How do you guys prefer to route the output of your sound?

[zephtragic]

I've been performing music for 5 years, but I'm getting ready for my first performance using MainStage. I used to just output a mono signal of my piano to FOH. With my new project I'm using Mainstage for samples, backing tracks, drums, and soft synth.

 

My question is how should I be outputting all of this sound? I have an Apogee Duet 2 so that gives me up to 4 channel outs:

 

Main Left -------------------> (balanced)

Main Right ------------------> (balanced)

Headphone Left --------------> (unbalanced)

Headphone Right -------------> (unbalanced)

 

I presume the unbalanced headphone outs will not be a problem if I run it through a DI box (someone let me know if I'm wrong.)

 

I'm thinking I should be doing something like:

 

ch 1 -----> Synth/fx left

ch 2 -----> Synth/fx right

ch 3 -----> Kick drum

ch 4 -----> All other drums

 

Also does anyone know if I should have a dedicated channel for anything that's considered bass synth territory? Am I overthinking this and I should be sending the soundman just left/right channels?

 

Any advice from you more seasoned Mainstage musicians would be greatly appreciated.

[David Nahmani]

ch 1 -----> Synth/fx left

ch 2 -----> Synth/fx right

ch 3 -----> Kick drum

ch 4 -----> All other drums

What does this mean? What are those four channels representing?

 

I presume the unbalanced headphone outs will not be a problem if I run it through a DI box (someone let me know if I'm wrong.)

No, no DI Box. Unbalanced headphone outputs shouldn't be a problem.

[zephtragic]

Hey David,

 

 

What does this mean? What are those four channels representing?

 

Ch 1, 2, 3, 4 represent (at least in my head) the outputs on my Apogee:

 

Ch1 = Main Left -------------------> (balanced)

Ch2 = Main Right ------------------> (balanced)

Ch3 = Headphone Left --------------> (unbalanced)

Ch4 = Headphone Right -------------> (unbalanced)

 

I was thinking of sending the sound guy the sound from Mainstage split up into 4 seperate outs. Is that reasonable? or preferred?

 

No, no DI Box. Unbalanced headphone outputs shouldn't be a problem.

 

I practicing at home I've noticed that the outs from my headphones have a bit more noise to them which I was able to clean up with di boxes. Aside from that, wouldn't the sound guy need DI Boxes for all of my outputs regardless? I need a way to convert my audio output from 1/4" to XLR.

[David Nahmani]

ch 1 -----> Synth/fx left

ch 2 -----> Synth/fx right

ch 3 -----> Kick drum

ch 4 -----> All other drums

 

Ch 1, 2, 3, 4 represent (at least in my head) the outputs on my Apogee:

 

Ch1 = Main Left -------------------> (balanced)

Ch2 = Main Right ------------------> (balanced)

Ch3 = Headphone Left --------------> (unbalanced)

Ch4 = Headphone Right -------------> (unbalanced)

So you're sending synth and fx, but no drums, to the FOH, and the headphones will have the kick only on the left, and all other drums on the right, no synth and fx?

[zephtragic]

Oh I see the miscommunication. I will not be using headphones. All 4 of my outputs will be going to FOH.

 

Although the way you understood my setup is pretty funny.

[David Nahmani]

AAAaaaAAH!! I'm used to routing one mix to FOH and a different mix with click on one side only to a drummer... so I guess that's why my brain interpreted your info like that.... - nevermind!

 

Well then yes to feeding the stereo headphone output to a couple of DI so you can feed four balanced XLR lines to the FOH.

 

What you do with the 4 channels is up to you but I stop to consider how badly you need the synth/fx to be stereo. Using a mono mix would allow you one more channel, for example to separate synth from fx, or to separate bass from the rest if one of the synths is playing a bass, etc... your decision.