Can TRS to XLR cables be used to connect V2 sensors to the 2 XLR inputs on the EVANS Portal?
I have a 5 piece kit and 4 cymbals that I wish to use with sensory percussion sensors and I am trying to see how to get all those inputs into the portal. It’s practically impossible to find V1 sensors so I am trying to confirm if/why V2 sensors are not supported over XLR.
This was originally posted as a comment here Expansion Interface - #9 by nathanpovo but I have created a separate post for better visibility.
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Has there ever been an answer for this question?
This was Patrick’s reply regarding using TRS → XLR adapters
TRS –> XLR adapters will allow the v2 sensors to physically connect to the XLR inputs on the Portal, but they will not be receiving the correct amount of power from the Portal (around 5x the amount they require). This negatively affects the sensor’s performance and could potentially even damage them. We are working on a fool-proof solution for more inputs, but for now you can always add additional analog or MIDI inputs alongside your sensors. If you give me some more info about your existing setup (acoustic vs. electronic, MIDI vs. audio, etc.), I could give you some suggestions to try.
The documentation mentions that the XLR connection will supply 48v phantom power (which seems to be too much) but 1/4 inch jacks do not supply power in the same way. So I asked about using 1/8 inch jack → 1/4 inch jack adapters, and I got this reply from Patrick:
Hey @nathanpovo apologies for the late reply. Connecting via the 1/4” input will not supply power to the sensors. The sensor inputs on the Portal provide the correct amount of power for the v2 sensors, and while some users have had success using a step-down converter from 48v to 12v to connect to the XLR inputs, there is still a risk of damaging your sensor.
If this happens, such damage will not be covered by the Evans warranty. We are looking at official solutions for expanding inputs into Sensory Percussion and hope to have more information about this soon!
So it doesn’t seem like it would be easy to do. I didn’t end up trying connecting the V2 sensors to the XLR inputs so I cannot comment on whether or not it would actually. If anyone else tried it, I would be curious to know if it works.
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My problem at the moment is that I want to be able to use the SP2 sensors and record my acoustic drumset with my big studio interface, but having to use the evans portal as the interface is making this impossible without using an aggregate device or setting up a second computer… What I need is a way to use the Evans portal in different ways than as an audio interface. At the moment my setup is practically useless in my studio and this bums me out… Why not make it so I can use the Evans portal as a midi interface, and create a routing matrix so I can route the sensors to the ADAT and/or analog outputs, making the system way more flexible. I really dislike the fact I’m forced to use the portal as my audio interface when I have 16ch multitrack capability in my studio.
Have you tried running the SP2 as a standalone software (ie. not inside of live), and then setting your normal interface as default in your DAW?
Then, you could use a third party software to route the audio from SP2 into your DAW (this would be the most flexible). Or, if you have two empty inputs on your DAW, physically connect the main outs from the Evans portal into your main interface (less flexible but simpler).
I am on windows and currently running an unorthodox setup where the interface that is set in the windows audio settings (my old Behringer), is different than the interface that Live is set to recognize (Evans Portal). I have my main outs from the Evans portal running into two inputs on the Behringer, which is then mixed with the windows audio and routed to my main outs and headphones. It works perfectly, and also allows me to use Zoom and Teams for musical purposes without weird routing issues with Live.
I think you could do the same thing, but in reverse (set the Evans portal as the Windows or mac device, and your normal interface as the DAW device).
Let me know if you have any success. Message me if you want more details on how I made this work. If you’re on a Mac then this advice may not be helpful, but I understand that Mac has the ability to “stack” interfaces, and that might solve your problem too.
I’m not really using the SP software and using the sensor in Max MSP/Max for Live with own patches and Data Knot. What I want to be able to do is record my sensor audio and fully miked drums in one session and work from there. In order to do this my options now are to use an aggregate device which is notably unstable or to run it through another app like Sensory Percussion/Max MSP and route it to the ADAT out which will create a full round trip of latency.
With the current hardware it should be possible to route the audio inputs straight to the analog outputs or the ADAT out making this all very possible and a very nice upgrade to a new Evans Portal would be to have an ADAT in, turning the entire use case around. Either way would work for me and especially the option for having the Evans Portal working as a standalone ADAT card with a simple routing matrix software inside seems like a no brainer idea which is basically a software update.
It doesn’t seem like such a niche feature, but maybe I’m wrong and this is not a common use case.
Thoughts?
Why are you interested in recording the sensor readings directly? What purpose would that serve? I don’t think Sunhouse intended for the sensors to be used that way. My understanding is they were developed to be used and interpreted by the SP2 software only. What would you do with that recording in max? I’m curious
The sensor readings are basically audio, same as piezo triggers. If I record the sensor output as audio together with my drumkit mic recordings, I can later decide what they will do. For instance if I want them to generate notes or control CC messages or something else entirely. It’s basically the same idea as when you would use the Sensory Percussion VST. You get to record the sensor output in your DAW and get to work with it from there. The Evans Portal only has 2 mic inputs and 2 line inputs. It is very limiting if you have to use it as your audio interface, especially as a drummer which is always a multiple microphone recording setup. You can’t do a 8ch drum recording with it for instance. It doesn’t have the option to expand your inputs with an ADAT in. Hardware technically however, Since it has ADAT out you could use it as an expansion card for another multichannel audio interface which does give you multitrack recording capabilities if Sunhouse would create the software necessary for this option. I really hope they will and If anyone of the technical department reads this thread, please see this as a request to do so.
And if Sunhouse needs a Beta tester for said software, I’m happy to help 