Live Sound NEED HELP

[zackiswack321]

ok, so I am in a trance/hardcore band. We do not have a drummer, but instead use prerecorded drums and synth for our shows. We had a performance last week and had both the drums and the synth playing through our PA along with the mic. Our mixer just couldn't handle the output. SO, my idea was to get a USB mixer (I use logic express 8 for the music) and send the drum track to one channel, possibly to a speaker cabinet or something, and send the synth to the PA with the microphone.

My question is, can USB mixers do that? Can you send to the mixer, or is it strictly for recording? Also, if you have any ideas on how else I could solve my live sound dilemma, it would be greatly appreciated :D. Thanks everyone!

P.S. I didn't know where to post this so if an administrator could move this to the correct area, that would be fantastic.

[Marcocet]

You don't necessarily need a mixer, just a computer interface of some kind with multiple outputs. There are tons available nowadays on the cheap. It's gonna be a much bigger pain than you expect but I'd imagine the payoff will be well worth it. Plus your rig will be a lot cooler than just a computer plugged in to a PA.

[zackiswack321]

well right now we have the laptop plugged into the mixer. The drums and the synth, even though they are on different channels through logic express 8, come out as one signal obviously since the laptop is plugged straight into the mixer. I know that Logic has the option to choose different outputs, but let's say I send the synth output to the headphones to be played through the PA, what other output options do I have to send the drums to?

[WaterBearOne]

ok, so I am in a trance/hardcore band. We do not have a drummer, but instead use prerecorded drums and synth for our shows. We had a performance last week and had both the drums and the synth playing through our PA along with the mic. Our mixer just couldn't handle the output. SO, my idea was to get a USB mixer (I use logic express 8 for the music) and send the drum track to one channel, possibly to a speaker cabinet or something, and send the synth to the PA with the microphone.

My question is, can USB mixers do that? Can you send to the mixer, or is it strictly for recording? Also, if you have any ideas on how else I could solve my live sound dilemma, it would be greatly appreciated :D. Thanks everyone!

P.S. I didn't know where to post this so if an administrator could move this to the correct area, that would be fantastic.


I guess it is unclear what you mean by "Our mixer just couldn't handle the output" - Was it distorting? Was it noisy? Was the output level from your laptop too high for the input on the mixer channel?
Provide some specific info on exactly how you are sending your signal out of the computer, where the levels are being set, how you are routing it into the mixer and what type of mixer is being used? There are a number of fairly simple solutions to this issue, just a matter of knowing exactly what the circumstances are...

[scredly]

Use the mixer in Logic to get the levels between tracks where you like them and take headphone out>Direct Box>PA or purchase an audio interface that has at least two-outputs (1 for drums, 1 for synth) and run the outputs of the audio interface to the PA. Presonus Firestudio Mobile (firewire) or something similar with USB like M-Audio FastTrack Pro.

[RustyAxe]

Our mixer just couldn't handle the output.What does that mean, exactly?

[Marcocet]

Yup. Also your headphones out is really two outputs, left and right. You can get a stereo to mono cable and have two separate outs right there.

[zackiswack321]

Yup. Also your headphones out is really two outputs, left and right. You can get a stereo to mono cable and have two separate outs right there.

That's what we ended up buying yesterday. We are just going to pan drums left and synth right and send the drums to an amp behind us.

What I meant by our mixer couldn't handle the output, We couldn't get it loud enough so we had to turn all the volumes on pretty much everything up. Then the sound started to become very distorted and would go in and out occasionally. Anyway, we have the solution fixed for now. Thank you all for your help and advice :D