Bypassing MBox preamps - direct in

[Ian-H]

Hi all. Does anyone know which is the best route in via an MBox to completely avoid the preamps, and hit the converters directly? I'm going through a Great River ME-1NV into a Distressor and into the MBox.

Options are I guess balanced out of Distressor into balanced in of the MBox, and source set to line; or unbalanced out of Distressor into insert return on Mbox. What does this do to impedance issues?

thanks
Ian

[yoursickstudio]

get a stereo jack cable going to 2 mono jacks...
plug the stereo jack into the inserts connection on the mbox (if it's an original one) than use the ... hmmm i keep forgetting this, the left or right jack on your output of your device.

if you go in the inserts, you'll be behind the preamps and just before the a/d

[Ian-H]

Am I being a bit stupid with cabling here. The MBox is tip send, ring return for the insert. So if use a balanced cable (TRS) and simply cut the tip connection on both ends, it should work, shouldn't it? The tip will be dead, and the ring will carry signal from the unbalanced out on the preamp or distressor to the MBox. Leaving the preamp input empty.

Well, it's not working - anyone?

[Ian-H]

OK, schoolboy error - please ignore this one. Stupid is the word. It's tip on the preamp output to ring on the MBox insert in.

But - should the ring on the preamp output be left floating, or grounded to the sleeve?