Playing Split Tracks for Choir

[Plumm]

Hi everyone..
Our choir is trying to do a little show by singing to a split track disk. I play the music thru our laptop into our Allen-Heath ZED22FX (ehh lame link restriction lol)

I need 2 things here..
1- I want to be able to play just the music on the big regular speakers but have the vocal track play upfront on the 2 monitors.(If it helps, i think our monitors are left channel). It would be nice to have music to also play on the monitors for the choir to hear.

2- I would like to be able to record just the music track to a cd/dvd (our board pipes into a dvd recorder so we can record sermons and all)

I can play music from the laptop from either a USB Line or thru the speaker jack. Which one would be best for what I want to do? I have a line out to L-R splitter cable, and it works but only to pan to either the house speakers or the monitors that i can figure out. I am sure I am missing something because this board should be able to do everything with no problem, but I only have a mid-range knowledge of all this.

Any help would be awesome!
Thanks

[tdangelo]

Plumm,
What you want to do is not especially difficult but will depend on how your existing system is wired up and how willing you are to make some minor tweaks if necessary.

If the split track music source is “Left Channel = Mono Music and Right Channel = Vocals” then all you need to do is bring the split track music source into the audio console as two separate sources. That may mean using up two input channels on console … it depends, as stated before on how things are already wired. Your console may allow you to do the routing necessary bringing the split track into the console on one stereo input … but my solution assumes two mono inputs will be used.

Once the split track music source is in the console as two separate sources you now have the ability to route them to some destinations and keep them out of others. Assign the left channel of the split track source to whatever output(s) on the console feeds (ALL) your main speakers. Also assign the left channel of the split track source to whatever output is feeding your stage/floor wedge/choir speakers. Hopefully this output is an aux or a matrix to allow you some level adjustment to it.

Then, assign the right channel of the split track source to whatever output is feeding your stage/floor wedge/choir speakers. Again hopefully this output is an aux or a matrix to allow you some level adjustment to it.

Lastly, assign the left channel of the split track source to whatever output on the console feeds your audio recording.

As far as USB vs headphone out on the computer goes it should not matter IF you have a USB to separate left, separate right break out cable. If not, you will need 1/8” tip/ring/sleeve cable that then “Y”s out to whatever you console has … maybe ¼” tip/sleeve?

Hope that helps.

[Plumm]

ok i tested some on this today... and it seems that out of the laptop, when i used a line out cable into a seperate channel for each red and white, it still has both voices and music on each. I can just control each independently on either house or monitor speakers was the only difference.

The auxs on the board only seem to have an effect when it comes to burned video levels.

One way I did get it to work, I put the music disk into our regular dvd player and unplugged the white output frpm the back of it to the board and the voices disappear kinda sorta like we want. This is strange because the dvd player is plugged into the board by the bigger 3 prong plugs just like all the mic inputs.

And from that I was also able to record just the music track from it onto the laptop from the USB out on the board.

But still somewhat at a loss on doing this from the laptop jack. Is there any kind of cable or something i can get?

[2cool]

Hey Plum, I have tried this and have had no luck I dont think it is possible from a PC to the board as it is a single 'code/file' coming from your computer. If you have a Mac you can do it because Mac is more music friendly. My friend who is a techy said you would have to download or change the type of music code that the computer is reading and blah, blah, blah you will need a computer tech to figure it out. The reason the DVD worked is because it only played it as a audio track but if you noticed you did not get the complete vocal/temperamental part of it did not play and that is because certain pieces such as the bass or harmonies are played in a different pan position.

[bpharmer]

We have done this many times from our display computer - we use a 1/8" stereo plug into the stereo out on the PC to split 1/4" jacks to two mono channels

It still sounds like you have a cable issue - We have a Hoza cable that is built for this that you sound be able to get at a music supply store

[Plumm]

This sounds like a good possibility.

And would i still need to plug the 1/4" plugs to 2 separate channels or the same one? I just dont want to buy the cable and it give me the same results as the other split cable I am using. But according to the very vague manual that came with the board, this kind of cable should be what these plugs are for.

[tdangelo]

Originally Posted by Plumm

ok i tested some on this today... and it seems that out of the laptop, when i used a line out cable into a seperate channel for each red and white, it still has both voices and music on each. I can just control each independently on either house or monitor speakers was the only difference.

Make sure that the plug coming out of the computer is 1/8" with a tip, a ring, and a sleeve. That end of the cable should look identical to the plug on iPod headphones. The opposite side of the cable will "Y" out into two cables. Both should look the same. Either "RCA" (the same connections as you have on the back of your DVD player for audio), XLR (the three prong connector) or 1/4" (which looks like a bigger version of the headphone plug).

VERY IMPORTANT: If your 1/8" plug is mono meaning it has a "tip, sleeve" only this will not work. You can tell if its "tip, ring, sleeve" = stereo by how many black bands are on the prong. Two bands means that it is "tip, ring, sleeve" or stereo and that's good. One band on the prong means that it is "tip, sleeve" or mono and that's bad.

ALSO VERY IMPORTANT: If your "Y" cable goes from the 1/8" to two 1/4" connectors there are many ways this can be wired inside the cable and only some of the wiring schemes will work. Ideally you want sleeve on the 1/8" to go to sleeve on both 1/4" connectors. You want tip on the 1/8" connector to go to tip on ONE 1/4" connector and you want ring on the 1/8" connector to go to __TIP__ on the other 1/4" connector.

If your "Y" cable goes from 1/8" to two XLR connectors ideally you want sleeve on the 1/8" to go to pin-3 on both XLR connectors. You want tip on the 1/8" connector to go to pin-2 on one XLR connector and you want ring on the 1/8" connector to go to pin-2 on the other XLR connector.

Originally Posted by Plumm

The auxs on the board only seem to have an effect when it comes to burned video levels.

? I guess you mean that the auxes only affect the audio levels to your video record device ?

[waynehoskins]

From the description it sounds like your system is set up so that the main stereo bus feeds both FOH and monitors, with one on Main L and the other on Main R. If that's the case, it's a fabulous recipe for frustration.

Definitely check that cable as Tom said. Stereo TRS puts Left on tip and Right on ring, so if the breakout end of your cable is marked L and R, that's what you'd expect to see on each of those. A quick continuity check with a meter will show how it actually is.

Another possibility, if your cable is wired correctly, is that it's a configuration issue on the computer.

[Plumm]

@tdangelo I was actually mistaken on the auxes comment. A while back we had an issue with mics being staticky on our live feed from our board to our TV in the back room (as well as on recorded dvds) and I started turning down the aux levels and it made them perfect. Also I am not completely sure on all the sleeve/tip/ring stuff so thanks for the help on what to look for on that.
@waynehoskins - what kind of meter exactly?