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So I was working on a project when suddenly a plugin went haywire. It suddenly BLASTED this horrible sound at an extreme volume. I'm shocked it didn't damage my monitors (or so I think). Luckily I was quick enough to turn down the master volume on my mixer.
So it got me to thinking. Since this does happen occasionally, I'm wondering if there's some hardware I can buy to put between my mixer and monitors (or somewhere in the chain) to prevent such a thing from destroying them? I'm only using a dj mixer, and am planning to upgrade to a real one, so was thinking that maybe a studio mixer would have this sort of function built in. If so, what's the feature called? If not, then what should I buy?
Thanks!
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What kind of monitors do you have?
Most quality name brand monitors (Mackie's, KRK's, etc.) are built to withstand transient events that are caused by abnormal plugin or host software behaviour, so I wouldn't be too concerned.
I beat the hell out of some KRK V8's and they still sounded good. Part of the price you pay on a good set of monitors is for durability.
Some delay plugins can loop infinitesimally and thereby cause feedback noise.
I would just try to limit these events as best as you can and you should be fine.
Maybe don't leave the volume cranked up while you're off having lunch.
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KRK Rokit 5's
They're holding up fine so far....but waiting for the day when they finally raise the white flag. I've also got problems of forgetting to turn the volume down on the mixer when I switch from music making to surfing the net. I tend to keep my projects at a low volume (in the DAW) and use the mixer to get the volume to a normal level. I've about had a heart attack on several occasions when some websites music automatically kicked in. :eek: Figure that's what will finally put them to rest....
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Well, websites won't kill them but you sending too hot of a signal from your mixer into them can cause problems, as they are active monitors.
You should never send too high of a signal to active monitors. You want to be sure that the amplifiers in the monitors do the work, not your mixer.
You can tell if the signal is too hot if they start clipping. I'd recommend finding the sweet spot on your mixer and then marking it or putting tape on it to never go beyond that point. Watch the temperature on the monitors as well. If they get too hot to touch, you've gone beyond the safe limit.
A friend of mine fried the amplifier inside one of his V8's because he was using them as DJ monitors and sending too hot of a signal into them.
So the earlier comment still stands, but watch the levels. I connect to my Mackie's via a Creamware Scope card with Analog Outputs. I use a controller box to adjust the volume that I send to the line level outputs.
It kind of depends also on how powerful your mixer is and how you have it connected.
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Glenn,
What your asking for is a limiter. The mackies have one built in, has saved me quite a few times. I did destroy a tweeter in a Yamaha NS10 when a digital sync signal (high pitched square wave) got into the system years ago.
What DAW were you using? Cubase 4 has some issues with the routing that has caused a high pitched square wave type tone on me a few times. Another thing I like about the mackies is the power switch is right on the front so you can quickly kill them.
You could get something like an RNC to put into your chain to prevent this if your worried.
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Jesse, wouldn't an in-line external limiter compromise the flatness of the monitors and thereby color the sound?
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Not if its decent like the RNC. I've had worse inserted before and lived to tell about it
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Hehe, like a Radio Shack compressor/limiter?
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Ok, everything makes sense. But let's say I have all my levels optimized. My DAW is putting out at the right level to my external soundcard. My soundcard (Toneport UX2) has level knobs, so I get those just right; then off to my mixer, where it gets the perfect level. Now wouldn't it still be possible for some 'rogue' sound (like a broken plugin) or something of the sort to come flying through and basically destroy the speakers?
I guess the limiter idea would work...but isn't there something simpler/cheaper out there? Like a 'kill switch' or 'fuse box' idea? For example, a little box you wire between the mixer and speakers that will just 'kill' the signal if it reaches above a certain point/db that you designate. Does that make sense?
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sven hauck Wrote:Hehe, like a Radio Shack compressor/limiter?
hehe ya that would probably count
