Hookin up a talkbox?

M

miccontrol

New member
Hello everybody,

Well, I have a Heil Talkbox and having a hell of a time trying to hook it up. I'm going to be using it with my keyboard but only have a home receiver to run it. The way I have it set up now (which doesnt seem to work) is:

Line out from the keyboard to Aux. in rcvr.
Speaker line out of rcvr into 1/4" talkbox.
Tube hooked up to the mic which goes into my mixer.

If anybody can give a little insight on this, it would be greatly appreciative!

Thanks and Peace,
B
 
Hey miccontrol,
Your looking for insight on something I doubt very many people have tried. But I have built and used a talkbox so I understand what you are trying to do.

You really should be using an amp for this and put the Talkbox between the amp and the speaker cabinet. But obviously you dont have that option.

Here are my suggestions.

1 Are you sure the talkbox works?

2 Are you sure your receiver has enough power to push the driver in the talkbox?

2 If you plug your keyboard into the aux in of the receiver can you hear it through your speakers? You may need a preamp to bump up the keyboard output. BUT be very careful if you try this, start with all levels at their minimun and slowly go up from there.

Good luck,
Scott
 
Thanks for the reply Scott,

When I hook up the keyboard into the Aux, I can hear it perfectly.
I just picked up the talkbox at GC used for 75.

I've been racking my brain and spending hours unhooking and hooking things up to no avail. This is what I have to work with:

75 watt Fender amp
10 channel mixer
Kenwood Receiver
Ensoniq eps 16+ (which I would like to control the talkbox with)
Mic

How would you set this up with the equipment I have?
Thank you very much for your knowledge.

Peace,
B
 
Is the talkbox supposed to receive a powered signal or just a line level signal? Do you have a manual?

I thought the older ones needed a powered signal from an amp while the newer ones had built in power and only needed a line level signal.
 
I think its a powered signal. I don not have a manual but on the bottom it has two different ways to hook it up but it hasnt helped me at all.
 
miccontrol,
Here is the way I used to set my talkbox up . I had a Fender Twin and a Fender deluxe amplifier, i could use either one. The speaker in those amps as the two wires that connects it to the amp head. With those two amps the wire was soldered to the speaker but the other end had a 1/4" jack that pluged into the back of the amp head (I think it was labeled "to speaker"). I would pull that out and put a regular guitar cord into the "to speaker" jack (of the amp head) and into the input of the talkbox. Then put another guitar cord into the output of the talkbox and with a female to female adapter I would connect it to the 1/4" jack that went to the speaker. Remember you need to interrupt the signal between the amp head and the speaker and re-route it thru the talkbox. The talkbox should have a switch that will either let the signal pass thru it to the speaker, or when switched it will send the sound of your keyboard up the tube into your mouth and then into the mic with no signal going to the speaker of the amp. Below is a link to the adapter you will need to connect the two 1/4" jacks.

I hope this helps.

Scott


http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7...0699549/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/335227/
 
Tex,
FYI most of the talkboxs today still need a powered signal. I think the Banshee is the only one that does not.

Scott
 
Thanks for the info. I haven't really messed with them in awhile. In your above instructions you should be using 1/4' speaker cable instead of guitar cable. It's much easier on the amp.
 
TexRoadkill said:
Thanks for the info. I haven't really messed with them in awhile. In your above instructions you should be using 1/4' speaker cable instead of guitar cable. It's much easier on the amp.
Click to expand...

You are right about that. No wonder those amps never lasted!
 
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