Re: Attaching Boss RC-50 to Sound System

[Milo <milo.vuc@gmail.com>]

Yes, you should use a direct box when you want to connect your gear to
a PA. The main reasons for this are (in no particular order):

# Adapters don't make unbalanced signals into balanced unless they are
designed for this task. If the RC-50 manual doesn't clearly state that
the outputs are balanced, providing a clear technical specification,
then you should assume that they are unbalanced. You will need a di
box for this task.

# Not all PA systems are created equal. If you have a good di box,
your setup is one less thing to blame for ground loops, static, hum
e.t.c. This will save you valuable soundcheck time and energy from
having to troubleshoot something that was not even broken to begin
with.

# Not all live rigs and setups are created equal, you never know when
another musician's gear will become problematic on stage. If you are
feeding the PA with a good di box, you will save the tech crew
valuable time from checking one more possible source of noise.

# Other musicians' power supplies and gear parts may introduce noise
in the stage setup. Having a di box means you and your gear are
isolated.

# Some live companies and club crews out there have the bad habit of
feeding the light setup from the same circuit that the audio setup is
on. In other cases, the audio setup itself is powered from different
circuits/phases. A di box will give you the option of switching the
ground of your signal, eliminating any ground loops.

Palmer and Radial make fantastic products. Buy a stereo di box from
either company and you are set for life. It will also be very useful
in the studio.

On 12/3/09, baub@baub.com <baub@baub.com> wrote:
> Howdy, all, this is my first post!
>
> Normally when my band plays I just run a mono 1/4 inch cable from the 
>output
> of the looper
> to our sound system.  Nothing elaborate just a powered mixer head.
>
> But sometimes we play on bigger stages with a sound crew/PA.  Should I 
>just
> use a 1/4" to
> XLR adapter to hook to the PA or should I use a direct box?
>
> Thanks in advance
> Baub
> www.baub.com
>
>