How to use AUX Send

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dbsoccer

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With my schedule ups and downs it seems my singing hobby takes a backseat some times. Off and on, I perform at a local Open Mic and love it. But one of my biggest issues has been the change between singing without a mic to singing with a mic. The sound is so different and I find myself focusing on the different sound and not performing. I finally realized that because I have asymmetric hearing loss when I move, even slightly on stage (to the right or left or turn slightly) what I hear from the stage monitors changes. So if I stay locked in one spot looking at the same spot/person in the audience then the mix I hear will be the same. But this is not practical. So, enter IEM using an Xvive U4. The sound guy plugs the sending unit of the Xvive into an AUX Send port on his board. We quickly adjust some levels and magically I can turn my head any which way and move any where on stage I want and what I hear doesn't change. I am so relieved. I can now focus on the performance and not wondering if I'm pitchy or not - or better stated - any worse pitchy than I am normally.

So my question: At home I use a Mackie Mix-5. To practice I plug the Xvive sending unit into one of the main outputs and leave one of my stage monitors plugged into the other one. (The stage monitors are moot at this point anyway.) But I'm thinking if I would bump up to a Mackie Mix-8 I would now have a AUX Send port for my Xvive to live in. And I should be able to get a better mix in my IEM and it would more closely match what is happening at an Open Mic night.

I am hoping to get some comments on this new way of thinking and some tips/suggestions for setting the mix using the AUX Send port. What I learn doing this at home should help getting the mix set at an Open Mic as well.

Thank you.
 
Yes the Mix-8 has an AUX out jack so you would be able to send a basic mix of all the channels to your IEM device (cannot see how to connect to it tho'but?)

But, you need I think to make sure that the AUX send is PRE channel fader. This means the signal level is not affected by the mix you send out to the PA. Most AUX sends ARE "PFL" or switchable/jumperable, but best to check. You could I suppose 'live with' an AFL AUX feed but it makes for more hassle.

Download the user manual for the Mix-8 and study the Block Signal Diagram.

Oh POOH!! Just checked and it appears to be AFL. Silly Mackie! Have a look at Soundcraft mixers. Allen and Heath ZEDs are PFL but a bit pricier.

Dave.
 
If you're in control of the main mix, it's not a major detraction that the aux is post fader because the main mix won't be subject to adjustment by a sound person. For that matter, just listening to the main mix is fine for home rehearsal. Having a separate independent mix is needed when there are different listeners with different needs (i.e. audience vs. performer).

One thing to note, pre-fader aux sends are often pre-eq, so you don’t benefit from the tonal corrections done to your voice or other inputs. My last Soundcraft console, a GB2R 16, fortunately had post-eq monitor sends, so at least some are like that.
 
Thanks ecc83. I'm not sure what you meant by 'cannot see how to connect to it tho'but? The thought would be to have the transmitter for the Xvive plugged into the AUX Send port of the Mix-8.

The difference in pre and post is good to know about and learn more about
 
dbsoccer said:
Thanks ecc83. I'm not sure what you meant by 'cannot see how to connect to it tho'but? The thought would be to have the transmitter for the Xvive plugged into the AUX Send port of the Mix-8.

The difference in pre and post is good to know about and learn more about
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Yea verily but from what I could see the Xvive connects via XLR (balanced? mic level?) and the AUX out is jack, probably unbalanced and at around 0dBu?

Oh and yes BSG, if op has total control no biggy.

Dave.
 
So what I'm learning is that based on how I use the Xvive - having a mixer with a AUX Send - pre fader or post fader - will not improve my situation. The Mix-5 has a headphone out. It seems I could use the headphone out for my Xvive and still use the Main Outs for my stage monitors, if I should want them. Or if I didn't want to use the monitors I could plug the Xvive into one of the Main Outs - Left or Right. I see the Main Outs have Balanced/Unbalanced denoted. Not sure if that applies to my situation. Thank you for the teachings.
 

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It really depends on what you're doing with the mixer. If it's for live use, a pre-fader aux might be preferable. If it's just for home rehearsal, you only need one mix (main out).
 
As usual BSG, thanks. So how am I using this equipment? Great question and when I stop and think about it I sometimes feel I have collected some really cool gear but I don't really understand how best to use them. So to some basics....

I use the Mix-5 at my 'in-home' studio. In addition, I have a Shure Beta 87C mic and a couple of Kustom MPC-10MP monitors. I feed backing tracks into the mixer's channels 2 and 3 via a simple SanDisk mp3 player. I generally have the monitors plugged into the Main Outs. I'm aware that having two monitors facing me on either side (roughly 45degrees) is a no-no for this mic but thus far the feedback has not been an issue. As I mentioned above, my asymmetric hearing loss is a bigger issue and when I started using IEMs it was like a new awakening.

So what I think I understand BSG, is using one of the main out ports (either one?) for my Xvive should work fine. Since I have IEM, the Kustoms are moot. And it is also good to know that upgrading to a Mix-8 with the AUX Send doesn't help. An AUX Send port may be used at Open Mic by the sound person but at home, it sounds like it's best that I don't invest in a Mix-8 for the purposes of this discussion.

But now there is the issue about how to best use the Xvive - both at home and at Open Mic night. It would be better if I had an IEM system that was stereo as the mono signal is missing some parts of the backing track - parts that are important. I can get used to this but stereo would be better. But from what I've seen the stereo IEM systems are not only much more expensive, they don't lend themselves to the 'plug and play' simplicity of the Xvive and that is a benefit in an Open Mic setting. I could be wrong here as I've never done extensive research on IEM systems.

Finally the process for setting the mix, on which ever IEM system I use, is a subject that I'm not comfortable with. I can plug the sending unit into the mixer and get a mix to come out of the in-ears but the best process for setting the mix is unclear. This is also an unknown at an Open Mic, where I hand the sound guy the Xvive transmitter, who then plugs it into what I'm assuming to be an AUX Send port, and then 'we' set the mix. The sound guy wants to know what I want. And we take no more than 3-4 minutes to do this. I need to understand the process and what I want to accomplish down cold. I'm not there yet, obviously. And because setting IEM mix is a different topic I'll start a new thread under the 'NEWBIE' section.
 
Dbsoccer, I don't think you necessarily need a "stereo" feed to your IEMs? A mono sum will give you back the parts of the backing tracks you lack.

One advantage of feeding from an AUX send is that it is essentially a mono mix of all the selected channels.

I have a taxi coming soon so catch up later.

Dave.
 
Thanks Dave, You introduced a new term 'mono sum' which is something I need to learn about. I see the advantage of using the AUX send being a mix but when the only channels I have to select from is the mic input and the mp3 player input..... is that different than using the main out? Again, AUX Send is a brand new term for me so I ask only to understand and not to question. Thanks.
 
Bizarrely, the text of the manual doesn't explain much about the stereo line inputs. All the other connectors and controls seem to be covered, but all they say about the stereo inputs is that there's a +4/-10 operating level switch. I had to go to the schematic diagram to find out that they follow industry standard by making the left channel a mono input that appears in left and right outputs, as long as you don't connect anything to the right channel. The bottom line is, you've got two stereo inputs. If you connect the left of your playback to one left input and the right to the other left input, it will be mono in the output, solving the issue of parts of the mix being missing when using only one ear.

I'm surprised Dave didn't suggest building a handy little summing box with a stereo input and a mono output. It must have been the imminent arrival of the taxi.
 
I trying to get my head around this. The mp3's output is stereo meaning depending on how the track I'm playing is recorded, not all the 'music' is heard on both left and right sides equally. If I plug the output from the mp3 into one of the stereo input of the Mix-5 and I use both the L and R Main Outs into, say, my wedges, this stereo is maintained. But if I plug my Xvive into one of the main outs I get only one side of the stereo input into my IEMs. So BSG what your saying is - use both of the Mix-5 stereo inputs by plugging the two output leads from my mp3 player into the two Left Stereo inputs. This way the Left Main output will be mono but it will have all that was recorded. It maybe goes without saying but I'll say it anyway (and I'd figure it out quick enough), if I use the two 'Lefts' as the inputs I would need to plug my Xvive transmitter into the Left Main Out.

And what Dave is saying the AUX Send port is the electronic version of this non-standard cabling just described. Only with the cabling method I don't need to buy the Mix-8.
 
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Only the left inputs of the stereo channels are mono. They're connected internally to the right channel inputs by default, but that connection is defeated if you plug something into the right input, making them stereo. You could use either left or right output.

An aux send is typically mono, and it receives an internally summed version of the stereo input.
 
"I'm surprised Dave didn't suggest building a handy little summing box with a stereo input and a mono output. It must have been the imminent arrival of the taxi." (for an eye test and Whoopee! No need for an injection this time!)
Ha! Not a bad idea, all for peeps getting into audio DIY ( I am assuming BSG that your suggestion was given with the highest of motives?)

The " left input* makes both channels mono" is a good point but in the case of AUX and FX sends that are always taken AFAIKS from both sources so the switching will not matter. This is certainly the case for the Mix-8 according to the block diagram.

*Some equipment, notably synths/organs arrange their jack outputs the same i.e. taking just the left output gets you "all the sounds" in mono.

Dave.
 
Back to drinking from the firehose (AFAIKS, peeps).

To get to solution, using the my Mix-5 => put the two outputs of the mp3 cable into the two L inputs of Mix-5 and put the sending unit from my Xvive into the Left Main Out and I should be good i.e. I should get "all the sounds" of what the mp3 is giving me.

I'll give this a try and see what happens. Thanks for helping me with this.
 
I believe I've achieved success. The cable from my mp3 player is a phone jack on the end into the player and split on the outbound side. I put the two out bound leads into the left ports of the 2 Line-In channels of my Mix-5. I put the Xvive transmitter on the Left side of the Main Out. It does sound like I have the complete output (albeit mono) in my IEMs. It was a very simple tweak to what I had been doing and I didn't have to buy another mixer. I need to learn more about how to adjust the mix and I have another thread started for that topic. Thanks again!
 
dbsoccer said:
I believe I've achieved success. The cable from my mp3 player is a phone jack on the end into the player and split on the outbound side. I put the two out bound leads into the left ports of the 2 Line-In channels of my Mix-5. I put the Xvive transmitter on the Left side of the Main Out. It does sound like I have the complete output (albeit mono) in my IEMs. It was a very simple tweak to what I had been doing and I didn't have to buy another mixer. I need to learn more about how to adjust the mix and I have another thread started for that topic. Thanks again!
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Doh! I am an idiot. Yes, that works because you must have both line inputs "panned" centrally so that each line in is sent equally to both outputs.

It is actually unusual for "stereo line inputs" on mixers to have a pan control, most have a "balance" control. I shall leave you with the task of finding out the difference!

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
Doh! I am an idiot. Yes, that works because you must have both line inputs "panned" centrally so that each line in is sent equally to both outputs.

It is actually unusual for "stereo line inputs" on mixers to have a pan control, most have a "balance" control. I shall leave you with the task of finding out the difference!

Dave.
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And if asked, before now, I would have said pan control and balance control to be the same. I’m on it Dave! I’ll report back ASAP! 😄
 
Well I did look into the difference. Interesting, I must say. And quite useful. But I'll just leave things panned centrally and focus on the singing piece. :-)
 
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