How do you control the volume of your Active studio monitors?

ambi · #1 03-12-2003

What do you use to control the volume of your Active studio monitors? If none of the above options, what do you do?

littledog · #2 03-12-2003

Mixer

bleyrad · #3 03-12-2003

currently i just the DAW's master output, because going through my Mackie seems to put a pretty big "veil" on the sound. I know that it's a bad idea to let digital do so much reduction, but it sounds better than going through a 1604 VLZ.

i'm looking into just getting some 20db inline XLR pads to put on the main outs from the soundcard, but i can't find any with the correct impedance for line-level.

ambi · #4 03-12-2003

Oh yea, excactly does that do?

Yea someone said running it through the mackie would add too much noise and degrade the signal a lot. I'm trying to find a creative way that you could do this.

I maybe just get passive monitors with an amplifier to bypass this problem.

jrosenstein · #5 03-12-2003

seems to me that putting a 20dB pad on your soundcard output would allow you to monitor at a reasonable level while keeping your soundcard output level fairly high, so you wouldn't lose any bits. an excellent idea.

ambi · #6 03-13-2003

Hmm, this may solve my problem. How can this be done? What is this pad device you speak of?

Just something that reduces the sound by 20dba. But what IS it? A box?

jrosenstein · #7 03-13-2003

yes, a pad just reduces the signal level.

if i'm not mistaken, a pad is just a voltage divider, the simplest type of which consists of exactly two resistors -- maybe double that for a balanced signal. not exactly a high-cost item. the XLR connectors would cost more than the circuit.

bleyrad · #8 03-13-2003

Really simple. Just a few wires and resistors in there.
This one, like all i've been able to find, is designed for low impedance (microphones). i haven't been able to find any line-level pads yet. i would build by own, but i ALSO haven't been able to find any formulas for finding the correct resistors for impedance vs. attenuation.

bleyrad · #9 03-13-2003

by the way, most balanced pads have 5 resistors. i think you can get away with 3, but it's better to have 5.

ambi · #10 03-13-2003

This would be VERY interesting. I am in the same situation as you.

I don't want to buy an expensive passive preamp, or buy a mixing board for the sole purpose of controling the volume of my monitors and degrading the signal quality.

I also don't want to control the volume digitall using windows. If i open winamp half the time it auto resets it to 100 percent, so i don't want to accidentally explode the speakers.

bleyrad · #11 03-13-2003

that's why i have the limiters on the YSM1's engaged

jrosenstein · #12 03-13-2003

you know what? screw the fixed pad. make your own volume knob.

just get a logarithmic-taper potentiometer with enough overall resistance so that when it's off there is essentially no current drawn. i'm just guessing here, but something like 100 K-ohms should be more than enough. then try something incredibly simple like this:

(obviously test it first with some cheap equipment before you stick it on your real gear ... somebody please point out if this would be a bad idea for some reason. )

ambi · #13 03-13-2003

Latin man. All greek.
I'm sure it's a great idea but it's not so simple to me considering i don't understand what you're saying.

Is the the same thing as building a passive preamp?

What do the limiters do? Just make it so if the windows volume does reset and try to make your speakers explode, it will activate the limiter and prevent that?

subtractor · #14 03-13-2003

They're called volume knobs. They're right next to the on/off switch. Input volume can be controlled at just about every point. ie; instrument > mixer > interface...

ambi · #15 03-13-2003

Yes, but i need a volume knob.
There is no mixer.

Computer - active monitors.

There is a volume control digitally in windows. BLECH!

Thats what i need, a volume knob!

jrosenstein · #16 03-13-2003

sorry.

i'm not sure what a passive preamp would be .... i see the phrase around here, to me, "passive" would imply that it didn't require any external power, but "preamp" would suggest that it did.

this tiny circuit would just give you an analog volume control for your soundcard output.

alfalfa · #17 03-13-2003

This article covers a lot of issues to do with building a passive preamp (volume control) eg impedence matching, high frequency roll off etc. There is also a design attached. You just have to get past the weird introduction.
http://www.stereophile.com/fullarchives.cgi?54

Building a high quality, transparent volume control is not as simple as it first sounds. There are a lot a passive preamp designs on the web if you do a search.

ambi · #18 03-13-2003

so a passive preamp is essentially just a volume knob.
But wouldn't it be hard to built with no equipment and no parts or experience or knowledge?

I mean my dad had tons of shit, soldering irons and what not, but more geared towards building, not electrical stuff.

Man that link is interesting but can i just buy one of these things, i don't know what i'm doing so i'm afraid i couldn't build one myself.

alfalfa · #19 03-13-2003

I wouldn't have a clue how to build one either. Thats why I'll pay money to buy a hifi preamp (passive or active) or integrated amp to get a decent volume control. Interesting though.

LooneyTunez · #20 03-13-2003

Presonus is coming out with a solution very soon called the HP4. It's part of the "MaxRack" line. Here's little info about those products.

Quote:

Presonus presented new stuff too, a line of 1/3 rack space comleting their TubePre:
- Comp16, a compressor, mono, with 16 presets (I/O 1/4" and XLR)
- EQ3B, an eq fully parametric, mono, 3 bands (I/O 1/4" and XLR)
- HP4, a 4 separe amps for headphones, individual volume control and stereo control of room outpouts, with a bypass to switch room monitoring off when needed.
- To carry all this a kind of minirack case 1/3 rack wide for 6 units, and a common power unit to feed all of them easily.

All units are 129$ and expected in April.

jrosenstein · #21 03-13-2003

Quote:

Originally posted by LooneyTunez
Presonus is coming out with a solution very soon called the HP4.

If you're worried enough about impedance mis-matches not to just run a simple potentiometer, I doubt that a headphone amp would be a better option.

LooneyTunez · #22 03-13-2003

While there aren't too many details out there for the HP4 (yet), it looks to me that it is more than just a headphone amp. It does have control room outputs, which are probably going to have a compatible impedance.

alfalfa · #23 03-15-2003

Ambi, you asked elsewhere what I use to control the volume. Rather than hijack that thread I will answer here (perhaps you might want to delete your post from that thread).

I use a behringer mixer to control some event active monitors. In hindsight I would not get this setup, which is why I dont recommend it. On the other hand my partner is happy enough with the convenience of it all and isnt so concerned with sound quality.

It shouldnt be that hard to build a simple passive preamp like what jrosenstein suggested. It should get the job better than a cheap mixer. Otherwise just use a mixer and live with some small signal degradation. You may not even notice it.

knightfly · #24 03-15-2003

Guys, at the risk of getting too "tech-y" here, there is NO SUCH THING as a "passive" pre-amp.

The term "pre-amp" is short for Preliminary Amplifier. An amplifier is NOT a PASSIVE device, or it couldn't AMPLIFY anything.

In all analog electronic circuits, everything that is ACTIVE is either an AMPLIFIER, an OSCILLATOR, or a POWER SUPPLY - and it can be argued that a power supply is just a specialized AMPLIFIER.

PASSIVE components are things that require no Power Supply in order to operate, such as resistors, capacitors, inductors and switches.

Radio shack used to make some 20 dB and 30 dB pads that were in the form of a RED mini-jack. Looks just like any other mini jack, except it's RED, and has the resistors inside to attenuate the input signal by 20 or 30 dB.

I don't remember the part #, but if you're interested I may be able to get it off the few of them I have in my studio in the junk box.

You would need to get whatever adapters you need to mate them up to your sound card, but that little bit of circuitry should do less to cloud up your sound than the Mackie, and DEFINITELY less than the Behringer (yeccchhh!!!)

If I were using active monitors, I personally would recommend using a stereo L-pad between the sound card and monitors, since I firmly believe in always monitoring at a constant 85 dB SPL, measured with "C" weighting - this requires riding the level as you make changes to the mix, but it's the only way I've found to get consistent bass response in mixes. The other downside of my method is it's not cheap if you get decent components.

For my KRK passives, I use an SAE preamp into a Yamaha "Natural Sound" power amp, and I ride the level with the SAE volume control.

Just my $.02... Steve

ambi · #25 03-15-2003

I don't fully follow you.
what is this L pad?

And would it be the same price to just get something like your SAE preamp and use that?

View Poll Results: So how DO you control the volume of your Active monitors?
With a mixing board	95	49.48%
With a passive preamp	5	2.60%
With my computer's audio output faders	45	23.44%
other...	47	24.48%
Voters: 192. You may not vote on this poll

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