Line level to splitter, mic level out..How?

Sean Holland · 13th May 2005

The other day I successfully recorded 3 hours worth of 20 channels of audio using my Powerbook and gear. I was really lucky in that the sound guy was really helpful, cooperative and friendly. He was doing the monitor mix from FOH so I got the feed from the splitter that would normally have gone to a monitor mixer in the wings.

The drummer used V-Drums, and there was also a keyboard. I was concerned about this because the sound guy had told me that every connection I would get from the snake from the splitter box would be balanced XLR. "Will it still be line level?" I asked (by email). "No, " he answered, "everything you get will be mic level. That's how our splitter works."

Well, in the great hooplah of getting set up, and in the later hooplah of loading out, I didn't want to pester this extremely cooperative sound guy with dumb newbie questions...So now I will pester this board.

The sound guy had mentioned that he would be taking the TRS from the drums and keys into a DI box and thence into the splitter box. What I am wondering is, where did this miraculous transformation of line level into mic level occur?

This question is part of the research I've been putting into splitter boxes/snakes for the last several months, with the idea that eventually I will own my own.
Thanks for any info.

davidelsbury · 14th May 2005

The DI changed the signal from unbalanced (TRS) line level high impedance (line level. maybe 10,000 ohms) to balanced mic level low impedance (600 ohms or something) to travel thru the split rack and onto the mixer/s. The DI is there to drive long lines.
Most split racks only split mic level in and mic level out, because:
A) all the mics would need preamps on stage, and this is hard and expensive to control remotely, so the desk preamps are used, and
B) most split rack transformers can only handle mic signals because the transformers need to be bigger and better designed and hence more expensive to do a line level signal.

So take along a mixer and/or preamps of your own. That way, you have control over your levels.

Regards
David

Sean Holland · 14th May 2005

Thanks. That explains it very clearly.

13th May 2005	#1
Sean Holland Gear Head Joined: Oct 2004 Location: British Columbia Posts: 61 Thread Starter	Line level to splitter, mic level out..How? The other day I successfully recorded 3 hours worth of 20 channels of audio using my Powerbook and gear. I was really lucky in that the sound guy was really helpful, cooperative and friendly. He was doing the monitor mix from FOH so I got the feed from the splitter that would normally have gone to a monitor mixer in the wings. The drummer used V-Drums, and there was also a keyboard. I was concerned about this because the sound guy had told me that every connection I would get from the snake from the splitter box would be balanced XLR. "Will it still be line level?" I asked (by email). "No, " he answered, "everything you get will be mic level. That's how our splitter works." Well, in the great hooplah of getting set up, and in the later hooplah of loading out, I didn't want to pester this extremely cooperative sound guy with dumb newbie questions...So now I will pester this board. The sound guy had mentioned that he would be taking the TRS from the drums and keys into a DI box and thence into the splitter box. What I am wondering is, where did this miraculous transformation of line level into mic level occur? This question is part of the research I've been putting into splitter boxes/snakes for the last several months, with the idea that eventually I will own my own. Thanks for any info. __________________ Motu 896HD, Motu 828mkII, Digital Timepiece, Millennia HV-3C, Aphex 207, Focusrite Octopre, Powerbook G4 1.5ghz/2gb, Glyph External HD, DP 4.5

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14th May 2005	#2
davidelsbury Gear interested Joined: Feb 2005 Location: Auckland NEW ZEALAND Posts: 3	The DI changed the signal from unbalanced (TRS) line level high impedance (line level. maybe 10,000 ohms) to balanced mic level low impedance (600 ohms or something) to travel thru the split rack and onto the mixer/s. The DI is there to drive long lines. Most split racks only split mic level in and mic level out, because: A) all the mics would need preamps on stage, and this is hard and expensive to control remotely, so the desk preamps are used, and B) most split rack transformers can only handle mic signals because the transformers need to be bigger and better designed and hence more expensive to do a line level signal. So take along a mixer and/or preamps of your own. That way, you have control over your levels. Regards David