Headphone Distribution:-

Musicians always want things louder, especial drummers and bassists. And when they get together it just gets worse. So we are forever upgrading our power amplifiers for a bigger and louder model. So there should be a old low power one lying around your place. So why not use it to solve a drummer related volume problem.

You can't plug a pair of head phones straight into a power amp can you? Well, I guess, you can but it is better to do it via a simple little box with resistors in it. "But I have a headphone amp" I hear you say, "even my Digi001 has a headphone out!" Yes much of the recording equipment we use has a headphone out so why not use it?

Most headphone amps are very happy when the program material is a finished mastered CD but the same circuits often can't cope with the untamed dynamics of a recording session. Try doing an overdub with a drum kit pounding away in the same room while you are concentrating on the existing track and your part at the same time. Two problems here , Headroom and Sheer Volume.

These problems can be solved with a simple passive box and provide multiple headphones out at the same time. The only drawback is everyone plugged into the one box has to listen to the same mix at the same volume. The trick here is don't be in the drummers box.

It is very simple to configure this to suit your needs. I have a couple with external binding posts that can be hooked up to a domestic hi-fi amp in stereo or mono and one that is permanently wired in mono with an XL3 and connected to an home made 40 watt amp via one of my PA speaker leads. It is very long and can get anywhere in the house which is handy when I want to get a vocalist far away from that drummer.