A Weird PA Problem

[foldedpath]

It would be great if there was a similar resource on the old Nashville and NY studios... anyone know of one?

Studio Stories - How the Great New York Records Were Made. This is a terrific book about the classic NYC studios, back when Men were Men, and engineers built their own consoles from scratch. Everyone played together in the same room, ribbon mics were king, etc. Great stuff.

[Avi Ziv]

Studio Stories - How the Great New York Records Were Made. This is a terrific book about the classic NYC studios, back when Men were Men, and engineers built their own consoles from scratch. Everyone played together in the same room, ribbon mics were king, etc. Great stuff.

I have this book and it's a fun read. Some nice vintage photos from the studios too

[almeriastrings]

Thanks!

Amazon in Spain had it, and a copy is now on its way. Looks like a great read.

[Charlieshafer]

Yeah, thanks for the recommendation; I've ordered one as well. If you're really into old-school technology, I had a great time reading the totally non-musical Toaster Project. OK, it's totally off the thread topic, but we answered those questions long ago, and where else can you sneak in a plug for a book about a guy who makes a toaster from scratch, literally, mining his own minerals for metal and making his own plastic.

[Jim]

Too many variables to be sure after the fact, but, In the first case I'd be suspicious of the power switch on your KK/ If it turns on from the Output jack being used, maybe it didn't. The second time I'd suspect a muted channel, but too late to know. Third it's usually a cord. Even when I'm sure they are good, they're new and I tried them on another instrument and they work. It is still usually a cord.

[Tim2723]

There's a number of pretty cool cable testers available that will check all the various kinds we commonly use. Some have battery and polarity checkers included too. Very neat widget that I keep telling myself to get some day.

[Perry]

Going along with Charlie here, my guess is operator error, even though it happened with two different house PA systems.

Most larger house PA mixers have line-level inputs on their 1/4" jacks. If you're not feeding the mixer an actual line level signal (and you're not, with most battery-powered preamps), then it may be too weak to hear. Especially if the PA operator has left the input gain set for the last line level input source that was running through that channel.

A good house PA engineer will look at what you're doing on the other end of the cable, then slap a DI on your 1/4" battery preamp output and run it into a mic channel on the mixer. But you can't always count on that.

If you're using the version of the K&K Pure that doesn't have an XLR output, then you might need to carry a DI box for this type of situation. Or upgrade to that preamp version.

Or... it could be something else that's causing the problem. But I'll bet it's related to handing the house PA operator a 1/4" cable and assuming they know what to do with it.

May I suggest to the OP just get a Red Eye pre-amp and kill two birds with one stone...better unit then then K&K pre-amp and has an XLR out and a boost switch to boot

[pops1]

There's a number of pretty cool cable testers available that will check all the various kinds we commonly use. Some have battery and polarity checkers included too. Very neat widget that I keep telling myself to get some day.

A $5 ohm meter or less will check your cables, there is not need to get a cable tester. A simple continuity tester will be very adequate.

[almeriastrings]

May I suggest to the OP just get a Red Eye pre-amp and kill two birds with one stone...better unit then then K&K pre-amp and has an XLR out and a boost switch to boot

Hopefully the problem is long solved... question dates from 2012!

[Guitfiddle Mike]

Our board has an xlr, 1/4" line level input and 1/4" patch i\0 stacked on the back for each channel. My guys our notorious for plugging into the patch I/0 and then standing over there staring at me wondering why they are getting no sound. That happening at two different places is kind of a stretch but it is really easy to do especially in low light areas of a stage.

LOL....2012!!! LOL.....WHOOPS

[Perry]

Weird I don't know why I stumble upon this thread yesterday....maybe I did a search.

The call these "zombie" threads don't they

[pops1]

I usually don't know what the date is today let alone what date the thread is from. New entry shows and I read, if interested. Not the first time I have responded to an old thread, doubt it will be the last. Still an opportunity to learn something for someone. I learned, again, to look and the date, tho I doubt I will remember.

[allenhopkins]

Lots of threads meander on for years, with folks adding to them when the spirit moves them...

However, threads requesting specific advice for a specific problem, purchase, or repair probably need to have a "use by XXX" date on them. If OP hasn't handled his PA issue from five years ago, I'd be surprised.

[Mandobart]

Wow my very first zombie thread! Yes I really don't remember anything about this original issue some 5-1/2 years later. I still have the same gear, but I did spring for a RedEye a few years back. Also got a Carvin AG300 two years ago. I haven't had the original problem again as far as I can remember.