Hook up new monitors??

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gospel

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I bought some M-Audio Studiophile SP-5B monitors. Can anyone give me some help on how I'm supposed to hook them to my pc? I have two 1/4" cords coming from the monitors that are going to have to go in one 1/8" hole on my pc?????
 
Gospel, congratulations on your new monitors, they're a really good deal for the money.
What you can do is get a 1/4" to phono cable. Then connect the cable to a phono to 1/8" adaptor that can be bought at Radio Shack. The adaptor is what goes into the soundcard. You should be up and running in no time. You're going to love the difference. I hope you enjoy them. :)
 
morindae said:
Gospel, congratulations on your new monitors, they're a really good deal for the money.
What you can do is get a 1/4" to phono cable. Then connect the cable to a phono to 1/8" adaptor that can be bought at Radio Shack. The adaptor is what goes into the soundcard. You should be up and running in no time. You're going to love the difference. I hope you enjoy them. :)
Click to expand...

I'm supposing by 'phono' you mean rca? I understand everything you are saying except it still sounds like I'm gonna end up with 2 1/8" cords that need to go in one hole on my pc???
 
You'll be ok because the rca to 1/8" adaptor is a two into one. So both the cables from the monitors go into the adaptor, and from there straight into the line in on the soundcard.
 
I must be having an off day I'm usually not this stupid. Ok let me run this down. When I go to Radio Shack I need to get a cord that has 1- 1/8" stereo plug on one end and 2 male rca plugs on the other end. Then I need to get 2 cords that have 1- 1/4" stereo plug on one end and two rca female plugs on the other end. When I get it all hooked up I will have one of the female rca plugs on each of the cords that nothing is hooked into? Just wanted to make sure before I went to Radio Shack.
 
Gospel,
Sorry I didn't explain good enough...I'm bad about that. The adaptor I have is 1/8" stereo with 2 RCA Female plugs, I don't think they make one with Male. The RCA plugs are going to be MONO. But like I said in the e-mail, in your case maybe you would be better off with 1/8" Stereo male plugged into your computer that adapts to (2) 1/4" MONO female plugs for your monitors to plug into since your monitors already have the cables with 1/4" male plugs.


bd
 
bdbdbuck said:
Gospel,
Sorry I didn't explain good enough...I'm bad about that. The adaptor I have is 1/8" stereo with 2 RCA Female plugs, I don't think they make one with Male. The RCA plugs are going to be MONO. But like I said in the e-mail, in your case maybe you would be better off with 1/8" Stereo male plugged into your computer that adapts to (2) 1/4" MONO female plugs for your monitors to plug into since your monitors already have the cables with 1/4" male plugs.


bd
Click to expand...

It's not you, it's me. I'm no genius, but I can figure out a lot of things. I taught myself computers, live sound equipment, electronics repair (some), and numerous other things, but I always have trouble hooking anything up??? I have a learning disability when it comes to hooking up anything. I can repair the motorola radios that we have in our vehicles at work, but I can't install one???
Also, there is one thing I didn't comunicate right about. The monitors have XLR and 1/4" hookups, but no cords.
 
Gospel now you've got me confused. :) I am of course describing my own method of connection which is also with a Behringer mixer. I am using 1/4" to phono (rca) cables because they were what I had in my supply box.
First let's look at the adaptor; imagine a 'Y' with a piece of black, square shaped plastic over it, and out of one end of the black square projects the bottom end of the 'Y'. This is the part that goes into the computer. The cables from the monitors will go into the holes at the top end of the square which is where the two arms of the 'Y' are. So here we have a two into one adaptor. My adaptor is rca into 1/8". So coming from the monitors, I have plugged into it cables that are 1/4' to rca. It is probably possible to get an adaptor that goes from 1/4" to 1/8". I haven't looked because I had these phono to 1/4" leads and used them instead.
I hope I haven't confused you even more. You could of course call M-Audio and let them recommend something. I'm sure they'll have an answer for you. I hope this helps.
Good luck.
 
OK, your monitors have the same type hookups mine do. I have those little inserts that are 1/4" mono male on one end and RCA on the other end plugged into the 1/4" jack in my monitors, and the RCA cable plugged into them. That works out with the 1/8" stereo to RCA adaptor at the computer.


bd
 
Yeah bdbdbuck, I guess we are doing the same thing. By the way, how are your M-Audio monitors?
And Gospel, I can't wait to hear what you think of yours. I was truly amazed the first time I plugged them in. I was recording an acoustic guitar piece and the playback was magnificent compared to what I had before. It was almost like there was someone in the room playing the guitar, it was that clear. Also, it makes a huge difference when you download mp3's of peoples work.
 
I am going to Radio Shack in a bit and get what I need to hook up the monitors. Just wanted to ask those of you who are using monitors about placement. I've heard a big deal made of this on other forums. The manual says that the top of the woofer should be at ear level. Just wondering if any of you experimented with placement?
 
Morindae,
I can't decide if I like em or not....they make ALL my old recordings sound like crap! Makes me wish I'd had them long ago, before I made those recordings. I'm still learning so it's just the next natural step to take I guess. All said, I love em!

Gospel,
I have mine under the desk where I have my computer...wish I had room on top, they still sound 100% better than my computer speakers.


bd
 
I hear you bd, I'm still learning about mine as well. I bet we grow out of these real soon. This hobby is a bottomless pit of spending.
Gospel, I have mine at ear level. I put them either side of the computer monitor pointed in towards me, which, if my memory serves me right, is the way the manual recommends. My chair is adjustable so that I can get lower if I need the tweeters right at ear level. You'll be amazed at how uncolored they are. I had to go and tweak all the amp models in my POD when I got these speakers, mostly to add some top end on the settings.
 
I can relate to the bottom end being way out of control.....my stuff was boomy beyond belief.


bd
 
Oh, and the spending........... ??? ...........where does it end?


bd
 
spending

You guys are right about spending. I bought the monitors and don't even have them hooked up yet (fell asleep and didn't ever go to Radio Shack) and am already thinking about a condenser mic and a Berry UB series mixer.
 
Gospel, I have the Behringer UB 802 which I am quite happy with. I actually prefer the preamps on it to my audio buddy. The drawback with the mixer is that it is noisy and tends to suck the tone out of my POD. However, with the MXL V67G, it actually works quite well. I don't like the V67 with the audio buddy, it tends to be a bit harsh for my taste. I get the impression from some of the posts I've read that the Studio Projects B1 works better with the audio buddy. If I could buy again I would probably go with the B1. In fact, my next microphone will be the B1 because I want something that can record acoustic guitar and double up as a second option for vocals. I intend to stay with this setup for a while until I get my recording chops down. For the future, I am planning on building a computer that will be dedicated to audio only. This will cut down on the amount of cables and peripheral stuff that clutters up my limited space. This is a very obsessive hobby and I think it makes sense to put yourself on a yearly budget for new gear so as not to let it get out of control.
You may want to check out a good low end preamp (SP VTB 1 or M Audio DMP3 etc) instead of the mixer if you are only putting vocals into the MR 8.
By the way, what are you using for backing tracks?
 
I'm using pre-recorded soundtracks that are mostly on CD. That is why I don't post any songs on nowhereradio because I don't have the recording rights to some of the tracks. It's a bummer sometimes to not be a musician. I've went through the whole thing on two different projects with our group of contacting publishers and getting license to record songs. In twenty songs I've had two publishers who actually wanted royalties. But, we must go by the nowhereradio rules. I have thought of getting some of the great musicians on here to make some tracks for me.
As for the Behringer mixer. I read a review of low end pre-amps on the n-track forum on the fasoft site. The guy tried out numerous pres and said that the Behringer UB series preamps are good. He also liked the Audio Buddy. I think the UB802 is what I've been looking at on MF for $69.99. When it comes to mics, the studio projects B1 is at the top of my list along with the MXLs. Just don't know what MXL to look at. I'll never be recording anything with them except vocals.
 
Gospel,
Courtney has the MXL 93 I think. It sounds so good with her voice, I was thinking I would have to have one. My A-V cobalt worked pretty good with the last song I recorded, at least I think it did. I got it used for $40 at a local music store. If I was going to buy another condenser mic, I would go with a large diaphragm.
As far as mixers go....I use the Behringer UB1002 and I love it! The only time I get any noise out of it is when I have the gain cranked too high. The nice thing about the Behringers is the Phantom power, something you wouldn't really expect for such a low price.


bd
 
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