laptop to PA - best connection?

[john_the_bass]

We have a laptop with a big itunes playlist on and the next step is to look into adding brass or keys into, i suppose, a backing track so the drummer can play along with a click and we can have the full band experience - what would be the best thing to get a line level out of the laptop and into the desk? Obviously we can send the signal from the headphone out, but is it better to use a USB interface with a line out?

Any recommendations?

[crez5150]

I have experience of this...... if you can.... buy a cheap Ipod... you can a refurbished one for about £25 from the Apple store... that way you don't have to worry about your laptop getting trashed.

You won't really gain much over having a usb interface and may introduce Latency.

[iamapirate]

I think that The headphone out into a load of adapters into the PA will be fine - as long as the jack isn't horrifically horrible!!

[ahpook]

[quote name='crez5150' post='553753' date='Jul 28 2009, 11:50 AM']I have experience of this...... if you can.... buy a cheap Ipod... you can a refurbished one for about £25 from the Apple store... that way you don't have to worry about your laptop getting trashed.

You won't really gain much over having a usb interface and may introduce Latency.[/quote]

plus the one.

[iamapirate]

actually, you might want a USB interface if you want the drummer to have a click track as well as a backing track, and if he wants them in sync.

[Skywalker83]

i use one of these to connect my ipod or laptop to a PA. a stereo mini jack to Male XLR.

[BOD2]

I'd be another one to go along with the "second hand iPod" route. Laptops aren't ideal for gigs - they're a bit big and bulky to find somewhere safe to leave them - and they can be temperamental at times. An iPod is a much simpler device and much easier to find space for.

When connecting them up, bear in the mind that the jack output will be STEREO, and that you'll need both sides of the stereo image to get the full music track - so whatever adaptor you use should be able to handle a stereo signal. Lots of mixing desks have RCA phono "Tape in" sockets. Provided there's an independent level control for this then that often offers a convenient place to plug in a stereo mini-jack to phono lead.

Alternatively you could use the two jack (line) inputs of a stereo channel on the mixer.

One problem I've had with one laptop when connecting to a desk is a very bad hum (probably a ground loop). There's no easy way to fix this for a laptop, though, unless you run it on batteries (not ideal for a long gig).

[john_the_bass]

Well one of the reasons for specifically using a laptop is that iTunes, for example, allows crossfading between two tracks, which is something you can't do with a laptop.

Secondly, when we want to start adding the backing tracks for brass and/or keys, I would have thought that a laptop would have been the easier solution?

[TheButler]

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='555700' date='Jul 29 2009, 10:52 PM']Well one of the reasons for specifically using a laptop is that iTunes, for example, allows crossfading between two tracks, which is something you can't do with a laptop.

Secondly, when we want to start adding the backing tracks for brass and/or keys, I would have thought that a laptop would have been the easier solution?[/quote]


I use an E-MU 0404 USB Audio Interface for live gigs with the laptop. I just take a DI one L and R channels... to the mixer. If i'm at the practice rooms we'll usually just stick a lead into the PA from the L and R into two seperate channels or just go from the stereo output into the tape input.