splitter

[soentkensound]

Hi, I'm new on gearslutz.

Don't know if this is treated before, but what splitters do y'all use
for locationrecording. (active or passive).
And why(active or passive)
Do you y'all split 3 way? (to xtra safetyrecordingrig)

greetings tool

[Jim vanBergen]

Look at the sticky threads that Steve Remote has put on this site, his posts are EXCELLENT!!

I personally use both active and passive splitters. My preferred is the XTADS800 which is a modular 8 input active split with a direct and three isolated transformer outs for each input. There are also nice active BSS and Klark-Teknik splitters I have used in the analog world that work well.

I also use Whirlwind, Wireworks, and Ramtech passive splitters often. There is a HUGE sonic difference between a 'basic xformer' and a Jensen or Lundahl, so try and get absolute best. It's REALLY worth your time, measuring a mic level signal (-60 to -40dB) and looking at the direct and transformered losses thru a trunk. You'll see losses of -3 to -10 dB depending on the tranny, and you may see small, weird, or huge changes in impedance and grounding (some splits have a floating ground, which is NOT a good idea!) An active split like the XTA provides phantom power and electronic amplifier circuit so that the mic level is brought to a (usually lower but higher than mic level) line level and also balances the signal with reference to neutral and ground.

From readings taken by Neutrik A2, Audio Precision testers, and my ears- active sounds best, and Jensens sound best in passive transformers. The sonic difference between trannies is simply SHOCKING when you plug a condenser mic in.

Hope this helps!

Dach-

JvB

[Remoteness]

Thanks Jim,

And thanks for another excellent post!

I had a Sticky called “the Splitter Channel” but, I removed it awhile ago. IMO, it was an awesome idea – I started a thread that included every post about splitters. I also asked if people would post their splitter ideas and questions in that same thread to make it easier for everyone on our forum. I was going to add “the Microphone Channel,” The Preamp Channel,” and such based on the same premise but, no one seemed to pick up on it...

Many folks never bothered to check it out and still posted a new thread asking about splitters….

I didn’t want the clutter at the top of the forum so I removed the sucker. I don’t know – I thought it was a very cool concept but…

IMO, the members that frequent this forum act as my barometer to what works and what doesn’t work. I DO know that the search engine on this forum works well; Going to a thread that had everything you ever wanted to know about splitters would have worked even better. But, I'm crazy like that.

Please find a quick search I did on the words Splitter and Splitters below. I did not fine tune it like "the Splitter Channel" thread so, the search may have a few stray threads but, I trust you will be able to deal with that…

Searching Splitters on the Remote Possibilities in Music & Recording forum.

Also, check out the threads at the bottom of this thread. There should be some cool links about splitter right there for the taking.

Check it out the links available and tell us what you think?

[Matti]

The quality of transformers really count.
Matti

[Remoteness]

Right on MATTI,

Like I've said before...


Whatever you do, don't go with cheap XFMRs, you may have to use them someday.

[soentkensound]

Hello guys,

My first thread answered by jim van bergen and steve remote.

What an Honour for a beginner.

Sorry for your time guys, I found several threads about splitters on gearslutz.

I've been recording dutch and german jazz,salsa,pop and bigbands for quiet some years now.
after several request to also record their liveshows , I'm deciding to put together a small mobile recording setup that fits my stationwagon.( based on some metric halo's and an apple laptop )
So this isn't very highend but I mixed somebody's recordings that were recorded with this stuff and it sounded very good.
I realize that mobile recording is a different ballgame then recording in the studio.
But I'm trying to get the basic stuff together first.
That's why I came across the splitters.
I'm not in the same "league" as you guys and have absolutely no knowledge about transformers in splitters etc.
I just want know where to begin.
I ran across some brand: proco (procosound.com)
They make pretty affordable spltters.
Has anyone experience with these splitters?

(I'm afraid that I allready know the answer, good and cheap is not some that goes together in recording business . )

Greetings