iPod into MixWiz 16:2 balanced TRS... how?

[Rockin Mike]

If you are worried about phantom power or anything consider the Radial box or the one I use - the Whirlwind PodDI which can take RCA and 1/8 stereo in. You can adjust the level of the outputs too evenly - per side - it sends one mono xlr (pan it center) male send to the board.

I got it for when I'm doing hodge podge sound for the local youth agency - and we need a 50 ft run from the ipod to the board. I wanted the direct box part though to protect it from phantom power being supplied from the board.

Also - I can use it with anything - dvd players, projectors, ipods, video game systems - etc.

Really would prefer stereo going into the board; also would like to avoid having one more little box to plug into.

 

[Rockin Mike]

Look again - you are in the inserts. I've done it myself. If not, there's something wrong with the line inputs.

I use the Aux Returns - they have a fat channel.

I don't see Aux Returns on my MixWiz 3 16:2. I have six aux sends.

I looked at it again just now. They're in the line-ins for channel 14 & 15 (socket is flaky on ch16 probably from hanging the connector out halfway ).

The line-ins and channel inserts are clearly marked.
I tried it both ways. Channel Inserts and Channel Line-Ins behave the same - I only get signal when the connector is half-seated.

One difference is that when plugged into the inserts the pre-post switch doesn't work on aux 3 & 4 - I don't care about that, it's probably normal.

I seem to recall it working with the connectors fully seated in the line ins once upon a time...
Maybe my memory is faulty.
Maybe I had a different (correct) connector in there before.
Maybe the board is faulty - but would such a fault affect all 16 channels?

I read in the manual that the Channel Line-Ins are balanced TRS and I know I'm feeding them unbalanced TS.

The manual also says the Line-Ins can be wired to handle unbalanced TS by wiring the ring contact to ground. I guess that means modding inside the board, not the cable. I have an email out to Allen & Heath support asking about this.

These are

Just thinking about it, when the TS are half-seated, the plug Tip is touching the socket Ring contact, and the plug Sleeve is touching the socket Sleeve contact, and nothing is touching the socket Tip contact.
Eg:

Plug :: Socket
Sleeve <-> Sleeve
Tip <-> Ring
(nothing) < // > Tip

So my 2 big questions are:

If I wire up a TRS cable so the Tip wire is going to both the Tip and the Ring, will that work? Will it damage the equipment?

Is there just no safe way to connect unbalanced to balanced without a balun (i.e. Direct Box)?

 

[Rockin Mike]

I like this idea. Of course, if you get the Radial PRO AV2, the problem is solved, and correctly so.

ST2 works OK, and it is documented that it is made for unbalanced TS. Problem is I want some of the channel features such as EQ and aux mixes.

 

[Rockin Mike]

SOLVED!!!

It is now working fine.

The Pad button at the top of the channel, next to the little red gain knob, does this:

If nothing is plugged into the Line In, it pads (reduces) the XLR to compensate for a hot input signal.

If something is plugged into the Line In, however, it switches between the XLR and the Line In. If it isn't pushed in, it basically mutes the Line In.

So, I had to have the TS plugged in AND push the little Pad button.

Thanks for your patience and advice, I learned a lot more than just where the #!>{*}<!#~ little button is.

 

[walterw]

??

which generation mixwiz is this?

mine takes 1/4" unbalanced channel ins just fine whether the pad button is pressed or not.

(edit: it must be a "3", i see on the schematic that the button is "pad/line", and does indeed switch the line signal in. mine is the older "2", where the XLR and 1/4" ins were actually directly parallel and interchangeable.)

 

[Rockin Mike]

It is the 3rd generation. "MixWix3 16:2" is the terminology, I believe.
I think it makes more sense to do it the 2nd generation way to avoid exactly the kind of Homer Simpson (doh!) moments I had above.

I don't know how the 4th generation ones do it.

 

[walterw]

having just looked at the schematic for the 4, i can tell you it works the same as yours, the pad button must be in for the line input to work.

 

[Munjibunga]

Cool beans.

 

[uhdinator]

Yep.... The first time I used a mix wiz that pad button bit me in the a$$ too.