Monitor Switches?

ZNEFF189

New member
Hello, I’ve been on this forum for a little while but have not been active... Until today. I’ve been trying to figure out how I could switch between two pairs of monitors on the fly while mixing. I have a pair of Yamaha HS8’s and a smaller pair of KRK Rokit 5’s that I want to use for checking out mixes done on the HS8’s as a form of reference. But I hate having to switch all of the cords and all of that just to listen to the smaller KRK’s. I’ve been looking online at Passive Monitor switches. But I’m still a little confused as to how they work and what one would be the right one for me. I use Reaper + Pro Tools on a Windows 10 computer that I built myself, but mainly, I use Reaper. I have a Scarlett 18i20 for my interface as well as a presonus talkback system and a channel strip/snake in the live room for mic’ing up drum kits/bands and etc. I don’t have the routing/signal chain directly in front of me, as I am at my 9-5 at the moment. But I was wondering if anyone can clue me in as to what might possibly be the best bang for my buck and what switch I could use that would be compatible for my DAW(s) and etc. I’ve never thought about using one of these until now. So please excuse me if I seem to be a newbie. Lol!
 
Your question is a good one. I use two different sets of monitors (for mix comparison) and I use an Art Split Mix 4 to get the job done. You can take the main from a headphone out or monitor out or line out and direct the signal to where you want. All inputs and outputs are stereo 1/4" plug. It works a little like a headphone splitter but can be configured many ways for your needs. Each input or output can be adjusted for volume. It's passive so there's no need for a power supply and I think that helps to eliminate excess or stray noise in your signal path. You can....if you want to.....direct your output to 4 different things.......or have 2 outputs and two different inputs....and a host of other options. I've tried headphone amps but I think they color the sound to some degree.
 
Hello long time lurker!
Yes, good question and one I would like to answer in some depth?
I bought myself a passive controller, the Mackie Big Knob. My controller is mainly to allow other input sources as I only have one pair of monitors, Tannoy 5As but it does of course have the capability to switch between two sets of monitors.

There are technical objections to passive controllers but the main one is possible HF loss from cable capacitance from the far from zero impedance of the control potentiometer. In practice, with a 10k Ohm pot the output resistance can never be more than about 2.5k. Not ideal but for short cable runs to the monitors no great problem. My Tannoys are on about 3mtrs of two core "mic" cable and sound just as they did straight out of the AI (NI KA6)

The other side of the coin is objection to active controllers. Really not justified in my view. A couple of high grade op amps in the signal path are very unlikely to be audible, in fact their very low output resistance might make the monitor amps a bit quieter!

However! If it is JUST monitor switching you need and you can solder and drill metal all you need is a 4 pole changeover switch in a tin and some cables.

Dave.
 
That is a useful feature of the AI I was unaware of Sasquatch, is the switching simple? Maybe can be set as a keyboard shortcut?

Software settings are rarely as convenient as a hardware button and I for one like having an alalogue pot on my main speaker feed!

Dave.
 
ecc83.....you make a good point about possible potential HF loss using a passive controller pot. In my setup the Split4 mixer is using less than 3 ft of cable to each monitor and I keep the pot for each unused output turned completely down when I'm not listening to that set. I have checked for both frequency loss and possible phase issues as well by comparing to the direct out from my AI. There does not seem to be much if any audible change. The input impedance for the Split4 is 25k - 100k ohms. The output impedance is 1k - 4k ohms. There is certainly a volume loss of about 12db which you can of course hear. For those who have a desk setup with near fields on the desk or fairly near.......I would think that the Split4 wouldn't be an issue. For a cost of around $69 it's not a bad option.
 
Just FYI? A random hit on Van Damme "toure grade" mic cable gives me a core to screen capacitance of 105pf/mtr and so for a 2.5k source you would need 30mtrs of that to give a -3dB point at 20kHz.

I think most home setups will be fine!

Dave.
 
If you want to go another step up in flexibility without breaking the bank -- Monitor Station V2 | PreSonus

Assuming it uses some guts similar to the Central Station (I was using one while my Avocet was being built and I gotta say, the bang for the buck factor of that thing was around 9.7), you're getting all the routing options and control you'd probably need plus the ability to plug in different sources without having to route through the computer. The Central Station was A-or-B-plus-C also, so if you add a sub at some point, again - freakish control over the situation.
 
I think the Mackie Big Knob is the least expensive option, I'm very happy with mine. I had a double need for it - 2 computers.
 
If you already have a way to control volume for monitors and headphones, and if you have no need for extra features beyond just the switching, take a look at the ProCo Switch Witch. It's just 1 stereo input and 4 stereo outputs. Each output has a toggle switch so you can A/B/Y any or all 4 sets of outputs. Simple and effective!

I love mine, it suits my needs perfectly since I have no need for talk back, mono, mute, volume, etc.
 
I think the Mackie Big Knob is the least expensive option, I'm very happy with mine. I had a double need for it - 2 computers.

Me too. And it is built like a tank. It has taken a few beers spilt on it and survived. A bit of contact cleaner was all that was needed.
 
We have the Mackie Big Knob too, and it's been a perfect companion to the pair of Focal CMS40s and the single mono Avantone MixCube. Two inputs has been good too, as the studio space has both the DAW computer (Mac Mini) and a Linux laptop for utility work. An important thing about the Bog Knob is that inputs and outputs are all balanced.

Additionally we're switching one of the headphone outputs of our audio interface (Behringer UMC1820) using what was sold as an "input selector". It's a plastic box with three pushbuttons that switch three pairs of RCA inputs to one pair of RCA outputs. It's completely passive so we've just turned it around the other way. The headphone output feeds in, and drives one of
  1. The wireless headphone base station.
  2. A pair of "good" active computer monitors sitting together in a corner.
  3. A old cellphone with connections directly to its speakers.
 
Back
Top