question about lo-z / hi-z connections

C

connor413

New member
i recently got a delta 44, per jeff_d's recommendation, and got it all set up, but one of the connections between the mixer and delta breakout box sounds pretty weak. the other 3 seem to be working fine right now. the weak one looks like this:

mixer (xenyx 1204) > generic lo-z mic cable > whirlwind impedance matcher* > delta box

is this not a good idea to use as a connection? i know lo-z means low impedance, but i don't really have a good grasp on what that actually means. i just bought the little imp as an xlr to 1/4 connector a few years ago, not really knowing what relevance impedance conversion had. i used it to connect a mic to one of the stereo channels on my mixer and was working fine last time i used it not too long ago

i'm pretty sure it's the connection between the mixer and box because i tried panning the kick into that ouput and then the snare, and whichever goes into that one sounds shitty while if i pan them to a different output, they sound fine.



*this thing: http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.co...tle-IMP-Lo-to-Hi-Impedance-Matcher?sku=427600
 
hey conner- hope you're happy with your Delta44 purchase. I couldn't go into the technicalities of impedance, but I'm fairly confident that you don't want or need that Imp thing in your path where you have it. I'd hit the store and just pick up a few cables with xlr to 1/4" connectors as appropriate for your application. Did I mention this is a money pit? :D
 
BTW, everything else working like planned with the routing and stuff for that setup? You might have to play around with some of the buttons for the "control room" on your mixer to get the right stuff off to your monitors.
 
Jeff_D said:
Did I mention this is a money pit? :D
Click to expand...

haha yep, i'm fully aware of this.

Jeff_D said:
BTW, everything else working like planned with the routing and stuff for that setup? You might have to play around with some of the buttons for the "control room" on your mixer to get the right stuff off to your monitors.
Click to expand...

yeah man, so far everything seems to be working out as far as routing goes. i have my DAW set to output everything to the USB interface i was using before, which is connected to my general stereo receiver; monitors are an investment for another time.

i am noticing that the kick track does sound... choppy? fuzzy? i'm not sure how to describe it. it sounds like it might just be clipping a lot. clipping with some sort of weird static after-noise. i'm gonna play around with the input levels and stuff to see what i can find. the snare track as well, which hopefully will be cured with replacing this weak connection
 
Did you check to see if the mic your using on the kick is good try it in an other channel just to make sure.
 
What kind of mic are you using on the kick? Something decent or somethin cheap? Kind of a pita, but switch cables, mics, channels around until you can isolate the problem.

What usb interface do you have in the mix? you can output back through the Delat44 back into the "control room" section of your mixer if you prefer. (not that that has anything to do with your kick mic trouble)
 
moresound said:
Did you check to see if the mic your using on the kick is good try it in an other channel just to make sure.
Click to expand...

the mic itself should be fine. i haven't moved it more than 3 inches from where i was using it before i got the delta. i would try testing it through a different channel and all that, but i'd prefer to make that a last resort as i'd have to do a lot of careful moving of amps and other crap to get at the mic. i know that would be the best way to figure it out, and will try that if i have to.

Jeff_D said:
What kind of mic are you using on the kick? Something decent or somethin cheap?
Click to expand...

real cheap. $10-15 nady jobber. it sounded normal last time i used it, and gets the job done fine for what i'm doing right now.

Jeff_D said:
What usb interface do you have in the mix? you can output back through the Delat44 back into the "control room" section of your mixer if you prefer. (not that that has anything to do with your kick mic trouble)
Click to expand...

it's a behringer stereo input. came with the xenyx. like this:

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Behringer-UCONTROL-UCA202-USBAudio-Interface?sku=702540

except no monitor switch, headphone jack, volume control or optical output. basically a usb box with rca stereo ins and outs. makes it easy to get playback through my stereo since i have a thousand extra rca cables laying around
 
connor413 said:
the mic itself should be fine. i haven't moved it more than 3 inches from where i was using it before i got the delta. i would try testing it through a different channel and all that, but i'd prefer to make that a last resort as i'd have to do a lot of careful moving of amps and other crap to get at the mic. i know that would be the best way to figure it out, and will try that if i have to.



real cheap. $10-15 nady jobber. it sounded normal last time i used it, and gets the job done fine for what i'm doing right now.



it's a behringer stereo input. came with the xenyx. like this:

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Behringer-UCONTROL-UCA202-USBAudio-Interface?sku=702540

except no monitor switch, headphone jack, volume control or optical output. basically a usb box with rca stereo ins and outs. makes it easy to get playback through my stereo since i have a thousand extra rca cables laying around
Click to expand...

The possibility of a $10 mic distorting on a kick drum is good. But, if it was fine before... Did you try to get rid of that impedance matcher. That would be my first order of business.

About the Berh usb thing, I don't know how big of a difference it would really make, but I'd bet ya a beer that the Delta44 has better DA converters. If you run a 1/4"-rca cable into the "tape in" you can use the control room knob on your mixer to control the monitor volume (plus you can hook up a set of headphones if necessary). Then hook your stereo up with a pair of 1/4-rca cables from the control room out on the mixer.

:)
 
Jeff_D said:
The possibility of a $10 mic distorting on a kick drum is good. But, if it was fine before... Did you try to get rid of that impedance matcher. That would be my first order of business.
Click to expand...

yeah, i'll be taking the imp matcher out, but i was getting the distortion through an entirely separate channel anyway. time to pick up another xlr to 1/4 cable.

Jeff_D said:
About the Berh usb thing, I don't know how big of a difference it would really make, but I'd bet ya a beer that the Delta44 has better DA converters. If you run a 1/4"-rca cable into the "tape in" you can use the control room knob on your mixer to control the monitor volume (plus you can hook up a set of headphones if necessary). Then hook your stereo up with a pair of 1/4-rca cables from the control room out on the mixer.
Click to expand...

the reason i use the behringer usb is pretty much just because i don't have any 1/4 to rca cables right now. i'm satisfied with it, and might upgrade later on if i feel the need.

also, do i need TRS cables from the mixer to the delta box? i bought this:
http://accessories.musiciansfriend....Series-Cable-Female-XLR-to-Male-14?sku=336121
for one half of the main outs and it seems to sound fine. if i snag another one of those to replace this configuration with the impedance matcher, should i be good to go?

they are mono inputs anyway, aren't they? i hadn't noticed you labeled them TRS on that diagram in the other thread until just now.

sorry for a thousand questions and thanks for all your help man
 
connor413 said:
yeah, i'll be taking the imp matcher out, but i was getting the distortion through an entirely separate channel anyway. time to pick up another xlr to 1/4 cable.



the reason i use the behringer usb is pretty much just because i don't have any 1/4 to rca cables right now. i'm satisfied with it, and might upgrade later on if i feel the need.

also, do i need TRS cables from the mixer to the delta box? i bought this:
http://accessories.musiciansfriend....Series-Cable-Female-XLR-to-Male-14?sku=336121
for one half of the main outs and it seems to sound fine. if i snag another one of those to replace this configuration with the impedance matcher, should i be good to go?

they are mono inputs anyway, aren't they? i hadn't noticed you labeled them TRS on that diagram in the other thread until just now.

sorry for a thousand questions and thanks for all your help man
Click to expand...


That Delta44 will take balanced or unbalanced cables. You might as well get the trs (3 conductor) cables. The only real benefit is noise rejection, which isn't really typically a big concern especially with short cable runs... but why chance it.

You might check out ebay for cables.
http://cgi.ebay.com/6-each-NEW-1-4-...emQQptZGuitar_Accessories?hash=item588558ee66
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top