Hooking up a macbook to the PA for live playing

Last week I tried to use my macbook as an accompany track at church, i had pre-recorded bits to a song in logic, strings drums etc, and just wanted to play live to it instead of bouncing the project to CD.

When I went it to set everything up i had no luck, I used the 1/8 line-output from the macbook into a DI box. I tried ten different channels on the board but had no luck at all, everytime it would sound ok for about 3 seconds and then the drums would wash out and the whole thing just sounded like crap, I even tried 3 different DI boxes.

While discussing with a friend he thought it might have to do with the fact that the project was in stereo and I was sending that to one DI box instead of splitting the signal and sending it to two seperate channels. I have not been back to try this and see if it makes a difference, But I am wondering if it is just the LINE out on the macbook itself, it is a white 2009 model macbook, the last model before the unibody, and it is essentially the headphone jack on the mac. I have a firepod, and also have the Maudio fast track, with the firepod having 1/4 line outs on the back of it. i will try this method next.

But secondly, is there a product out that works via USB or Firewire that has XLR out? if So I could skip the DI box as I have no way of inputting 1/4 cables into our sound board.

Last week I tried to use my macbook as an accompany track at church, i had pre-recorded bits to a song in logic, strings drums etc, and just wanted to play live to it instead of bouncing the project to CD.

 

When I went it to set everything up i had no luck, I used the 1/8 line-output from the macbook into a DI box. I tried ten different channels on the board but had no luck at all, everytime it would sound ok for about 3 seconds and then the drums would wash out and the whole thing just sounded like crap, I even tried 3 different DI boxes.

 

While discussing with a friend he thought it might have to do with the fact that the project was in stereo and I was sending that to one DI box instead of splitting the signal and sending it to two seperate channels. I have not been back to try this and see if it makes a difference, But I am wondering if it is just the LINE out on the macbook itself, it is a white 2009 model macbook, the last model before the unibody, and it is essentially the headphone jack on the mac. I have a firepod, and also have the Maudio fast track, with the firepod having 1/4 line outs on the back of it. i will try this method next.

 

But secondly, is there a product out that works via USB or Firewire that has XLR out? if So I could skip the DI box as I have no way of inputting 1/4 cables into our sound board.

I use mine with a STEREO 'y' 1/8" jack and it works great.

What make is your soundboard?

It is a yamaha, but not sure the model number, 32 channel analog board is all i know. probably ten years old or so. I am in Africa at the moment so i will have to email someone to find out.

do you take the Y adater and run it into two seperate channels?

Yes, two separate channels.

They (whoever they are) make many variations of this cable.

http://www.pssl.com/images/ProdImage01/250/CYX-402.jpg