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connection method for direct-to-PA + monitor w/ powered PA speaker


joebor1776
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I play in a cover band that uses in-ear monitors and amp modelers (one guy uses AxFX, bass uses Zoom G3, I use HD500). I'm getting really sick of in-ears. It sounds OK with the in-ears, but I am doing music for fun, and I miss having an amp blasting at my face or at my knees.

 

The other guitar player has a powered PA speaker that he's willing to let me use. My question is how to set up the HD500 output and how to run to the speaker so that what's going to the FOH pa is as close as possible to being the same as what I hear through the powered speaker monitor. I assume I will run the XLR to the board. I have the HD500 set to Studio/Direct, and am using cab/mic sims. Do I run a 1/4" out from the HD500 to the PA speaker monitor? If I do that, do I use the "Line" switch for the 1/4" output? 

 

Sorry if this has already been answered--I swear I tried search!  Thanks for your help.

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If you are using a single 1/4" output, use a line matching transformer to go into a splitter like this one by ART.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ART-SplitCom-Mic-Splitter-Combiner-/281491205631?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item418a2eedff

 

Then you can send the same signal from the HD to front-of-house and the powered monitor.

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Why do you need that?

 

The HD500 has 4 outs one of which goes to PA leaving 3 to go to a personal PA speaker.  If your speaker has a volume control on the side facing you, then great otherwise you are limited to a fixed volume because all outputs are linked to the HD Volume Control and you don't want to change the to PA volume.

 

Unless you use the FX Loop to send to your personal speaker in which case you can control the send level.

 

Or you can take a monitor feed from the PA back to your personal speaker and get a mix of whatever you want, you could even plug the IEM receiver into it to hear exactly what you are hearing now.

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I know this isn't what you asked, but... 

You don't get paid to entertain yourself. You get paid to entertain the crowd. So if it isn't going to sound the same in the pa as in your speaker, then you need to make sure that the better sound is for the audience. 

 

Of course, I've always been of the mindset: 

I will do what I need to do for me on stage, and I will pay the sound guy to fix it for the crowd. 

But my definition of doing what's best for me isn't the same as everyone else's, so I can't recommend that method. 

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I am sure that he is using the Left 1/4 out because it is "summed" stereo. If he plugs into the Right 1/4 or either XLR, he is only going to get 1/2 Stereo sound. My suggestion gives him the exact same "summed" stereo in both locations and I was assuming that he probably has a volume knob on his powered monitor.

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I play in a cover band that uses in-ear monitors and amp modelers (one guy uses AxFX, bass uses Zoom G3, I use HD500). I'm getting really sick of in-ears. It sounds OK with the in-ears, but I am doing music for fun, and I miss having an amp blasting at my face or at my knees.

 

The other guitar player has a powered PA speaker that he's willing to let me use. My question is how to set up the HD500 output and how to run to the speaker so that what's going to the FOH pa is as close as possible to being the same as what I hear through the powered speaker monitor. I assume I will run the XLR to the board. I have the HD500 set to Studio/Direct, and am using cab/mic sims. Do I run a 1/4" out from the HD500 to the PA speaker monitor? If I do that, do I use the "Line" switch for the 1/4" output? 

 

Sorry if this has already been answered--I swear I tried search!  Thanks for your help.

I run both of my XLR outs to the mixer/PA. I run the left 1/4 out into a powered monitor on stage.

 

If for some reason I only have one XLR input available on the PA, I just make sure the patches I'm using that time are mono, but I almost always have 2 available.

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Thanks to you all...I use a single XLR (the Left XLR out) out currently, and my patches are mono. I will try running the 1/4" left out to the powered speaker. For the 1/4" out, I'm assuming the switch should be set to Line and not Amp. Will give it a try and see how this works--thanks again!

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Line or Amp depends on whether the Powered Speaker is set for Line or Mic level input. You could try both, but I have found it important at least on my speaker not to do all the amplification at the power stage, ramp up the input level but not to the point of overloading and then bring up the main level; leaving the input level low and doing it all with the power amp gives a scooped sound that just vanishes live

 

I also have mono or close enough to mono patches (room based reverbs will be stereo) and feed one XLR to my speaker and one to PA

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As long as you are not using wide stereo effect such as ping pong delay you should be fine - or you can just place a mono effect towards the end of the chain; I currently place a tube comp late in the chain to keep the guitar level balanced and use it for volume by linking Exp 2 to the Level control.  Tube Comp is mono (see http://line6.com/support/page/kb/_/pod/pod-hd/stereomono-fx-list-for-pod-hd-r567) so L and R XLR outputs are the same

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