Outputting Digitone to a single 1/4” input?

[Birth_Chord]

I have a relatively simple audio interface, the Audiobox USB.

It can accept two 1/4” outputs, but I wanted to dedicate one to my guitar occasionally, but mostly my Moog Sub Phatty. That leaves one input available for the Digitone, but it has two L/R outputs.

Is my only option (besides buying a new interface) to use up both inputs on my interface to capture L/R outputs and not miss any signal, then input my Moog Sub Phatty to line-in on my PC’s motherboard? I can then also route my guitar through the SP…

My Digitone arrives tomorrow and I wanted to make sure I can play and hear it!

Cheers

[Kegeratorz]

Can’t answer your question but I’ve used the DN’s headphone out to my usb interface in a pinch, sounded fine. Also you can route your guitar or SP through the DN.

[Birth_Chord]

Great thanks didn’t even consider that… perhaps I should route the synths together and use the L/R outputs from the Digitone.

If I route the SP through the Digitone, I could still use Midi out from Digitone/PC to trigger it?

[Kegeratorz]

I believe so.

[tsutek]

One fun way might also be to connect the SP to the DN in and split the outputs into

L : digitone (all sounds panned L100)
R: Sub Phatty input + all DN sounds panned R100
(this assumes you SP is connecter to R input and master inR pan = R100)

This of course takes out the FX since those are stereo, but you can add fx in the DAW. This way you could also achieve a good gainstage parity with DN & SP if you set the SP physical volume knob to maximum value and gainstage everything via the DN controls.

I always use my DN as dual mono system these days. Just not using int fx and having L100 / R100 pannings to get two busses as outputs, adding stereo information + fx externally after outputs

[sjvl]

Simple solution I THINK is a splitter/merger Whateva cable. This is a Hosa Y Cable, 1/4" Stereo TRS Male to Dual 1/4" TS Female, 6 Inch, YPP117. This might still result in a merged mono signal???

https://c1.zzounds.com/media/productmedia/fit,600by600/quality,75/9e5640ff8aee815ba0eb2199cc39c45fafa-8c254e2e6ecb82be78dc70cb4e948a28.jpg

[Open_Mike]

Careful there

A wye-connector used to split a signal into two lines is being used properly; a wye-connector used to mix two signals into one is being abused and may even damage the equipment involved.

Here is the rule: Outputs are low impedance and must only be connected to high impedance inputs never, never tie two outputs directly together – never. If you do, then each output tries to drive the very low impedance of the other, forcing both outputs into current-limit and possible damage. As a minimum, severe signal loss results.

https://www.rane.com/note109.html

[Birth_Chord]

I do a lot of work in my DAW since I mainly play guitar but my SP and the Digitone were the perfect additions to my setup, I don’t feel the need to own a bunch of equipment (except everything made by Elektron now…!)…

Which brings me to another question. Only the internal effects are stereo on the Digitone? So panning L/R 100% I won’t lose anything except the effects which I can add later in my DAW?

[sjvl]

Good to consider - and I don’t consider myself an expert here - but the application example Rane uses is much diffferent than we are discussing here (where they are wye-ing for merging parts of the frequency spectrum to go to a single subwoofer=summing two LF signals = loud!=maybe blow a speaker is how I interpret this).

This application. Would be simply merging two mono into a neutrik connector, which I do believe accepts stereo, right? Whether the neutrik takes in a stereo signal is probably the only concern…

[Open_Mike]

I would suggest Googling around about this…
Everything I’ve ever read says that using Y cables is only for splitting signals, not combining them… The only reference on on the gear I own is the tape output on my Mackie which seems to be intentionally designed for this to be OK:

Mono out: If you want to feed a mono signal to your tape deck or other device, simply use an RCA Y-cord to combine these outputs. Do not attempt this with any other outputs on the 1202VLZ4.

And in the back of the manual there is a general warning:

Mults and “Y”s
A mult or “Y” connector allows you to route one output to two or more inputs by simply providing parallel wiring connections. You can make “Y”s and mults for the outputs of both unbalanced and balanced circuits.

Remember: Only mult or “Y” one output into several inputs. If you need to combine several outputs into one input, you must use a mixer, not a mult or a “Y.”

[Open_Mike]

Anyway for OP I’d probably go Sub Phatty->DN->interface… And guitar->Sub Phatty if it works/sounds good or if you have a preamp/fx to make it work/sound good…

[sjvl]

I have little bro to your mixer! All your points are helping me anyways and I think since I don’t KNOW, I’ll end the speculation:)

I do think I have one of these Y’s at home so I guess I could try it with my RYTM?!? Doth the OP wish for me to do this? I’m not concerned it will hurt my audio interface…

Sam

[Birth_Chord]

How can I plug the SP into the Digitone properly? DN has L/R inputs whereas the SP outputs just a single audio out.

[AdamJay]

The inputs are separate, so pick one.
Use the Master/FX page to pan that input wherever you may wish it to be.

This allows for dual mono, or stereo input from external sources into the Digitone.
It also allows you to add send FX to the external inputs.
See Pg 55-56 of the manual.

[Birth_Chord]

Great thanks mate. Time to read the manual when I receive it.

[AdamJay]

Right on.

FYI, the PDF manual is free and available (and, my favorite part, searchable!) at https://www.elektron.se/support/?connection=digitone#resources

[sjvl]

Ok not that the mission was for me to learn haha but indeed the intention of the cable I posted is to SPLIT a stereo signal. NOT merge mono:)…Maybe I’m the last to know eh!

Sam

Ps: this thread describes what would happen and full circles back to the link by @Open_Mike hehe. And I beat this dead horse because I don’t like being responsible for propagating bad ideas!

https://www.sweetwater.com/forums/showthread.php?57705-Combining-line-level-signals-without-mixer

[tsutek]

Only the internal effects are “true stereo”. Unless your patches use panning modulation, the sounds are mono regardless of polyphony (but again using unison detune makes the voices partly stereo). So if you have zero panning mods and no unison detune, yuore good.

[cold_fashioned]

This thread has some holes in it.

RE: the y-splitter cable - it’s not mixing the two signals, L goes to the tip, R goes to the ring, and ground goes to the sleeve. They can be very handy. In other words, one could use it, provided your input can accept stereo TRS Tip/Ring/Sleeve (Audiobox USB inputs are mono - I have one too). If you tried to run a stereo TRS into one of the Audiobox inputs you would likely get a lot of phase cancellation and the resulting sound would seem very quiet and muddled. I did this back in my early days with a Machinedrum and used to wonder why it sounded so much worse than on my headphones. Also - don’t use the headphone out of Digitone into a single input on the audio interface, you’ll have the same phase cancellation issues.

To the original poster, one thing you could try is running your guitar (or the Sub Phatty) through the Digitone. The inputs have A LOT of headroom (unity gain around 25 on the input level) and could do a decent job of bringing up your guitar level. Plus you could take advantage of the Chorus, Delay Reverb and Master Overdrive, which might sound pretty dope on the Moog.

Another solution is to pick up a small mixer. Mackie makes nice mixers and they have tons of options.

[Birth_Chord]

Alright I’ll have to figure something out because I definitely plan to try out the detune.