Audio interface to mixer setup.

T

tga1958

New member
Hi everyone. I'm a newbie and couldn't find an answer after searching for a while.
There are three things I'd like to do.
First, just play music from my laptop to my speakers.
Second, get into home recording.
Third, set up some half decent karaoke for the kids.

Here's what I have:
Laptop > Focusrite 2i4 > Xenyx1202FX mixer > EP4000 power amp > Speakers.
I'd like to use the equalisers on the mixer. They're only available on the mono channels. Is there a way to set this up, or do I need a better mixer.

Thanks very much.
If there's a better forum to post this, please let me know.
 
tga1958 said:
Laptop > Focusrite 2i4 > Xenyx1202FX mixer > EP4000 power amp > Speakers.
Click to expand...

For what you want to do, that arrangement looks fine, particularly for playing music or karaoke. For example you can play a backing track from the lap yop, and hook up some mikes to the xenyx, and terrorise the neighbours satisfactorily with your singing.

For recording, you can go the reverse: mikes into Xenyx, into focusrite into laptop. Bear in mind that the focusrite only gives you two discrete channels, so that's all you can record independently and simultaneously.

You can use the EQ on the xenyx for mike channels, but not for the stereo line-in channels. That's probably just as well, because the channel EQ is very basic. You are better off managing the EQ of the music or backing tracks within the laptop itself. Or you can get yourself a graphic EQ unit and put it between mixer and amp.
 
That is a seriously powerful amplifier even if they are "Behringer's speccs" it is still capable of destroying speakers. I hope yours are up to the task!
Then, since you will be using a live mic watch the feedback, can burn out a voice coil in a trice not to mention doing ears no good at all.

Dave.
 
Thanks Dave. It's a bit of a midlife crisis I think. I picked up the amp for a song with a burned diode. It's in the repair shop.
The speakers are Cerwin Vega VS-150s. Great for rock and roll.
Can't wait. ?
 
"The speakers are Cerwin Vega VS-150s. Great for rock and roll."

Right, hefty but still only rated to HALF the power delivery of the Behringer which claims 950WPCH into 4 Ohms and the VS-150s are four Ohms! Yes the speakers have HF protection and fuses but I don't believe their sensitivity figure of 102dB/W/mtr and so are wary of the protection's efficacy! At least buy a bag of fuses.

If all the speccs' are true that setup is capable of putting out around 140dB, that's encroaching on NASA territory!

Dave.
 
There's a theory in the live sound fraternity that amps should be rated between 50 and 100% more than the speakers they feed so they never get near distortion. The thought is that a distorted (i.e. square-ish wave) signal is more likely to damage speaker coils than simple over power situations.

I'm not sure I believe this--but a lot of live sound pros spec systems this way.
 
Bobbsy said:
There's a theory in the live sound fraternity that amps should be rated between 50 and 100% more than the speakers they feed so they never get near distortion. The thought is that a distorted (i.e. square-ish wave) signal is more likely to damage speaker coils than simple over power situations.

I'm not sure I believe this--but a lot of live sound pros spec systems this way.
Click to expand...

I don't believe it either Bobbs! A proper PRO sound engineer decides on the SPLs he wants and where. This fixes the speakers by propagation pattern and sensitivity and then the amplifiers are calculated from that.

Anything else is design by wet finger in the wind.

Dave.
 
" If you cant keep the power amp from clipping (say, you have no limiter and the system is overdriven or goes into feedback) the amplifier power should equal the speakers continuous power rating. That way the speaker wont be damaged if the amp clips by overdriving its input."

This, ^ from the Crown article is the situation that 99% of people with a PA are in, i.e. no A saving limiter.
I agree that over speaker rated amps are fine when in the hands of sensible people such as yourself Mr G AND when the gear is of truly professional quality. For instance Celestion Guitar speakers are noted to be conservatively rated, other brands are not so careful. Even so, Celestion suggest a rating at least 50% above amplifier rating and preferably 100%. This is even more important with valve OP stages.

If you have a system such as the OP's where nigh on 1.000 watts could be put into a 400W speaker if some pratt fiddles, something WILL blow, hopefully just a fuse (and a sudden O/C at full power CAN damage transistor amps. Tis rare but can happen).

I think the whole theory came from the audiophile field where it IS permissible to have amps 2 even 3 times the speaker rating but this is because the owner of the system is LISTENING and will detect any strain. He/she is also very unlikely to allow pratt access to said system!

Dave.
 
Set the amp up in a locked cabinet with the volume dials on 25%. And a power switch on the outside to turn the sucker on. :rolleyes:
 
Good idea about the locked cabinet. I do plan on taking it easy, especially with the kids around. I had planned on a less powerful amp, but saw this one for $30 (plus repairs) and couldn't pass it up. Thanks for all the advice guys.
 
Newbie question: since he has the mixer, why the need for the AI? ie what does the mixer lack? MIDI I/Os?
 
joey2000 said:
Newbie question: since he has the mixer, why the need for the AI? ie what does the mixer lack? MIDI I/Os?
Click to expand...

Becasue the Behr mixer does not have analog-digital converters. He needs to get the sound from the computer out to the mixer (backing tracks), and may also want to record the kids singing.
 
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