Apb mixswitch
- Thread starterbrin831
- Start date
not necessarily looking for something different ... we are going into driverack 4820 and my only issue with it is its 4 input only ... it does have 2 aes inputs which can be mixed internally but this is more festival style setup requirement where really good ole' analog is sometimes just the best way to go ... i always say kiss! ... we have typically done a talking head console in front of everything else Midas Venice 32 ch but don't always need to drag that out for stacks and racks shows which are becoming more and more prevalent as more and more artists are carrying
themuzicman
Well-Known Member
If you're looking for a massive analog only switch, the best commercial product for cheaper is the Radial SW8. On their rental shows Masque Sound commonly rents out 16 Channel A/B switches in a 1RU format for QLab Main and Backup using DB25 connectors that break out to XLR or TRS. I have also seen larger 32 and 64 Out, they may be able to custom build something even though it doesn't seem like they have a direct sales link on their website.
A matrix mixer is what you want, If you don't want to drive through another desk. You can have several desks plugged in and just un-mute the one you need to use. Also, hook up a small mixer or mic pre for house music and Announce/MC/Emergency mics, for in between sets. An XL88 is pretty standard for older analog gear.
TimmyP1955
Well-Known Member
This is not suitable for professional use. Not for FOH Drive. It might be fine to sum the stereo signal from a laptop running powerpoint, and plug it into a boardroom sound system, though there are still much better choices for this as well. You would be better off just building an A/B/C/D or however big you want with a passive mechanical switch, basically an old KVM switch, or 4-way printer port switch, form the '90s, but with XLR instead of DB connectors.
Track down a used Midas XL88 Stick it in a rack with a unit of wireless or just a mic pre, so you can still talk through the PA in emergencies, or for MC announcements, play music between sets etc.
Also you could find a 16ch Venice, those rack mount as well. The Venice is about the only small format analog desk that is quality enough to use for drive.
TimmyP1955
Well-Known Member
I disagree. What can be more reliable, and have less of a detrimental effect on the sound, than just a couple of resistors? This is effectively the same thing as the summing section of an analog mixer.
Well, everyone has their different standards, and you are welcome to yours. Really a summing circuit is not needed in the first place, because only one desk will be sending signal for each set, so a passive switch would be better, because having nothing in line, not even some resistors, will have a less detrimental effect on sound.
Yes you could use this to sum to mono also for front fills, sub or outfills, but really, the right tools for the job are available and not that costly. Speaking of such things, having a proper matrix mixer gives you the ability to route those things. Ideally every engineer would give you R,L,S, FF,(possibly out-fill, but often you just send outs, reverse right and left) but some people only want to give you R,L,S or just R,L, so the matrix gives you needed flexibility to mix those to your other sends.
The other side of the coin when you don't have any kind of mixer, is not having the ability to speed limit a guest engineer if they are being obnoxious, and uncooperative(and possibly breaking noise ordinances).
Sure you can just let someone run to the PA direct, and lots of people do it, but at a certain point its not a good idea, for a whole lot of reasons.
