i want to turn off my powered monitors and put on headphones when i record a part in my little home studio.

So I bought a Behringer xenyx 502 to do this. simple right?

i connected outputs 1/2 from the rme fireface to 2/3 in. set balance to center and the level knob to unity gain.

connect monitors to main out

and...

the headphone output goes down in volume when when I turn the main mix off!

ARGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!

I should have checked the signal flow diagram before I bought it.

so i went to see if the mackie version of this simple little mixer will do it? nope. headphones are post master fader too!

go to page 19:
http://mackie.com/sites/default/files/PRODUCT RESOURCES/MANUALS/Owners_Manuals/Mix5_8_12FX_OM.pdf

does anyone know of a cheap device to do this simple task? and isn't this a feature everyone would want? i dont get it. explain why i am confused here.

 

You're looking for a monitor controller.

I use the Presonus Monitor Station.

SM Pro makes a cheaper one.

 

I have a question, why not just switch the output of your DAW from main out to phones? I can do that in Studio One with a MOTU 4Pre. I'd find it hard to believe that you RME can't do this?

 

http://mammothcaveaudio.com/products/

Built tough :

http://www.radialeng.com/mc3.php

If on a budget :

http://www.smproaudio.com/index.php/en/products/monitor-controllers

I use this. Expensive, has D/A, 8ch summing, and a few other options :

http://dangerousmusic.com/product/d-box/

 

this can also be done by setting up an aggregate device on a mac.

 

I'm not sure the exact specs of your interface, but with my different interfaces, and in the same situation a lot, I just have my powered monitors on a different powerstrip. I have it velcro'd to my desk, and just turn it on and off.... would that not work? or is there something different with the interface? (depending where I am, I have some apogees, roland studio capture, or a native instruments interface, and it works for all of those!)

 

the cheapest easiest way for powered monitors is a power strip. I bought a rackmount American DJ with a switch for each of the 8 outlets. One outlet per speaker (5.1 plus 2 more for stereo). $30 at Guitar Center or buy a cheap strip at a local store.

 

I want a hardware solution. I find that going into the mixer software to mute the output is a real mood killer to my creative work flow. I want a hardware option.

 

OH SNAP! That is a brilliant IDEA! I have an extra power strip littleraly sitting on the floor of my studio. i might try that. i was looking for an extra headphone out though...

 

thanks man. the samson is the cheapest. im gonan cheap out on this one. seems like this wont affect my listening too much. i make noisey rock and roll anyway. really appreciate all the links. also, this forum is by far the best recording nerd forum i have ever been a part of.

 

On my apogee quartet I have to split the headphone output, but I find some gain loss when I split it to a simple y adapter, but that might work for you on your interface...! (and their are really cheap (~$20 behringer boxes that will give you extra gain on that, but I would generally just use that for vocalists or something who wanted more gain, rather then making critical mix decisions on them....), ... or you could boost your daws output with a trim or utility on the output temporarily....

 

You could build your own box and add some 1/4 jacks then add a $5 push switch ( or toggle switch). You hook your monitors to this box and then the toggle switch kills both left and right outs at the same time. So you need a toggle switch with a center position and then 2 positions on each side

Total legs on switch is 6. 2 are the middle and the others are for left and right audio kill. You kill the audio by shorting it to ground so that when you engage the switch a wire connects the hot to ground thus = NO AUDIO.

This is the box I made for my high gain sound so that when this box is engaged the audio is cut ( ground short) so there is no guitar noise, this is similar to a guitar on off switch ( short to ground technique) but I do not want to drill holes on my guitar..

Total
Metal box
4 1/4 jacks ( 2 on each side of the box of course)
1 toggle switch with 4 or 6 pins

Notice the toggle switch I use is a multi pin toggle so I can do more things with it.
However only 1 side is being used . It's a ON-OF-ON toggle



This is my Guitar OFF ON box so I do not get noise when not playing.
However it is the same for you. Just instead you will not be using an LED light.

 

Cubase Pro's Control Room does this with one click.........

 

Some interfaces support both outs seperate but some may not, if you mute 1+2 main outs on your daw on some interfaces you may also loose the headphone out.
So it's up to the interface really
or build a switching box
or powerstrip off on switch

 

I ended up using the power strip idea. so BRILLIANT. so simple and absolutely perfect.

On using a splitter for my headphone output: do I need to worry about not matching impedance? i'll be using in earheaphones for the drum kit and some mid level Audio techinca cans for recording everything else.

 

cool! glad it worked, sometimes "simpler" is better (ockhams razor!! ).. ... I have never worried about matching impedance with headphones, and i use a variety of different cans, I have never actually heard anyone bring that up in 25 years of making music, so I wouldn't worry about it for a second, if it sounds fine, and doesn't sound "different" after you split it, you should be all good!

 

Very surprised nobody has mentioned the Presonus HP4 headphone amp, or headphone amps in general. This is what I use. Muting the monitor is just a button click away:



Presonus also makes a more expensive, full featured version called the HP60. Very nice for the price:

EDIT: Google them. I just tried to insert links three times (and have been able to do so in the past successfully) but it keeps putting blank spaces where my links are for some reason.

 

Last edited: Mar 21, 2016

This is a great idea too! I didn't realize it had a mute.

Current update. I bought one of the samson monitor controllers on ebay and it arrived with a bad right output (about -9db than the left). the jerk off on eBay gave me guff for asking for a refund complaining how much it cost him to ship it. Dude! You sold me broken gear! I'm the one who has a right to complain. ebay is such a wasteland sometimes. i got a refund anyway.

I'm gonna throw it out. Unless someone wants to fix it. I can ship it to you in the US. Just pay for shipping. Should be $12 unless you're on the east coast then it should be under $8.

 

I have the monitors connected to a nano patch plus in outs 1&2 of my ff800 and my phones connected to the phone out... they are independent

 

Why don't you just use the headphone output from the RME?
Doesn't it have headphone output? I mean for $1500 dollars??!!

My $150 Focusrite has headphone outputs with independent volume control but I also use the Behringer MiniMonitor mixer ($89) which also has independent headphone outputs (front AND back):

https://www.anony.ws/image/JP3i