Delta 1010LT Balanced Outputs ?!

[TAY]

-----sorry this is a repost... posted first at the wrong place -----newbie in tha place !

so...

Hi,

I'm new to the forum and excited with my new purshase : the so famous Delta 1010LT only that I figured out there is no XLR or TRS balanced Outputs for my studio monitors. I don't want to use the unbalanced RCA outputs as to keep sound as clean as possible. Any idea about the best way getting my monitors connected to the Delta ?!:confused:

Thanks in advance guys !

[AndyH]

I don't think you have any choice if the outputs are unbalanced. The good news is that using unbalanced interconnects won't add a bit of dirt to your signal unless you are running really long leads or running them parallel to power lines.

[TAY]

Thanks for your reply Andy !
I have 20 feet XLR to XLR cables is that too long for unbalanced use ?

[AndyH]

I've heard of people going 50 feet unbalanced without problems. With good line level signals you should not have problems unless you route it too near power lines. Crossing at around 90 degrees usually isn't so bad but do try to avoid running parallel.

[TAY]

Roger that !

One last thing : What's the best way to control the volume of the active monitors... is M-audio volume control interface enough or should I consider a mixer or something.. I don't see myself going to the back of the monitors (TRUTH2031A) every time I wanna make volume adjustements.

again, thank you Andy !

[sabianq]

um...

you can always use a direct box to change your unbalanced signal to a balanced signal.


but there is no issues with running unbalanced lines to your monitors.


as for the "volume" this is the best way to adjust them.
turn up the "volume" all the way, if you do not hear a hiss from the tweeters, leave it just like that, otherwise, if you hear a hiss, then back off of the volume until that his disappears. then your "volume" is set and you do not need to touch it again.

control the level with your mixer.

[AndyH]

If "mixer" means the soundcard software mixer, the above procedure is not what I would recommend. My Audiophile DSP is 36 bit, so the other Delta series cards are probably the same, and thus there is some room for maneuvering. However, if a high setting at the speakers amplifiers results in a low level setting on the software mixer, to keep the audio volume reasonable, you will be significantly reducing the bit depth prior to feeding it to the DAC. Ideally the software control panel settings are left at maximum to ensure full 24 bit output.

[sabianq]

oh sure, confuse the poor guy...

but andy is right if you are only using your sound card,

i am assuming you are using an analogue mixer for input/output control.

gotta love that analogue!

[TAY]

:confused:

Well, I don't have a mixer plugged to my soundcard. I don't see the utility of getting one as I'm not into Mic recording. I'm planning to compose electronic (Techno, minimal...) tracks. I'm a bit new to all this so I'm not sure what's the best setup for me. If you're saying the only way to keep maximum quality (bit) is buy having an external mixer, I would consider buying a mixer (maybe the new Behringer Xenyx 1204). Quality is a priority for me.
So ?
The hardware or the software way ?!

Thanks guys !

[AndyH]

Using your software mixer controls to adjust level down a half dozen dB or so will not be a problem. It all depends on how much. If you can set the speaker level controls at a point that allows you to keep the software mixer levels high, you should have what you need.

My point was that setting the speaker level controls high, as recommended by sabianq, is not good IF it requires the software levels to be turned down quite a bit. Setting the speakers level controls lower does not introduce any problems, but setting the software mixer controls low does.

[sabianq]

andy is right,

in the digital world, lower levels are a product of less information.

you should always drive your digital signals at full volume, and attenuate your "volume" by adjusting the analogue output.

what andy is saying is that if you are driving your monitors at full volume like i suggested, and IF the signal going into them is coming from your sound card, and since you should be driving your sound card at full volume to keep all of the digital information, the outgoing signal will be a VERY loud and uncomfortable sample.

if you do not have a mixer, then you should adjust your monitors to a good working level.

in my studio, I have my amp's gain set at a particular setting then use the mixer's faders and (control room level pot) to adjust control room levels.

[TAY]

alright, got it now !
I think the best way to have full control and keep all of the digital information is by getting a mixer then...
when you say sound card levels that should be at max, are you refering to the master level as well or the master level should remain at moderate level ?
Thanks guys for helping me out so much :)

[AndyH]

My practice is to avoid the soundcard DSP. I route directly to the hardware outs so the software mixer levels settings are irrelevant. However, as I said in my last post, if you can set the speaker level controls to a point where you are always working in the upper range of the soundcard mixer's setting range you won't have any trouble.

Maybe, if your mixes contains sounds down at the very lowest levels possible (i.e. well below -90dB), you wouldn't be able to hear them from your monitors if you do what I suggested above. Is your studio situation good enough for you to be able to monitor levels that low anyway? Remember, what goes out through the soundcard doesn't effect what gets written to CD or DVD.

This is not to dissuade you from enjoying the full functionality of an analogue mixer, only to say that you may be able to get along ok without one if adjusting your monitor's loudness is the only reason for having said mixer -- depending upon what you can achieve with moderate or low speaker settings and high soundcard mixer settings.

[TAY]

Noob Question : Does sound card levels mean also master level of the sound card ?

[AndyH]

I mean adjusting the level sliders on the soundcard's software mixer control panel. For my version of the Delta Mixer, that is labeled Monitor Mixer. There are controls for the individual mixer inputs and a "Master Volume" that controls the mix output. The action of all is the same (reducing bit depth), the variation is where this reduction is applied.

The Monitor Mixer's Master Volume is the thing to use for sound level control at your speakers -- unless you want to alter the balance of individual inputs. Normally you would do that in the mixing program, but you could be feeding the Monitor Mixer from more than one program and thus chose to make the balance fix here.

[TAY]

everything is clear for me now. Thank you
I think I'd be more happy with an external mixer so I don't have to mess with soundcard's software mixer.
Is the Behringer xenyx UB1204 any good ?
any advice is welcome.