OT: "Splitting" a Mic

[IraSeigel]

I just want to make sure I'm not creating problems with a proposed setup:

I have 4 piano inputs - 2 mics and 2 transducers - that I want to split between an on-stage mixer for use by a pianist, and the house snake for use by a monitor console and an FOH console.

I could buy a splitter box, or I could go a cheaper way and use XLR Y-cables.

My understanding is that if the on-stage mixer (Mackie, e.g.) and the monitor and FOH consoles all have transformers on their mic inputs, then there will be no issues with loading down the mics. IOW, the Y-cable approach should be fine, and I don't need a splitter box (Whirlwind, ART, Radial, etc) which would be a LOT more expensive and bulkier to carry around.

Care to comment?

[airickess]

It should be fine.

Any reason the mics can't just be fed back to the pianist's mixer via a feed from the monitor mixer?

[IraSeigel]

It should be fine.

Any reason the mics can't just be fed back to the pianist's mixer via a feed from the monitor mixer?

Thanks.
The pianist wants individual EQ, pan and level control over a blend of mics and pickups - in this case, 3 Helpinstill pickups, 2 mics and 2 Accusound or Schertler pickups. And I don't want to have to give the monitor engineer more work than is necessary. We don't carry our own monitor engineer, so the less s/he has to worry about, the better.

[ssrsound]

If you're using SAC, you can create a monitor board, source those feed at PRE SRC, and send all the channels on their own outs at 0 gain with no changes ot the piano player's personal mixer. Even though the board setup in SAC is more complicated, the wiring is significantly simpler and your signal path is clean.

[IraSeigel]

If you're using SAC, you can create a monitor board, source those feed at PRE SRC, and send all the channels on their own outs at 0 gain with no changes ot the piano player's personal mixer. Even though the board setup in SAC is more complicated, the wiring is significantly simpler and your signal path is clean.

Thanks Jim.
With the setup I'm planning, the piano player can work completely independently from the monitor engineer. He doesn' have to wait for any other gear to be set up (SAC) other than his own "station", which he'll take care of. Much cleaner, simpler and leaves more time for the monitor engineer to deal with the other musos.

[ssrsound]

Fair enough.

If you're using a decent personal mixer for the pianist, you could also run his mics into his board, and take direct outs from the board into your snake. Of course this presumes that the direct outs are pre-gain/pre-fader.

[gdougherty]

Splitter box, specifically with ground lifts might be nice to have. Most often it shouldn't be a problem, but you never know.

[Donnie Frank]

Fair enough.

If you're using a decent personal mixer for the pianist, you could also run his mics into his board, and take direct outs from the board into your snake. Of course this presumes that the direct outs are pre-gain/pre-fader.

Taking an educated guess here, but is there a reason you couldn't take signal from the first click (unbalanced, I believe) via the channel inserts? All my Mackie consoles have inserts on all channels, so I assume your piano player does, too. This plan would not require transformers only if your A/D/A converters reside on the stage, which, in theory, could be placed right next to the Mackie console.

Any reason this wouldn't work?

[Soundguy]

I could buy a splitter box, or I could go a cheaper way and use XLR Y-cables.

As someone else mentioned, a splitter box would give you ground lifts at additional cost, or Y cables would be fine and you could workout any ground loops with other options.

But, transformers will not prevent "loading". Your signal will drop by 3db at each split.

Soundguy

[Soundguy]

Taking an educated guess here, but is there a reason you couldn't take signal from the first click (unbalanced, I believe) via the channel inserts?

Convenient perhaps, but not good engineering practice. Besides being a dodgy connection, you would be feeding the output of a cheap Mackie preamp to the stage monitors and FOH. Better to go clean.

I have a couple of 12 channel Mackies laying around and they only have inserts on 4 of the 12 channels, FWIW.

Soundguy