2xRCA to XLR adaptors?

dartstothesea

Apologies if I haven't found the right forum for this, figured it seemed the best place though.

I have a signal I need to get from a microphone XLR to 2xRCA female and back to XLR.

The initial XLR->2xRCA female part I have covered, because I'm just plugging a mic into this mini-mixer: http://www.thomann.de/ie/behringer_xenyx_302_usb.htm

Then I'm using the RCAx2 female output (I think that's my only option but correct me if I'm wrong) of the mixer to send the signal back out intact - the point of all this is to monitor the signal out of the monitor output on the mini mixer.

I know where to buy these kinds of adaptors, what I need help with is I don't know much about the difference between TRS and normal "stereo" and I want to make sure I keep things "balanced" when it ends up back in an XLR cable (female to male)


So the part I need help with:2xRCA female -> XLR female

How do I get there (like what adaptors are best) and still have an intact balanced signal that didn't get interfered with by whatever adaptors I should use?

Thanks a lot

TroutMask

RCAs are unbalanced.

TroutMask

Further to this, the mic in is balanced, so just go in balanced with that connector, an XLR - XLR will do it. The rest of the ins and outs are on unbalanced RCA, so no need to worry, it doesn't matter if you have balanced on the other end, it will be 'debalanced' as soon as it hits those connectors. The good news is that those RCAs on those types of mixers are usually isolated from the chassis, they may share a groundplane, but the RCA shield/cold signal connector will not be strapped to a metal cabinet. So a straight XLR-RCA will work for each of those connectors. If you want to get fancy, you can lift the screen cable at the RCA, and rely on the balanced unit to provide the sheilding via their XLR Pin 1 signal grounding connections.

dartstothesea

So if I were to just use one of the RCA outputs to send the mic signal back out and adapt it to XLR again would the signal be fine in terms of not being split or diminished?

It sounds like just using a single RCA->XLR coming out of either the L or the R output lines should do what I need then (get the original mic signal sent out intact)

Thanks a lot

TroutMask

There's a confusion in terms here. The signal coming out of the RCAs on that mixer are not 'Mic level' signals. What you get is a *line level* mix of all of the input channels: in this case the mic channel and a line level input/USB feed.

I think it would be best if you explain precisely what you are trying to connect.

If you're trying to boost a microphone to a line level then send it on (unbalanced) in mono, then what you describe would be fine

dartstothesea

Yeah, as you say in the last line there, I'm trying to get the signal (coming originally from a mic, say an SM57 or 58) into the mixer and back out just as it was before the mixer.
I could probably boost the signal the few dBs extra alright for coming out of the mixer, but as you say, it will be unbalanced and possibly in mono, unless I use a Y-adaptor of some sort to combine the two RCA outputs into XLR

The fact that that output won't be balanced would be a problem though because I want to be able to send it on to a mixer being used in a venue, which could be an unknown number of metres away

TroutMask

dartstothesea wrote: »

I'm trying to get the signal (coming originally from a mic, say an SM57 or 58) into the mixer and back out just as it was before the mixer.

It won't be just as it was - it will be line level and presented at a different impedance. You need a mic splitter to turn one mic into two 'copies of itself', as it were.

dartstothesea wrote: »

but as you say, it will be unbalanced

Those are unbalanced outputs - the only way to balance them is to use an electronic balancing circuit or a balancing transformer.

dartstothesea wrote: »

possibly in mono

It will be in mono unless you use both of them and 2 lines

dartstothesea wrote: »

unless I use a Y-adaptor of some sort to combine the two RCA outputs into XLR

It is technically possible to do this but it's a bit messy

dartstothesea wrote: »

The fact that that output won't be balanced would be a problem though because I want to be able to send it on to a mixer being used in a venue, which could be an unknown number of metres away

The two best solutions are: 1) a mic splitter - gives a low-impedance balanced 2nd output - perfect for long runs; 2) buy another mixer with a balanced output.

That is, without getting into experimentation and ground-loop hum busting.

dartstothesea

Mic splitter sounds like a way easier way to do exactly what I want, thanks a million for the help so far man! Seriously appreciate it

dartstothesea

It involves spending an extra few quid but this sounds like it was made for precisely what I want (getting a duplicate of the mic signal into my own mixer while still letting it get to the main venue PA mixer without any messing up the signal or line)
http://artproaudio.com/discontinued_products/discontinued_products/product/splitcom/


Edit: actually, for what I want maybe this thing is even handier, looks like I would need to only buy this alone and use is to let the mic signal thru http://www.thomann.de/ie/art_mymonitor.htm

TroutMask

Canford make a decent splitter. Coupla things: the chain matters - if you're using really nice mics and an awesome world-class mixing console, then you want an expensive splitter. If we're talking a 58 into an Allen & Heath, then any standard splitter will do. There's not much in the passive ones, a box with XLR connectors and an isolation transformer. One of the mic outputs is wired direct from the mic input, the other output is on the secondary of a 600 ohm to 600 ohm transformer. The quality of the transformer determines the price of the box, pretty much. Since a good transformer is quite expensive, €80 euro or so for a Jensen or a Lundahl, a decent splitter is quite expensive. I use 16 channels of passive (transformer) splitters when recording on location to run a backup multitrack. They're not super-expensive, but cover me in case of crashes. Unless you spend big on splitters, you're always gonna get a little haze!

TroutMask

Here's where i got mine: the owner is super-nice and cuddly

http://www.orchid-electronics.co.uk/

Pretty sure he'll do up a single or a pair of splits

dartstothesea

Awesome, thanks. Duly noted about using quality transformers - it's not gonna be in situations where the signal's being recorded though, which is lucky since I don't have the cash for anything other than the cheaper units.