6 or 8 port audio switch?

[wkearney99]

Can anyone recommend a 6 or 8 port audio switch?

I've a friend that's a music teacher and she'd like to use some sort of
device to switch between the output from up to 6 different digital piano
keyboards. Preferrably one using an IR remote. I've got a 4 port SIMA
SVS4D unit, which does both audio and video but 4 ports isn't enough. Does
anyone make a reasonably priced unit that can do 6 or 8 devices?

The idea is to pull the headphone output line from each keyboard to a
Y-spitter. One half of which would feed the local headphones and the other
to an audio switch. Yes, local volume control would potentially be an issue
but that can be managed using existing 'classroom managment techniques'.
The resulting switched audio would be fed to speakers (possibly using an amp
if needed). There's also a DVD/CD player combo in the room and it would be
nice to have it's output one of the selectable sources.

Could something like a Niles (or other vendor) speaker switch be used in
'reverse' for something like this?

It's expected that some amount of custom cabling and/or adapters are going
to be needed. So it's not strictly necessary for the devices to have RCA,
1/4" or 1/8" style audio connectors. It'd be nice if it did but not
strictly necessary.

Yes, it might be possible to rig up a pair of 4-way switches in a cascade
but it'd be much less disruptive to just use direct selecting. Note, these
are all stereo sources and it would be necessary to use them as such. That
and it's necessary to have exclusive switching with only one source being
active at a time.

So the question is who makes a switch that does this without it being
something hideously expensive and overpowered for the task.

-Bill Kearney

[kilmister]

why don't don't you use two sima units and feed the output from one into the
other? not a 8 port switch really but in a pinch it will do. you could
use a rca i.r. remote video/audio switch also to do it, although the i.r.
will control both units so you may have to angle them so that the i.r. does
not change the channel on both at the same time.


"wkearney99" > wrote in message
...
> Can anyone recommend a 6 or 8 port audio switch?
>
> I've a friend that's a music teacher and she'd like to use some sort of
> device to switch between the output from up to 6 different digital piano
> keyboards. Preferrably one using an IR remote. I've got a 4 port SIMA
> SVS4D unit, which does both audio and video but 4 ports isn't enough.
Does
> anyone make a reasonably priced unit that can do 6 or 8 devices?
>
> The idea is to pull the headphone output line from each keyboard to a
> Y-spitter. One half of which would feed the local headphones and the
other
> to an audio switch. Yes, local volume control would potentially be an
issue
> but that can be managed using existing 'classroom managment techniques'.
> The resulting switched audio would be fed to speakers (possibly using an
amp
> if needed). There's also a DVD/CD player combo in the room and it would
be
> nice to have it's output one of the selectable sources.
>
> Could something like a Niles (or other vendor) speaker switch be used in
> 'reverse' for something like this?
>
> It's expected that some amount of custom cabling and/or adapters are going
> to be needed. So it's not strictly necessary for the devices to have RCA,
> 1/4" or 1/8" style audio connectors. It'd be nice if it did but not
> strictly necessary.
>
> Yes, it might be possible to rig up a pair of 4-way switches in a cascade
> but it'd be much less disruptive to just use direct selecting. Note,
these
> are all stereo sources and it would be necessary to use them as such.
That
> and it's necessary to have exclusive switching with only one source being
> active at a time.
>
> So the question is who makes a switch that does this without it being
> something hideously expensive and overpowered for the task.
>
> -Bill Kearney
>

[Si Ballenger]

On Sun, 17 Oct 2004 16:34:33 -0400, "kilmister"
> wrote:

>why don't don't you use two sima units and feed the output from one into the
>other? not a 8 port switch really but in a pinch it will do. you could
>use a rca i.r. remote video/audio switch also to do it, although the i.r.
>will control both units so you may have to angle them so that the i.r. does
>not change the channel on both at the same time.

If you are on a budget, you probably could use a Radio Shack 6
position, 2 pole rotary switch (part # 275-1386A, $1.99) to
switch between 6 stereo feeds (common grounds connected and not
switched). It would be an adaption of what I do on the below page
to switch between video/audio sources. As far as gound loops and
humm, you could do a quick test with some jumpers on the grounds
to see if this would be an issue.

http://www.geocities.com/zoomkat/switch.htm

>"wkearney99" > wrote in message
...
>> Can anyone recommend a 6 or 8 port audio switch?
>>
>> I've a friend that's a music teacher and she'd like to use some sort of
>> device to switch between the output from up to 6 different digital piano
>> keyboards. Preferrably one using an IR remote. I've got a 4 port SIMA
>> SVS4D unit, which does both audio and video but 4 ports isn't enough.
>Does
>> anyone make a reasonably priced unit that can do 6 or 8 devices?
>>
>> The idea is to pull the headphone output line from each keyboard to a
>> Y-spitter. One half of which would feed the local headphones and the
>other
>> to an audio switch. Yes, local volume control would potentially be an
>issue
>> but that can be managed using existing 'classroom managment techniques'.
>> The resulting switched audio would be fed to speakers (possibly using an
>amp
>> if needed). There's also a DVD/CD player combo in the room and it would
>be
>> nice to have it's output one of the selectable sources.
>>
>> Could something like a Niles (or other vendor) speaker switch be used in
>> 'reverse' for something like this?
>>
>> It's expected that some amount of custom cabling and/or adapters are going
>> to be needed. So it's not strictly necessary for the devices to have RCA,
>> 1/4" or 1/8" style audio connectors. It'd be nice if it did but not
>> strictly necessary.
>>
>> Yes, it might be possible to rig up a pair of 4-way switches in a cascade
>> but it'd be much less disruptive to just use direct selecting. Note,
>these
>> are all stereo sources and it would be necessary to use them as such.
>That
>> and it's necessary to have exclusive switching with only one source being
>> active at a time.
>>
>> So the question is who makes a switch that does this without it being
>> something hideously expensive and overpowered for the task.
>>
>> -Bill Kearney
>>
>
>

[wkearney99]

> why don't don't you use two sima units and feed the output from one into
the
> other? not a 8 port switch really but in a pinch it will do. you could
> use a rca i.r. remote video/audio switch also to do it, although the i.r.
> will control both units so you may have to angle them so that the i.r.
does
> not change the channel on both at the same time.

I pointed out that I'm aware of rigging up 4 input units.

> > Yes, it might be possible to rig up a pair of 4-way switches in a
cascade
> > but it'd be much less disruptive to just use direct selecting. Note,

I've tried faking it before and it just doesn't work well.

The application is a classroom environment. Having to keep stuff pointed at
special angles or flipping between different combinations are not conducive
to keeping class disruption to a minimum. Yes, it CAN be done but not
without running the risk of disrupting the flow/discipline of the class.
Schools aren't without money, especially when it ends up wasting class time.

-Bill Kearney

[Ron Hardin]

An old Behringer mixer would do nicely. (I chain three of them
to monitor various radios in headphones and send the best signal
out of several through selected filters and to the computer, to
record it.) The chief cost turns out to be plugs, wires and adapters
in the end.

Maybe one mixer would do the job.

The MX802A is six-channel (called 10) but I don't think they're made any longer,
replaced by digital. It ran only about $70.

A ``pre-fader'' output is very handy; I wound up using them for the
main output. I don't know if the digital versions have that.
--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.