Ui24R - No Sound to Venue Connections, Piggy-Backing With Their Mixer Works!
Smallmouth_Bass
Posts: 5
My band plays a venue that is known to have a bit of an odd setup. The stage area has two XLR hookups (mains - left and right) that go to the house which is a whole bunch of smaller-ish satellite speakers spread out over the bar and terrace that the overall volume is controlled from a DJ booth. I would say their speakers could not be bigger than 2x8's in size, but probably more likely 2x6's (long rectangular shaped).
They have their own mixing board, a Mackie CFX MKII - which looks like a standard analogue type board, and a couple of stage monitors. The board has only two aux outs. All 4 of us are using in-ears and require at least 4 stage mixes, so I brought my Soundcraft Ui24r. So, I took my mains out and patched them directly to their wall hookup and get nothing. No sound. I checked all the usual suspects: is the system muted (no), are the fader levels up (yes) and the physical dials on the front up (yes). I even tried using an AUX out. Nothing.
As part of the troubleshooting, I also tested the cables (they're good), made sure the Ui24R is putting out a signal (out it into an active speaker and it works). I even outcome isolation transformers between the Ui24R and their connections.
Now, if I take the mains or an AUX out into their mixer (just the regular channels) and take the mains out from that, it works. I also have colleagues that play the same venue that don't need to use the venue's board as an intermediary and it works for them.
I am baffled as why I cannot get it to work directly with the Ui24R. Any ideas?
Comments
As a possibility, the venue system input is "pin3 HOT" unbalancing.
Ui24R's balance out is "Impedance balance". Only the pin2 has the signal then pin3 does not. That Mackie had the signal on both of pin2 and pin3 because it has a right meaning balance circuit.
Venue system could use only pin3 signal although the phase is inverted. ( Not sure it is the system's specification or mistaking to wireling. Some brands like Carver, Crest uses pin3 hot but there is no reason to use unbalance wireling for their XLR input. Even if it was pin2 balance input, same problem happens by pin2 short or cut at the sysytem input. )
Anyway this situation makes sound can be played from Mackie but not from Ui24R.
If you had a phase resverse cable, try it once.
It's easy to make if you didn't have.
Pin1----Pin1
Pin2----Pin3
Pin3----Pin2
Mark the connector "INV" or "Φ".
Thank you! Would a phase reverse coupler work the same?
Something like this:
https://www.amazon.ca/HOSA-XLR-COUPLER-POLARITY-CROSSWIRED-REVERSE/dp/B000068O4L
Interesting. Knowing that we had to go through an intermediary board, last evening we tried both a couple of smaller personal mixer units (Behringer and another Mackie) so as to not have to drag out their big Mackie board out and they both did not work. We still had to do the above setup.
Yes, that coupler works too if my guessing were truth as the reason.
Please don't get angry if it was not the reason.....
Low price mixer usually has that impedance balancing circuit at their outputs for the cost-cut..
I have already spend a lot more money of other potential solutions. $15 is not bad at all and what you are mentioning is what I was thinking might likely be a problem (wiring, but not knowing the details of it).