please recommend a level control

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kywoman
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please recommend a level control

Post by kywoman » Tue Feb 05, 2008 10:05 am

So I just took the plunge and bought a pair of Focal Solo6's. For the home set-up, the plan is to run from CPU to D/A of Lynx Aurora and then hit some level attenuator before the monitors. It seems that this would provide better fidelity than just using the converters and volume control on the soundcard (003).

I'm looking at this: http://www.adesignsaudio.com/atty.html

There's one concern though - I'm not crazy about the lack of stepped control - sometimes those continuously variable pots cut a channel out at low volumes, drives me nuts. Does anyone have experience with this, and/or other devices that would meet my needs?

Thanks,

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scott macdonald
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Post by scott macdonald » Tue Feb 05, 2008 10:18 am

I've got one of these:
http://www.smproaudio.com/index.php?opt ... view&id=25

and I love it. Continuously variable pot, but I can get very low volumes out of my speakers with it. The company also makes two smaller passive controls, if you're not into a box with this many things on it.

-scott

Mradyfist
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Post by Mradyfist » Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:48 am

I've been working on putting together this guy for a while now:

http://www.diyfidelity.com.au/product_i ... ucts_id=32

I can't tell you how it sounds yet because I haven't gotten around to racking it up, but I will say that the concept is good, it's gotten good reviews from people, and the kit is relatively simple (although it's tedious). Probably the best sound quality for your buck available, and the channels are going to be matched as good as you can get (much better than a cheap pot). Plus, I like the idea of having steps, because then I can find a standard listening level to work at and not feel like I'm always pushing the volume higher as I go.

kywoman
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Post by kywoman » Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:08 pm

hey scott, thanks, that looks like a better option all around, worth the $50 difference.

mradyfist, that sounds ideal, but i need this ASAP, so perhaps in the future. i also like the idea of a marked level that i know is consistently the same, no cheating... :lol:

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scott anthony
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Post by scott anthony » Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:20 pm

If used a digital out of the Aurora into a Lavry Black DA10, it has a nice stepped output level. I do that with my RME Fireface, into the DA10, then straight into the amp. Sounds wonderful and I have it calibrated to a K-System, repeatable, reference. Gonna be more dough than you might want to part with tho...

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jrsgodfrey
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Post by jrsgodfrey » Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:43 pm

I have one of the Coleman switcher/attenuators. The pot is variable, but it is the best feeling/tracking pot I've ever used. They're not cheap, but neither were them speakers!

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Marc Alan Goodman
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Post by Marc Alan Goodman » Tue Feb 05, 2008 1:42 pm

And a whole 'nother option: the Presonus Central Station. Totally passive and relay switched. Sounds fantastic, and though a whole master section may be more power than you need right now you'll almost certainly run up against a use for it eventually.

Just sold mine because I'm replacing it with an actual console and I still kinda regret loosing it...

-marc alan goodman

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I'm Painting Again
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Post by I'm Painting Again » Tue Feb 05, 2008 1:55 pm

scott macdonald wrote:I've got one of these:
http://www.smproaudio.com/index.php?opt ... view&id=25

and I love it. Continuously variable pot, but I can get very low volumes out of my speakers with it. The company also makes two smaller passive controls, if you're not into a box with this many things on it.

-scott
+1 on the SM

I'm using it with Lavry blue DAC Bryston 4bst & Sequerra Met7's and other active monitors..

sounds nearly identicle to nothing in the path as far as I can hear..works like a charm..

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MisterMark
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Post by MisterMark » Tue Feb 05, 2008 3:49 pm

What about the Mackie Big Knob? Lots of features for monitor control:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... l%26sa%3DN
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Post by Mradyfist » Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:30 pm

Speaking of the stepped attenuator I posted a link to earlier, talking about it made me finally get off my ass and work on it a little more. Unfortunately I couldn't find my drill, so I wasn't able to mount it in the old Digidesign Video Slave Driver that I was going to use for the case, so here's what it looks like now:
Image
Yes, that's a plastic Radio Shack bag wrapped around it. I plugged it in between my MOTU 24i/o's outs and the Mackie HR824's ins, and the good news: it sounds great! Perfectly balanced between channels, noticeably more detailed than the baby Behringer I had been using, and the level stops on it are perfect. I'm very relieved that I picked the right impedance (10K), because I was pretty worried that I would screw up something like that. The way it is, I just set the Mackies at unity on the back, set the master fader at unity in Cubase, and the control room knob has exactly the range I want.

Downsides are that it's time consuming, and if you're like me it's the kind of thing that's easy to get halfway into and then forget for a while. Also, before I put it in the plastic bag I was holding it in my hand, and every once in a while it would shock me; is that normal?

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