XLR output on Mixers?

[the-techi]

Hello,

 

Is it usual for Live event mixers to have XLR outputs?

 

I'm looking for a mid-range, cheapish mixer to run two speakers but I can't find any under £200 with XLR output?

 

Jamie

[Shez]

It is usual yes. But for those that only have jacks, a pair of jack -> XLR jumper leads won't break the bank.

[mostlyharmless]

Quite a few DJ mixers have RCA outputs.

 

Some other mixers have TRS Jack outputs, I presume only because of the size/cost of XLRs. Any mixers I've come across like this the owner has kept a set of TRS/XLR convertors in the case.

[David Lee]

Yes, most desks have XLR out. Sub £200 and you may well be looking at prosumer items where they think Jack (TRS) is the standard, or small form faxtor desks i.e. folios.

 

to run two speakers

just incase, are you after a mixer/amp combo like the soundcraft power station? A mixer by itself will not run speakers.

[johndenim]

Where are you looking?

 

There are a few OEMS out there, thomann is a great website to get you used to general prices, and kit.

Behringer are more entry level than 'midrange' but I have the equivalent to this (without the usb) as a back up and works just fine.

[Ynot]

Well, it depends entirely on what you need for your own situation.

When you say 'Live event mixers' what sort of events do you envisage doing?

As a student I suspect at this stage you're likely only to be looking at modest gigs at your school, for which, if I'm honest, means you'd be fine with any mixer that suits your budget, as long as you have an amp that can be supplied by whatever mix outputs that has. That could be RCA (phono), TRS (jacks) or XLR. Mostly you can either buy or make up patch cables to suit.

 

But I wouldn't restrict yourself to looking just for mixers/amps with XLR ins/outs for a school setup. You DON'T need to have pro-quality gear for the majority of school applications. (Unless you're a huge school that regularly does large-scale musical productions...)

[the-techi]

Yes, most desks have XLR out. Sub £200 and you may well be looking at prosumer items where they think Jack (TRS) is the standard, or small form faxtor desks i.e. folios.

 

to run two speakers

just incase, are you after a mixer/amp combo like the soundcraft power station? A mixer by itself will not run speakers.

 

 

Ah okay, thanks for all your responses... I guess I will just have to buy some Jack to XLR adaptors, it seems to be everywhere I look that the outputs are jack.

 

 

The speakers are active speakers by the way so I thought could be run by a powered mixer?

 

- I've found some amps that are XLR output but I think things will go very badly if I put an amp in two active speakers? :blink:

[David Lee]

The speakers are active speakers by the way so I thought could be run by a powered mixer?

 

Opps forgot about active speakers. These will run fine from a standard mixer.

 

I've found some amps that are XLR output but I think things will go very badly if I put an amp in two active speakers?

 

They may be very loud for a short period :blink:

[andy_s]

Don't get too hung up about the connections - the interconnect leads are pretty much the easiest bit to modify* to suit the equipment you have or intend to buy.

 

If by "active" speakers you mean "Self powered" speakers with their own built-in amplifier, you don't need a powered mixer, as this would indeed be sending an amplifier output to an amplifier input, not a good thing. Some powered mixers have other outputs which bypass the built-in amp, so you could for example send the amplified output to your main (unpowered) speakers, and use the alternative unpowered outputs for example to feed monitor speakers, either self powered or an amp / speakers combination. Each different type of set-up has pros and cons in different situations.

 

*as has been mentioned before, anyone with an interest in sound equipment should acquire a soldering iron and a pair of sidecutters, and learn to solder. This skill, with a little box of spare bits, is your get out of gaol card in the field, as they say at MI5. (of course if you are really in a field, then a gas powered soldering iron is a good thing!)

[Bobbsy]

Reading this question in conjunction with your other query about inputs on your JBL Eon speakers, I think a few basics are in order here.

 

It's relatively unimportant what connector is used on a mixer or, indeed, your speakers. Far more important to you are two other specifications:

 

Balanced vs. unbalanced audio

 

Mic level vs. line level audio.

 

I'll start with mic vs. line level. As is implied by the name, mic level is the "amount" of sound you typically get from a microphone and it's a VERY low signal level. To be used properly, you need to run a mic level signal through a device called a pre-amplifier. The mic inputs on a mixer contain such pre-amps and you can also get stand alone boxes that do the same job. Your JBL speakers also have a built in pre-amp on the XLR input--that's what the mic/line switch puts in and out of circuit. Line level is a much higher signal, typically from mains powered devices like CD players.

 

Now the confusing bit. You can use either an XLR or a jack to feed either level of signal. USUALLY on the input side, XLRs are used for mic level and jacks for line level but this is a convention, not a hard and fast rule. It's less clear cut on the output side--most mixers use XLR for the outputs, but some have jacks and some have a mixture. Some cheap mixers use phono sockets for output too but that means the feed is unbalanced...onto that.

 

The other issue is balanced vs. unbalanced. Balanced audio is the professional standard and involves feeding each signal twice with the polarity inverted from one to the other. At the receive end, the reverse polarity leg is inverted and re-combined, which means any noise that's found it's way into the cable is cancelled. Three pole connectors are used for balanced...which means that it can be on XLR or TRS jack...what you'd call a stereo jack but, in reality stereo is something completely different. Unbalanced audio is the conventional "amateur" type, often fed via phono sockets or TS (mono) jacks. It's usually line level that uses this (because line is less worried about noise. Some really cheap mics are unbalanced though, usually on jacks.

 

Therefore, you can feed line level from a mixer to your speakers on either XLR or jack--or, indeed, a cable with XLR at one end and TRS jack at the other. You could also feed a single mic directly into the XLR socket if you select mic level on the switch, though this is very limiting as to what you can do. However, your speaker is designed to receive a balanced input whichever connector you use and you'd need a special cable to feed an unbalanced signal into your speakers--and, without going into detail, the standard unbalanced level is somewhat lower than balanced so you'd not have the most efficient gain structure either.

 

I've tried to keep this simple...hope it helps.

 

Bob

[the-techi]

Thank you SO much!! :-D

 

Fantastic!!!

 

 

Moderation: Thanks for the thanks...but I've edited out the full quote of my post--unnecessary since my words are directly above! Don't worry, you'll learn Blue Room conventions soon enough.

[handyandi]

Very well put Bob. Don't forget that the user manuals for most modern kit such as the JBL EON's do cover quite well these things that Bob has covered, even if you buy something from ebay without a manual just google it & find it here

 

All the best

 

Andi

[Sound In Gloucestershire]

plenty of desks are available with XLR outputs by the way

 

I use a PV14 desk which has XLR outputs, basic effects and does me for many small PA hires, cost is £189 (10 mics, 2 stereo channels)

[revbobuk]

The Yamaha MG166, which is typical of many small live mixers, has the main outputs duplicated - one set on XLR, one set as balanced TRS.