Is it possible to go MONO from Mac to QU?

[arretxParticipant]

For the longest time we’ve had two channels on our QU32 dedicated to USB streaming from our Mac for audio (Youtube, Spotify, etc.)

We don’t have a room that works well with stereo, so everything we have is mixed down to mono anyway.

Is there a way to send both left and right signals from the Mac to the QU-32 on a single USB stream to one channel without needing to eat up a strip?

[arretxParticipant]

It doesn’t appear that there’s a way to USB stream a stereo signal to the QU-32 combined to MONO into a single channel, even after setting the Accessibility Option on the Mac, as that only seems to affect the built in speakers and headphone jack.

It would be a bit strange to run analog from the headphone jack to the QU32 would it not? I could use accessibility to combine the L/R signal into a single signal and then connect directly to the QU-32 Local input, but I’d be losing all semblance of digital in terms of sending audio to the board.

Any thoughts? Am I just stuck with using up 2 channels?

[Anonymous]

If you want the signal from the Mac returning back into your QU32 via USB or digital you have to use 2 channels.

However is you want to get that signal out of the MAC you could plug another desk like a QU16 and return the signal into that!
My iMac will see 2 QUs’
The QAU32 is fixed 32X32 USB
What DAW software are you using?

[arretxParticipant]

Ableton Live. I could use the utility to mix down to MONO and send to the QU, but I don’t want to add another step for the volunteers here when it comes to simply playing mac audio through the house.

I suppose I could use another audio interface… or come to think of it, I could just connect the headphone jack directly to an alternate input on the DSP. I guess there’s a gazillion ways to approach this.

[Anonymous]

Oh, Volunteers? Understand!
Maybe you could use the mac headphone socket into USB-3 on the QU32?
Mini jack TRS to Mini jack TRS? OR mini jack > jack into ST1/2
Depending on the original quality you might be able to tweak it?
As on the QU 32 you can ‘not’ assign USB return to ST1/2/3!
And if that worked using headphone socket output from Mac then you could have a passive lead made up using 16k resistors
combining left/Right program material as you can not mono up st1/2/St3
You could probably buy a small box with mini Jack input to single unbalanced 1/4 ” jack and just use mono inputs ST-1/2 ?
Few things to think about for you.

[Anonymous]

@arretx
So I have just tried Mini-jack from imac [old 2011] into ST3 in
Works fine!
I used iTunes to play a track.
Listened back into Yamaha studio monitors and also into powered subs from AUX 9/10

However of course you need to change the “play or listen” in your Mac.
Hope this helps

[Anonymous]

@arretx
If ST1/2 are not being used and the Mac is close to the QU32 you could mini jack out of headphone socket into the mono [upper Jack sockets] of ST1/2
Mini jack to quarter-inch Jacks. Left and Right and the QU desk will sum the 2 parts in mono.
You can simply buy those leads up to 5 metres long stock standard.

[Author]

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