Turtlerock Forum

Hey all,

I'm looking to make my own stage box for location recording. Basically the idea is to have the band playing live in one room while I'm semi-isolated in an adjacent room. I'd like 12 mic ins, 4 instrument ins and 4 headphone outs so I can send individual mixes from the headphone amp located in my rack.

Does anyone here have experience doing this? What do you guys think the cheapest solution is?

Also, pardon my ignorance, but are the headphone returns wired any differently because they're stereo?

The idea is to keep it simple and cheap (whilst not skimping on quality), so I'd like to avoid multiple boxes/snakes if possible.

Cheers,

Darren

Simplest way would be to get one of these from JANDS: http://www.jands.com.au/brands/jands/me ... tage_boxes

They're really cost effective (less than $100.00 from memory), and it's going to save you a LOT of metalwork!

Then fill it up with XLR's. If you want to do it on the cheap you can buy bulk XLR's on ebay for next to nothing, or if you prefer you could go with Neutrik. For the TRS one's I'd use those ones with the little red locking tab. Wire them all up balanced (stereo) and you can use them for headphones or tielines. Mind you I don't like putting guitar signal over long distances down that tiny Canare cable...

Cable wise, I like Canare brand loom because it's got a foil shield and is easy to work with. Maybe talk to Amber Technology about where to buy.

Cliff Electronics have Penn stage boxes which are great

there's a company in the US which is fabricating a few boxes for me prepunched and preloaded with xlrs and it's pretty cheap. http://www.ebay.com.au/usr/spkrparts%21 ... 1436.l2754
They will make what ever size you want, set up how ever you want. If you decide what you want soon I could get it shipped with mine and save you some shipping.

For the headphones (which are essentially wired the same) I built small xlr to trs boxes that have a female xlr in and a male xlr out on opposite sides and a pair of trs on either side as well. This means I can split out a couple of headphones and daisy chain if I need to or whatever and because they are xlr I can make the connecting cable as long I want. You could also use combo connectors (xlr/trs) but they are expensive and my solution is more flexible.


Of course possibly the cheaper is to buy a prefab stage box/multicore setup, I bought one (I think from swamp?) and it was a good price, I didn't have to solder a thing and it has been very solid for 5 years with no noise, no dead solder joints etc. It's easily repairable anyway and it's not like its getting kicked about like a pub setup.

These are a very economical and tidy way to do it..
And they come pre-loaded with various connections - and being modular you can get exactly what you are after..

http://www.canford.co.uk/NEUTRIK-MODULAR-STAGEBOXES

I just send my headphones down a 1/4" TRS-XLR patch to an amp at the other end..