guitar cable for "monitor out"

firelakekid2 · #1 03-28-2015, 04:58 PM

Well...I guess I should know about this stuff already but apparently I need help. Yesterday I had my PA stuff out. This would be a Soundcraft EFX8 mixer and Yamaha DXR10 speakers. This was set up in my house, I was just using one speaker, it was at low volume and my brother and I were singing and playing into a condenser mic. Everything was really good. We love just using a single mic.
Anyway...the issue came up when I had the idea of using one of my other speakers--a Behringer 10" powered speaker as a monitor. Just as an experiment. I used one of my guitar cables and plugged it into the "monitor out", and into the back of the Behringer. But I couldn't get any sound to this monitor no matter how I fiddled with things. I did take an XLR cable from the main out and plugged that into the Behringer and the speaker worked fine. (Actually, they are surprisingly good unless you need high volume).
I have since looked at the EFX8 manual and it says: "The monitor outputs are on 3-pole "A" gauge jacks and are balanced connections."
In the front of the manual they show a picture of this connection and it has two black rings versus the one ring on the guitar cable.
So...if I want to use monitors am I right to think that I am going to have to buy some cables with this 3 pole A gauge connector as I don't have any like that in my modest equipment arsenal. I'm assuming they'd be ready available on line or hopefully at a local music store. Thanks in advance for any help with this.

akafloyd · #2 03-28-2015, 05:33 PM

Yeah, it's a common cable often called "TRS to XLR." TRS = Tip Ring Sleeve which goes to a usual XLR microphone type connector at the other end of the cable. Just be sure to get the correct XLR end for your speaker.

jomaynor · #3 03-29-2015, 11:43 AM

A balanced cable with TRS to TRS connectors will also work.

RustyAxe · #4 03-29-2015, 01:24 PM

There's no problem with the type of cable you used. An instrument cable isn't shielded against RF interference like a TRS balanced cable would be, but works just as well otherwise (ie, it'll carry the line level signal to the board just fine).

Cochese · #5 03-29-2015, 04:19 PM

I have the same mixer. I'll have to try those outputs as I
I usually just use the aux send for a monitor feed. Using an unbalanced cable shouldn't be an issue though there is usually about 6dB less level running unbalanced. Also if you're running the unbalanced mono out on that mixer you need both faders up or you will get half the signal b

firelakekid2 · #6 03-29-2015, 07:50 PM

Thanks everyone for the replies. Cochese, if you do experiment with the outputs, please let me know what you find out. Also, at the time I was using only one speaker for the main. I can't remember if put up both sliders. I'll have to do some more experiments myself.

pieterh · #7 03-30-2015, 08:05 AM

Without knowing which model Behringer speaker you are using it is hard to be specific, but sometimes you need to actively switch inputs between xlr or instrument cable. On our analog Allen and Heath mixer for example we won't hear a thing from an instrument input if we haven't pressed the pad button (the pad button drops the input level on the xlr input and at the same time activates the tele input on the same channel strip). If it is a combined xlr/tele input then either contact should work though the levels may be a bit off, you certainly shouldn't get silence.

MikeBmusic · #8 03-30-2015, 08:20 AM

You shuold have got sound using the TS-TS cable, but there may have been a humm noise, too. Bet you didn't have the monitor send (it may be 'aux send') on the mixer's mic channel turned up if you tried the main monitor send volume with no luck.

Cochese · #9 03-30-2015, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by firelakekid2

Thanks everyone for the replies. Cochese, if you do experiment with the outputs, please let me know what you find out. Also, at the time I was using only one speaker for the main. I can't remember if put up both sliders. I'll have to do some more experiments myself.

I hooked up my Soundcraft EFX 8. For the monitor outs to work the Monitor push button under the master LED's must be out or up. If the monitor button is engaged the monitor outs still work but you must also engage the PFL button on the channel you want to send to the monitors. The monitor level control works independently of the yellow master faders. When the monitor switch is engaged the signal is "mono" and when out stereo.

Using a balanced cable will give you more output on those outputs. Running unbalanced should still give you enough level to run in most circumstances.