diff --git a/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerCore.cpp b/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerCore.cpp
index 1dc1924a55..1300046522 100644
--- a/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerCore.cpp
+++ b/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerCore.cpp
@@ -10,6 +10,11 @@
 
 #define ASSERT_LOCKED()		if (fLocker->IsLocked()) {} else debugger("core not locked, meltdown occurred")
 
+/* Mixer channels are identified by a type number, each type number corresponds
+ * to the one of the channel masks of enum media_multi_channels.
+ */
+
+
 MixerCore::MixerCore()
  :	fLocker(new BLocker),
 	fOutputBufferLength(MAX_OUTPUT_BUFFER_LENGTH),
diff --git a/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerInput.cpp b/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerInput.cpp
index 08a97ddc71..368413c808 100644
--- a/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerInput.cpp
+++ b/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerInput.cpp
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ MixerInput::UpdateMixerChannels()
 	for (int i  = 0, mask = 1; i < fMixerChannelCount; i++) {
 		while (mask != 0 && (all_bits & mask) == 0)
 			mask <<= 1;
-		fMixerChannelInfo[i].designation = mask;
+		fMixerChannelInfo[i].type = ChannelMaskToChannelType(mask);
 		mask <<= 1;
 	}
 
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ MixerInput::UpdateMixerChannels()
 	for (int i  = 0; i < fMixerChannelCount; i++) {
 		int j;
 		for (j = 0; j < fInputChannelCount; j++) {
-			if (fInputChannelInfo[j].designations & fMixerChannelInfo[i].designation) {
+			if (fInputChannelInfo[j].designations & ChannelTypeToChannelMask(fMixerChannelInfo[i].type)) {
 				fMixerChannelInfo[i].buffer_base = &fMixBuffer[j];
 				break;
 			}
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ MixerInput::UpdateMixerChannels()
 	if (old_mixer_channel_info != 0) {
 		for (int i  = 0; i < fMixerChannelCount; i++) {
 			for (int j = 0; j < old_mixer_channel_count; j++) {
-				if (fMixerChannelInfo[i].designation == old_mixer_channel_info[j].designation) {
+				if (fMixerChannelInfo[i].type == old_mixer_channel_info[j].type) {
 					fMixerChannelInfo[i].gain = old_mixer_channel_info[j].gain;
 					break;
 				}
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ MixerInput::UpdateMixerChannels()
 	}
 
 	for (int i = 0; i < fMixerChannelCount; i++)
-		printf("UpdateMixerChannels: mixer channel %d, designation  0x%08X, base %p, gain %.3f\n", i, fMixerChannelInfo[i].designation, fMixerChannelInfo[i].buffer_base, fMixerChannelInfo[i].gain);
+		printf("UpdateMixerChannels: mixer channel %d, type %2d, des 0x%08X, base %p, gain %.3f\n", i, fMixerChannelInfo[i].type, ChannelTypeToChannelMask(fMixerChannelInfo[i].type), fMixerChannelInfo[i].buffer_base, fMixerChannelInfo[i].gain);
 
 	printf("UpdateMixerChannels: leave\n");
 }
@@ -279,13 +279,13 @@ MixerInput::GetMixerChannelCount()
 }
 
 void
-MixerInput::GetMixerChannelInfo(int channel, const float **buffer, uint32 *sample_offset, uint32 *type, float *gain)
+MixerInput::GetMixerChannelInfo(int channel, const float **buffer, uint32 *sample_offset, int *type, float *gain)
 {
 	ASSERT(fMixBuffer);
 	ASSERT(channel >= 0 && channel < fMixerChannelCount);
 	*buffer = fMixerChannelInfo[channel].buffer_base;
 	*sample_offset = sizeof(float) * fInputChannelCount;
-	*type = fMixerChannelInfo[channel].designation;
+	*type = fMixerChannelInfo[channel].type;
 	*gain = fMixerChannelInfo[channel].gain;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerInput.h b/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerInput.h
index cc312677b7..deced19804 100644
--- a/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerInput.h
+++ b/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerInput.h
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ public:
 	media_input & MediaInput();
 	
 	uint32 GetMixerChannelCount();
-	void GetMixerChannelInfo(int channel, const float **buffer, uint32 *sample_offset, uint32 *type, float *gain);
+	void GetMixerChannelInfo(int channel, const float **buffer, uint32 *sample_offset, int *type, float *gain);
 	void SetMixerChannelGain(int channel, float gain);
 	float GetMixerChannelGain(int channel);
 	
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ private:
 	};	
 	struct mixer_chan_info {
 		float *buffer_base;
-		uint32 designation;		// only one bit is set
+		int type;
 		float gain;
 	};
 	
diff --git a/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerUtils.cpp b/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerUtils.cpp
index e0636e270f..e4a66ba347 100644
--- a/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerUtils.cpp
+++ b/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerUtils.cpp
@@ -127,6 +127,21 @@ GetChannelMask(int channel, uint32 all_channel_masks)
 	}
 }
 
+int ChannelMaskToChannelType(uint32 mask)
+{
+	for (int i = 0; i < 32; i++)
+		if (mask & (1 << i))
+			return i;
+	return -1;
+}
+
+uint32 ChannelTypeToChannelMask(int type)
+{
+	if (type < 0 || type > 31)
+		return 0;
+	return 1 << type;
+}
+
 void
 CopySamples(float *_dst, int32 _dst_sample_offset,
 			const float *_src, int32 _src_sample_offset,
diff --git a/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerUtils.h b/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerUtils.h
index 52de93621d..8366c5c537 100644
--- a/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerUtils.h
+++ b/src/add-ons/media/media-add-ons/mixer/MixerUtils.h
@@ -20,3 +20,6 @@ inline int64 frames_for_duration(double framerate, bigtime_t duration)
 {
 	return (int64) ceil(framerate * double(duration) / 1000000.0);
 }
+
+int ChannelMaskToChannelType(uint32 mask);
+uint32 ChannelTypeToChannelMask(int type);