Pres and Interface question

[Kevin Drysdale]

Ok. I am a bit new to all this, but am learning quite
quickly. My goal is to be able to record live performance
without effecting the FOH mix and without the FOH mix
effecting the recording.

The setup:

I will be sending signal from stage as balanced XLR to a
patchbay. The patchbay is designed to split that signal
into 2 equal signals - one for recording and the other for
FOH mix.

My questions:
1.) Could the outputs of each "channel" in the patchbay be
1/4" balanced/unbalanced TRS connectors?

2.) Could I use a MOTU 24I/O interface or something similar
(with only 1/4" TRS jacks) to interface with the PC?

Thanks for any advice you may have.
Kevin

[Scott Dorsey]

Kevin Drysdale > wrote:
>
>I will be sending signal from stage as balanced XLR to a
>patchbay. The patchbay is designed to split that signal
>into 2 equal signals - one for recording and the other for
>FOH mix.

This is called a "splitter" and not a patchbay. The important
stuff is being done by the transformers inside, rather than the
patch connectors outside.

>My questions:
>1.) Could the outputs of each "channel" in the patchbay be
>1/4" balanced/unbalanced TRS connectors?

I woouldn't. It's a bad idea to run mike level signals on TRS
connectors. Just buy a premade splitter panel from Whirlwind or
the like.

>2.) Could I use a MOTU 24I/O interface or something similar
>(with only 1/4" TRS jacks) to interface with the PC?

You will want something with mike preamps. If your A/D unit does
not have mike preamps, you will want an outboard preamp rack.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Kevin Drysdale]

Scott Dorsey wrote:
> Kevin Drysdale > wrote:
>> I will be sending signal from stage as balanced XLR to a
>> patchbay. The patchbay is designed to split that signal
>> into 2 equal signals - one for recording and the other for
>> FOH mix.
>
> This is called a "splitter" and not a patchbay. The important
> stuff is being done by the transformers inside, rather than the
> patch connectors outside.
>
>> My questions:
>> 1.) Could the outputs of each "channel" in the patchbay be
>> 1/4" balanced/unbalanced TRS connectors?
>
> I woouldn't. It's a bad idea to run mike level signals on TRS
> connectors. Just buy a premade splitter panel from Whirlwind or
> the like.
>
>> 2.) Could I use a MOTU 24I/O interface or something similar
>> (with only 1/4" TRS jacks) to interface with the PC?
>
> You will want something with mike preamps. If your A/D unit does
> not have mike preamps, you will want an outboard preamp rack.
> --scott
Thank you for the reply. I am looking into a suitable
splitter now. Do you know any other reputable companies
that sell splitters?

[[email protected]]

On Feb 5, 3:58 pm, Kevin Drysdale > wrote:
> Scott Dorsey wrote:
> > Kevin Drysdale > wrote:
> >> I will be sending signal from stage as balanced XLR to a
> >> patchbay. The patchbay is designed to split that signal
> >> into 2 equal signals - one for recording and the other for
> >> FOH mix.
>
> > This is called a "splitter" and not a patchbay. The important
> > stuff is being done by the transformers inside, rather than the
> > patch connectors outside.
>
> >> My questions:
> >> 1.) Could the outputs of each "channel" in the patchbay be
> >> 1/4" balanced/unbalanced TRS connectors?
>
> > I woouldn't. It's a bad idea to run mike level signals on TRS
> > connectors. Just buy a premade splitter panel from Whirlwind or
> > the like.
>
> >> 2.) Could I use a MOTU 24I/O interface or something similar
> >> (with only 1/4" TRS jacks) to interface with the PC?
>
> > You will want something with mike preamps. If your A/D unit does
> > not have mike preamps, you will want an outboard preamp rack.
> > --scott
>
> Thank you for the reply. I am looking into a suitable
> splitter now. Do you know any other reputable companies
> that sell splitters?

You didn't specify what size shows you're doing, but those firewire
boards (Onyx I think?) from Mackie might suit you perfectly. IIRC,
the signal comes off on the firewire before the faders...so you could
mix FOH on that board and record off it at the same time, and then mix
the raw live tracks later.

I've never actually used one of those so I'll let someone else comment
on the suitability...but on paper it looks right...

-j

[Scott Dorsey]

Kevin Drysdale > wrote:
>Thank you for the reply. I am looking into a suitable
>splitter now. Do you know any other reputable companies
>that sell splitters?

Whirlwind, Rapco, umm... the guys in New York that begin with M....
just about anybody that does stage mike distribution stuff, snakes,
and fanouts will build them.

For the most part, they cost what the transformers do, which can be
a lot if you want good transformers.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Mike Rivers]

On Feb 5, 5:55 pm, wrote:
> You didn't specify what size shows you're doing, but those firewire
> boards (Onyx I think?) from Mackie might suit you perfectly. IIRC,
> the signal comes off on the firewire before the faders...so you could
> mix FOH on that board and record off it at the same time, and then mix
> the raw live tracks later.

This is exactly how it works. And if you don't want to use the optonal
Mackie Firewire card, there's a pair of DB-25 connectors that have
analog outputs right off the mic preamps.

Wars have been fought on line as to whether those outputs (and the
outputs to the Firewire card) should be before or after the EQ and/or
fader. Mackie chose to make it pre-everything (the DB-25 comes after
the low cut filter, but the Firewire output is ahead of it) making
half their customers (or non-customers) unhappy. Alesis chose to make
it post everything (recording the output of the fader) making half
their customers unhappy.

In the words of Fletcher: " We're not unhappy until you're unhappy."