TheArchitect, yes most people use an external knob/slider to turn down the volume. You could also keep a power switch handy that shuts down everything at once - except your speakers. Give that a try. I think you'll agree this is really good advice! :wink:

Woops, I meant a power button to the monitors or amp. What I have a really big red button smack dab in the middle of the desk that says "Don't touch" and actually there is a small photograph of Bill Gates on it, because when things start to go wronge I like to hit that button fast and hard.

Actually, not I lied, I don't have such a button. It may be a good idea though if you're having technical issues with your OS. I've never encountered software that squeels when freezing, so maybe I just don't feel your pain. What does bother me is when I'm mixing and I pop in a reference CD and "WOAH" I have to quickly tuen down the volume because it's jacked up so high. After a couple of times you start to learn those things and just deal with it, in an almost sub-consious way. It can really get in the way of your every-day life though. I mean, I like homemade bread and I like to toast it nice a crisp. But man-oh-man when I get store-bought I find myself cranking the toast setting all the way down for some reason. It still comes out crisp. hmm I wonder why? It must be all those presertives or something. OK in some cases like mine it can be handy, but don't let it get too far. Like, the other day, like, I was driving my dad's car, which is made in China, and I drove it really really slow and close to the right lane marker.

OK, again, I lied about it. But you get my drift hopefully.

A monitoring switcher and volume control is a must.
.. can be seperate units but you do need mute and left/right ... volume and set type functions.

This used to be known as the Crontol Room Monitor section on many of the larger mixers
... but now we all seem to have DAWs and I think this is a product area that has been overlooked in the past.

Some companies are addressing this now
but I haven't seen an obvious winner yet.

http://www.diyfactory.com/projects/dawmonswitch/dawmonswitch_1.htm
and soon
http://www.diyfactory.com/projects/dawmonswitch/dawmonswitch_2.htm

add to that a talkback unit
http://www.diyfactory.com/projects/talkback/talkback.htm

jamiey wrote: Woops, I meant a power button to the monitors or amp. What I have a really big red button smack dab in the middle of the desk that says "Don't touch" and actually there is a small photograph of Bill Gates on it, because when things start to go wronge I like to hit that button fast and hard.

Actually, not I lied, I don't have such a button. It may be a good idea though if you're having technical issues with your OS. I've never encountered software that squeels when freezing, so maybe I just don't feel your pain. What does bother me is when I'm mixing and I pop in a reference CD and "WOAH" I have to quickly tuen down the volume because it's jacked up so high. After a couple of times you start to learn those things and just deal with it, in an almost sub-consious way. It can really get in the way of your every-day life though. I mean, I like homemade bread and I like to toast it nice a crisp. But man-oh-man when I get store-bought I find myself cranking the toast setting all the way down for some reason. It still comes out crisp. hmm I wonder why? It must be all those presertives or something. OK in some cases like mine it can be handy, but don't let it get too far. Like, the other day, like, I was driving my dad's car, which is made in China, and I drove it really really slow and close to the right lane marker.

OK, again, I lied about it. But you get my drift hopefully.

Very clever! :) Actually the squealing issue is a "feature" of cubase I have discovered. They have improved the software a lot but when pushed hard it will still freak out. It's rare but it only takes once to toast a set of monitors. Leaving a mic channel open by mistake creating a massive feedback loop is somewhat more common.... :shock: :D :wink: :wink:

Oh, I see :shock:
I really hope it hasn't gotten you down.

Though, I do remember now something like that happening to me before, and I was wearing headphones... SUPER OUCH! I would not doubt it has happened to just about every engineer at one time or another. If you happen to have other people in the room (or worse a client) it can be very embaressing, or funny depending if it's you, to see the engineer scramble to try and get the sound to stop, meanwhile everyone is ducking for cover! :oops: