Possible Moron DIY: Headphone Switch

[aquaman5k]

So I want something I can enable/disable without touching the DAW and losing concentration. I've got enough to think about whilst tryng to sing.

Part of me wants to argue in favor of elaborate DAW automation, because the internet.

The other part of me is putting together a parts list for a headphone amp with lots of unusual switches I never knew I needed before.

[Suntower]

So I want something I can enable/disable without touching the DAW and losing concentration. I've got enough to think about whilst tryng to sing.

Part of me wants to argue in favor of elaborate DAW automation, because the internet.

The other part of me is putting together a parts list for a headphone amp with lots of unusual switches I never knew I needed before.

LOL. Look, if there was a way to hook a standard sustain pedal foot switch to my MIDI interface and easily configure Cubase to switch on/off the left channel of the headphone mix based on that? I'd be right there. But as you may or may not know, this is a (cough) 'non-trivial exercise'. It took me ages to figure out how to make start/stop/record triggers for my MIDI drum kit that work reliably. And it seems like every time they update Cubase? I have to redo it.

Some of these little do-hickeys are best done in hardware. Do it once and never have to think about it again.

I've needed this for like ten years, but it was always so 'trivial' I never bothered with it. What kills me about Andy's columns is that he -does- work to make these little time-savers. I admire that. I've probably lost a hundred hours -not- having this gizmo.

[Randyman...]

Perhaps I'm missing the point here, but why not just pan the entire mix in your daw to the side of the phones you want to monitor with? Solves the bleed from unused side problem.

That's a great idea. Unfortunately, my headphone amp doesn't have a pan knob.

I use Cubase. I -can- pan the mix left/right but it's a pain. You have to do a bunch of mouse clicks. What I want is something INSTANT.

I'm recording me singing. Everybody is different, but when I have both earpieces on it REALLY affects the singing tone... and even worse, my sense of pitch. The pressure on the side of the head just changes -everything-. With one earpiece off, it feels like "Now my head can -breathe-."

So I want something I can enable/disable without touching the DAW and losing concentration. I've got enough to think about whilst tryng to sing.

Thanks!

How about this:

Bus (aux send) your Main Mix to a second Output Bus. Then have this second output bus feed your headphones. Pan this dedicated HP Bus to the single earcup you wish to monitor. You could use a Stereo>Mono plug-in on this bus if really needed to sum to mono (I forget if Cubase's global pan-control settings affect output busses - but you might be able to pan both channels to one side if this is possible). Your monitors (when needed) will still be in L/R stereo from the main Mix Bus...

Cubase's Control Room might also come in handy for this - but I don't really use Cubase's Control Room (I use RME Totalmix FX with hardware controller in lieu of Cubase's Control Room)...

Just a thought

[The Scum]

OK, I've had a chance to pull together the following parts list:

https://www.sparkfun.com/wish_lists/116237

(Full disclosure: I'm a SparkFun employee. I designed those little PCBs, and when they sell, it shows the folks in charge that audio-related components are worth selling.)

I'm assuming that you've got soldering & drilling tools and insulated wire (say 16 or 18 Ga stranded).

It goes together like this:

1. Drill 4 holes in the chassis. 2 for the TRS jacks, 2 for the switches (3/8" and 1/2", respectively, if I remember correctly.) Consider your hole placement before you drill, so the components don't touch each other inside.

2. Solder the TRS jacks to the PCBs. They go on the side with the jack traced in outline. You can snap the little flanges off the PCBs, if you want.

2.a. Solder a piece of wire to the GND terminal of the PCB for the Input jack.

3. Mount the jacks and switches in the holes.

3.B. Take the wire on the GND terminal, and loop it around the threads of one of the switches, so that then the switch is tightened, the wire touches the chassis.

4. With a piece of wire, connect the S pad of one jack to the S of the other.

5. With a piece of wire, connect the R of one jack to one side of the switch to control the Right earpiece. From the other side of the switch, go to the R of the other jack.

6. With a piece of wire, connect the T of one jack to one side of the switch to control the Left earpiece. From the other side of the switch, go to the T of the other jack.

7. Test it out.

8. When you're confident it's working, put the back on the enclosure.

[Suntower]

Perhaps I'm missing the point here, but why not just pan the entire mix in your daw to the side of the phones you want to monitor with? Solves the bleed from unused side problem.

That's a great idea. Unfortunately, my headphone amp doesn't have a pan knob.

I use Cubase. I -can- pan the mix left/right but it's a pain. You have to do a bunch of mouse clicks. What I want is something INSTANT.

I'm recording me singing. Everybody is different, but when I have both earpieces on it REALLY affects the singing tone... and even worse, my sense of pitch. The pressure on the side of the head just changes -everything-. With one earpiece off, it feels like "Now my head can -breathe-."

So I want something I can enable/disable without touching the DAW and losing concentration. I've got enough to think about whilst tryng to sing.

Thanks!

How about this:

Bus (aux send) your Main Mix to a second Output Bus. Then have this second output bus feed your headphones. Pan this dedicated HP Bus to the single earcup you wish to monitor. You could use a Stereo>Mono plug-in on this bus if really needed to sum to mono (I forget if Cubase's global pan-control settings affect output busses - but you might be able to pan both channels to one side if this is possible). Your monitors (when needed) will still be in L/R stereo from the main Mix Bus...

Cubase's Control Room might also come in handy for this - but I don't really use Cubase's Control Room (I use RME Totalmix FX with hardware controller in lieu of Cubase's Control Room)...

Just a thought

Thanks. See this is the reason I lurk. MUCH of my kit is totally girly-man and old and not even 'pro-sumer'. My 'headphone amp' is this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... details&Q=

Which I've had for-ehhhhver. I -could- rig my RME card for independent outs (mains, then headphone) but I've never needed it. Cubase's 'Control Room' gives me a headache. And TotalMix? That matrix thing would give me a MIGRAINE. And then when you ask for help on the RME forum? Matthias arrogantly sniffs, "Vell, haff you rhhhead zee dokumehntayyytion?

Sorry for ranting, but it just seems like -everything- having to do with 'patching' between the outside world and ITB is a PAIN. I figure it out but then a year later when I have to change something? I can't remember how I did it. And I can never seem to get DAW software people to understand that's one reason people hate it.

Anyhoo, deep breath. I just want something FAST and self-evident. Hence the moron post title. I appreciate the ideas. Seriously!

[Suntower]

SOLD!

Sir, if there was an Internet Old School Helpfulness Award. You'd win the 2015 statue.

[rant]When I started interwebbing in like 1978, this sort of people going out of their way thing was COMMON. Nowadays, it's -so- rare. 99% of internet junk I read is snark, porn or 2 word answers. If you can't Google the answer? Good luck! I fondly remember people actually helping others work through really intricate problems over days, weeks. It was a golden age. OK, I'm going back to the home. For jello cup.[/rant]

Ironically, I used to be a P.E. I know the circuit I needed... I just didn't have the first idea where to get parts like this. There's a 'real' electronics store near me but they don't do -anything- audio. It's all about industrial controllers and so forth. So finding yer site is a DOUBLE BONUS for me!

That's why I read Andy's column: I'm always keen to learn where people actually -buy- all these doodads.

(BTW Andy if you read this... I've tried asking for catalogs or samples from some of the companies you recommend and the MOMENT they find out that I'm 'just a musician' and not a commercial-worthy account, they hang up. Happened to me over and over. What's the secret handshake?)

Best,

---JC

OK, I've had a chance to pull together the following parts list:

https://www.sparkfun.com/wish_lists/116237

(Full disclosure: I'm a SparkFun employee. I designed those little PCBs, and when they sell, it shows the folks in charge that audio-related components are worth selling.)

I'm assuming that you've got soldering & drilling tools and insulated wire (say 16 or 18 Ga stranded).

It goes together like this:

1. Drill 4 holes in the chassis. 2 for the TRS jacks, 2 for the switches (3/8" and 1/2", respectively, if I remember correctly.) Consider your hole placement before you drill, so the components don't touch each other inside.

2. Solder the TRS jacks to the PCBs. They go on the side with the jack traced in outline. You can snap the little flanges off the PCBs, if you want.

2.a. Solder a piece of wire to the GND terminal of the PCB for the Input jack.

3. Mount the jacks and switches in the holes.

3.B. Take the wire on the GND terminal, and loop it around the threads of one of the switches, so that then the switch is tightened, the wire touches the chassis.

4. With a piece of wire, connect the S pad of one jack to the S of the other.

5. With a piece of wire, connect the R of one jack to one side of the switch to control the Right earpiece. From the other side of the switch, go to the R of the other jack.

6. With a piece of wire, connect the T of one jack to one side of the switch to control the Left earpiece. From the other side of the switch, go to the T of the other jack.

7. Test it out.

8. When you're confident it's working, put the back on the enclosure.

[Randyman...]

I feel ya. Have you looked at the online video tutorials for Totalmix? Once you get it, you will really get it (A light will eventually illuminate in your head!)

But you really don't even need to touch TM - I believe Preset #1 defaults where Software Out #1 feeds Hardware Out #1, and so on (a 1:1 output mapping - like TM is not even there).

Once you get it figured out (Cubase through TM through your RME Hardware), it would be a set it once and forget kind of thing...

There's power in that confusing flexibility - you just have to channel it (pun intended )

Rock on!

[Suntower]

There's gonna come a time when I'll dump my ancient Lucid A/Ds and my ancient RME 9652 and I'll go to 96k and get a 'real' patch bay/controller/amp and have audio over Cat6. This will probably happen about the time that everyone else is recording at 384.

Until then? I ain't spending one more pfennig or investing one more brain cell on -any- of that junk. It's taken me 15 years to get a 'flow' and I got enough to worry about just thinking up NOTES to play. Seriously.

That said. In all sincerity. I SALUTE YOU for working through that stuff. I just no longer have the bandwidth for all the stuff I -should- know about. And I am deeply impressed by people who -do- use stuff like TotalMix to its potential.

Best,

---JC

I feel ya. Have you looked at the online video tutorials for Totalmix? Once you get it, you will really get it (A light will eventually illuminate in your head!)

But you really don't even need to touch TM - I believe Preset #1 defaults where Software Out #1 feeds Hardware Out #1, and so on (a 1:1 output mapping - like TM is not even there).

Once you get it figured out (Cubase through TM through your RME Hardware), it would be a set it once and forget kind of thing...

There's power in that confusing flexibility - you just have to channel it (pun intended )

Rock on!

[Nick Sevilla]

Perhaps I'm missing the point here, but why not just pan the entire mix in your daw to the side of the phones you want to monitor with? Solves the bleed from unused side problem.

That's a great idea. Unfortunately, my headphone amp doesn't have a pan knob.

I use Cubase. I -can- pan the mix left/right but it's a pain. You have to do a bunch of mouse clicks. What I want is something INSTANT.

I'm recording me singing. Everybody is different, but when I have both earpieces on it REALLY affects the singing tone... and even worse, my sense of pitch. The pressure on the side of the head just changes -everything-. With one earpiece off, it feels like "Now my head can -breathe-."

So I want something I can enable/disable without touching the DAW and losing concentration. I've got enough to think about whilst tryng to sing.

Thanks!

Try setting up an overall aux send from your main mix track, and pan that to the ear you use. That is the cheapest, and fastest way to do this.

It is INSTANT, and will not cost you any money.