Monitor volume control

[wyatt20019]

i need some advice on the best way to fix this problem.

i have 2 rows, in the first row is a 5 person brass and second is a minor 5 person orchestra. we have 4 outputs from the board for monitors. right now we use 1 for each row, so two outputs for that, one for the choir monitor and one for the praise team/singers on the front of the stage. anyways i would like to have one send for brass and orchestra, and use the other output for singers. the problem is the brass like their monitors really loud and the orchestra doesnt. so i was wondering if their was some sort of post-amp volume controll i could use and let the orchestra just control their own volume. anyone have any sugjestions or ideas? sorry for such a long post

 

[avare]

What equipment do you currently have and what is your budget?

 

[Hughesie]

I've seen simple headphone amplifer that has 5 outputs with just simple rotary pots for volume, you could try something like that.

 

[cprted]

If you're using active wedges, you could trim the gain on the appropriate mons.

 

[wyatt20019]

we have two peavey wedges daisy chained and two little EV monitors. money isnt a problem.

 

[derekleffew]

Perhaps someone could explain an L-Pad better than I, or this site: L-PADS.

 

[rwhealey]

[edited advice... see below]

Giving people their own control always scares me. Think what happens with on/off switches on wireless microphones.

What board and amps are you using? Is everything permanently installed or do you set everything up?


EDIT: I just re-read your post and realize what you're trying to do. In that case I would go with Dillon's advice below, but it sounds like you really need a better mixer with some more AUXs.

 

[Dillon]

Y the input into two amplifier channels (some newer amps will let you use a single input with both outputs and skip the Y cable) and drive one hotter than the other on the amp... both will get the same mix, but at different volumes.

 

[TimmyP1955]

Is the choir mic'd? If so, keep in mind that anything put into their monitors could well spill into the choir mics and screw up the sound out front. If the choir wants to be in the choir monitors, then something(s) is/are too loud - a choir should never be in its own monitors.

The orchestra should not need monitors, as they are supposed to follow the conductor.

 

[wyatt20019]

it is a permanent install. what is the easiest way to have a POST amp volume control? because sometimes we have to alter the volume levels depending on the type of song, IE: if brass plays loud in that song sometimes they signall us to turn it up.

 

[blademaster]

So let me see if I have this right. You don't want to buy new equipment, but you will if you need to. Money is not a issue is this regard. You have a two row configuration for brass players in the first row and orchestra in the second. Somewhere else you have singers/musicians. You want a grand total of three outputs, one for brass/orchestra, one for musicans, one for singers. If this is the case then I would either daisy chain Galaxy Audio hotspots w/volume control from say a monitor infront of the players such as this...

H__X_X_X_X_X__H
___X_X_X_X_X
__W_________W

with the W being the wedges and daisy chaining from there or parallel to the hotspots (the H's).

Or did I just confuse you?

 

[hsaunier]

If money is not a problem, try using buying several "Hot Spot" personal monitors. They can be purchased with vu control. You set the max that they can be and then the orchestra can dial down what they don't need.

 

[museav]

While an individual send and/or amplifier channel for each line you want to control would be preferable, Derek is on the right track if you simply want a volume control after the amplifier. There are many speaker volume controls available from Radio Shack to companies like Speco, Lowell and Atlas Sound, but you probably want an 8 Ohm L-Pad type control rather than an autoformer type, the latter is for use with constant voltage (25V, 780V or 100V) systems.

The problem may be in getting a unit rated for the power you desire, 50W to 100W or so is typically the max rating for 8 Ohm volume controls and while that is probably fine for one monitor speaker, it may be pushing it for multiple speakers. You may also find a number of stereo volume controls, just wire to one (left or right) channel on the volume control to use one of those.

When you connect a volume control just remember that anything downstream of the control will be affected. If you want to control more than one speaker then they should all be wired off the output of the volume control (thoughI would not wire more than two off one channel) but if you want to control the level of one speaker and not the next then wire to the volume control input and from there to the next speaker, connecting just the one speaker you want to control to the volume control output.

 

[Chris15]

Remember too that if you are attenuating a speaker post amp, then that attenuator is going to get hot... The power has to go somewhere. This is also why few L Pads are rated beyond about 100 watts.

In theory you could use something like an autotransformer to do what you want, but it would present a changing load to the amp and would also because of it's changing impedance affect the relative volume from the other speakers that you didn't want to attenuate.

I'd be looking at another amp channel. If the band want the ability to control their own volume, then wire a pot into the feed line to their amp... Suggestion is made that it made be prudent to wire in an override switch to aid in troubleshooting things...

Derek, which bits of L-Pads need better explanation?