Summing TRS outputs to mono?

NRain · 2014-05-29T19:39:53.000Z

While I wait patiently for someday hopefully getting an AR, I am reconfiguring my modular DAW/live performance setup to be ready for the AR, pattern recall, automated mutes and scene selection per pattern, audio i/o, mixer section etc.
My question is, what happens if you sum the TRS individual outputs from the AR to a mono input on a mixer / sound card? Does this have any chance of messing with the AR’s audio signal internally? Can anyone check if it does?
Reason I am asking is that until Overbridge happens, I only have 6 extra mono inputs available, two of which I would prefer to keep on the main outs but I would also like to have access to each individual AR voice for external processing when desired, without repatching.

Here’s a cryptic screenshot of what I am working on, would love to show you “Nauts” a video sometime of what is happening here!

TwoBeautifulMen · 2014-05-29T21:21:53.000Z

Definitely do not use a Y (wye) connector to sum them together. Sorry if this is obvious, but it’s easy to overlook that you will be essentially colliding two outputs with one another and can damage your AR. I think you’d have to submix them together but maybe others have different idea?

psynthetic · 2014-05-30T01:09:25.000Z

Something along these lines may help you…

http://artproaudio.com/artcessories/mini_mixers/

NRain · 2014-05-30T01:50:18.000Z

mmmk… thanks. This article also sums it up (no pun intended) as being too risky. http://www.rane.com/note109.html
Guess I will just have to decide which four voices I would most likely need available for extra processing. Mini mixer idea doesn’t help much unless it can be remotely controlled with MIDI. Not to complain because having direct outs per voice is a million times better than having just a stereo mix, but I would have preferred assignable outputs.

TrabanT · 2014-05-30T06:07:32.000Z

huh!

does that mean when I plug a Y connector into the L+R (main) OUT of my AR and then feed this signal into a IN MONO (1 of 2 possible inputs) soundcard I would damage the AR ?

t · 2014-05-30T06:08:42.000Z

No.

TrabanT · 2014-05-30T12:29:11.000Z

""t"":

No.

okay thanks Mr. T

TwoBeautifulMen · 2014-05-30T13:31:57.000Z

Really?

My understanding is that if you use a splitter that doesn’t have the proper resistors in place, you are essentially shorting out one output to another. See this link and search “Most Dangerous Cable”

http://tweakheadz.com/all-about-cables/

I guess that might be true of TS to dual TS, but maybe TRS channels can be split across the tip, ring, and sleeve in a way that would not cause a short or damage. I am curious about this myself so any guidance is appreciated.

At minimum, based on my research, it seems there could be danger with certain Y connectors and other Y connectors would be OK. Also, maybe some gear is protected against this sorts of shorts, but i try to learn best practices whenever possible because maybe all gear doesn’t have such protection.

t · 2014-05-30T13:42:45.000Z

Sorry, I misread the question as asking whether is was fine or not to only connect one of the two stereo channels to a mono input.

If you want to hook up the A4 to a mono channel then just use the L channel only. No need to sum L and R.

TrabanT · 2014-05-30T14:56:04.000Z

hey T … so you say only use the L or R channel from the A4 if I want to connect the A4 to a Mono input … thanks

t · 2014-05-30T15:51:24.000Z

Yeah, that’s the best way to do it.

TwoBeautifulMen · 2014-05-30T18:51:33.000Z

I thought we were talking about the AR here …I don’t think it will work that way on the AR.

t · 2014-05-30T19:18:16.000Z

Why not? I’d use a stereo input myself, but this would work fine on any device.

TwoBeautifulMen · 2014-05-30T19:58:00.000Z

I’m not near my AR, but I thought it was stereo only. The L jack doesn’t default over to mono like the others. Maybe I’m wrong?

Edit: It turns out I was wrong about this. The reason for my confusion was due to an issue I’ve been having with my AR that I am working on with support now. Regarding summing TRS with a Y-cable, I’m still unclear if this would cause a short because you are sending and output into another output and vice versa.

tendingtropic · 2021-04-14T10:34:33.347Z

Really? Is the left stereo output of the A4 also a mono out? That would be great. Is that also the case for the rytm?

NickD · 2021-04-14T10:57:33.755Z

The A4 Mk1, at least, doesn’t sum to mono on the left output - if you hook it up with a single cable and pan hard right, you won’t hear anything. I would imagine the Rytm is the same, as the manuals don’t mention any summing. If you don’t apply any stereo processing, I’m sure it’s fine (and you could presumably get two mono outputs using hard panning).

I suppose one creative use for this would be as an additional source of amplitude modulation, if you applied a fast LFO to the pan…

tendingtropic · 2021-04-14T11:02:36.782Z

Still confuses me to think what the best way is to connect the A4 to a mono input fx pedal.

A mono jack cable from L output on A4 to the FX pedal and then pan all the voices hard left?

ghostbuddy · 2021-08-01T18:15:17.554Z

Wouldnt an ABY box work?