Studio Set Up Help! Audio Interface/Headphones/Mixer?

[Trak]

Hey Guys,

First time Posting a thread, so bare with me!

So i'm setting up my second studio (I've done this once before)

The current set up is

KRK Rockit 5 (Studio Monitors)
I Mac
M Audio Fast Track Pro (Audio Interface)
M - Audio Keystation 61es (Midi Keyboard)
Native Instruments Maschine MK2 (Midi Controller)
Traktor Kontrol S4 (DJ Controller)
Shure KSM 32 (Mic)

Anyway so the issue i'm currently having is with the Audio Interface and Headphones.

Basically due to the lack of space, the room will be used to record in vocals, and produce/mix music

In this case it becomes more convenient to have two Headphones simultaneity running while someone is recording. One headphone should be for the person recording, in order to hear them selves or the music.

The other headphone would be for the person sitting in front of the computer to "monitor" the mix. (since it would defy the point to have the studio monitors on while some one is recording)

So what is the best way to make this happen?
The interface only has one Headphone Jack (which would go to the person recording)

Solutions i currently have:
1.
Is the solution as simple as setting up the computer to only accept input from the audio interface and allow for output to go through the IMAC (i would connect the headphones to the imac it self) to be able to "monitor" the vocals. ofcourse that would mean i would have to always switch this setting to go back to playing output through the audio interface later.

2. Could i solve this issue by upgrading to an audio interface with 2 headphone jacks?

3. Could getting a small mixer and connecting it with an audio interface also solve this problem?

Recommendations and Suggestions are more than welcome.

I'm here to learn.

Thanks in advance.

[R01]

This is how I would go about it, and will hopefully fix your problem.

The M-Audio interface is 4x4, and that isn't always counting the headphone out (depends on make).
So in theory you should have enough ins/outs to make this work properly.

One of the inputs will be used for the mic, that's a given. You should be hooking up your monitors with the TRS balanced outputs. The Fast Track sheet tells me it has 4 unbalanced RCA outputs, but since you're already using 2 of the 4 total outputs, that only leaves you with 2 RCA.

So the cheap method would be to get a 2x Male RCA -> Female TRS adapter and plug that into the RCA outputs (3 and 4 most likely). Then plug a pair of headphones into the female TRS jack. From there it's easy. Say output 1-2 are your monitors, so you just assign that inside your DAW. Then make a stereo AUX channel and give it outputs 3-4 (the RCA outputs). This is your monitor channel. Anything you send to that AUX channel will be sent to the headphones of the vocalist in the booth.

You pretty much always send monitoring during recording via auxes, so this is a good habit to get into. Since it's independent from the main outputs you can adjust the aux all you want. Very indispensable as there is a difference between a good overall mix and a good monitor mix.

The not-cheap option would be to go for a different interface. It's quite silly really as 4x4 is all you need, but RCA isn't super dependable, especially if you have to run a long cord to a booth for instance. Expect pops and crackles if the connection isn't tight (loose connectors anyone?). So consider how many ins/outs you absolutely need and try and find an interface with that amount of balanced connections. Also throw in a small personal mixer to make your life easier. For example this one or this one (cheapo options). The musician can adjust his/her monitor volume themselves then.

In any case, never run audio straight out of your computer ports (the D/A convertors are crap), and try avoiding using the headphone output unless it's for a reference check on your own headphones (or you don't have monitors). Hope this sorts things out for you.

[Trak]

This is how I would go about it, and will hopefully fix your problem.

The M-Audio interface is 4x4, and that isn't always counting the headphone out (depends on make).
So in theory you should have enough ins/outs to make this work properly.

One of the inputs will be used for the mic, that's a given. You should be hooking up your monitors with the TRS balanced outputs. The Fast Track sheet tells me it has 4 unbalanced RCA outputs, but since you're already using 2 of the 4 total outputs, that only leaves you with 2 RCA.

So the cheap method would be to get a 2x Male RCA -> Female TRS adapter and plug that into the RCA outputs (3 and 4 most likely). Then plug a pair of headphones into the female TRS jack. From there it's easy. Say output 1-2 are your monitors, so you just assign that inside your DAW. Then make a stereo AUX channel and give it outputs 3-4 (the RCA outputs). This is your monitor channel. Anything you send to that AUX channel will be sent to the headphones of the vocalist in the booth.

You pretty much always send monitoring during recording via auxes, so this is a good habit to get into. Since it's independent from the main outputs you can adjust the aux all you want. Very indispensable as there is a difference between a good overall mix and a good monitor mix.

The not-cheap option would be to go for a different interface. It's quite silly really as 4x4 is all you need, but RCA isn't super dependable, especially if you have to run a long cord to a booth for instance. Expect pops and crackles if the connection isn't tight (loose connectors anyone?). So consider how many ins/outs you absolutely need and try and find an interface with that amount of balanced connections. Also throw in a small personal mixer to make your life easier. For example this one or this one (cheapo options). The musician can adjust his/her monitor volume themselves then.

In any case, never run audio straight out of your computer ports (the D/A convertors are crap), and try avoiding using the headphone output unless it's for a reference check on your own headphones (or you don't have monitors). Hope this sorts things out for you.

Thanks a lot, R01!

I think for now i'm going to attempt the 2 RCA Male to TRS FEMALE, if crackle and pop become present. Then i think option 2 could be the way to go.

As Far as the small personal mixers that you mentioned, I had a look and they both manage to contain 2 headphones jacks, would it be possible to just use these 2? also how would i connect it to the chain, would the audio interface connect to the the mixer, and then the mixer connect to the mic and headphones?

I'm a little confused as how i would go around setting that up.

Really appreciate the help

[R01]

As Far as the small personal mixers that you mentioned, I had a look and they both manage to contain 2 headphones jacks, would it be possible to just use these 2?

Um, for whatever reason your question confuses me. The headphone outputs are to, plug headphones in, so musicians in your booth can hear the monitor mix, period. There's really nothing else to it.

Hooking up the mixer works the same way you'd hook up the y-split. Both mixers accept an unbalanced stereo input, so you'd plug in a 2x Male RCA -> Male TRS Jack into your interface. Then plug the jack into the personal mixer's monitor input and you're good to go (feel free to run a longer cable if it needs distance).

Don't use the microphone in/out on the personal mixer, there's no way it's going to help with quality (it's a gimmicky feature). Plus since you're doing the monitor mix properly with auxes, you can adjust all you want to get it perfect for your musician.

Not to criticize, but if you're serious about recording/mixing then understanding fundamental signal flow will be crucial. And I'm only saying that because things could and do go wrong even in a professional setting, so you need to be able to fix issues quickly and efficiently. All of the stuff you've asked me so far is pretty basic, so you'll do yourself a huge favor if you know your own setups' signal flow in and out. Again, just a friendly tip. Hope this explained everything for you.