Questions-EV Evolve w/External Mixer and Speakers

[Stringmaster]

I'm running sound for an event and would like to expand my 50m if possible, yet still retain the use of the app. I think I know the answers (or I could drag everything out and try it), but thought I'd ask here for those more experienced.

Aside from the Evolve I have an old school Yamaha powered mixer and passive speakers, a Soundcraft un-powered analog mixer, and a Bose S1. If I plug into the Soundcraft mixer before the Evolve (to allow more inputs and closer proximity to plugging in instruments), will I lose access to the app, or is there a way to retain that?

Is there a way to run the passive speakers off of the Evolve with what gear I have?
I'm thinking my 2 options (besides borrowing gear) are to just run the Evolve and use the S1 for a monitor and have use of the app, or to run the Yamaha system with the S1 for a monitor, and lose lose the app. BTW, I'll be dialing in about 14 acts back-to-back with quick change over.

Thoughts? Thanks

[Chriscom]

Originally Posted by Stringmaster

I'm running sound for an event and would like to expand my 50m if possible, yet still retain the use of the app...

Most of this is way out of my wheelhouse but I'll give it a shot.

One thing I do know is that you can certainly connect an external mixer into any of the main 50m channels, whether via 1/4 inch jack or XLR. The 50m app won't disappaer or anything, but now you've got all kinds of tone-shaping both on that channel and on the outboard mixer. I think most would set the 50m channel flat or so, for simplicity's sake, leaving most all else on the outboard. This is a fairly common way to expand channels.

But once you start talking about passive speakers and powered mixers, I have to wonder if it's safe or even possible. The outboard mixers I've seen used this way are like the Yamaha MG10XU, with XLR and 1/4-inch outs. The one powered mixer I checked online has Speakon connections. Similar differences between the powered speakers I'm familiar with and passive speakers, based on quick Sweetwater searches. I don't know if there's a way to jerry-rig these connections--or whether they need to be, I just don't know enough about it.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will check in!

[RonD]

I have the Evolve 30M and run it with an external mixer (QSC TouchMix8). I run from the main outs of the QSC, into channels 5/6 of the Evolve, and put the Evolve into "Basic" mode. You still have access to the Evolve App, but in basic mode you can only control the overall main volume, sub-level, and 3-band EQ for the Evolve system. This should provide you with enough control to shape the overall sound coming out of the EV (and in combination with the EQ controls on your mixer).

You could then conceivably take the "Main Out" or "Aux Out" feed from the Evolve50, feed it into your powered mixer driving your passive speakers. Care would need to be taken to make sure your gain settings are properly set on the powered mixer.

You cannot run a "passive" speaker directly off of the Evolve system (as it does not "power" external speakers)...so you would need some sort of power amp (or powered mixer) between the "Main Out" or "Aux Out" of the EV and the external speaker.

Alternately, you could run your Yamaha powered mixer and plug it into your passive speaker (per normal operation), and also feed a line-level signal out of that mixer into channel 5/6 of the Evolve 50. Just be 100% certain to NOT feed the powered "main" output of the Yamaha mixer into an input of the Evolve system. That would be bad.

[Stringmaster]

^^^
Thanks friends!