Hi,
I just received my Nano, If I understood it correctly, you need to use the output 1L in order to connect it to FoH (front of house) when playing live. Normally (on the quad cortex for example), there is XLR outputs on the device, but on the Nano, there’s only the TRS instrument cable outputs. Then it requires me to have a TRS to XLR cable which I connect to the snake, right?
How do you guys do? I have never gone FoH before but I assume that normally the sound guy only has XLR cables on both ends that go to FoH, do you usually bring your own TRS to XLR cable? Will the sound guy normally accept to connect your own cable to the snake?
Then there’s the output 2R, do I need to connect that one to if I go FoH? (we’re two guitarists and play metal).
Would you, also, recommend having a DI box to separate yourself from the sound guy’s gear? I mean just in case he is stupid enough to phantom power my channel? It might ruin my nano then I guess..
Bringing your own TRS to XLR cable is always a good choice and connecting to the snake or directly to a mixing desk is not a problem.
Most sound guys (or at least the good ones) have DI boxes with them, although it’s always good to let them know you need one in advance, and then you can just use a normal jack cable.
There’s always a way! And right off the bat: no-no on the phantom power. Phantom = ghost, and ghosts are scary. Get that phantom power away from this application, haha!
So I could make the argument that depending on your application (such as what you’re outlining), owning a direct box or two with some XLR cabling is just a good thing to have on the ol’ equipment shelf. And direct boxes will be your friend! But the remedy to live sound will always be friendly and open communication with your FOH engineer. Here’s something from my world that might give insight:
I’ve got my Radial JDIs (passive) and had it set up like this: guitar > NC > JDI > FOHs cabling to the board. So that’s my unbalanced signal into and out of the NC, connecting to the JDI with a 6" patch. The box converts it to the balanced signal that was sent to the A&H board that FOH was running with his own XLR into his patch bay. All monitoring was done via Avioms (personal mixers) so there was no stage volume needed.
Couple caveats here, though: if you are looking to simply amplify what the NC is doing, then this setup will work as the FOH engineer mixes accordingly… but if you want your signal to go to FOH while you also drive a cab on stage for monitoring purposes or simple stage volume… well, you cannot bypass the cab IR slot in the NC, so you’re scuppered for that application. There’s always a way… but they get dicey (in my opinion) in terms of overcomplicating things. I like simple. So if you need stage volume for monitoring when going to FOH, then your options are networked personal mixers (like the Aviom), or running your own in-ear monitoring setup… if not, you better hope they have some wedges!
And last but certainly not least: the patches and sounds you make at home will require tweaking when playing live. Adjustments are all but a certainty, so my insight is to try and make your preset(s) as close to your performance volume as humanly possible. Your time at soundcheck will be crucial for this, especially if you switch presets throughout your set. When you dial in sounds at home, they simply do not translate live in the exact same manner due to a number of variables: room size, the number of people in the room ‘absorbing’ sound, the type of gear being used… there’s a lot to consider, really. So be prepared to adjust your preset volume and to do some EQ tweaks. But showing up early and chatting with the FOH person will, in my experience, help enormously. They want the show to sound just as good as you, so help them out and they’ll help you! Hope there was at least something useful in there for you. Cheers!
A big THANK YOU! for the reply. It was just the reply i was hoping for answered all my questions and confirmed my own theories.
I don’t think i need to eorry about the single signal chain as all the gigs i have had (here in Sweden), they always have wedge monitors on stage so I’ll skip other types of monitor sounds to help me hear. And if wedges are missing, i am always prepared with other presets without IR or such. But maybe I’ll attach a DI box to my board as an extra safety measure not to burn my device in case of phantom power and other scary things.
I’ve heard though that it shouldn’t matter if Phantom power is on as it only distributes extra power if you have a device that need it. Just like powering your pedals with more mA than needed, the power rig only distributes enough and not the full capacity.
answered all my questions and confirmed my own theories.