How to use condensor mics with a 688

[EddieRay]

This is part of a question I posted to the Other Equipment forum.

I would like to track to a 688 with some condensor mics, forcing me to use another mixer that has phantom power and to bypass the 688's preamps.

I can do this with a little Behringer mixer by running 1/4" phono cabcles from the mixers main outs to the 688's line B in.

But now I have a nice little Spirit F1, in which the main outs are XLR connections. It also has TRS insert points for each channel. How should I wire up the Spirit to the 688?

 

[DigitalSmigital]

Well I don't see how the insert jacks will help you, except to put effects or compression on the signal. Are you saying all outputs are XLR? What about the aux. outs?

 

[EddieRay]

I forgot to add that the Spirit manual says of the insert points: "The Send may be tapped off as an alternative pre-fade, pre-EQ direct output if required, using a lead with tip and ring shorted together so that the signal path is not interrupted."

One of the scenarios depicts the inserts going to a multitrack tape deck. So that's what I wanna do, even though I didn't know it was an option when I bought it. Others have suggested pushing an unbalanced 1/4" phono plug two thirds of the way in. I tried but no workee. Seems like a kludge anyway. I'm looking for a solid solution. Any ideas?

Edit:
It does have 3 aux outs, which will be a workable alternative I think.

 

[DigitalSmigital]

Wow, those English folks are something else. If I understand, they want you to re-wire a TRS plug to short the tip and ring together, leaving the sleeve as is to go into an unbalanced input of your 688.

Never heard of that one.

 

[EddieRay]

Wow, those English folks are something else. If I understand, they want you to re-wire a TRS plug to short the tip and ring together, leaving the sleeve as is to go into an unbalanced input of your 688.

Never heard of that one.

Well, I'm the one who thinks he wants to go into an unbalanced input only cuz I think that's how I bypass the 688's preamps. I just spent the last few hours playing around and found I can use the 2/3 insertion thing to get a useable signal. But the first insert is a little touchy. The others held up for the entire session.

This TRS insertion point is new to me - one jack that carries the signal out to effects and then back into the channel strip. Do they make FX units that have a single TRS i/o jack? All the FX boxes I ever used had an innie and an outie.

 

[DigitalSmigital]

No, the insert jacks are only on the 'source' unit (PA head, mixers, etc) and use a cable that has one TRS on the source end and two Tip/Sleeve plugs on the other. They look like a split Y cable.

You plug the TRS end into the mixer's insert jack. The other ends of the cable go to the input and output on the FX unit. The 'tip' signal on the TS end is usually black and is the return to the source, and the red sleeve is the send. ( I could be wrong here, depends on the cable's manufacturer) So the FX unit gets the sleeve signal in the input and sends it back to the tip from the output.

 

[muttley]

Use an outboard phantom power supply, You have mic, then cable plugged into phantom, then another cable to input on 688............



da MUTT