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OT: Hooking up a Subwoofer to an Interface with Studio Monitors
This question is a little off-topic, but not really, as it relates to my inexpensive home setup that I use for playing iOS music, a few hardware synths, and (potentially) some guitar.
Here's my equipment:
Interface: Behringer UMC 204HD
Monitors: M-Audio BX5 (5" studio monitors) x2
And here is what I am thinking about adding:
I was looking at this Polk PSW10 subwoofer to add to a home stereo I had, but then I got the bright idea that maybe, just maybe, it could double as a subwoofer for my monitoring setup. The PSW10 has both speaker level and line level inputs, the latter being RCA. So....
Wouldn't I be able split one of the outputs (say, the LEFT output) a Cable that splits TRS --> XLR & RCA? There might be some signal degradation in that channel, I guess. But the signal should be line level, so if I turn the volume down enough on the subwoofer, maybe I could balance it properly?
I got this idea from a YouTube video where a guy did something similar with a USB audio interface. If you can suggest a better way to do this (cost-effectively), please let me know how you guys have done this.
Thanks for the help!
Comments
If you can solder you can make a custom splitter cable, otherwise it would take buying a few adapters.
Out of your interface left channel output (trs balanced outputs I'm guessing?) use a trs male to 2x trs female splitter. The type you would use to split a 1/4" headphone output to two pairs of headphones, not the the kind of splitter that splits the tip to one side, and the ring to another. After your trs splitter, run one trs cable (not a regular TS guitar cable) to the left monitor. The other side of the trs splitter, add a TRS male to RCA female adapter (not a TS to RCA adapter). From there run RCA to your sub left input.
Duplicate this setup for the right channel.
The key is getting the specific adapters- the wrong adapters (like using TS to RCA) will short out half of the balanced connection, making it quieter and prone to noise. It may not be crucial, in all setups, but with my imac, and powered monitors, there is all this weird digital/robot noise out of the monitors, unless I use balanced TRS cables, rather than TS (regular guitar cable) cabling.
Thanks, @Processaurus ! Wow, a little more complicated than I thought. I'm okay with buying a few adapters, though. My BX5 monitors accept either XLR or TRS inputs - I'm currently using a balanced TRS-to-XLR cable from the Behringer interface to each monitor.
My two primary concerns would be that it isn't handling crossover properly (i.e. it's not sending the proper frequencies to the subwoofer versus the monitor) and excess noise.
However, I may still try it because I was originally just looking at the Polk Audio subwoofer as a cost-effective option for my (currently unused) home stereo receiver. Then I saw the additional inputs and wondered if I could get a dual use out of the subwoofer.
If the 4 RCA connectors on the Behringer interface are line level outs just hook one pair of RCA to your speakers and 1 to the sub.
Actually, yeah, looking closer at the secondary rca outs on the interface (an unusual feature), I think output pair "A" could go to the subwoofer, and the 1/4" main outs could go to the monitors.
The two pairs of rca's seem to be switched between, with the A/B monitor switch on the front, so it would seem only one pair is on at a time.
The question is, does the main out control the volume of main out and the rca's? If so you're in business. If not, adapter city.
Awesome...so, I attached a diagram of the back of the UMC204HD. To be honest, I'm pretty new to interfaces and mixer setups, in general, and I've never used the playback outputs.
I think that's the problem. My concern is that I think the "Playback Outputs" (which are the A/B sets of RCA jacks) are only for audio playback through the USB interface. So, in a DAW, if I started the transport I would hear the previously recorded tracks, but no audio signal that I played through either of the two inputs (guitar, synth, drum machine, etc.) would be heard through the Playback Outputs (unless I had input monitoring on and played it through the DAW).
I like to use the UMC204HD as both an interface, but also just as a mixer. Most of the time, I don't even hook up an iPad at all, but will throw maybe a drum machine and a Korg Volca into the two inputs and play out of the speakers. I think I can only do that through the Main Outs. Or the Headphone Jack if you really want to rig things and send a line level signal from the headphone jack to the sub.
The Polk 10" sub is pretty much overkill for what I need, but it looks to be far and away the best quality option at the sub-$100 price point, and the 8" options aren't any cheaper.
If it were me, I’d try using it as a passive subwoofer first. I’d only think about what to do about an active crossover and separate amplification paths much later if I didn’t like the results with passive crossover it already has.