Advice Help: Line Out to Speaker/Zoom H4

denbrinson · #1 06-02-2012, 10:48 AM

I tried to search this but didn't find what I needed...so here goes.

I have an Acoustic AG60 Combo and love it at low volumes...the fx are good and it works for me. However, I get some distortion when I push it so I want to use the Line Out feature. It has a balanced and 1/4" Line Out option.

I'd like to run the amp into a speaker and use the amp as a monitor....will that work? Will only an active speaker work? will I need anything (filter/mixer) between the two? I don't want to just try without asking and damage anything.

Secondly, I tried running my Line Out to my Zoom H4 recorder (which is not very user-friendly in my opinion) to record an original. I tried 1/4 out, balanced out, and set the gains on auto and manually, played with several settings, tried recording in different formats, etc and I could not get a clean recording regardless of what I tried. It sounded like it was in a tunnel, just bad sound all over. If someone has experience here, I would love some advice.

Thank you....Den

JanVigne · #2 06-02-2012, 11:39 AM

"I'd like to run the amp into a speaker and use the amp as a monitor....will that work? Will only an active speaker work? will I need anything (filter/mixer) between the two? I don't want to just try without asking and damage anything."

It will work if the line out is after the volume control of the amp. In other words, if the line out is controlled by the vc and not at a fixed level, this should work as you desire. If the line out is meant as a line level source to, say, a recorder or an effects loop, then you would need to find a different source for your output or you'll have the amp running at full volume at all times. Since this is a "line out" and I assume it is the line out you are running to the Zoom, I would expect it to be a fixed level (unchanged by the vc) and it would require a component to control volume and a power amplifier to drive the speaker. Running this line out directly to a powered speaker would very likely result in a distorted sound as the result of over driving the amplifier's input stages. The output voltage of the line out vs the input overload voltage of the powered speaker would need to be matched to aviod overload.

"Secondly, I tried running my Line Out to my Zoom H4 recorder (which is not very user-friendly in my opinion) to record an original. I tried 1/4 out, balanced out, and set the gains on auto and manually, played with several settings, tried recording in different formats, etc and I could not get a clean recording regardless of what I tried. It sounded like it was in a tunnel, just bad sound all over. If someone has experience here, I would love some advice."

Sounds like this line out is after the effects from your pre amp. Are you using any effect pedals or adjustments to the settings on the pre amp? 1/4" and balanced outputs shouldn't change what is coming out of the pre amp, just the orientation of which conductor carries which signal. The recording formats (MP3, WAV, etc.) also shouldn't influence the recorder's ability to capture a clean signal from your preamp, only the resolution of the digital recording. The automatic gain control on the recorder simply compresses the peak levels of the incoming signal and shouldn't result in a "tunnel" like sound quality.

Fran Guidry · #3 06-02-2012, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by denbrinson

I tried to search this but didn't find what I needed...so here goes.

I have an Acoustic AG60 Combo and love it at low volumes...the fx are good and it works for me. However, I get some distortion when I push it so I want to use the Line Out feature. It has a balanced and 1/4" Line Out option.

I'd like to run the amp into a speaker and use the amp as a monitor....will that work? Will only an active speaker work? will I need anything (filter/mixer) between the two? I don't want to just try without asking and damage anything.

Secondly, I tried running my Line Out to my Zoom H4 recorder (which is not very user-friendly in my opinion) to record an original. I tried 1/4 out, balanced out, and set the gains on auto and manually, played with several settings, tried recording in different formats, etc and I could not get a clean recording regardless of what I tried. It sounded like it was in a tunnel, just bad sound all over. If someone has experience here, I would love some advice.

Thank you....Den

Line out will require an amp or powered speaker, it won't drive a passive speaker.

The H4 "line input" is likely to distort if connected to a true line out. I use a passive attenuator with my Zoom recorders when I connect them to a line level source.

Fran

denbrinson · #4 06-03-2012, 08:33 AM

thank you for the replies...the line out does have a level control separate from the main VC. So that should be fine. As far as the Zoom...I do not have any fx pedals or outside fx, but I do use the onboard fx and I do not use an attenuator. I had no idea I would need one, but will give that a shot. Thanks again....DB