PAFL TO INEARS

[rhill]

Using a spare inears system hooked up to my board as a PAFL ( QU-PAC to Sennheiser EW-G4) Iv tried a TS cable, TS to XLR, TRS cable, TRS to XLR adapter) every time its hooked up in any of them configurations ( using just backing audio) it sounds like I’m in a hall in the inears. I use a 3.5mm cable that I use to go into ST3 for backing tracks with adapters (3.5mm to 1/4″qu-pac and 3.5mm to XLR inears) and the sound clears up and everything in the inears is normal as if you were listening to from an IPOD etc. What am I missing? want to hook it up permanent has helped immensely when doing new bans or all day festivals. When bands ask me to adjust their ears because they cant hear something, when im adjusting I hear what they hear because i PAFL the mix they are on. 3.5mm cable just not heavy duty enough for the road.

[Brian]

It sounds like you are trying to connect the IEM transmitter into the headphone output of the console. This is not the correct way to connect it. You will connect the wireless transmitter to the whatever analog XLR outputs that you want – ie exactly like you would any other IEM system. The difference is going to be in the routing. For the other musicians you route a specific “aux” mix to the appropriate XLR outputs that their IEM transmitter is plugged into, and for your PAFL use case you’ll want to route the “PAFL” buss to whatever XLR outputs you have your IEM transmitter plugged into. The “PAFL” buss should be available as one of the sources you can patch to the analog outputs. It’s really that simple…..

[Giga]

Sorry Brian, I disagree. I’m using th headphones out exactly the way rhill is trying to do and it works flawlessly.

rhill, you need a TRS jack to double XLR adaptor (or double TR jack in case that’s what your transmitter has). It seems you either have a lot of reverb in the mixes you’re trying to listen to or the (wrong) way you’re hooking up your IEM set causes havoc on the sound.

Also, it may help to play around with the delay appointed to the headphone out. This can be handy when you’re using your headphones a way from the stage but it can also work against you when not used appropiatly.

Good luck !

Giga

[Mike C]

The head phone jack is a stereo output taking a single TRS plug from a stere source to a XLR balanced input will create lots of phase cancellation and that’s what you are hearing with hollow hall sound.
The breakout cable like Giga suggested would would…..or you can assign the PFL to the ALT OUTPUT that is on two balanced TRS jacks, using the TRS to XLR adapter cable plugged into either of the ALT OUT jacks would work.
I have done that with my QU PAC when I need to do remote PFL’ing.

[Brian]

“Sorry Brian, I disagree. I’m using th headphones out exactly the way rhill is trying to do and it works flawlessly.”

You cannot simply take a unbalanced stereo signal being output over a TSR jack and “rewire” it to become a pair of balanced audio signals. There is a audio conversion that needs to take place to make the unbalanced audio signal a balanced audio signal.

By using a pair of balanced audio outputs on the console to feed the IEM system (instead of the headphone jack which is “unbalanced”), you don’t need to convert the signal once it leaves the console.

[Giga]

I’m sure you’re right from a technical perspective. However, for me only the end result counts and as I said before, even in that sub-optimal situation I have a great headphone/IEM/PAFL sound to listen to.

Giga

[Mike C]

Giga is using a TRS breakout cable taking the stereo headphone output to two XLR connectors. The tip and ring connection each wired to pin 2 of an XLR and the sleeve ground wired to pin 1 of the XLRs, pin 1 on the XLRs should be jumped to pin 3 as well.

No not balanced but the unbalanced connection will work fine driving an IEM transmitter over a few feet of cable.

[rhill]

“THANK YOU All” for the advise. Mike C routing PFL to the ALT OUT jacks worked perfectly. I’m using it in mono anyways. Use a TRS 1/4″ cable from left alt out to left input of the in ears and sound was crisp and clear no unwanted hollow sounds or phase cancellation. Also cleaned up the rack case by having all the cabling in the back. Thanks again all.

[Author]

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