Question on hooking into club sized PA

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Trypset
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Question on hooking into club sized PA

Post by Trypset » Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:30 pm

I use an Edirol FA-101 as my soundcard. For its master it has 2 balanced outputs (L/R).

I set my master track to output (1/2).

At most clubs I play at they have a DI box to hook into.

Do run a balanced cable from each 1/2 into the DI box.

The reason I'm asking is because at one gig the bass was getting cancelled out and only the highs were playing. The sound couldn't really figure it out so I ran in MONO the whole set. I don't like doing that. I want stereo.

What is the proper way to connect to a big PA? Are some PA setup to only play MONO? I don't want to run into problems again.

Should I always used balanced 1/4 TRS running out of my soundcard?
TrypseT
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boska
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Hmm...

Post by boska » Tue Jan 20, 2009 9:13 pm

How about one DI for L and one for R? I don't think I've ever seen anyone do anything else, actually...
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Trypset
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Post by Trypset » Tue Jan 20, 2009 9:20 pm

so DI boxes are not Stereo? It sucks because I am always more intelligent than the sound guys that are available. I don't know everything but I know more than most of them.

If you ran L and R into one DI box would it cause phasing issues?
TrypseT
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yearlongyeti
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Post by yearlongyeti » Tue Jan 20, 2009 9:22 pm

When setting up for gigs we used to give the DJ two D.I.s for left and right but run the whole thing mono at the desk anyways. D.J. thought the sterio sound was cool ?!? I agree many big rigs are run mono.
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Trypset
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Post by Trypset » Tue Jan 20, 2009 9:59 pm

I see.....I think my sets sound fine in MONO.....I do use alot of delays...dub style. Sometimes I wonder if I'm losing effect by running MONO....but if alot of clubs are setup that way I guess its not that big of a deal.

so....DI boxes are MONO?
TrypseT
Live 8 Full (not suite), ES-1 MKII, Microkorg, MPC 1000, 2 1200's, Ms. Pinky's, OSX, Edirol FA-101, and a crate 'o' wax
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threestringclarinet
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Post by threestringclarinet » Wed Jan 21, 2009 4:07 am

This is something that I have been struggling with quite a bit lately. I think that I may be on the extreme end of the mono debate. I like to give the sound person something to do so I give them between 4-6 DI sends (from a DIGI 002 through a rack of DI's). I split up the drum elements, basses, melodic parts and others as well as playing live guitar through Ableton. I guess I finally arrived at this because I found that different rooms have such huge differences in frequency response...especially bass that my mixes didn't always cut it. Do any of you do this?
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jeffplaysmoog
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Post by jeffplaysmoog » Wed Jan 21, 2009 4:18 am

I don't understand in this situation why you don't just skip the DI box and plug straight into the house mixer/PA system? I guess the only solution here that is really practical would be to purchase a stereo DI box that you could bring around with you to sets.
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Coupe70
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Re: Question on hooking into club sized PA

Post by Coupe70 » Wed Jan 21, 2009 4:27 am

Trypset wrote:At most clubs I play at they have a DI box to hook into.

Do run a balanced cable from each 1/2 into the DI box.
if the di box has two inputs (and two outputs i guess) it
seems to be a stereo / 2-channel box...
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dab
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Post by dab » Wed Jan 21, 2009 4:39 am

Take the r/l outputs from your interface, wire them to 2 channel strips on the pa's mixer. Hard pan one strip left and one right, voila stereo a la max…

dab
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Trypset
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Post by Trypset » Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:03 am

half the places I play the house mixer is 50-100 feet away.....so you have to plug into XLR routed on the stage.....the DI box is in between.

Well if a DI box is stereo and I plug in as such... and the system is mono....will there be a problem?
TrypseT
Live 8 Full (not suite), ES-1 MKII, Microkorg, MPC 1000, 2 1200's, Ms. Pinky's, OSX, Edirol FA-101, and a crate 'o' wax
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dab
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Post by dab » Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:21 am

Trypset wrote:half the places I play the house mixer is 50-100 feet away.....so you have to plug into XLR routed on the stage.....the DI box is in between.

Well if a DI box is stereo and I plug in as such... and the system is mono....will there be a problem?
Should be ok, but the di box may not be needed since your audio output from your rig is already hot enough to go up the snake to the mixer.

dab
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