I’m wondering whether the following two points are linked to the mixer itself ?
The sound levels on my mixer are extremely loud in the venue where I play. I link my Xone 43 to the PA’s mixing desk. All levels on that desk including master are set at 0. Nevertheless I have to set the master on the Xone at around 1 or else it’ll blow everyone’s heads off in the room. Not that much of an issue, except that it means that the mix/cue light levels are very low making it dificult to estimate sound levels. I don’t have this issue at home.
This means that I also have the microphone turned down very low. On one occasion I forgot to do this and when I switched the mic on using the ‘mic on’ button I got a huge buzzing sound. It hasn’t happened since but I’m curious to know if this is simply because the sound level was too high and what could cause this ?
Unfortunately, we don’t know which mixing console you’re sending to, but it’s very likely you’re sending your line-level signal to inputs with micro-sensitivity.
There are several solutions:
Switch the inputs on the PA mixing console to line level (Pad) and reduce their gains.
Use dedicated line inputs on the PA mixing console - perhaps with adapters to TRS connectors.
Use adapters with attenuators.
Or the best of all: Use DI box(es) with attenuators.
You should always carry something like this with you to be prepared for exactly these kinds of situations.
Thanks for your reply. I’m not the most technically-savvy, but if I understand correctly the signal sent out of the Xone is line, even though I have the channels I’m using are switched to phono ?
Thanks for explaining that and helping me gain more knowledge, much appreciated !
The system is currently set up with my microphone plugged into the Xone’s mic RCA input and two turntables on the Xone. RCA cables run out from the Xone’s master to two of the Soundcraft’s ‘mic’ channels - which I now gather is completely wrong ?
To make sure I understand what you’re saying, I should:
link the Xone’s master output to one Stereo channel left and right (yellow). This would require an adapter that I would need to buy to be able to plug the RCA cable into the Stereo inputs.
The AUX RCA stereo input, which expects line level, is actually completely unsuitable for connecting a microphone.
The XLR jack is designed for that purpose.
What is the reason for not using it?
The MASTER doesn’t even have RCA jacks.
You’re probably using the BOOTH outputs instead.
Yes, two balanced XLR female to TRS cables would be recommended.
One of the “yellow” stereo inputs would be preferable, but two “green” line inputs would also work, which could even provide an additional 5 dB of attenuation if absolutely necessary.
An adapter housed in a casing would put unnecessary mechanical stress on the input jacks due to leverage; therefore, an adapter with a short cable is preferable.
“Balanced” is practically the standard and better for interference-free transmission, especially with longer cables.
For more information, simply Google it. )
Both of your consoles also support balanced transmission.
