volume attenuator

[msg6794]

i just recently upgraded to event precision 8's. before that i had some smaller m-audio studiophiles. to get from the m-box (1) to the speakers, i had this 1/8" stereo -> 2x 1/4" mono cable that i ran from the front headphone jack to the speakers. it worked great for me, since it provided a built-in volume control. when i needed to go to headphones, i just unplugged the monitors, and put the cans in the same output. messy, but it worked.

now, with the asp 8's, i'm trying to do it the "right way". i got 2 monster cable 1/4" -> xlr cables and am running them out of the line outputs on the back of the m-box. however, now i'm sorta stuck with my volume in monitoring. i can use the "mix" knob to attenuate the overall volume, but it adds noise if i have an input turned up, and it makes it harder to use the mix knob properly anyway, since if it's at 100% playback, the volume is LOUD!

every studio i've been in has a separate hardware volume knob for the monitors. can someone recommend a good one to pick up? it would also ideally have a "mute/bypass" on it, so that when i use headphones for an overdub, i don't have to turn off the monitors each time.

or is there a simpler way to do this that i'm overlooking? sorry for the lengthy post, and thanks in advance!

[msg6794]

just saw another post reference the mackie big knob, of course. that might be perfect. anyone here use it?

[Matt Whritenour]

I like the Presonus Central Station better

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CentralStat/

and if you get it before august 31st you get the remote for free which is great to have

[Obsidian Dragon]

I have and use the Mackie Big Knob. It does what it is supposed to do and sounds like a perfect solution to what the poster is asking. Having that Big Knob always nearby is very convenient for me. The Presonus Central Station cost a little more but does more and is rack mounted which helps to keep cable clutter off your desk. The free $149.00 remote is a must have.

[msg6794]

thanks for the replies! i'm reading up on both of these, and they both seem great. the big knob seems to do what i want, though i like the rackspace/remote setup of the presonus, since it takes up less desk space... but it's also $200 more. guess it's off to GC to try them out if i can!

[JMS40]

Here's another option I've read positive reports about.
www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CControl/

[Matt Whritenour]

Here's another option I've read positive reports about.
www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CControl/

you don't want the c control

I had it, and it's not that good.

it does what it's supposed to, but I think it added some distortion to the signal because my ears used to get fatigued quickly when working then after i got the central station I immediatly noticed a difernce working with it

and the remote is a great feature

[msg6794]

i picked up the big knob last night - so far it's great! it's exactly what i needed. there was a little bit of hum, but it went away when i set the inputs and outputs on the BK to -10db instead of +4db... kind of odd, but it works! shouldn't the mbox and my precision 8's both run at +4?

in a related question - does anyone know if it matters if i use balanced or unbalanced cables getting from the mbox to the BK? i'm using unbalanced there right now, since the GC sales guy said i should use them... but i thought balanced was a better option for this. (i'm using balanced 1/4" -> XLR to get from the BK to the monitors.)

[msg6794]

this has gotten sorta OT, and i apologize, but i still would like to know about the connections from the mbox to the big knob here... anyone?

[Matt Whritenour]

you should deffinatly use balanced
then you'll also be able to set those switches back to +4