional that takes up lots of space, but would consider a new audio interface if it could handle this situation - it would need to work for any machine if the others are turned off (so not reliant on computer software to route things if it's not attached).

I think we call that a small mixer.

I've considered a cheap 'headphone switch' with 3.5mm inputs/outputs, but that feels as if I'd be ruining any decent sound from my audio interface.

Passive switches don't ruin anything.

[koalaboy]

I can plug the headphones into the display monitor and use HDMI audio on each, but that's obviously not great for DAW work.

Sorry, to me that's not so obvious. Can you explain, please?

My display monitor has a headphone jack which receives the stereo downmix from the HDMI audio, so if all three computers are using HDMI audio, the headphones will present the audio from whichever computer is currently displayed.

It's not great for the DAW though, as I'm not using ASIO at this point.

Passive switches don't ruin anything.

For some reason, I'd gotten into my head that this wasn't a great idea, but the more I think on it, the less I know why I came to that conclusion. Thanks for reminding me.

[BertKoor]

Ah yes ofcourse, audio over HDMI won't be ASIO

[koalaboy]

Well, I had some other things I had been thinking about, and so I've decided to get the new RØDECaster Pro II. A more expensive approach, but it will let me handle some other aspects of my life and also provide easy mixing/routing. My DAW can have the 2x16 USB interface, and the MAC can have the other 2x2 interface, both sharing the microphone, etc. The linux box can be routed into one pair of the inputs.

I realise it's a mixer, but spacewise and featurewise is fits several other aspects as well. I would have liked it to be a bit more expandable (spdif etc.) as 4-in, 2-out in hardware is minimal, but it will handle my current needs fine, and be enough for a while.

I did discover, and look more into, AVB and Dante, as they also seemed to be really useful, but Dante is proprietary and pricey, and AVB still not as widely supported as I'd like (If AVB had the equivalent of the Dante VSC, it would be *very* interesting).