Muse Research

mrhudson · Post by **mrhudson** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 7:08 pm

Do you need to run the Receptor outputs through a direct box?

They are already balanced and I could hook up a 1/4" to XLR cable to attach to the snake on stage running into the PA - are there other impedance considerations, etc., when using Receptor's outputs?

buscemi · Post by **buscemi** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 7:10 pm

For the quick and dirty hookup I use unbalanced 1/4" cables out to the patch bay which goes to my mixer then out to monitors. Otherwise I use the digital I/O. Sounds like you will be fine without a DI box.

batgab · Post by **batgab** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:20 pm

Good question, mrhudson! While I don't use my Receptor live (yet), I think if you run the main outputs (using a TRS-to-XLR adaptor as you mentioned) down a snake and then into a LINE input (not MIC input) of a mixer, you're good to go. The line input will provide your Receptor with the appropriate input impedance and will accommodate the Receptor's output signal level. It would be best if your mixer's line input circuit was balanced, too.

buscemi, were your comments related to stage or studio?

mrhudson · Post by **mrhudson** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:29 pm

I'm trying to remember what the place I'm playing tomorrow runs through the snake - I know they had mics running in there (XLR inputs.......) last time....hmmmm.......(for the live stage newbie, what happens if you DO run the receptor into a balanced xlr mic input?)

danielpatten · Post by **danielpatten** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 1:37 am

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If you are running into a mic input...(most common for live PA) you absolutely should run through a direct box. If you can afford to go Radial Eng, do so. http://www.radialeng.com/re-duplex.htm (http://www.radialeng.com/re-duplex.htm). The typical $50-$100 DI's work fine, but the sound quality of the Radials kill the others.

If the PA board can accept "line" inputs, you can just use TRS to XLR cables. Just make sure you are balanced the entire way to the board's input.

Be careful not to feed a mic input a line level. It will be like 60+db overloaded.
Best,
Dan

Ciey · Post by **Ciey** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 7:43 am

I am using Receptor ADAT connection through Behringer ADA8000.

redpointproductions · Post by **redpointproductions** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 7:16 am

also... i've noticed that plugging TRS to XLR, you have to watch out for phantom power--which makes the output sound extremely distorted.

projektio · Post by **projektio** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:48 pm

I would highly recommend using balanced cables with the Receptor, unless you can clean up the signal with unbalanced and a DI. This thing is noisy if you are only running unbalanced, I learned that the hard way...

projektio

Bryan@MuseResearch · Post by **Bryan@MuseResearch** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 11:31 pm

projektio wrote:I would highly recommend using balanced cables with the Receptor, unless you can clean up the signal with unbalanced and a DI. This thing is noisy if you are only running unbalanced, I learned that the hard way...

projektio

Definitely the smart thing to do, especially over long cable lines. I was just at the Springsteen concert last night, and they have a local rack of keyboard gear (Receptor + Ivory for all the piano sounds) and I believe they take the output of the keyboard mixer through a direct box and then go to the monitor mixer, who then sends a line level feed to the FOH (sorry... "front of house" or main mixing) position.

The whole purchase of the DI box is to give you the opportunity to isolate the grounds, which can often be a necessity if your mixer at the back of the room is on a different AC circuit than your keyboard rig.

I'm go ask a couple of pro keyboard techs and see what they think is the best approach, but there are two problems that need to be solved:

1. How do you get the best quality signal from stage back to the mixer? Clearly going balanced is far better than unbalanced if the cable length exceeds 6 feet or so.

2. How do you prevent ground loops from making your audio sound bad? That is probably an entire topic on its own, but DI boxes is one way to do that, but the only way they can help is if they actually have a transformer in them and a way to float the ground...

Anyway, stay tuned, I'll see what a couple of techs say and post their advice when I hear back...

Cheers

Groovology

Bryan@MuseResearch · Post by **Bryan@MuseResearch** » Fri Apr 03, 2009 6:16 pm

mrhudson wrote:Do you need to run the Receptor outputs through a direct box?

Here is the response I received from keyboard tech par excellence, Mary Gelhaar who works with Roy Bittan in the E Street Band:

Our Receptors first hit a mixer in the "piano" rack. The mixer is connected to a pair of Radial DIs, then to the splitter. All DIs / signals are routed through a splitter that then directs signal to both monitors and FOH. Our audio Co. is Audio Analysts- they might have info about their splitter systems in their site...

So the way they do things is to isloate each rig with a DI box, go to a splitter (which most likely also isolates as well) and then send signals to both the monitor mixer station and the front of house.

Of course few of us have the luxury or need to be as elaborate as The Boss, but I think the fundamental answer is there: always a good idea to isolate long runs with a DI box. And just as a passing observation, I have seen a lot of Radial products in various rigs that I've been able to check out....

Hope this helps

Groovology

Muse Research

KVR Audio

Direct Boxes and Receptor