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Mixing powered and passive equipment

Joe Milo

Joe Milo

Nov 1, 2009
311
42
58
Geneva Ohio
#1
Fellas,

My PA system is powered:
Monitors(2) 2X10 Kustom
Mains (2) 2X15 Kustom
Mixer is a cheap Alesis 16 channel.....no effects on board....

We also have another complete PA system. This one is passive with a Gear One mixer/amp........Is it possible to use my powered Mains and Monitors with the passive Gear One mixer/amp? The guys want to use the Gear One because it has built in effects for vocals where my Alesis doesn't. Also use their passive monitors as well so we could have a total of 4 monitors......
I had my own PA system coming into this band and obviously they had a PA system as well. I've been with this band for 5 weeks now and things are really starting to shape up for us.
 
#2
You would have to read the manual and see if it has a line level output jack the bypasses the built in amp.

If it does then you need to know if its balanced or not. If its balanced then a TRS to XLR cable to a powered speaker is what you need. If its unbalanced and then a standard instrument cable to your speaker will work providing the powered speaker accepts 1/4 input.

Some powered mixers have the jack(s) labeled "main out" and another jack for "power amp in". They are designed basically like an effects loop on a guitar amp for inserting an EQ or effects.
You can also possibly run a mixer into the power in an just use the power amp and bypass the mixer section.
 
#3
If you have a passive board and powered speakers, you're golden. However, you say the Gear One is a passive "mixer/amp." Calling it an amp indicates to me that you mean powered mixer/amp. Anyway, if there are "line outs" on the Gear One (I think there are), you should be able to run the one for "Mains" to your active speakers - just daisy chain them.

However, I don't see that the amp has two power amps, so there is no powered output for the passive monitors, just mains. I also don't see any easy way to re-route the monitor signal to the mains. Maybe you could run a patch cable from the Monitor Line Out to the Aux Return and max the aux on every channel, then run your monitors off the speaker outputs on the back of the amp.
 
#6
the yeti said:
i use a powered mixer to run passive monitors and powered mains all the time.
Click to expand...

His problem is that apparently they want to run the passive monitors off the mixer-amp's power output. Somehow they have to patch the monitor signal to the amp's speaker outputs, which apparently only work for the mains, since it's a mono amp. If they have a separate power amp for the monitors, then no sweat. Just run the monitor line out to the power amp for the monitors.

I'm assuming this is the mixer-amp.

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#7
Munjibunga said:
His problem is that apparently they want to run the passive monitors off the mixer-amp's power output. Somehow they have to patch the monitor signal to the amp's speaker outputs, which apparently only work for the mains, since it's a mono amp. If they have a separate power amp for the monitors, then no sweat. Just run the monitor line out to the power amp for the monitors.

I'm assuming this is the mixer-amp.

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Click to expand...

in that case they could flip it if there's a monitor out on the powered board, run monitors off the "mains" power 0n the mixer and send an unpowered signal to the powered mains.
 
#8
Fellas,

It is a Gear One PA2400......2X400 watts...

What we would like to do is use my powered mains and monitors with this and also use the monitors(passive) that came with that PA. If that is even possible.....

Only reason we don't use my complete PA rig is because the guys want the on board vocal effects that come with the Gear One mixer.
 
#10
Joe Milo said:
Fellas,

It is a Gear One PA2400......2X400 watts...

What we would like to do is use my powered mains and monitors with this and also use the monitors(passive) that came with that PA. If that is even possible.....

Only reason we don't use my complete PA rig is because the guys want the on board vocal effects that come with the Gear One mixer.
Click to expand...

Alrighty then! No sweat.


Just run your monitors off the monitor output of the amp, with the switch set in the center (Main L+R - Monitor). Leave the Main output on the back empty. Then run your powered mains from the Main line out on the front of the amp.


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