Add and hookup stage monitors

[maarkr]

I have our group going direct to a recording mixer(8 ins) which outputs to stereo active foh speakers. I'd like to add two active stage monitors, but wonder about the best way to do that. Should I just use a Y cord to split the instruments to the mixer and monitor? No money for a high-end mixer that has channel sends. And if the guitarist is the lead singer, how would you send their output to the monitor and mixer? Y cord back to a single line for the monitor? Hope I'm not being too brief to describe this, but I can elaborate if needed.

[Craig Vecchione]

You don't need "high end" to get 8 inputs and an auxiliary send or two for a pair of stage monitors. A Yamaha MG16 will give you 8 mono and 4 stereo inputs, and 4 auxiliary sends...two pre-fader for monitors, and two post-fader for effects. It'll likely do anything you need as a recording/studio mixer as well. $430. That's just one brand example of many in this price and feature range.

 

Y cords technically "work", but you've got no control of relative levels to each device, and can run into tone problems when signals are split to devices with different impedances.

[wesg]

You would need higher end for 8 inputs, auxiliary send, AND 8-track recording. I'm assuming he's using something like the Zoom R16.

 

If I were doing this, I would use a an 8-mic-pre mixer with aux send, then I would use the mixer's channel inserts to send the mic pre output over to the recording rig, using cables with the tip and ring shorted together on the mixer end. Splitting the signal between boards with XLR cables would also work, and have a better noise floor. But it would cost more and you wouldn't be able to do any live submixes (eg with subgroups) to individual tracks.

 

Wes

[Craig Vecchione]

There's no mention of whether he's even recording, only that he uses a recording mixer, so maybe he'll chime in with those details. Even if he needs to record the gigs, a USB version of most of these smaller mixers is inexpensive enough to be viable.

[wesg]

...depending what he's doing. I haven't seen a cheap USB mixer yet that does more than stream the mains to the output. Which is useless in a small band situation where stage bleed dramatically affects FOH mix. My expection - which could easily be wrong - is that if you're going to the trouble of using an 8-channel recording mixer (like the Zoom R16) that you want to be able to mix down after the show, not just burn the FOH mix to CD.

 

Now, if he's using the recording mixer and not recording......... buy a better mixer! Maybe the new Behringer digital XR12?

[Crownman]

Even the cheapest little mixers I've see have at least one aux of some kind. We need to know what mixer you have otherwise we're all just here guessing and assuming.

[Craig Vecchione]

Indeed, maybe he'll come back with details. My initial impression was that he's using what's on hand as a live rig and needs stage monitors.

[Dogoth]

If you have enough lead time, I'd think you could pick up a cheap, functioning, used, 8 channel mixer for barely more than the cost of 8ea good "Y" cords. Problem solved and a lot more flexibility for now & into the future.

[maarkr]

sorry, but all the holiday crap came up and i forgot about this post...

using an R-16... ins for guitar, analog synth, stage piano, bass, vocal mic, guitar2 , e-drums, and a Mackie micro 1202 mixer. Two outs to stage monitors.

Mackie ins for 3 backup vocal mics and an iPad.

I do record most sessions and drop the mix into Sonar X3e. where I chop out the dead space, tweak a bit and output to an mp3 for dropbox to the group. The guitars in particular complain that they can't hear themselves in the whole mix on the monitors.

[monthlymixcd]

IMHO - I have yet to see anything on the lower end that is a Swiss Army knife mixer/audio interface. FWIW - I have a little Phonic Helix Board 12 (similar to the firewire Mackies from the same period) that'll handle 12 inputs, has 2 aux sends for monitor mixes, AND will record up to 10 tracks at a time. I found it new for $160 on clearance at a local music store that was getting out of the Phonic stuff. It's been pretty solid, but the metal case is just too thin for me to recommend any of its bigger brothers... had the 24ch version for awhile and the thing got bent up really easily.

[wesg]

Run everything into the Mackie, and use it to control your stage monitoring.

 

Run out from the Mackie into the R16 for the individual channels you want on the R16. The easiest way to do that is with a cable that is TRS to TS. Wire the tip and ring together, and insert that end into the channel insert of the Mackie. That gets you a signal after the Mackie's preamp, but before the rest of the channel strip -- exactly what you want.

 

The cheapest way to make up these cables IME is to buy 6' instrument patch cables, cut them in half, and stick a TRS end on the cut half. YMMV.

 

BTW what kind of guitarists can't hear themselves? Are their amps broken?

 

Wes

[maarkr]

we don't use amps... instruments to fx box to mixer/recorder, which goes to the two powered mains, which is why they want their own monitor... and the singer/rhythm player likes to hear himself over everything else.

[wesg]

That makes sense. Plug it in like I suggested, it's the best way with the equipment you have IMO.

 

A better solution would be going to a Behringer X32 and a PC. But $$$.

 

Wes