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Topic: Need input: MXR M81 to Behringer PM1 or P2 IEM amplifier? |
Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 27 Jun 2024 8:37 am |
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I'm involved with several bands that are now ampless on stage. I have cobbled together a mini-pedalboard of effects that used to be on the floor, around my right foot. The only item lacking is a preamp for tone control and to drive the FOH mixer. I have been borrowing preamp pedals from the band leaders. Nothing has sounded as good as my amplifier when I hear it through my IEMs, or floor monitors.
I read about the MXR M81 here and favor it because it has similar tone controls to my Nashville 120 and 400 amplifiers. It also has the required XLR output. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a headphone out. ;-(
To date, I have been borrowing a Behringer P2 headphone amplifier to power my IEMs. This requires me to remember to buy AAA batteries. The damn thing likes to die after the first set. SO, I am curious to know if anybody on the forum has tried using the PM1 unpowered headphone amp for their IEMs? It doesn't need batteries.
I want to tune and adjust effects before the IEM send is turned on. This is a major problem when I don't have my amp on stage.
While I'm fairly confident that the IEM mixer can send enough volume to the unpowered PM1, I don't know if the MXR M81 preamp would provide the same level out of the 1/4 inch output jack. This would be a great solution. All I would need to buy is a short XLR cable to jump to the pedal board to setup my sound and fine-tune the strings. Then, I'd unplug my cable and plug in the house cables.
I'd appreciate your input if you've tried this.
_________________
"Wiz" Feinberg, Moderator SGF Computers Forum
Security Consultant
Twitter: @Wizcrafts
Main web pages: Wiztunes Steel Guitar website | Wiz's Security Blog | My Webmaster Services | Wiz's Security Blog |
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Chris Bauer
From:
Nashville, TN USA
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Posted 29 Jun 2024 5:11 am
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| If the only issue with your current set-up is the battery life, the Behringer P1 is cheap and can use a power supply. I find it a bit cumbersome BUT a headphone extension cable means you can just leave in on the floor or wherever nearby is convenient. |
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 29 Jun 2024 7:56 am
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| Chris Bauer wrote: |
| If the only issue with your current set-up is the battery life, the Behringer P1 is cheap and can use a power supply. I find it a bit cumbersome BUT a headphone extension cable means you can just leave in on the floor or wherever nearby is convenient. |
My issue with my current setup is that it's incomplete. I don't have a preamp yet. The Behringer they lend me is not a P1. It's a P2. That one needs batteries. The P1 is inactive and doesn't need any batteries, to my knowledge.
I am tethered to my steel, so I don't need a wireless pack. I have a strings pouch on the end of my steel and the P2 just clips into the back edge of the flap.
I guess I'm not the best at explaining what I'm thinking. I want to know if anybody has the Behringer PM1 and feeds it from a preamp pedal, like the MXR M81? This would be used before the monitor system is turned on. I'm usually setup and tuning before most of the other guys. It's impossible to tune and set my tone and effects without an amp, or a headphones amp.
_________________
"Wiz" Feinberg, Moderator SGF Computers Forum
Security Consultant
Twitter: @Wizcrafts
Main web pages: Wiztunes Steel Guitar website | Wiz's Security Blog | My Webmaster Services | Wiz's Security Blog |
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Jon Jaffe
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 29 Jun 2024 10:57 am
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The Quilter SuperBlock is the most versatile preamp I have owned. Its tone is easy to dial in, and it has a built-in reverb and an effects loop. It also has a line out and a headphone out, as well as a built-in 25 W amplifier for practice. It takes the place of two or three pedals in my rig.
https://www.quilterlabs.com/collections/heads/products/superblock-us
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 15 Jul 2024 9:31 pm MXRM81 Preamp
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UPDATE, 7/16/24
So, I ended up buying a used (mint) MXR M81 bass preamp off Reverb.com. I simultaneously ordered an FZone P4 IEM tethered amplifier on Amazon. I have been using both for a week and can report that they do what I hoped they could. The M81 has all the gain I could want. The 4 band eq is very close to my Nashville 112 and 400 amplifiers. It has dual outputs: 1/4 inch and XLR. They feed my signal to the board and to an amplifier, or the FZone. The reason I chose the FZone over the Behringer is that the FZone has a dual input jack that accepts a 1/4 inch plug, or an XLR cable. I can tune up and set my tone controls and other device settings using the FZone and a 1/4 to 1/4 inch jumper cable. Once the IEM mixer is turned on, I unplug the 1/4 inch plug and plug in the XLR from the monitor mixer.
With this setup, I can play on a quiet (ampless) stage and still hear my sound before the monitors go live. I'm usually one of the first ones ready for sound check! I still bring my Nashville 112 if the band doesn't mind and use it as a personal tone monitor. But, my feed goes from the MXR M81 now. I created a page detailing my old and new effects and amplifier setups on my Wiztunes.website. I included links to the items I bought.
_________________
"Wiz" Feinberg, Moderator SGF Computers Forum
Security Consultant
Twitter: @Wizcrafts
Main web pages: Wiztunes Steel Guitar website | Wiz's Security Blog | My Webmaster Services | Wiz's Security Blog |
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