Hi All -

I’ve been looking for a piece of gear, to no avail, maybe someone here has an idea of where it might be lurking...?

To explain my set up: I play a Motif 8 Classic and sing in a cover band. I use in ear monitors (IEMs) on stage, fed by a Rolls “more-me” type box whose inputs are a mono feed from my keyboard (via a submixer within reach of where I stand and play/sing) and also my voice (directly from the mic). The main PA gets my Motif feed from my submixer, and my vocal feed via my Rolls unit, which passes it on to the main PA mixer via a passive splitter).

The problem comes in when we sing a capella. I need to hear my note to sing, and so I cheat: at those a capella times - I reach over to my submixer and punch a button that kills the Motif feed to the PA, but keeps it going to my IEMs. So the audience just hears my voice, but I hear my voice and the keys in my IEMs.

This actually does the job, but ... it’s fairly awkward having to turn and move half a step to the submixer/away from the mic/Motif to punch the button just before a capella singing, and then back again when I want to send the keys back out the main PAs. So I’m looking for a foot-activated unit that can do this, and that’s where I’m having problems - can’t find anything on line that will do this. I did find this unit AB200 Switch Operating Manual , but I can’t figure out how to make it work with a stereo input (like my Motif).

Am I looking at this unit correctly? Is there another way to get done what I’m aiming for - an ergonomically better way to kill the Motif feed to the PA, but keep it going into my IEMs, then to reverse the process.

Any suggestions gratefully accepted - thanks :)

The device linked to below used to be called a “cough drop” that is very useful when wearing a headset mic and you needed to say something to a band mate, or as the name implies, cough. It is a normally closed, momentary switch that will open the circuit when you step on it. Connect it in-line (as with an insert effect) in the audio out of your Motif. Step on the button - no sound.

http://www.procosound.com/?page=viewprod&cat=215&id=796

As for your particular application (stereo), I think with a little imagination and a trip to Radio Shack, you could probably make one without a lot of fuss and bother. They would have everything you’d need, like male/female 1/4” jacks, heavy duty normally closed momentary switch, wire, metal project box, etc.

Bob

SpongeBob - 16 May 2009 09:39 AM

The device linked to below used to be called a “cough drop” that is very useful when wearing a headset mic and you needed to say something to a band mate, or as the name implies, cough. It is a normally closed, momentary switch that will open the circuit when you step on it. Connect it in-line (as with an insert effect) in the audio out of your Motif. Step on the button - no sound.

http://www.procosound.com/?page=viewprod&cat=215&id=796

As for your particular application (stereo), I think with a little imagination and a trip to Radio Shack, you could probably make one without a lot of fuss and bother. They would have everything you’d need, like male/female 1/4” jacks, heavy duty normally closed momentary switch, wire, metal project box, etc.

Bob

Hi Bob - That is a neat idea! I will keep that in mind and archive this post. It looks like I would need to buy two, one for each of the L and R output of the Motif, and also buy a couple of XLR-T/S line (XLRs on the cough drop, and T/S on the mixer).

In the meantime I ordered that AB200 switch, someone suggested a way that it might be able to fit the bill. I’ll post back here with results -

Thanks so much!