mixer getting me down,,,what am i doing wrong ??

rxkevco

rxkevco

New member
Hi all,,,
Please can someone help me with getting my signal paths sorted out with my mixer. I have done all sorts of searches,, read up on signal paths and send/returns ect,, but i am getting nowhere.

I have a soundcraft spirit f100 16/2 mixer and 4 effects racks and am having a nightmare sorting it all out. Never had any problems before i bought the mixer,, which i bought to make life easier,,, i thought.

I have a boss sx700 effects rack,
Art guitar effects rack,
4 band parametric eq,
Triple c multiband compressor.

I also have a patchbay and loads of quality patch cables,, but i am leaving this out of the question for now. Doesnt seem sensible to start playing with a patchbay before i can get the mixer and effects working properely.


I have each of the channels set up for individual instruments,,
ie,,1, acoustic guitar, 2, clean electric, 3 dirty electric, 4, korg synth,5, bass ect,,ect,,,,
I have the mixer connected to my power amp and nearfeild monitors and get a great sound for each of the individual channels.

But,,, the only rack device i have got working is the parametric eq,,, i have a stereo Y cable from the L in and R out on the eq, which go to the insert on whatever mixer channel i choose,, and this is working fine.
Nothing else will work as an insert.

What am i doing wrong ????? i have been at this for weeks and sheer embarrasment has brought me to write this post,,,,

I have an insert available on each channel, 3 aux inputs and a L and R mix insert,,,, no returns or sends,,,,, getting very confused as to how to get it all connected.

My aim is to run from the mixer (when its set up) to my steinberg M14 audio interface and straight into cubase.
I like to get my sound proccessed to my liking before recording in cubase, this is why i want the mixer set up the way i wanted, so all i would have to do is plug in whatever proccessor i needed to the instruments signal,, to record as a 100% wet signal.

I just havent got my head around this mixer so far,, its driving me nuts.

Any help or advice would be really appreciated,,,,,,really, really appreciated.
Cheers,,,, kev.
 
No sends or returns? Thats how you want to run it. send the signal to the effect then return it to the mixer, asigning the effect to the channel using the aux. I cant find that mixer either to take a look at it.
 
Those should work on your inserts, you tried switching the plugs the opposite way at the rack piece, maybe the send is plugged into the return, etc.?
 
Thanks for the reply,,,
Thats what i think the problem is ????
I have an insert on each channel,,, but i dont appear to have any outs.
Apart from the mic, line and insert on each channel, the only other sockets to put a jack into are,,, aux 1, 2 and 3,,mono sum,,, L and R insert mix.

Mind you,,,, there are two matched rcas named 9L and 10 R then 13L AND 14R,,, below the rca inputs there are 4 jack ins named 11 L, 12 R, 15 L and 16 R,,,,,, AM I GETTING CLOSER ?????
 
maestro_dmc said:
Those should work on your inserts, you tried switching the plugs the opposite way at the rack piece, maybe the send is plugged into the return, etc.?
Click to expand...

Did you try this? You could have your send and return swapped on your insert cable. Try using the cable you had success with the EQ on your other modules... it could be the other cables aren't inserts, but Y cables.

The Compressor and EQ should be wired as inserts on individual channels... The Boss and the Art should be hooked up to the Aux sends... probably returning to the L/R insert mix...
 
inserts

The insert channels on soundcraft mixers usually run as RTS stereo jacks where the Ring is the send and the Sleeve is the return - ie the signal (post pre amp and bass cut - pre eq) goes out the from the tip on a stereo jack - This is fed to the input of whatever device is required (compressor , eq, etc) . The signal shows up on the tip of the Mono jack that is wired to the tip on the stereo end of the Y cable - The output of whatever device goes to the other Mono jack - it goes down the tip of the jack and is returned to the SOundcraft's signal path on the sleeve of the stereo jack of the Y cable .. If this not working with your y cables you must ahve a short - or some other wiring configuration in your Y cable - or the send and return mono jacks are not wired (ior marked ) properly . It is of course possible to use the Aux for signal processing and return the signal to a channel or a return . If however you wish to go out from an insert and return to a channel using a cable you will have problems . This is because on a soundcraft mixer when you insert any jack into the insert you disconnect the signal path - if you want to take a feed out of the insert (and keep the channel path intact -) you have to make up custom insert leads which short out the tip and sleeve (on a stereo jack) - this gives you a feed direct out of the insert - and sends it to the tip on a mono jack . I dont know if this is what you were enquiring about - hope it helps - If you wish to test where signal is going test it on a multi meter set to ohms -and check for open circuit.
 
kev,

I believe that model was not availible here in the U.S. but I was able to do a search and most of them were from Europe.

The board has 3 Aux outputs which can be used to send a signal to your effects units. Use the stereo inputs of the board to recieve the return signals from your effects units. You should use this set up for your Boss and ART units. Just remember not to use the aux send on the channels that are the returns of the effects units or you will get a feedback loop.

The other two units (EQ and Compressor) should be used with the inserts.
 
Hey guys,,,, thanks for all the info.
I have read each of your posts very closely and that info has made me search a bit more ,,,for a bit more self education. thanks for that.
Got some very good pointers,,,,

I now have my compressor, my boss sx700 and my parametric connected up to the mixer,,,,sort of !!
I have used a stereo y cable for each of them.
If i connected them the right way around in the first place i could have saved myself a lot of embrrasement.
With 1 plug (red)on an input and the other on the output(white) of each of the devices, and the main jack into a channel insert i get the effect joining my signal path of whatever instrument i am using on that particular channel.
I havent tried the ART fx yet, but i am sure it will use the same proccess.

So,,,, i now have them all working again,,, thanks.

Whilst playing around with all these cables i have learnt a lot,, especially with all your advice.

I have run into another unexpected problem though,,,,,,,,,,,
I use cubase via a steinberg M14 interface which i have connected to the mixer.
so long as an instrument is plugged into one of the interfaces inputs, i can get a signal into cubase and record properly. but,,,,, the L &R outputs from the M14 are plugged into L 15 & R 16 on the mixer. This gets a stereo signal into cubase, and allows me to monitor thru the mixer and thru cubase.
The problem i am seeing now is,,,,,,,cubase will only record from channel 15/16 which has no insert socket to add my effects into,,,,,,
There must be an easier way,,,,
I only got the mixer to be able to set up each channel for a seperate instrument and get them how i liked to sound so i wouldnt have to start messing around with the settings all the time. Be able to add any of my rack gear to any given channel (via the patchbay ), and to be able to record guitar on channel 1, add an effect to the signal ,,,,then,,,,,,, be able to play the giutar with the effect and have it record into cubase,,,,, this is the problem i can see already,,,,,
I wont be able to record from any channel other than 15/16 which dont have an insert and limited eq ???????
Am i talking in riddles or does this make some sort of sence ????
 
rxkevco said:
I use cubase via a steinberg M14 interface which i have connected to the mixer. so long as an instrument is plugged into one of the interfaces inputs
Click to expand...
Insruments should plug into the mixer channels not the interface

the L &R outputs from the M14 are plugged into L 15 & R 16 on the mixer. This gets a stereo signal into cubase, and allows me to monitor thru the mixer and thru cubase.
Click to expand...
No it doesn't, this is the output from Cubase into the mixer. What plugs into the interace... should be your master outputs (L/R).

Instruments into the desk, dynamics tapped at the insert, effects aux send, and master out to the sound card....(if you're only recording one stereo track at a time).
 
Last edited:
Hi,,, MOFO PRO,,,,,
What do you mean by master outs ???

I keep forgetting about the usb cable from the m14 to the pc,,, so yes i understand now its the output from cubase going into the mixer,, not the other way round,,, thats clearer to me now.

The L & R output from the interface go into the L 15/ R 16 ins, on the mixer.
The monitor outs from the mixer go straight to my amp and monitors,, insted of going from the monitor outs from the interface,,,,
This is working,, and i am pleased i am up and running again,,, but,,, there is no dispute that this mixer is not following an orthodox signal path.

Cheers,,,, kev.
 
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