Mackie 1202 -TRS- direct out connections?

[charger]

I'm doing a small bit of location recording this weekend, and I'm borrowing a Mackie 1202 VLZ (not Pro, the older one) to do the recording. My question, simplified, is this:

Can I use the inserts on the back of the mixer as direct outs with TRS output cables?

The diagrams on the back of the mixer, and in the manuals, show how you can use mono output cables as Direct outs by sticking the cable in *to the first click*. Off the top of my head, I can't see why it wouldn't work with a TRS cable as well.

I ask because my DAW is cabled via a TRS > XLR snake.

 

[seriousfun]

Yes, the channel output should appear on one of the 1/4" outs of the insert cable.

I just bought a couple of Hosa (yes, Hosa) insert adaptors, with a TRS plug on one end and a TS jack at the other end of a short cable. You can definitely derive an output from that.

 

[TexRoadkill]

That will work but be careful because it's easy to lose the signal with small vibrations.

 

[Anfontan]

See the Mackie home page for great info

To get an idea what the older Mackie 1202 can do go to the Mackie design home page, click on support and check the discontinued items. It has a 14 page pdf file that goes into it throughly!

 

[Ethan Winer]

Tex,

> That will work but be careful because it's easy to lose the signal with small vibrations. <

I bought a bunch of these to solve that:

www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=274-1520

--Ethan

 

[crosstudio]

i use to have a mackie 1604 and a frontier design tango24. I stuck Y cables into 8 of the 1604 inserts and put the other end into the in's and out's of the tango24. the tango24 had an internal (software) patch bay. so i could connect the in to the out and be able to monitor on the same mixer channel that the signal came from.

wait... important question. is your DAW balanced? because if it is won't you will be losing signal strength by sending the unbalanced signal from the 1202 to the balanced signal of the DAW?

 

[charger]

wait... important question. is your DAW balanced? because if it is won't you will be losing signal strength by sending the unbalanced signal from the 1202 to the balanced signal of the DAW?

Yes, that's exactly my concern. My snake is 1/4" TRS to XLR, the XLR goes to the DAW interface, and the inputs are balanced.

 

[crosstudio]

then you need a unbalanced/balanced converter. Now if you got big money, you can get one of those 8 channel Tascam convert doohickie's for $500 bucks.

if you're trying to get the most while spending the least, I think this converter is what you are looking for:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062443&cp=&kw=balanced&parentPage=search

If you are a do it yourself type of guy (i am not), you might want to make your own. This is the type of stuff I'm always looking at and never actually doing:
http://www.fivefish.net/diy/balanced2/default.htm

 

[gcapel]

I Switched from the mackie vlz to allen and heath for this very reason. Not to mention that the vlz's mic pre's and eq's are limited compaired to the mix wizard.