ART S8 mic splitter

[Iowaguy]

Just wanted to say what a huge difference since I've started using the ART S8 mic splitter to feed aux outs to the stage monitors.  Having the HP filter and 4 band eq on every aux out really makes it easy to stand at their position and dial in a great sound for each performer-- but the best is no more problems with feedback.  I'm  able to get a nice natural sound for each monitor and plenty of gain before any hint of feedback.  I only rarely need to mess with the 31 band eq on aux's now.  I'm so pleased with this set-up that I'm almost hesitant to load vs. 2 and complicate things with features I probably don't fully understand or need.  However, I'm sure I will eventually make the jump.     

[Fluddman]

Iowaguy,

Glad this is working for you.

Let me see if I get what you are doing.

You are splitting the inputs and using some of the channels on the DL1608 as dedicated foldback sends for the stage monitors? Good idea if you have enough channels.

The new hid/show groups feature would be probably help you manage this.

Cheers

[Iowaguy]

Yes, that's what I'm doing.  Thanks for the tip on hiding channels. I guess the group mutes and the ability to mute effects from one spot would be nice too.
 I only use the splitter for 4 vocal channels so I have 8 extra channels and that is ususally enough for my needs. 

[stevegarris]

I'm using the same, for my band's in-ear mix when we play at clubs with house PA's. Works like a charm, and I'm thinking about adding another for a few more channels. Only bummer is there are a lot of cables involved!

[Ampli]

Hi i use a simple y cable for splitting, this works perfect also

[Greg C.]

Hi i use a simple y cable for splitting, this works perfect also

Yes. That ART box is WAY overkill in this application. You could have purchased 4 of these for $15.68:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/252312-REG/Hosa_Technology_YXM_121_XLR_Female_to_2.html

That would have been a savings of $223.32 over the ART S8. You gain nothing by using the S8 in this application.

[Wynnd]

I would go ahead and load version 2.0.  I don't see anything to prevent you from continuing to run things the way you are.  I'm running a DriveRack unit on all my monitors and the FOH so everything going out is already quite flat in frequency response.  That's probably why you were having problems with feedback.  Mics were setup to sound good at the FOH and that didn't work with your monitors.  Yours is a creative solution and much cheaper than the 3 DriveRack units I've got.  (About $1400 total.  Not a huge investment in my $6000 PA and they are a huge help for old ears.)  The view modes in Version 2.0 will simplify your life. 

[Iowaguy]

Thanks Greg C. and Wynnd,  I appreciate the good information.  No one could accuse me of ever doing things the cheap way.   Actually,  I was able to control/avoid monitor feedback by notching out 2 or 3 of the worst offending frequencies (without splitting the signals) but this did not always allow for a "pleasing" sound at the monitors and sometimes not quite enough gain to hear comfortably.   I'm one who believes the performers will do their best and be much happier if they can enjoy the same quality of sound that the audience hears.  I have that now. 

[stevegarris]

Hi i use a simple y cable for splitting, this works perfect also

Yes. That ART box is WAY overkill in this application. You could have purchased 4 of these for $15.68:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/252312-REG/Hosa_Technology_YXM_121_XLR_Female_to_2.html

That would have been a savings of $223.32 over the ART S8. You gain nothing by using the S8 in this application.

I needed a splitter that I could take to many various clubs, and tie in to many old and newer sound boards. I agree that simple hard-wired splitters will work in most cases, but there are many problems that can occur with phantom power and ground loops. I also wanted this to be in a nice solid rack mount in lieu of a bunch of spitter y-cables.

In order to match the Art 8 channel splitter ($199) I would need 8 of those (actually $8) Y adapters, so the math says my savings would have been $136.

[sam.spoons]

But you still need 16 extra XLR cables at $6 each for decent stuff 

[Greg C.]

I needed a splitter that I could take to many various clubs, and tie in to many old and newer sound boards. I agree that simple hard-wired splitters will work in most cases, but there are many problems that can occur with phantom power and ground loops. I also wanted this to be in a nice solid rack mount in lieu of a bunch of spitter y-cables.

In order to match the Art 8 channel splitter ($199) I would need 8 of those (actually $8) Y adapters, so the math says my savings would have been $136.

Sure, in the case of splitting to other desks in unknown venues, transformer isolation would be the way to go. For somebody that just wants to split one mic into 2 input for mains vs. monitor isolation, the Y's are fine. As for the price on the S8, most places sell it for $240 online. Glad you get a better deal