How to set up a talkback?

SaltyDawg · Post by **SaltyDawg** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 1:18 pm

Okay, so here's the issue:

I have 2 inputs on my X-Station 25. I want to route each one to a mic, for a total of 2 mics. Each mic will be a seperate person, in a seperate room. Of course, each person will be wearing headphones. So I'll need a headphone amp connected to my headphone output. I'll want some headphones too, just in case the monitors are too loud and picked up by the mics (this is a portable setup, so the surroundings will vary).

What I want, is the headphone amp input connected to the headphone out on my audio interface, and I also want a mic input on the headphobne amp, connected to a cheap mic that I have. And I want the headphone amp to mix the signals together, so the headphones hear my my mic and the output of the audio interface. This way I can talk to the vocalists thru my mic, they hear me in the headphones, and I'm not wasting an input on my audio interface (and my mic isn't being recorded).

Is there anything like this on the market? I'd rather have it all in 1 small box as this is a portable setup. So I would rather not get a small mixer and a seperate headphone amp.

Any suggestions?

jatougas · Post by **jatougas** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 7:10 am

Bad news : You can't do it with this setup.

Good news : You can do it without spending a lot of money.

The cheapest way to do it (not the best mind you) would be to buy a small mixpad, and use that for your talkback. Run a mic into it, out into a headphone amp, or a little speaker in the remote room, and *remember to turn the master volume down* while you track.

You could even mount the speaker in the ceiling, if you have the 'environ modification' privilege.

SaltyDawg · Post by **SaltyDawg** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 7:29 am

Yeah, it's looking like I'll have to go with a small mixer and headphone amp setup. This is intended for a portable setup, so I was hoping for something small. Something like the Behringer MINIAMP AMP 800 would have been perfect if it would mix the 2 input signals. Something like this:

http://www.behringer.com/AMP800/index.cfm?lang=ENG

Only mixing the 2 inputs so the headphones hear both at the same time. Then I could connect the headphone out on my audio interface to the input on the headphone amp, and I could also get a cheap mic and connect it to the other input on the headphone amp. The vocalists hear me in their headphones, I'm not wasting an input on my audio interface, I'm also not recording my mic, and everything is perfect.

Oh well. Looks like I need a small, cheap, mixer, and a small, cheap, headphone amp. Maybe I can take them out of their boxes and make a custom box for them so they're all in the same unit anyway.

Hey, another question though...

If I do get a cheap mic (like one of the cheap computer mics with an on/off switch) and connect it to a cheap mixer, like say the Behringer Micromix MX400 (see it at the following link)

http://www.behringer.com/MX400/index.cfm?lang=ENG

Do you think if I got that MX400 mixer and the MINIAMP AMP 800 headphone mixer, and plugged one of those cheap mics into it, would people be able to hear it or would I need something with a preamp? And does anyone have any ideas on how to get them all into the same box so I'm not carrying 2 things around? No sense keeping these seperate since they really go together...

jatougas · Post by **jatougas** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 8:06 am

SaltyDawg wrote:Yeah, it's looking like I'll have to go with a small mixer and headphone amp setup. This is intended for a portable setup, so I was hoping for something small. Something like the Behringer MINIAMP AMP 800 would have been perfect if it would mix the 2 input signals.

Well, this headphone amp won't blend two sources, but you can choose which source they hear. So, hook the outs from the X-Station to Source A on the back, the small mixer to source B, and a cheap mic to the mixer.

When you need to talk to them, switch them over to Source B, when you're recording and they need to hear each other Source A.

Where are you located? Is there a Radio shack nearby, or something similar? For about 10 dollars in parts (plus whatever for a mic with a 1/4" jack on it), you can wire up a little enclosure with a 1/4" jack in, a volume pot, and a 1/4" patch cable hanging out of it that'd plug into Source B on the AMP 800.

SaltyDawg · Post by **SaltyDawg** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 9:39 am

jatougas wrote: Where are you located? Is there a Radio shack nearby, or something similar? For about 10 dollars in parts (plus whatever for a mic with a 1/4" jack on it), you can wire up a little enclosure with a 1/4" jack in, a volume pot, and a 1/4" patch cable hanging out of it that'd plug into Source B on the AMP 800.

I'm in Salt Lake, Utah. There's tons of Radio Shacks around here. That's an excellent idea. i'll have to look into that. Thanks!

SaltyDawg · Post by **SaltyDawg** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 9:40 am

Okay, so it looks like I'm not going to be able to find an all in 1 solution, so I started looking at 2-piece solutions. I have come up with a couple of different options here. The first option is the Behringer MICROMIX MX400 mixer and MICROAMP HA400 headphone amp. You can see them at:

http://www.behringer.com/MX400/index.cfm?lang=ENG

and

http://www.behringer.com/HA400/index.cfm?lang=ENG

And the second option is the Behringer MINIMON MON 800 mixer and MINIAMP AMP800 headphone amp. You can see them at:

http://www.behringer.com/MON800/index.cfm?lang=ENG

and

http://www.behringer.com/AMP800/index.cfm?lang=ENG

So, the first option is a little cheaper, but neither costs enough to really consider price as a reason for 1 over the other. The first option does seem to be a little smaller, and that is obviously a consideration with a portable setup. However, the second option is stackable, so it makes it seem like only 1 unit. Plus it has a built in mic and talkback function. So it would mean I didn't have to carry an extra mic and cable. I may end up carrying an extra mic anyway though so I didn't have to get up close to the built in mic. I'd kind of prefer to have a mic on a headset or something. But the second option does have the LED's and just looks nicer.

Do you think either one of these would work with a cheap computer mic? One of those cheap ones that has an on/off switch? And would you hear it in the headphones or would I need a preamp?

Also, what is the point of having so many speaker outputs on that MON 800 mixer? Any advise would be greatly appreciated...

SaltyDawg · Post by **SaltyDawg** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:43 am

So I went with the second option. I ordered a Behringer MINIMON MON 800 mixer and MINIAMP AMP800 headphone amp. It should do the trick...