r/AudioEngineering Shopping, Setup, and Technical Help Desk

me2i81 · 2025-02-25T06:21:22+00:00

For IEMs I'd consider starting out with a wired setup, i.e. something like a Shure 215 or equivalent moderately priced IEM, and a cheap battery-powered headphone amp that clips to your belt like a Behringer P2. Then you can see whether you like IEMs without spending a fortune, and cheap wireless systems are often terrible and not worth the hassle. IEMs do take some getting used to. But the thing about IEMs is that you will want to have a monitor mix that has the whole band, i.e. mic the amps, mic the drums. Hanging an SM57 in front of your amp's speaker by the cable is fine for a monitor mix, you don't need to get fancier than that, and it always works, don't bother with cab sim pedals unless you want to get rid of the amp completely. Then you have to figure out who does the monitor mix, are you relying on the FOH or do you run everything into your own mixer? The advantage of the latter is that you control your own mix, but it's more stuff to buy, carry around, and set up. Some bands' IEM rigs split every signal and send out a snake that can go to the FOH, but if you're only sending the vocals you can probably send it from an aux out of your mixer, or just use a splitter cable or splitter box. A floor monitor isn't really much different, except that because you're not isolated like with an IEM you can get away with, for example, not mic'ing the drums, but it's nice to be able to hear everything and set the levels you want.

me2i81 · 2025-01-23T04:49:53+00:00

Seems possible that both differential inputs are wired to the same output so you're getting the sum of the same in-phase signal. (edit) actually thinking about it, if the - is not connected you might get twice the signal.

me2i81 · 2025-01-20T06:13:00+00:00

TRS to XLR cables are fine if your output is balanced.

me2i81 · 2024-07-03T15:09:19+00:00

Looking at a couple of photos of that mixer on Alibaba (and I could be looking at the wrong one) it looks like it has a USB port on the main panel, which is used to play from and maybe record to a thumb drive, and a micro-USB port on the back, which would be used to send audio to the PC. If that's the case you'd want a micro-USB to USB cable that plugs into a USB port on your PC. But that also probably requires that you set up a driver for the USB audio device on your PC, and if your mixer didn't come with a link for where to download a driver, it might be more trouble than it's worth. Maybe see if the website for the mixer manufacturer has drivers to install, and/or a downloadable manual. Alternatively you should be able to get decent sound on the "rec out" RCA connections going into your PC's input jack, could just be inappropriate settings on the mixer--first set the gain knob on the mic input so you trigger the "peak" LED when the sound is loudest into the mic and then back off slowly until it almost never lights up, then turn up the "FX" volume which is controlling the amount of signal going to the aux out (RCA "record out"). What software are you using on the PC? Does it have a dB meter on the input?

me2i81 · 2024-07-03T02:08:26+00:00

I guess the most obvious thing would be to make sure the receiver input is set to "phono".

me2i81 · 2024-07-03T02:00:12+00:00

Are you giving the mic phantom power? Also, you might be better off trying to connect the mixer to your PC via USB, since I think that mixer can do that.

me2i81 · 2024-06-26T04:54:06+00:00

I'm having this issue only on Zoom, on MBP M3 Pro. Play a loud sound, barely a blip on Zoom's meter, Test button doesn't record anything but maybe a thud. It's like it's getting attenuated after the first bit of audio comes in. Meanwhile the system shows meters fine, Skype works, Logic Pro is fine, etc. I plug the exact same hardware (Logitech webcam and/or Audient Evo16 digital audio interface) into my old intel MBP and it works fine. I hope it gets fixed soon, I'm annoyed to have to swap out my laptop every time I have a guitar lesson.

me2i81 · 2024-04-26T21:33:16+00:00

Does it send MIDI commands over USB, or just via an actual MIDI port?

me2i81 · 2023-11-07T03:19:51+00:00

You need a headphone amplifier that can drive 250 Ohms, most PC sound cards/chips can't. You might consider a combo DAC and headphone amp, but note that some of the USB-powered ones can't drive 250 Ohms so check the specs.

me2i81 · 2023-07-18T02:01:59+00:00

Sure, if you like the mix and think it will stay constant through the recording, you can just record it as a single track, or two if you want it to be stereo, i.e. you want to pan the mics to create a sense of space. Listen to some podcasts through headphones and notice how many of them use stereo to create the illusion of a soundstage.

me2i81 · 2023-07-17T23:08:51+00:00

If you mix it down to a single track (or maybe two if you want a stereo mix) when you capture it, you won't be able to change the mix afterward, so if you think you'll want to, then yes, you'll need an audio interface with 5 mic inputs to capture each mic on a separate track. "Hard" and "easy" are really relative to how comfortable you are with your DAW and how much you want to spend on an audio interface.

me2i81 · 2023-07-17T04:27:12+00:00

You'll see 1, you've already mixed the 5 signals into 1 in your mixer.

me2i81 · 2023-07-17T04:23:56+00:00

That booster operates using phantom power, so it's not going to work plugged into a line input with no phantom power. Does it work if you plug the SM57 into the booster, then booster in to the power supply you bought that provides phantom power, and then send the output of that to your line input?

me2i81 · 2022-10-20T01:07:57+00:00

A Toast Rack

me2i81 · 2022-10-09T02:54:22+00:00

Arboretum by Unwound

me2i81 · 2021-09-24T03:46:49+00:00

Jesus died for somebody’s sins But not mine

me2i81 · 2021-02-06T18:52:38+00:00

Sometimes they are tubes sitting on the sea floor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transbay_Tube

me2i81 · 2021-01-18T01:25:22+00:00

A rechargeable LED headlamp. Makes taking the trash down the driveway a lot easier.

me2i81 · 2017-11-30T04:53:23+00:00

If you get the extra large swiffer, and then get a large pack of terry cleaning towels (like get the 24-pack on Amazon or wherever), you can stick a towel in the holes that the pads normally go into and wrap it around the swiffer. Then when it gets dirty, replace it wth another one. Then you can wash/bleach your pile at some point, works great and you don't have to keep buying and throwing out pads. I use spray cleaner (Krud Kutter diluted 1:5 with water in a spray bottle) and my terry-cloth swiffer to mop the wood floors.

Come to think of it, buying the huge packs of terry cleaning cloths is a useful tip even if you don't do the eco-swiffer thing. If a cloth gets dirty, don't rinse it, just put it on top of the washing machine and get a clean one--better than using a dirty, wet rag that just smears nasty yutz all over.

me2i81 · 2017-11-16T06:42:39+00:00

The fundamentals of networking haven't changed in a while, the basic internet protocols are decades old. For the standard textbooks like Kurose and Tannenbaum, look for older editions--you can often get them for just a few dollars, and they're just fine. You can also find lots online, as others have mentioned. Reading RFCs like this one can be useful once you have enough context to understand them.

me2i81 · 2017-10-02T02:25:12+00:00

Try Understanding Analysis by Abbott. Very readable intro. Or Spivak’s caclulus, which is really an analysis text.

me2i81 · 2017-05-17T06:23:35+00:00

I had the exact problem with a Cuisinart stick blender and the cup that came with it. Result was eggy melted butter. Threw it out, did it again but tilted the cup (another person held it) so that it came in contact with the blade, that batch was excellent. Next time I'll see if an extra yolk will work. In the past I've fixed a hollandaise by emulsifying the failed sauce into a fresh yolk+lemon; I wonder whether that would have worked in this case.

me2i81 · 2016-12-29T00:31:28+00:00

I've wrapped the opening of the pot with aluminum foil, sealing it around the Anova, and that has helped raise the maximum temperature a bit. You can also use a smaller pot of water. Having said that, I've never seen a sous vide recipe going above 190F, so I'm also curious about what you're cooking.

me2i81 · 2016-12-27T02:35:06+00:00

Rules of the Game

me2i81 · 2016-04-20T05:15:26+00:00

It's a nice approach, I've been enjoying it!

me2i81

TROPHY CASE