Okay a funny story. I was once hired to set up a digital room correction system for a person who reported the balance was always to one side. After getting the system channel matched across the whole frequency range I was later informed he was unhappy. I had not met the customer in person before this, just bought in to do the job. I sat next to him and explained how I had matched the channels from the listening position. After that he said "I'm sorry can you speak to my other side, I'm slightly deaf in this ear." :O True story! We all sometimes dont accept reality!
Sometimes i sit and notice a difference in pan and ithen, i have a test: i move my fingers near my ear. Sometimes the auditive channel need some cleaning, this is a task easily accomplished with a BIC pen cap...
This is what I like and need. Audio geeks talking geeky audio tech stuff that nobody wants to explore in depth. Make more videos about electronics, I think there are many people who likes this stuff.
one of the best videos you've made. understanding electrical engineering and what the components are doing to your signal is important IMO. thanks for the lesson. Cheers from LA
Been using the Mackie Passive Big Knob for well over a year with no complaints. Honestly, at the price if it dies I’ll probably just get another one. Recommended. 👍
Just an engineer's plug here. These days we have powerful, buffered line outputs in audio interfaces, coupled with active studio monitors that have input amplification (and these days we get megaohms of input impedance in $1 opamps), meaning there's virtually no possibility you'll have problems due to impedance. DC blocking capacitors have to be in line with the signal, not put across input and ground like you have shown. A resistor and capacitor in series (which is what actually ends up happening) does not change the frequency response. Also, tbqh for better (and more consistent) stereo imaging I'd go for hooking up the pot to V+, having it supply a DC offset voltage that controls a stereo VCA that actually processes the signal. Lots of quality off-the-shelf VCA chips with way better parameters than a potentiometer.
You are very accurate on the projected life of passive monitor switches. My first SM pro M patch 2 lasted 2 years and then became scratchy on the volume knob. When I used electronics cleaner to fix it. The stereo balance was slightly off. I replaced it with a Mackie passive Big Knob and hopefully I will get another two years of service. I might just build a 50 position 2 channel variable resistor board when the Mackie is end of life.
I have exactly the same big knob model showed on video. IMHO The sound is clear than like use a direct connection. Your point of view is correct about the interation betwhen the capacitor and resistor chain, but on my experience on work the mackie big knob dosen't change the sound. Cheers from Brazil
Congratulations for making an interesting cool show out of a volume knob ! I had one, it is from SPL ! SPL is a great company and very underrated I think !
I've got the same Mackie Big Knob. Great device, allows me to A/B the DAW interface output between small 5" reference monitors, and 8" inch monitors with a sub.
@@Gualaguala659 I haven't noticed anything. I'm using a MOTU 828 as my interface, with 2 different reference monitors. Neither of the monitors is extreme high-end, but I don't notice any sound degradation being caused by the Mackie.
I got a behringer control 2 too. Wanted to upgrade it since I’ve had it 3yrs. Looking at this, I became intrigued. Everything mentioned in this video is exactly what I needed to hear.
I like these videos! Even in expensive consoles there can be a drift between left and right. If I run our Harrison console on reaaaally low volume I hear more of one side than the other. I've experienced the same thing in other studios too where the master monitor is a knob instead of a fader.
Just fyi, I manage the studios at a university. This big knob has been in one of the studio for years now and we have no issues with it so far. And this is in a university setting where the gear sees a lot of abuse of the kids
Hello there nice job as always! I wanted to be able to A/B/C my main outs into 3 different speaker sets.I couldnt care less about a trimmer for the reasons you mention as i have really good D/A but i couldnt find any on the market so i had to DiY one that takes 2 (stereo) balanced lines and splits them in 6 (3xStereo) balanced outs.job done(not as easy as it sounds).Idk why there isnt anything like this for sale anywhere. Am i missing something?Is there a reason to always have a pot in line?
I have the same Mackie Passive Monitor Controller but there was a hum/buzz when switching between my Yamaha HS5 to Avantone Mixcube (powered). So I assume there's some current/loop? I spent days trying to figure it out troubleshooting everything but it was still there, the hum bouncing over to the "silent" speaker when switched. I bought a Furman Power Conditioner and plugged everything into it but no difference. Finally, I was due for a new interface so got one that had a desktop/monitor controller built in. It's active so I guess that took care of the problem, but it still makes me wonder what the issue was with the Mackie.
I think I'm running into the problem at one of the studios I work at. The stereo image warps depending on the knob position...and it's the same brand as this, but the bigger brother with more outputs, headphone mix etc.
Really great Video! I picked one of these up so I can A/B speaker sets coming from my symphony desktop, I planned to leave the max so I didn't think I would have any issue with L R difference . I don't hear any coloration in sound and think it does a great job for the price, but I noticed it introduced high frequency noise in my speakers. I opened it up to see the cheap circuitry and It got really annoying so I returned it and got the Heritage Audio Baby RAM. More then double the price but not worth putting the big knob it in the chain when I spent so much on Focal twins and mogami studio cables.
The Big Knob looks good. I went with a "Douk Audio Fully Balanced Passive Preamp Pre-Amplifier XLR/RCA Volume Controller" from eBay that cost roughly $30 that I'm just using as an extra master volume for my DJ mixer. It has been OK, but when you turn it to zero, one speaker will get sound before the other, so I'm not sure the balance is correct.
I bought this so I could connect my mix cube. I like the functionality, and indeed if you upgrade ur speakers and interface etc this might be last thing you need to invest in...
Update 2023: I'm done with non-VCA controllers. My JBL M-patch and Mackie Studio wore out. I'm using the Behringer Studio XL and the stereo field stays consistent throughout the throw of the volume control. I verified the drift with white noise/cancellation testing with all the other units. The Behringer is absolutely silent. My mixes reflect a solid L/R balance as a result. Personally I am sensitive to balance to the degree of less than 1/3 dB (tested). None of the other monitor controllers are worth the money.
I own one of these, honestly never noticed any coloration, since passive, or level issues like you pointed out. Would a passive monitor controller like this only cause the up to 1db difference in volume from L to R, or does this cause phase issues too? 1db isn't great, but fairly minor in the real world over that spectrum in imperfect rooms, but phase issues can be devastating for mixing and mastering.
I considered monitor controllers from Mackie, Behringer, and Presonus. Honestly, I was not very impressed because I thought they were overly expensive for what they did. It was difficult for me to find only what I needed, without extra features that in my opinion didn't really belong in a monitor controller. Fortunately, I stumbled across the JBL M-Patch Active-1. For about the same price as the Makie Big Knob passive, I got an active controller that does cut and gain, has four inputs and two monitor outputs. It has a stereo pair USB I/O which is all I need, and enables me to hear my computer audio on my monitors. It has two independent headphone amplifier, plus talk back into the headphones. One thing that I found really useful is that input A is RCA jacks so I can use that for my drum machine, making it very easy to do drum programming tasks without having to run it through a console. Inputs B & C cover my two consoles. Input D is the USB. To be honest, this JBL unit it has exceeded my expectations and I can't believe how convenient it's made my life.
I just use a mixer I've had lying around for years to control monitors, provide a phone input for music listening, etc. I wonder how much the deviation in the stereo image you showed really affects the sound in the room. I know, depends on speakers, depends on room, depends on ears. I would not agonize over the "tone" of buffers. It's pretty easy to design a transparent buffer. Keep in mind, there's no perfect room, and all the monitor controller affects is the room sound. Your ears already have to compensate for room imperfections. Good point about pot wear though. That could become an issue in the long term.
Would the Heritage Audio Baby Ram have these issues as well? The knob clicks, but I'm not sure whether or not that is just a design thing to match the feel of higher end ones. I had a JBL MSC-1 for years and now it won't turn on, so looking for something to replace it.
isn't then more accurate to just use some midi controller to handle software output volume? I'm using old Faderport (with help of BOME MIDI) to control output volume of RME HDSPe AIO and it works well
With this methode you actually lower your but depth because if you do it like this all the lowerd volume or "unused volume" is also using your bit depth don't know if it's clear what i said, i see i have to work on my english expression....
Fascinating behind the circuits info! The Big Knob is a great switcher. However, ours only lasted a couple years before dimming the left side gain. Would recommend it for $50, but it will need replaced within a couple years.
Interesting - as always! I've been using a Presonus Central Station for years - I've recently suspected there's something awry with it. BTW I am a recovered electronics engineer (sound only now!) , I found that the trim pots (which don't belong in pro equipment IMO) were affecting the volume of other channels, which shouldn't happen... for example. Anyway, after chatting with a friend I decided to take it out of my system. I use 2 sets of speakers. I use Studio One - it has a listen bus; I can use that to control the level and change the outputs, so it covers the basic requirements for a monitor controller, I added DIM and MONO and a VU meter to the channel strip, I was shocked, and pleased, how better my sound was and how tight my stereo image had become. It's now digital at the way from the (Focusrite) D to A to the speakers. It's not a perfect solution, like the bass bin has become a problem, although I don't use it much, stuff like that. I like Presonus gear and software and have to point out that my Central station is old and, probably, overused.
While I love my BigKnob Studio. I have noticed that I almost need to get it ready. It crackles when I move it around early on. It’s like a guitar volume knob, and the potentiometer does drift early on. Kinda of weird.
very good content, between Big Knob passive from mackie and big knob studio plus that is the same, do you think that worth it the difrence of price, or they have the same performance and I will only notice difrence in quality sound if i buy an expensive controller?
Thanks for the nice demonstration. I wanted to get this 2X2 passive monitor controller. I have a question, Can I connect a pair of monitors and a subwoofer in 'A' output and a pair of monitors in 'B' output? Output 'A' = mon out- sub in- sub out -speakers in. Output 'B' = mon out- speakers in Please guide me regarding this method I have Adam audio t5v monitors and Adam audio T10S subwoofer
I have an RME 800 sound card that is my monitor controller. Main outs 1&2 go directly to the inputs of my main amp (Crown DC150 with inputs at wide open) and I control my monitoring levels via the RME interface software. It has 8 places to store your levels setup and I generally use 3, one for low level listening, one for mid level and one for loud monitoring all set precisely in steps of 6dB. This helps with getting consistent levels mix to mix. Even a slight difference in monitoring of as much as 1dB can make a significant difference to your perceived brightness or dullness of a track as with the low end. I recommend this if your sound card interface software can do it. Most importantly!!, my RME main out 7&8 go to my VU meters as well (1k@-12FS = 0VU)
I just want a monitor controller to adjust the volume and a button to mute the speakers when I want to use my headphones without the controller affecting the sound quality. Any recommendations?
Hey! Just got this! My overall sound and max vol seem to be lower then when connected to my scarlett 6i6. Sounds better infact! Im i doing something wrong. Got very good cables etc. Pls advise so i can send back if anything. Great review! Uno what ur talking abt lol. Thanks
I'm using a MOTU stage b-16. I didn't want to use any kind of analog volume controller so I used the Lemur app on an old old ipad and control the motu avb mixer directly over OSC. no more scratchyness, no more right vs. left level inconsistencies. the hard part was getting lemur to do the linear->log value conversion :P
Just an idea: couldn’t this monitor controller be done digitally through the DAW/audio interface and only have the Pot as an control input for that system? The pot value would just be read by an ADC and the DAW would interpret that as a controller input. I know it’s not analog anymore but a computer could make this easy.
No way I ever trust any fly-by-wire system for volume control (i.e., a remote control for digital volume in software or in interface, or even in the speakers the way some do it like Genelec). Always the chance of distortion/feedback/system meltdown at full monitor volume (110+ dB). Maybe if you add attenuators in the lines going to the monitors, but really, do you want to be dependent on the software to control volume? Maybe so, if you never have ANY need of using any outboard inputs. I don't even trust the Babyface Pro since it's also a digital volume control (although since it's all built-in, I trust it a bit more than controlling the volume elsewhere remotely).
Yes it can be done. Provided the DAC system has a good enough dynamic range (say -120dB signal to noise) and bit depth feeding it is 24bit or 32bit it's a great solution. Most DAC chips output about 2v RMS full scale which means the analog stage can be unity gain (gain of 1) and this is the lowest noise an analog amp will ever achieve.. So it's a really good solution. But you need to be sure ther volume attenuation is being done at a high bit-depth and stays that way to the DAC. FYI most analog volume controls struggle to beat -90dB signal to noise.
Hey man really like your channel so on this one I want to chime in, riddle me this I have an original UREI 1620 Mixer that I have used as my main rack pre-amp, it has 9 Black Beauty Stereo Pots that are at least 25 years old and not one of them has ever had a crackle or pop unlike like most stuff you buy these days that get noisy with use, in fact they are as smooth as the day I got the board, so explain to all of us how is it that these pots still have not one ounce of wiggle or play and still fade with no noise as smooth as day i got the unit? love to know the secret, because someone clearly knew how to make a great noise free long lasting stereo audio pots ... I just wish all gear had these pots in them. I would love as I am sure others would how they made a pot that is this good and precise and I mean precise fades to infinity the lowest you can hear with no fade cut off at the end of its travel that most times can be heard on other fader and volume knobs. I would hope that Mackie would use a good quality noise free pot with the volume control and monitor switching being the whole reason for the product in the first place.
I can see the SONARWORKS REFERENCE BOX. Can you please make one update video on this ? Provided if you are using it in a day to day basis for your work. I really want to know your opinion after using it for a long period of time. Please :)
Thank you! After watching, I know you referenced the different "classes" of monitor controllers and potentiometers. Are all the $0-200 passive controllers internally the same and going to have the same problems? I ask because there's the Big Knob and then there's the RCF MC-1. $100 price difference.
Really cool info brother thanks, I just got a Audient Nero and did not know much about this, seems quite nice though still monitor controllers are a new thing to me! :)
Good informative video. I've owned 3 different price point monitor controllers. My first was a JBL with room correcting software too, was ok, not great though. Could hear the difference after setting it up. Next was a Dangerous Music Monitor with the fancy remote, very nice, relay, great clear sound, expensive. My current one which sounds great and was affordable is a Presonus Monitor Station V2. I would recommend it to anyone, and it's low mid level I would say.
I've been using the tc electronic BMC-2, what a sweet piece of gear, too. The D/A is really transparent, the 'jet clock' works like a charm and not to mention MS monitoring, calib features, alt and multiple digital inputs. A 'little gem' as I read in a review. In time, loved the time I worked with the Dangerous, too.
What do you think about Beringer's control2 usb monitor controller? They claim its a VCA design, so no crackling is possible. Its also a talkback box and probably a "streamer". It serves same fuctions as middle class big knob. Before I've used old dj mixer as monitor controller - BIG mistake. It had balance and phase issues. I couldn't believe I had such crisp sound after I took it out of the system.
Excellent video, thanks. I wish I had viewed this video before I purchased the Mackie controller! With my gear, the Mackie is not only attenuating the output signal from my interface to my speakers but is also noticeably degrading the overall sound quality.
I have an interface with one set of outputs, so I need a controller of some kind in order to add a second set of monitors. Was thinking Passive because of the price, now...not quite so sure. Thank you for the detailed info.
Okay a funny story. I was once hired to set up a digital room correction system for a person who reported the balance was always to one side. After getting the system channel matched across the whole frequency range I was later informed he was unhappy. I had not met the customer in person before this, just bought in to do the job. I sat next to him and explained how I had matched the channels from the listening position. After that he said "I'm sorry can you speak to my other side, I'm slightly deaf in this ear." :O
True story! We all sometimes dont accept reality!
Same story with me - my right ear has hearing loss (heartbreaking) it's something that must be considered in the studio :( OH WELL! such is life
Sometimes i sit and notice a difference in pan and ithen, i have a test: i move my fingers near my ear.
Sometimes the auditive channel need some cleaning, this is a task easily accomplished with a BIC pen cap...
😂😂😂
This is what I like and need. Audio geeks talking geeky audio tech stuff that nobody wants to explore in depth. Make more videos about electronics, I think there are many people who likes this stuff.
Audio and electronics are inextricably linked. The danger is you get branded a 'naysayer' who ot believes what measurements can back up. ;)
Yes!
I knew I wasn’t crazy when i hear more out of right channel than left
SORRY WHAT DID YOU SAY?!
@@Audio_Simon You could only read this out of your left channel?
Same with me.
@@Audio_Simon COULD YOU TYPE A BIT HARDER PLEASE?
Bro did u eventually upgraded?
one of the best videos you've made. understanding electrical engineering and what the components are doing to your signal is important IMO. thanks for the lesson. Cheers from LA
Yes, OK. But I'll never buy any piece of gear from him. 6:04 6:39 6:51 7:53 8:25 0:17 1:37 3:15
Been using the Mackie Passive Big Knob for well over a year with no complaints. Honestly, at the price if it dies I’ll probably just get another one. Recommended. 👍
Same here I’m happy and satisfied with my mackie big knob passive😊
I've had my Palmer Monicon for years and it works really great !
I have one of these - and I like it a lot. Had many passive volume controllers and this build and functionality feels quality to be honest!
Just an engineer's plug here. These days we have powerful, buffered line outputs in audio interfaces, coupled with active studio monitors that have input amplification (and these days we get megaohms of input impedance in $1 opamps), meaning there's virtually no possibility you'll have problems due to impedance. DC blocking capacitors have to be in line with the signal, not put across input and ground like you have shown. A resistor and capacitor in series (which is what actually ends up happening) does not change the frequency response. Also, tbqh for better (and more consistent) stereo imaging I'd go for hooking up the pot to V+, having it supply a DC offset voltage that controls a stereo VCA that actually processes the signal. Lots of quality off-the-shelf VCA chips with way better parameters than a potentiometer.
Great video. You’ve helped me in my decision making more than any other gear review
I have the Big Knob and I am very satisfied with it, works great in my setup :)
Creating a sub buss in your DAW to output to alternate monitors works too. Sounds great as well.
Very balanced explanation! I have panned toward the passive one.. central station from presonus.
Been using SPL MTC for about 10 years.. love it
Great share on UA-cam! Waiting for this video time ago. Thank you Wytse!
This video was so geeky I loved it. This is valuable content 🤘🏼
Thanks for clearing this up for me. Good job.
Thanks man! Trying to find a video like this for days!!!
You are very accurate on the projected life of passive monitor switches. My first SM pro M patch 2 lasted 2 years and then became scratchy on the volume knob. When I used electronics cleaner to fix it. The stereo balance was slightly off. I replaced it with a Mackie passive Big Knob and hopefully I will get another two years of service. I might just build a 50 position 2 channel variable resistor board when the Mackie is end of life.
This product is extremely handy to switch between two monitor pairs (on the fly ) ! Great while mixing and mastering.
Nicholas Noah I’m wondering if there’s an A/B switch without the volume knob
One of the best videos on youtube🙏🏼💯
You answered all the questions about monitor controllers that worried me. Thanks.
Damnnn I have this Big Knob Passive and I had to turn the volume of my right speaker up by alot to match them... Thanks for the in depth explanation
ANOTHER great video !! gave us the liwdown on passive/active vol.controllers THANKS !!
I use the mackie big knob in my studio and now I know why I hear more from the right speaker than from the left speaker.
I have exactly the same big knob model showed on video. IMHO The sound is clear than like use a direct connection. Your point of view is correct about the interation betwhen the capacitor and resistor chain, but on my experience on work the mackie big knob dosen't change the sound. Cheers from Brazil
Congratulations for making an interesting cool show out of a volume knob !
I had one, it is from SPL !
SPL is a great company and very underrated I think !
I've got the same Mackie Big Knob. Great device, allows me to A/B the DAW interface output between small 5" reference monitors, and 8" inch monitors with a sub.
Does it affect on sound quality? For example I have a very good audio interface and I'm afraid that this will afeect that sount quality) Thanks!
@@Gualaguala659 I haven't noticed anything. I'm using a MOTU 828 as my interface, with 2 different reference monitors. Neither of the monitors is extreme high-end, but I don't notice any sound degradation being caused by the Mackie.
Ahhh I love this channel!
some audio interfaces/converters have this sort of channel variance on their outputs and can reach a 1dB range
Really like the format of this video. Learning about these types of subjects is very useful! Please, make more educational video's! :-)
Great video. I use a Behringer control 2 (active/middle class) to control two pairs of speakers. It does its job and it's built like a tank!
I got a behringer control 2 too. Wanted to upgrade it since I’ve had it 3yrs. Looking at this, I became intrigued. Everything mentioned in this video is exactly what I needed to hear.
I like these videos! Even in expensive consoles there can be a drift between left and right. If I run our Harrison console on reaaaally low volume I hear more of one side than the other. I've experienced the same thing in other studios too where the master monitor is a knob instead of a fader.
Just fyi, I manage the studios at a university. This big knob has been in one of the studio for years now and we have no issues with it so far. And this is in a university setting where the gear sees a lot of abuse of the kids
Hello there nice job as always! I wanted to be able to A/B/C my main outs into 3 different speaker sets.I couldnt care less about a trimmer for the reasons you mention as i have really good D/A but i couldnt find any on the market so i had to DiY one that takes 2 (stereo) balanced lines and splits them in 6 (3xStereo) balanced outs.job done(not as easy as it sounds).Idk why there isnt anything like this for sale anywhere. Am i missing something?Is there a reason to always have a pot in line?
I have the same Mackie Passive Monitor Controller but there was a hum/buzz when switching between my Yamaha HS5 to Avantone Mixcube (powered). So I assume there's some current/loop? I spent days trying to figure it out troubleshooting everything but it was still there, the hum bouncing over to the "silent" speaker when switched. I bought a Furman Power Conditioner and plugged everything into it but no difference. Finally, I was due for a new interface so got one that had a desktop/monitor controller built in. It's active so I guess that took care of the problem, but it still makes me wonder what the issue was with the Mackie.
Always super useful.
I think I'm running into the problem at one of the studios I work at. The stereo image warps depending on the knob position...and it's the same brand as this, but the bigger brother with more outputs, headphone mix etc.
Really great Video! I picked one of these up so I can A/B speaker sets coming from my symphony desktop, I planned to leave the max so I didn't think I would have any issue with L R difference . I don't hear any coloration in sound and think it does a great job for the price, but I noticed it introduced high frequency noise in my speakers. I opened it up to see the cheap circuitry and It got really annoying so I returned it and got the Heritage Audio Baby RAM. More then double the price but not worth putting the big knob it in the chain when I spent so much on Focal twins and mogami studio cables.
will the baby RAM do 2 sets of speakers and a sub?
Thanks for video!
Thanks, great info!
Some awesome insight in this video!
The Big Knob looks good. I went with a "Douk Audio Fully Balanced Passive Preamp Pre-Amplifier XLR/RCA Volume Controller" from eBay that cost roughly $30 that I'm just using as an extra master volume for my DJ mixer. It has been OK, but when you turn it to zero, one speaker will get sound before the other, so I'm not sure the balance is correct.
Interesting topic. I use Apogee Element interface/converter, the control is all digital, no physical volume path. I'd recommend it.
I bought this so I could connect my mix cube. I like the functionality, and indeed if you upgrade ur speakers and interface etc this might be last thing you need to invest in...
Update 2023: I'm done with non-VCA controllers. My JBL M-patch and Mackie Studio wore out. I'm using the Behringer Studio XL and the stereo field stays consistent throughout the throw of the volume control. I verified the drift with white noise/cancellation testing with all the other units. The Behringer is absolutely silent. My mixes reflect a solid L/R balance as a result. Personally I am sensitive to balance to the degree of less than 1/3 dB (tested). None of the other monitor controllers are worth the money.
Do u have a video like this on Active Vs Passive Monitor SPEAKERS..??
so presonus central station (I think not in production anymore) has trim for each channel per each speaker. What about that?
very good video - always wondered about this!
I use the big knob as a switch only and never use the volume knob. For that purpose its perfect.....
I own one of these, honestly never noticed any coloration, since passive, or level issues like you pointed out. Would a passive monitor controller like this only cause the up to 1db difference in volume from L to R, or does this cause phase issues too? 1db isn't great, but fairly minor in the real world over that spectrum in imperfect rooms, but phase issues can be devastating for mixing and mastering.
Thank you
I considered monitor controllers from Mackie, Behringer, and Presonus. Honestly, I was not very impressed because I thought they were overly expensive for what they did. It was difficult for me to find only what I needed, without extra features that in my opinion didn't really belong in a monitor controller. Fortunately, I stumbled across the JBL M-Patch Active-1. For about the same price as the Makie Big Knob passive, I got an active controller that does cut and gain, has four inputs and two monitor outputs. It has a stereo pair USB I/O which is all I need, and enables me to hear my computer audio on my monitors. It has two independent headphone amplifier, plus talk back into the headphones. One thing that I found really useful is that input A is RCA jacks so I can use that for my drum machine, making it very easy to do drum programming tasks without having to run it through a console. Inputs B & C cover my two consoles. Input D is the USB. To be honest, this JBL unit it has exceeded my expectations and I can't believe how convenient it's made my life.
I just use a mixer I've had lying around for years to control monitors, provide a phone input for music listening, etc. I wonder how much the deviation in the stereo image you showed really affects the sound in the room. I know, depends on speakers, depends on room, depends on ears. I would not agonize over the "tone" of buffers. It's pretty easy to design a transparent buffer. Keep in mind, there's no perfect room, and all the monitor controller affects is the room sound. Your ears already have to compensate for room imperfections. Good point about pot wear though. That could become an issue in the long term.
how about presonus monitor station v2 and the stereo shift thing you described?
Great video again though!!!!
Bringing out the real facts and questions not just the most obvious assumptions
Thank you, great explanation!!!!
Would the Heritage Audio Baby Ram have these issues as well? The knob clicks, but I'm not sure whether or not that is just a design thing to match the feel of higher end ones. I had a JBL MSC-1 for years and now it won't turn on, so looking for something to replace it.
isn't then more accurate to just use some midi controller to handle software output volume?
I'm using old Faderport (with help of BOME MIDI) to control output volume of RME HDSPe AIO and it works well
With this methode you actually lower your but depth because if you do it like this all the lowerd volume or "unused volume" is also using your bit depth
don't know if it's clear what i said, i see i have to work on my english expression....
Good vídeo. Nice information. Thanx
Fascinating behind the circuits info! The Big Knob is a great switcher. However, ours only lasted a couple years before dimming the left side gain. Would recommend it for $50, but it will need replaced within a couple years.
Interesting - as always! I've been using a Presonus Central Station for years - I've recently suspected there's something awry with it. BTW I am a recovered electronics engineer (sound only now!) , I found that the trim pots (which don't belong in pro equipment IMO) were affecting the volume of other channels, which shouldn't happen... for example.
Anyway, after chatting with a friend I decided to take it out of my system. I use 2 sets of speakers. I use Studio One - it has a listen bus; I can use that to control the level and change the outputs, so it covers the basic requirements for a monitor controller, I added DIM and MONO and a VU meter to the channel strip,
I was shocked, and pleased, how better my sound was and how tight my stereo image had become. It's now digital at the way from the (Focusrite) D to A to the speakers.
It's not a perfect solution, like the bass bin has become a problem, although I don't use it much, stuff like that.
I like Presonus gear and software and have to point out that my Central station is old and, probably, overused.
Very helpfull. Thank you!
While I love my BigKnob Studio. I have noticed that I almost need to get it ready. It crackles when I move it around early on. It’s like a guitar volume knob, and the potentiometer does drift early on. Kinda of weird.
very good content, between Big Knob passive from mackie and big knob studio plus that is the same, do you think that worth it the difrence of price, or they have the same performance and I will only notice difrence in quality sound if i buy an expensive controller?
Thanks for the nice demonstration. I wanted to get this 2X2 passive monitor controller. I have a question,
Can I connect a pair of monitors and a subwoofer in 'A' output and a pair of monitors in 'B' output?
Output 'A' = mon out- sub in- sub out -speakers in.
Output 'B' = mon out- speakers in
Please guide me regarding this method
I have Adam audio t5v monitors and Adam audio T10S subwoofer
Great video man. Presumed this was the case in the some way with my crap monitor.l controller.
Very interesting!
I have an RME 800 sound card that is my monitor controller. Main outs 1&2 go directly to the inputs of my main amp (Crown DC150 with inputs at wide open) and I control my monitoring levels via the RME interface software. It has 8 places to store your levels setup and I generally use 3, one for low level listening, one for mid level and one for loud monitoring all set precisely in steps of 6dB. This helps with getting consistent levels mix to mix. Even a slight difference in monitoring of as much as 1dB can make a significant difference to your perceived brightness or dullness of a track as with the low end. I recommend this if your sound card interface software can do it. Most importantly!!, my RME main out 7&8 go to my VU meters as well (1k@-12FS = 0VU)
Ah a Mackie controller. This can suit me with my Mackie monitors.
I just want a monitor controller to adjust the volume and a button to mute the speakers when I want to use my headphones without the controller affecting the sound quality.
Any recommendations?
You got a new subscriber man...! Tysm ❤❤
Great video!!
Do you have any idea of the quality and features of this Coleman audio products for monitor controlling ?
Hey! Just got this! My overall sound and max vol seem to be lower then when connected to my scarlett 6i6. Sounds better infact! Im i doing something wrong. Got very good cables etc. Pls advise so i can send back if anything. Great review! Uno what ur talking abt lol. Thanks
I'm using a MOTU stage b-16. I didn't want to use any kind of analog volume controller so I used the Lemur app on an old old ipad and control the motu avb mixer directly over OSC. no more scratchyness, no more right vs. left level inconsistencies. the hard part was getting lemur to do the linear->log value conversion :P
Really like to try Imperium from 2400 Audio or Nero from Audient. Presonus Central Station is a nice option too.
Just an idea: couldn’t this monitor controller be done digitally through the DAW/audio interface and only have the Pot as an control input for that system? The pot value would just be read by an ADC and the DAW would interpret that as a controller input. I know it’s not analog anymore but a computer could make this easy.
No way I ever trust any fly-by-wire system for volume control (i.e., a remote control for digital volume in software or in interface, or even in the speakers the way some do it like Genelec). Always the chance of distortion/feedback/system meltdown at full monitor volume (110+ dB). Maybe if you add attenuators in the lines going to the monitors, but really, do you want to be dependent on the software to control volume? Maybe so, if you never have ANY need of using any outboard inputs. I don't even trust the Babyface Pro since it's also a digital volume control (although since it's all built-in, I trust it a bit more than controlling the volume elsewhere remotely).
Yes it can be done. Provided the DAC system has a good enough dynamic range (say -120dB signal to noise) and bit depth feeding it is 24bit or 32bit it's a great solution. Most DAC chips output about 2v RMS full scale which means the analog stage can be unity gain (gain of 1) and this is the lowest noise an analog amp will ever achieve.. So it's a really good solution. But you need to be sure ther volume attenuation is being done at a high bit-depth and stays that way to the DAC. FYI most analog volume controls struggle to beat -90dB signal to noise.
problem with doing it digitally is you're losing bits
As your saying about use over time effecting it my reaction is to jump every time you hit it like a kid playing next to a varese
i use the MPC1000 Volume knob as monitor controllers. could that cause L/R problems too then i guess ?
I have a Gracedesign m905. the one in the screen shot.. Its the best monitor controller i have listened thru.
Hey man really like your channel so on this one I want to chime in, riddle me this I have an original UREI 1620 Mixer that I have used as my main rack pre-amp, it has 9 Black Beauty Stereo Pots that are at least 25 years old and not one of them has ever had a crackle or pop unlike like most stuff you buy these days that get noisy with use, in fact they are as smooth as the day I got the board, so explain to all of us how is it that these pots still have not one ounce of wiggle or play and still fade with no noise as smooth as day i got the unit? love to know the secret, because someone clearly knew how to make a great noise free long lasting stereo audio pots ... I just wish all gear had these pots in them. I would love as I am sure others would how they made a pot that is this good and precise and I mean precise fades to infinity the lowest you can hear with no fade cut off at the end of its travel that most times can be heard on other fader and volume knobs. I would hope that Mackie would use a good quality noise free pot with the volume control and monitor switching being the whole reason for the product in the first place.
How to make a DIY filter cable? Please make a video about it. Please :)
great video
I can see the SONARWORKS REFERENCE BOX.
Can you please make one update video on this ? Provided if you are using it in a day to day basis for your work.
I really want to know your opinion after using it for a long period of time.
Please :)
i notice when i turn my volume knob at my focusrite scarlette interface very low then the right monitor gets quiter than the left one
+1, same goes for headphones potentiometer on my E-MU 1616m
Should we buy a monitor controller with 16 bit or 24 bit?
Hi..
Does it matter how hot I go from my interface to the big.knob passive controler ?
what do you think about the spl volume 2?
What about dynamics changing when lowering the volume digitally?
Hi, what about DA Converters that have built in Potentiometers like Komplete Audio Interfaces?
Dude... u are awesome!
Thank you! After watching, I know you referenced the different "classes" of monitor controllers and potentiometers. Are all the $0-200 passive controllers internally the same and going to have the same problems? I ask because there's the Big Knob and then there's the RCF MC-1. $100 price difference.
Really cool info brother thanks, I just got a Audient Nero and did not know much about this, seems quite nice though still monitor controllers are a new thing to me! :)
Good informative video. I've owned 3 different price point monitor controllers. My first was a JBL with room correcting software too, was ok, not great though. Could hear the difference after setting it up. Next was a Dangerous Music Monitor with the fancy remote, very nice, relay, great clear sound, expensive. My current one which sounds great and was affordable is a Presonus Monitor Station V2. I would recommend it to anyone, and it's low mid level I would say.
I've been using the tc electronic BMC-2, what a sweet piece of gear, too. The D/A is really transparent, the 'jet clock' works like a charm and not to mention MS monitoring, calib features, alt and multiple digital inputs. A 'little gem' as I read in a review.
In time, loved the time I worked with the Dangerous, too.
What do you think about Beringer's control2 usb monitor controller? They claim its a VCA design, so no crackling is possible. Its also a talkback box and probably a "streamer". It serves same fuctions as middle class big knob.
Before I've used old dj mixer as monitor controller - BIG mistake. It had balance and phase issues. I couldn't believe I had such crisp sound after I took it out of the system.
Excellent video, thanks.
I wish I had viewed this video before I purchased the Mackie controller!
With my gear, the Mackie is not only attenuating the output signal from my interface to my speakers but is also noticeably degrading the overall sound quality.
I use Rme, I'm thinking about the Arc controller to bypass all the external monitor controller "problem" and route everything through Totalmix
thats what i do works great !
I'm thinking of getting the ART SCC instead but this was the first one I considered
So which do you suggest at the $1k and $2k budget?
I have an interface with one set of outputs, so I need a controller of some kind in order to add a second set of monitors. Was thinking Passive because of the price, now...not quite so sure. Thank you for the detailed info.
I use a passive attenuator made by a Polish company called Khozmo, 48 steps from Minus 60 db to 0 db the channel matching is to +/- 0.1 db.