Hello again guys. I'm checking those two monitor control. What do you think should I pick for my 2 sets of monitors. Thanks



https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...t-desktop-controller-and-calibrated-listening

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...trol-with-vca-control-and-usb-audio-interface

 

I use the little Mackie. Works fine for me because it is Passive. (and $100 cheaper than both of the ones you have picked). I rather have the monitor controller doing nothing but attenuation.

 

Between those two - Definitely TC Electronic. I had a Behringer Control 2 and the sound was terribly colored. I use Presonus Monitor Station V2 now.

 

This is exactly why I'd rather just use passive controllers. It can't really do very much, unless made with some pretty bad components.

So you suggest *not* buying the Behringer based on experience, but that doesn't mean the TC is any better. Years ago, that might have been a good bet. Not so sure about now.

Sweetwater are great about returns though, so if you make a bad choice you will only be out the shipping back to them to return it. I definitely wouldn't put up with a mistake on this small, but really important, thing. If you can't trust what you hear, it is difficult to really work.

 

Thanks Clone. I had the Mackie Knob and for some reason it started to lower the volume in one side.

 

Was it a powered model? Sweetwater only carries two passive monitor controllers from what I can tell. One is the cheapest Mackie, and the other is from Behringer. Most options are powered/active. Even then, you still have more things to really take into account. How you want to connect your monitors, maybe using the least amount of new cables so all connectors are correct...all that stuff to consider. Which interface outputs you want to connect... long list of concerns over a little 100$ box.

 

Heritage Audio BABY-RAM

 

One piece of that new TC came as presentation model at my local dealer. Very clean, definitely better than Benhinger.
But you're right - if passive one is an option that's the way to go
EDIT: I'm about to get SPL soon yayyy!

 

It was the passive one. I had the main output of my interface connected to the Mackie input and my monitors from the output of the Mackie.

 

yeah they pretty much either work or they don't. Did you flip the cable and the other side went out as expected? There is not much to them. And I trust the powered ones even less. You have to do a good amount of research on these for a $100-200 device, like it is a bigger purchase. They all have odd options, and if you do not pay attention you can easily end up needing other cables.

An annoying thing about the Mackie, for instance; is you can't have all 4 monitors on at once. So it ends up kind of dictating where you put it. If all I wanted was a very fast UP/DOWN for all 4 monitors at once, I'd get a keyboard with a scroll wheel. It's faster than reaching to your desk for a controller. (in the event of unexpected loud volume sounds). way faster.

 

Last edited: Mar 29, 2022

If you can solder and like your Mackie just fix it and even upgrade it while you are at with a stepped attenuator.

The problem with midrange and low end passive controllers is generally the potentiomenters in the attenuator and especially at lower levels they will unevenly attenuate (one wise softer than the other)

A stepped pot isn't infinitely variable but it is miles better for transparency and balance.

Expect to pay $40 to $90 for a decent stereo attenuator.

An example:

https://www.amazon.com/Allo-Stepped...23N565R/ref=dp_fod_1?pd_rd_i=B0923N565R&psc=1

Find the one that fits your box, supplies seems to be a little wonky at the moment.

I might not be brave with wood but electrical stuff requires a lot less artistry just good vision a steady hand and the right parts.

 

I'd recommend the old school mackie big knob, built like a tank so they're probably all still working fine and can be found cheap as hell used

 

+ TC Electronic Monitor Pilot
TC Helicon has been building hardware for many years and has a lot of experience. Trust the company.

 

I would also always rather go with a passive attenuator, so pretty much Mackie Big Knob, or SPL, or a Behringer Solo [I think it's called]. Edit: There's no passive Behringer monitor splitter. What I saw is Behringer Monitor2USB. I presume it's not the best quality, but it could be a great bang for the buck [140 euro or so].

That leaves Mackie Big Knob as the cheapest good passive monitor splitter/volume controller, or a very expensive [700 euro], but great SPL Control One.

Between these two, I'd absolutely choose the TC Monitor Pilot. It's simple, looks professional, and has everything you need. I like that it has only XLRs and calibrated outputs which is great and more important than you think.

And you can also add another pair of monitors later... maybe Audiocubes? They are really handy for checking the mix balance, especially bass.

 

Last edited: Mar 31, 2022

Heritage Audio recently released their RAM monitor controllers which have been very well received. The smaller one - Baby RAM - is only about $200.

One thing that you need to think about is that if you have a interface with DC-coupled outputs you might get loud pops when using a passive monitor controller. It's better to use a active monitor controller if this is the case with your interface. Here's a list over DC-coupled interfaces although it's not a complete one.

https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/which-audio-interfaces-are-dc-coupled/

 

Thanks everyone for replaying