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JLiRD808 3 January 2008

I've been basically shouting at artists in my booth to get them to respond or they crack the door open to really hear me so now I NEED a talkback system or I will lose my voice and patience.

Right now, the headphones that go to the iso booth come from a PreSonus HP4. The HP4 has only 1 stereo input so I cannot go into it.

However, I thought that I could daisy chain another small 2 channel amp from the HP4 output (going to headphones) and add a cheap gooseneck mic for talkback. Channel 1 would basically be a thru and Channel 2 would be the talkback mic that I could throw the fader up on to talk and back down for silence.

Any thoughts? I've only been thinking about this for a day or so. I know they make nice talkback systems but its not in my budget right now. I also thought about upgrading the HP4 to another unit with talkback included.

Thanks!

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Comments

Cucco Thu, 01/03/2008 - 20:10

Hmmm...the idea sounds a tad convoluted.

What interface/software/hardware are you using?

There's got to be an easier way to do this. Even if it's to buy a cheesy $40 Beh**nger mixer and plug the outputs of your DAW into channels 1&2 and then plug a mic with a momentary switch (Radio Shaft has these pretty cheap - or you could build yer own...) into input 3 and then the outputs into your headphone amp...That should work just fine and it's a tad less confusing than the previous ideas.

RemyRAD Fri, 01/04/2008 - 00:30

Here is what you do with all the junk you have laying around.

Go find that old $39 Radio Shaft kids mono toy cassette recorder. Plug in a $.99 dynamic microphone. Put in a blank cassette and press the record pause button. Take the output of the cassette recorder and feed it into a Radio Shaft 3 line level RCA inputs that switch to a single output. Plug the cassette recorder into inputs 1. Plug the output feed from your computer recorder interface into inputs 2. Now take the output of the switcher box and feed that into your headphone amplifier.

Whenever you want to speak to them you will switch to your feed from the cassette recorder with its built-in automatic volume control (adjust the output volume control from the earphone output to match the level from your computer interface). It will interrupt their feed from the computer which will automatically get their attention even before you say a thing.

Simple and cheap, just like me.
Ms. Remy Ann David

JLiRD808 Fri, 01/04/2008 - 17:23

Cucco wrote: What interface/software/hardware are you using?

DAW Output:
E-MU 0404 PCI interface to a Presonus HP4 headphone amplifier to monitors and headphones.

Cucco wrote: There's got to be an easier way to do this. Even if it's to buy a cheesy $40 Beh**nger mixer and plug the outputs of your DAW into channels 1&2 and then plug a mic with a momentary switch (Radio Shaft has these pretty cheap - or you could build yer own...) into input 3 and then the outputs into your headphone amp...That should work just fine and it's a tad less confusing than the previous ideas.

What if I input this then before the headphone amp?: http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHMX400

$20! I just hope there's no noise...otherwise I'm scrapping it.

Cucco Fri, 01/04/2008 - 18:34

That would work. It's line-level only though, so you'd need either a mic designed to work at line level or some way of boosting it there. You'd still want that momentary switch too.

You should also be able to plug a mic into the EMU in addition to the one that you're using for your vocalist and in your E-MU Patchmix DSP designate this as a talkback or if not, at least leave it on so that your singer can hear what you're saying.

Just some thoughts...

JLiRD808 Fri, 01/04/2008 - 19:26

How about the "personal monitor amplifier" on the headphones out from the headphone amp.

(Dead Link Removed)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002BG2SQ/?tag=r06fa-20

Again, I can plug a mic (talkback) into it without having to increase its level and it accepts a stereo signal in which would be the stereo headphone out from the headphone amp. I can also adjust the level of each! And yes I would get a momentary switch also.

I think this would work but I'm not such an expert about the types of cabling and other level issues.

Thanks again for everyones help! I really appreciate it...!

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