Monitor Controller ... Mammoth Cave?

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wonder
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Monitor Controller ... Mammoth Cave?

Post by wonder »

I'm downsizing ... and upgrading.

Got rid of my Tascam DM24 and was either going to go with the Slate MTi, or a USB fader controller.

I need a monitor controller so I bought a simple Radial MC3.

It sounded so horrible. Stereo image completely disappeared at low volumes. Noisy pot. Sound was gritty.
I returned it thinking i had a bad unit.
Got the second one and...same thing.
I went online to search reviews (post purchase :banghead: ) and found people having the same issue.

Returned it, got my money back.

Question ... I don't have the budget for something like Crane Song, Dangerous, etc ... But i did come across this ...
Mammoth Cave Audio
http://mammothcaveaudio.com

The build looks amazing.
Was looking into the Ground Control Deluxe mkII

My needs are
1. Headphone Amp
2. Multiple Inputs (if possible)
3. Dim/Mono Switch

Anyone have any good luck with a Monitor Controller for under 1k?

Been seeing some smaller boutique companies online but wanna get some opinions.

Obviously there's the Big Knob, Presonus, etc ... but my colleagues are very underwhelmed by their performance.

anyone wanna chime in?

*edited for a typo
Last edited by wonder on Sun Nov 29, 2015 12:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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rnappi
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Re: Monitor Controller ... Mammoth Cave?

Post by rnappi »

Coleman Audio M3PH: http://colemanaudio.com/

They've been around for a long time, they're built like tanks and a lot of people use them. You also get a terrific headphone amp that's got plenty of power to feed your cue. The only downside is that it's passive and you're subject to capacitive loading if you're dealing with long cable lengths, but this is true with any passive controller.

For what it's worth, I've been slamming my M3 for 12hrs/day since'99 and it's still going strong. They're not nearly as pretty as the Mammoth Cave, but I suppose it's what's on the inside that matters.

Good luck on your search,
rich
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wonder
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Re: Monitor Controller ... Mammoth Cave?

Post by wonder »

rnappi wrote:Coleman Audio M3PH: http://colemanaudio.com/

They've been around for a long time, they're built like tanks and a lot of people use them. You also get a terrific headphone amp that's got plenty of power to feed your cue. The only downside is that it's passive and you're subject to capacitive loading if you're dealing with long cable lengths, but this is true with any passive controller.

For what it's worth, I've been slamming my M3 for 12hrs/day since'99 and it's still going strong. They're not nearly as pretty as the Mammoth Cave, but I suppose it's what's on the inside that matters.

Good luck on your search,
rich
I'm not too worried about look. I just happened to find Mammoth during my searches and liked the build quality.

A friend of mine has the Coleman and he loves it.

I'll look into finding a used one possibly.
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Re: Monitor Controller ... Mammoth Cave?

Post by Gravity Jim »

Maybe this works for you, maybe not:

I realized as I dumped my Tascam DM3200 for the Raven (and was shopping for the same stuff as you and thought the Coleman looked good) that I had a headphone amp and could easily switch monitors and check a mix in mono via Digital Performer's output... And that all I really needed was a passive volume control.

So I bought a TC Electronics Volume Pilot. It's a big, brushed aluminum (perfect desktop match for a Mac keyboard) knob with one long cable with an XLR breakout at the end. It's a passive pot that plugs in between your interface and monitors, so it doesn't affect the sound at all. Simple, elegant, just nice to use, and about 50 bucks online. Absolutely perfect for my set up.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... &A=details
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Re: Monitor Controller ... Mammoth Cave?

Post by wonder »

Gravity Jim wrote:Maybe this works for you, maybe not:

I realized as I dumped my Tascam DM3200 for the Raven (and was shopping for the same stuff as you and thought the Coleman looked good) that I had a headphone amp and could easily switch monitors and check a mix in mono via Digital Performer's output... And that all I really needed was a passive volume control.

So I bought a TC Electronics Volume Pilot. It's a big, brushed aluminum (perfect desktop match for a Mac keyboard) knob with one long cable with an XLR breakout at the end. It's a passive pot that plugs in between your interface and monitors, so it doesn't affect the sound at all. Simple, elegant, just nice to use, and about 50 bucks online. Absolutely perfect for my set up.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... &A=details

Thats so funny ... i just ordered a Level Pilot to get me by till I can get the "full monty".

:D
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Re: Monitor Controller ... Mammoth Cave?

Post by Gravity Jim »

It's a cool unit.

When you have it, start looking for simple strategies to handle monitor switching and such in DP. You might find the Level Pilot is all you need.
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Re: Monitor Controller ... Mammoth Cave?

Post by mikehalloran »

Obviously there's the Big Knob, Presonus, etc ... but my colleagues are very underwhelmed by there performance.
Really, you should listen for yourself.

In my neck of the woods, the Mackie is the go-to monitor controller. The Presonus gets a lot of love,, too.
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Re: Monitor Controller ... Mammoth Cave?

Post by wonder »

mikehalloran wrote:
Obviously there's the Big Knob, Presonus, etc ... but my colleagues are very underwhelmed by there performance.
Really, you should listen for yourself.

In my neck of the woods, the Mackie is the go-to monitor controller. The Presonus gets a lot of love,, too.
Agreed. But these are a few guys whom I trust and respect their ears.
They both went with Coleman in the end.
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Re: Monitor Controller ... Mammoth Cave?

Post by Rick Cornish »

The Apogee Quartet does everything you want and sounds awesome. I've been running mine for about three years and have never regretted the purchase. Not cheap, but I believe they're on sale now.

Good luck.
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Re: Monitor Controller ... Mammoth Cave?

Post by mikehalloran »

I need a monitor controller so I bought a simple Radial MC3.

It sounded so horrible. Stereo image completely disappeared at low volumes. Noisy pot. Sound was gritty.
Well, after much reading and buying this and that — and returning same — I went and bought a Radial MC3 to replace my "ok but not great" Behringer.

By tweaking the trim pot, I have no issues with the stereo image collapsing even at below whisper volume. I like the ability to set the DIM pot level.

It is dead quiet. "Grit" in the audio? None. Here's hoping that it stays this way. I am going to separate the sub from my mains this weekend to see if I like it better.

I considered the Mammoth Cave but like the Mackie Big Knob and Xenix, it just takes up too much real estate on my desk. The controls are better placed but no control of the sub from the desktop tipped the scales in favor of the Radial so I took the chance. Crawling on the floor to tweak my subwoofer is not one of those things I can do easily so the trim pot on the MC3 made me want to try one out.

I question their claim of being a passive unit. There is a power supply, necessary for the LEDs and the headphone amp to work, of course. However, if you disconnect it, the entire unit shuts down. Hmmmm...???

I wish it was a bit more ergonomically designed but it is doing the job nicely and that is what counts.
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Re: Monitor Controller ... Mammoth Cave?

Post by crescentoon55 »

You might like this product line from New Old Sound. I have the McONE and love it... http://new-old-sound.com/products
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