ME-500 Stereo Channels

[EricParticipant]

I just received a ME-500 to connect to a QU-PAC eventually through a AB168. Right now I have it connected directly to the dSnake port on the back of the QU-PAC. With a little work I finally was able to get audio to it. The manuals aren’t too clear. It is like they are explaining how to route audio to someone who already knows how to do that. But with a little trial and error and setting outputs to prefader, I was finally able to get things to work. Now to my main question or concern. The manual says that you can send 16 mono or stereo audio sources. Should I read it as 16 mono or 8 stereo or some combination of the two? Here is why I ask. Say I have a keyboard plugged into channels 1 & 2 on mixer (actually 27&28 through snake but lets keep it simple). I can assign channel 1 to output 1 and it shows a bar connecting 1 & 2 showing it is a stereo channel and it sounds stereo and seems to work well. However if I want channel 2 on the ME500 to be something else (say keyboard vocal which is plugged into 3), as soon as I assign channel 3 on mixer to channel 2 on the ME500, the keyboard becomes mono and I am only getting the left side. Is this working correctly? Can I run 16 stereo channels on a ME500 or can I only run 8? This is what I’d like to accomplish if possible:

ME500 Channel – Source – Mixer Channel – Current Status
1 – Kick – Channel 17 – works fine
2 – Snare – Channel 18 – Works fine
3 – OH L – Channel 23 – Works fine This doesn’t need to be stereo because sometimes I run Hi hat and 1 OH
4 – OH R or HiHat – Channel 24 – Works fine
5 – Bass – Channel 25 – Works fine
6 – GTR 1 – Channels 1&2 – can only get channel 1 to work if I use channel 7 on ME500
7 – GTR 2 – Channel 26 – Works fine
8 – Keys – Channels 27&28 – I can only get a mono signal to work here without losing channel 9 on ME500
9 – Vocal 1 – Channel 11 – Works
10 – Vocal 2 – Channel 12 – Works
11 – Vocal 3 – Channel 29 – Works
12 – Vocal 4 – Channel 30 – Works
13 – Vocal 5 – Channel 31 – Works
14 – Vocal 6 – Channel 31 – Works
15 – FX1 return preferably in stereo – works until I add FX 2 to 16
16 – FX2 return in stereo – only come in mono

Am I expecting too much from this device or what am I doing wrong?

Thanks,
Eric

[ahjeffModerator]

Hi Eric

Firstly, yes, you should be able to mix up to 16 stereo channels.

I think the issue here is that stereo channels must occupy odd-even channel pairs (1-2, 3-4, 5-6, etc). For this to work, the source channel must be set as a stereo pair – see page 31 of the user guide. Now, if you want to send stereo channel GTR 1 to ME, the left and right sides of this channel need to be patched to, for example Monitor channels, 5 and 6. Once you have patched the left and right sides of this channel, you should see a white bar connecting the two channels in the IO screen, indicating that they will be treated as a stereo pair in the ME-500. As a stereo pair, they will only use up one of the 16 ‘select’ buttons on the ME-500. The next channel you patch would be to Monitor channel 7.

The relevant user guide page is 74. It does mention setting the direct out source, but does not explain patching of stereo channels.

Hope this helps.

– Jeff, A&H

[EricParticipant]

Jeff,
Let me see if I get this correctly and will keep the example to something real simple. Say I have a stereo guitar plugged into 1&2 and a vocal plugged into 3 on a QU-PAC. I set the monitor channel for the guitar to 1 & 2 with a bar between. And the Vocal mic to monitor 3. If I understand you correctly, when I press 1 on the ME500 I will be able to control the stereo guitar on channels 1&2 and when I press 2 on the ME500, that is now connected to monitor out 3? I need to plug the system together and do some testing but I don’t think this is what was happening the first time I tested it. I believe that in this situation, the guitar was connected to Button 1 on ME500, button 2 did nothing, and button 3 was the vocal. I will test this again and see what happens. All stereo channels on the QU-PAC are of course assigned to odd-even channels or else they wouldn’t work as stereo channels on the mixer.

[ahjeffModerator]

Hi Eric

Yes, the scenario you described should work as you expect. If you’re getting strange behavior, one suggestion would be to re-power the ME-500 after setting up the patching.

When I said about odd-even channels, you’re right that this must be the case on the Qu, but it’s also important to patch these odd-even Qu input channel pairs to odd-even Monitor output channel pairs. It sounds like you have already done this if you are getting the white bar between them.

Hope this helps.

– Jeff

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