Midi controlled XLR switcher?

[jbandy10]

Hey guys...maybe you can help me. I need something that can do this.

 

-Switch between two different XLR sources

-midi controllable

-hopefully small

 

Basically, the situation is that I have two different cab mics in a gig. One is for cleans and the other is for dirties. I don't want them both on at once obviously. I need a box that can switch between them with midi.

[Gregidon]

So you are playing both clean and dirty full blast all the time? I'm not sure why you'd want to switch between the two. Why not leave them both on and vary the level of signal going to each amp?

[6Imzadi]

I have not heard of such a thing. Maybe there is, but I have not heard of it.

 

I agree with Gregidon. Leave them both on and do your switching on your pedal board.

[jbandy10]

No. I want to have both cabs on all the time. If one is dirty they are both dirty. If one is clean they are both clean.

 

I shouldn't have to explain the logic but i will.

 

Say I have a VHT 4x12 and a 2x12 loaded with alcinos. I want to keep them both on all the time. I have them both miced. For cleans I want the 2x12 mic only to go to the board. For dirties I want the VHT mic only to go to the board.

 

Simple enough...

 

But I will need some sort of switcher for the mics. Thus this topic.

[Gregidon]

No. I want to have both cabs on all the time. If one is dirty they are both dirty. If one is clean they are both clean. I shouldn't have to explain the logic but i will. Say I have a VHT 4x12 and a 2x12 loaded with alcinos. I want to keep them both on all the time. I have them both miced. For cleans I want the 2x12 mic only to go to the board. For dirties I want the VHT mic only to go to the board. Simple enough... But I will need some sort of switcher for the mics. Thus this topic.

 

First off, thanks for coping an attitude

 

Second, as Imzadi explained, If you only want the VHT to produce your "dirty" tones, only route your dirty signal to it (or use a 1/4" switcher pedal to route to it). Do the opposite with your "clean" amp.

 

I don't understand why you'd want both amps on. If it were me i'd want the stage sound to be similar to the sound being sent to FOH, i.e. only have the amp being sent to FOH on... make sense?

[6Imzadi]

My guitarist has dirty and clean out of the same cab. I use the same mic and the same eq settings. I don't see the need to have two different mics for this situation live. Studio, maybe. If it's studio, then automate the mixer.

[jbandy10]

First off, thanks for coping an attitude Second, as Imzadi explained, If you only want the VHT to produce your "dirty" tones, only route your dirty signal to it (or use a 1/4" switcher pedal to route to it). Do the opposite with your "clean" amp. I don't understand why you'd want both amps on. If it were me i'd want the stage sound to be similar to the sound being sent to FOH, i.e. only have the amp being sent to FOH on... make sense?

 

Sorry, it's just I've asked this question at a couple of other places and I keep getting the same "well why don't you just do this" answers.

 

I have to do it this way. I don't want my stage volume "jumping around" like that between a 4x12 and a 2x12. It won't sound good for what I'm doing. I just need to switch the mics for the separate sounds.

 

Have you heard a VHT clean before? Sounds like butt.

[6Imzadi]

You get why don't you do this because it probably works like this. Don't you think?

 

What are you doing that's so different?

[jbandy10]

I've tried switching between the 2x12 and the 4x12 before. It doesn't sound good. I like them both to be on at once. It's good for monitoring. They aren't turned toward the crowd so only I hear them. Unfortunately both of them through the PA at once sounds horrible.

 

I just need an xlr switcher...

 

If there's not such thing, then somebody lock the thread. But hopefully there is something like this and someone here can tell me where to buy it.

[agedhorse]

There are all kinds of manual switchers but there better not be any phantom powered mics present on those channels.

[jbandy10]

nope these are dynamics

[agedhorse]

Then manual switchers are an ooption to consider if you fee this is necessary to your performance.

[Balladeer]

Here's a good page on all sorts of switching units: http://www.amptone.com/switchers.htm

 

Good luck trying to find one that is balanced in/out AND MIDI controlled.

 

Another option might be to get a 2-channel MIDI effects box that allows various routing/muting options and run it with no actual effects engaged but volume set to zero on one or other input. There are balanced i/o effects units out there, but beware not all will deal with mic-level signals.

[jbandy10]

Okay I have a question. I know this would probably work, but I'm concerned about audio quality degredation.

 

What if I used mic cables that were XLR to 1/4 trs? Then I could use a bradshaw switcher or the like to switch the 1/4 signals.

 

Or would that be audio havoc?

[Spacehog26]

Radial do a footswitchable XLR a/b box (I use one to switch between two mic positions on stage in a band where I play both guitar and keyboards), but you'd have to mod it in some way to get it MIDI controlled. Plus you'd probably want different EQs on the two mics to get them both sounding good. I'd get a 2 channel mic preamp, then switch between the (line) outputs of that and send a line level signal to the mixer - that'd be much easier to find.

[agedhorse]

 

Okay I have a question. I know this would probably work, but I'm concerned about audio quality degredation. What if I used mic cables that were XLR to 1/4 trs? Then I could use a bradshaw switcher or the like to switch the 1/4 signals. Or would that be audio havoc?

 

 

Too much potential for noise in the switching, then the need to balance on top of it all.

 

A typical (quality) AB switch would either switch on a dual transformer primary or use active buffered switching (muting one signal or the other) in order to keep switching noise levels down to a reasonable level. It is not trivial to switch these signals, and you must not allow the line to the console to remain unterminated.

[lancaster6]

I realize this is an old post, but I also have a need for such a device. i'm a keyboard/vocalist that uses 1 mic for vocals and a vocoder vst. i'm using brainspawn forte to host many vsts including a vocoder, and a midi controllable xlr switch/router would allow forte to control the xlr routing via midi on a per scene basis instead of flipping a switch, which I constantly forget to switch back!. I cannot find a device like this. any1 know of anything on the market?

[onelife]

A small digital mixer with MIDI controllable scene change would do it.

[the_big_e]

I couldn't find a specific ab switch with midi so I think what you'd have to do is to take a stock mechanical xlr ab switch like the Radial hotshot abi http://www.radialeng.com/r2011/hotshotabi.php and replace the latching switch with a (probably multi pole) relay driven by a microprocessor (Arduino say) say that took a midi signal in and used it to switch the relay.

There's plenty of sample code around for the Arduino and interfacing it with midi and you'd have to rehouse it all in it's own box probably.

Doable? yes. worth the effort? Only you can say.

[lancaster6]

thx for the replies

@ onelife: the smallest example of what you suggested is I think 16 chs, way overkill (and too expensive) for my needs.

 

@ the_big_e: I had a friend suggest exactly the same thing. didn't sound too expensive, but would def be an experiment. I am not a programmer, but I am a tinkerer! it's the time and potential failure that sets me off this route.

 

I was really trying to find a finished product that might achieve my goal, but short of a huge mixer, I guess this just doesn't exist on the market at this time. the kicker is, i'm using a presonus firewire studio which seems to have all the ins and outs I need, but the software only supports midi cc changes for their live mixer (studio live 16). seems that some creative programming might let me mute/unmute via midi cc, but that's beyond my knowledge.