Is it bad to keep turning my Mackie HR624 moniotrs on and off???

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pisces7378

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I have a pair of brand new Mackie HR624 monitors for my PC based DAW. I am using the MOTU 828mkII Firewire interface as a front end. When I am ready to record vocals (or anything requiring a microphone) I am in the same room standing about 4 feet from the monitors. So obviously the output of the monitors (sound) feeds back into the microphone, and at best you hear the echo, and at worst a screeching feedback. So I have been simply switching the Mackie's off during recording, while monitoring through headphones. Then switching them back on to monitor and mix what I have just recorded.

Now I know that this sounds like a DUMB idea. But I am still quite a novice in some areas of recoring. I have Logic Audio Platinum v. 5.5.1 running on the PC and although I have been working with this program for over three years, I still have not gotten my head around signal routing.

Obviously there should be some way for me to just internally mute the monitors during recording without muting the headphones, and then un-muting the monitors for mixing. But this seems to be beyond me at the moment. When I mute the outputs 11-12 in Logic (these are the Main Outs from the MOTU 828mkII) then it mutes everything. The headphones included. So I can no longer hear the backing tracks for me to lay the vocals (or whatever) over. Problem!

I cannot believe that professional engineers are switching their Monitors on and off like this. It is probably bad for the monitors anyway.

Any tipps?

Cheers guys,

Mike
 
Professional engineers dont switch the monitors on and off, because there will be a seperate control room and tracking room. You wont hear anything on the other side even if the monitor is playing. Also in all mixers there will be a output called the control output and then the main stereo output. Teh control output is what that goes into control room monitors and it can be controlled seperately from the main output, I knwo that MOTU doesnot have a control output, so you dont have that option, however you could buy a little inexpensive mixer for just playback and use the control outs and all teh inputs for playback, that would be nice to control. Hope you can understand. Good luck!
 
<<<Hope you can understand.>>>

I am inexperienced with signal routing, not dumb. :)

Nah, but I cannot believe that I have to buy an extra piece of hardware just for this little problem. There has to be some way to route the Main monitor Outs somewhere and the headphone mix somewhere else, and be able to just mute the monitors and let the headphones play through. I just don't know how.
 
I didn't say you are dumb man! we all learn that is what this forum is for :p
 
I didn't say you are dumb man! we all learn that is what this forum is for :p
 
Get a small mixer (I have a Mackie 1202) and route your MOTO outs to a stereo input. Make sure that the headphone output on the mixer can be assigned to an aux output (such as monitor out) and then plug the monitors into the main out. When you are tracking, just turn down the fader on the main out and voila! Monitors are muted! I'm at work now (yes, I'm a loser!) so I don't know how exactly I route with my Mackie, but it's something similar to what I described.
 
I am sorry guys... I just can not believe that a hardware mixer is a MUST HAVE in this situation. The CHEAPEST Mackie mixer is the DFX6 and it is still around $200.

MOTU and Logic Audio Plat. know that the average person using their equipment does not have a sound proof live room seperated from a full on acoustically isolated control suite. I cannot believe that I am the only person using the MOTU 828mkII without a mixer.

There just has to be a way to route the L+R Stereo Monitor Outs to one place and the headphone mix to another, and be able to mute just the Monitors, or just the head phones independently WITHOUT a hardware mixer.
 
monitoring from a mackie probably isn't the best scenario either...

this may help you

http://www.macmidimusic.com/prod.itml/icOid/5307

I THINK you would connect the outputs to this then route it to your speakers then you can use that as a volume controller...but you can email them to be sure...and its way better quality then the mackie...
 
oh~maybe this will be my problem too.
because Im going to buy 828mkII,Main outs connect to Monitors directly without Mixer.
Mixing and Tracking in a same room.

umum...what about the Volume control in the 828mkII?
can't you volume off the main outputs only?
I heard that it's separate volume control for Main Outputs and Headphones.
 
I went to the Moto site and checked the 828 out. Couldn't you just turn down the main volume control on the front panel to "mute" the main outs to the speakers, and then plug the phones into the headphone output? Or are you saying that turning down the main volume, the headphones get turned down as well.

When I mute the outputs 11-12 in Logic (these are the Main Outs from the MOTU 828mkII) then it mutes everything
Click to expand...

Try controlling the volume of the outs from either Motu's Control Panel or the Hardware unit itself instead of from Logic. I have a M-Audio Delta 44 so I'm not entirely familiar with your unit. Good luck!
 
Whats wrong with just turning the monitors off?

This is what i do when i am in your situation.
After all,i turn the monitors off when i am not using my DAW(why would i leave a pair of active monitors on when im going out for 2 or 3 days?).

Seriously....forget the mixer,just turn your monitors off....it's the the easiest way.

BTW.....i actually have a mixer(soundcraft E6)but i prefer to have my main monitors connected DIRECTLY to my DAW's 1st and 2nd outputs.I mistrust the idea of having an extra step in there(soundcraft or not).
I actually prefer to just turn my monitors off if I'm recording in the control room w/headphones.
 
turning off and on equipment every 2 minutes usually isn't a good idea...

he isn't asking if he should turn them off when he's not using them for extended periods of time.
 
Hey Mike, Looks like everyone is giving teh same advise :p GET A MIXER :)
 
Actually they are not giving the same advice as you at all. I have gotten evertyhing from, "Just keep tuning them on and off!" to "Get an ATTY Stereo Line Level Attenuator."

Even the guy that ALREADY has a mixer doesn't use it for this.

I believe I will remain mixer free for the time being.
:D
 
Okay,
I just want to make sure I'm understanding correctly, but why not turn the volume to your monitors all the way down? do you still get noticeably hiss or noise?

-dejacky
 
Nope....I take that back. Everybody says it sounds bad. But the concept is right. Wait a while and Behringer will have one just about like it and it will sound better. :D
 
dejacky said:
Okay,
I just want to make sure I'm understanding correctly, but why not turn the volume to your monitors all the way down? do you still get noticeably hiss or noise?

-dejacky
Click to expand...


I was wondering the same thing. I have a pair of 824's. When I record in the control I just turn them down. Do the 624's not have a volume knob on the back?

Take 'er easy,...

Calwood
 
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