Routing a signal from sound card to Alesis monitors...?

N

n8bt

New member
Hey Mano One-

You answered a post in this forum a couple of months ago regarding monitors that was very helpful. I have a question and am hoping you could help me out. :)

I'm getting a good deal on a pair of Alesis M1 Actives . Since they are amplified, I know I don't need to run them from an amp, but can I simply go from the speaker outs on my sound card? The line input jack on the monitors accepts both XLR and 1/4" input plugs.

I don' t currently have a mixing console to "clean up" the signal, but I'm wondering if I'm risking damaging the monitors if I go directly from the sound card. In addittion, my card (Turtle Beach Santa Cruz) just has the mini stereo plug outs. I have a mini plug to RCA converter... Could I then go RCA to 1/4" and from there into the monitors? Or would you recommend waiting to get some sort of mixer or preamp before trying them?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
 
I don't see how that could affect the monitors. Just buy a mini stereo to 1/4" adapter and you're set.
 
I CAN HELP!

I definitly think you need to add something between the sound card and th emonitors.. To preamplify the sound correctly.. yes, the signal out of a soundcard is ok but it's not perfect.

Also you really may damage them if you *mouse* the screen in order to change the level/volume.

I cna really help you because I own active speakers too, EVENT 20/20 BAS some of the best monitors around for less than 1000 dollars a pair (got them for 700 dollars actually).

I also don't have a mixer, and I also plug the soundcard (PULSAR II) to my monitors...

BUT not directly... I did this for a while, and first I almost broke them twice (mousing the level on the screen..) and second the sound was not perfect.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:


1. buy a ROLLS STEREO MINI-MIX MX28 for about 80 dollars (I think)

mx28.jpg

http://music123.com/Item/Item.asp?po=RMX28&uid=F50CBF7135F246C3B97940BF1BFA00 (print this and bringt he page to any local music stores they will match the price if you live in america)

This will let you plug your sound sources (not only your soundcard, but also 2 other stereo sources like your hifi, etc..), plug TWO pairs of headphones (!), your speakers, ... AND... and control independently the level of your speakers or headphones... VERY NICE. That's what I have right now.


2. get some good cables, but not the most expensive.. get some of those BLUE MONSTER CABLEs. You need:

. ADAPTER: stereo mini jack (male) to double mono 1/4inch female jacks adapter (to make your soundcard output 1/4 inch mono jacks)

. CABLES: 4 x 1/4 (male - male) mono jack cables (2 for soundcard adapter -> rolls preamplifier and 2 for rolls preamplifier -> active speakers)



VOILA! The day I bought this I was so excited! The result is: brighter sound (much better), louder, no more danger to break the monitors (you control the levels via the knobs). Voila


one more thing... Turn the ROLLS off first (unplug the adapter) and THEN turn the speakers off (5 good seconds later even). This will avoid any damage.

I know this will help you! It's sweet to be able to level my headphones independently with a knob of its own, etc.. sweet.

-mano
 
by the way, i am moivng this thread to "HOME STUDIO INSTALLATION", i am sure it'll help more people there.
 
;) robin

well this is a long thread, long threads often get off topic a little... but apparently you guys are talking about something related to studio effects anyway :)

i havent red all the thread though :)

take care
 
Hey Mano, thanks for the reply!

Your post was EXTREMELY helpful. I will definitely go with the mini mix suggestion. I still haven't decided on which monitors to buy. I had planned on going with the Alesis M1 Active, but apparently Alesis has gone out of business - or rather, appropriated by Numark. Consequently, it is increasingly difficult to get one's hands on ANY Alesis products. I guess they will be assimilated into Numark??

I have since been looking into other options, like a JBL bi-amplified monitor such as their LSR 25P. Frequence response is from 70hz - 20k and the sound is supposed to be pretty good. I know the Event 20/20s are excellent, but they were a bit more expensive than I wanted to pay. However, I could be persuaded... :) Could you give me a short rundown on your experience mixing with the 20/20s as opposed to others?

You said you paid $700 for yours? Where did you find the deal? If I could find a similar deal (or close) I might splurge a little. :) Any recommendations as to where to look?

Thanks again!

-nathan
 
Hello again n8bt,

GLAD my post helped! I jumped up and down when I saw your question, as I went through this as well :)

I love these monitors... they are great for studio use, production etc... worth the price definitly... Although I mostly use my SONY headphones to monitor or compose... because I don't have a special room for my music and only use the speakers when i really need to.


to get the 20/20BAS ("bas" is important) for this price, I went to www.music123.com and printed out the page from the site... Then I went to a local music store and showed th eprice to the guy... Since this is america, he HAD TO BEAT THE COMPETITION... and although the pair was normally well over 1000 dollars (those are some serious monitors) he had to beat the 699 something dollars music123.com was offering.

So... including tax i paid something like 750 dollars... Don't hesitate to bug them to make them beat the printed prices... it is a great trick to get the best deals.

good luck!
 
hey, thanks again mano.

i think i've decided to go with the 20/20s! I went to Music123 and they are currently going for $850 a pair. :( I checked with Guitar Center and they are selling them for around $750 right now. I'll keep looking around to see if I can find a better deal online. If so, GC will almost always match or beat it. If not, I think I can definitely stomach the $750 for what I'll be getting in return. :D

n8
 
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