Recording - March 2018 - 56
ESI MoCo
Passive Monitor
Controller
For a lot of small studio rigs, a really feature-rich monitor
controller might be overkill. It's possible to boil down the real
applications for a monitor controller into just a few functions-
changing between sets of monitors, changing between one's
DAW output and a playback machine for reference mixes,
checking for mono compatibility, and of course controlling
playback levels in your control room.
In a situation like this, a monitor controller essentially
becomes a fast and easy alternative to plugging and unplugging
cables between monitors and sources. "Fast" is a critical point
here; human hearing retains fine details of audio quality for
only a few seconds at most, so the only practical way to do
A/B testing is to be able to switch back and forth
instantaneously. With that in mind, even a simple monitor
controller can go a long way toward making studio workflow
more professional and repeatable.
ESI, German maker of audio and MIDI interfaces and the
exceptional uniK+ studio monitors, has addressed this need
with the MoCo, an elegant and practical monitor controller
whose feature set covers the basics for any small studio.
The front
Outfitted in a sturdy and sleek black chassis with red trim,
the MoCo offers an ergonomically-slanted front panel with a
large, smooth-turning volume control neatly surrounded by six
pushbuttons. To the far left and right, out of the way, are the
Mute and Mono functions. Note that the Mono function sums
the Left and Right channels and sends them to both speakers
at equal volume; this isn't quite the same as simply allowing
the user to hear audio from one speaker or the other, but will
handle most mono-compatibility checking just fine.
Above Mute are two buttons labeled Input A/B and L<->R;
these allow the user to switch easily between the two Input
sources on the rear panel (noiselessly, I should note) and to
swap the Left and Right output channels. That's a handy way
to troubleshoot issues appearing in one channel of your audio,
to help determine where in the audio chain they're occurring.
Above Mono are two buttons labeled Output A and B. These
buttons individually activate either of the two sets of output
speakers connected to the MoCo. Again, switching is noiseless
and pop-free. By placing each set of outputs on its own button,
the user gains more flexibility than if the MoCo simply offered
an A/B switch; not only can both speaker sets be turned off
56
RECORDING March 2018
$89.95; www.esi-audio.com
(equivalent to muting audio), but you could also set up Output
B to feed a separate subwoofer that can then be switched on
and off at will. It's cruder than a full bass management system,
but helpful for separating "client impressed" monitoring from
"flat reference" monitoring.
The back
The rear panel of the MoCo offers two sets of inputs and
two sets of outputs, each labeled A and B. For the inputs, A is
balanced 1/4" TRS while B can be either RCA or a minijack,
both unbalanced. For the outputs, A is balanced XLR while B
feeds both balanced 1/4" TRS and an unbalanced minijack.
There's no power supply connector; the MoCo is a fully
passive unit. While that means you don't get LED-illuminated
buttons, a USB interface, or a built-in headphone amp, it also
means that the audio path has no gain stages in it, so it's
really pristine.
The payoff
The MoCo impressed me when I heard and used it at the
NAMM Show, and I brought one back with me to live in my
in-office studio for a few days. As is expected and hoped for
with simple passive monitor controllers, I really have nothing
to say about its audio quality, because it did nothing audible
to my signals-it was quite transparent and happily worked
with Hi-Fi equipment, monitors with balanced and unbalanced
inputs, audio interfaces, and smartphones.
The Output B minijack turned out to be surprisingly handy;
in a real-world home studio, a set of "reference" and "check"
monitors might not be two pairs of studio speakers on stands
next to each other, but rather one pair of reference monitors
and one pair of small desktop computer speakers... the latter
often fed by a single Aux minijack. This makes for a very easy
and practical way to check on the portability of your mixes.
The MoCo is everything you need in a basic passive
monitor controller for a very reasonable price. There's no
longer any excuse to not have proper monitor control in even
the smallest studios.
http://www.esi-audio.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - March 2018
Contents
Recording - March 2018 - Intro
Recording - March 2018 - Cover1
Recording - March 2018 - Cover2
Recording - March 2018 - 1
Recording - March 2018 - 2
Recording - March 2018 - 3
Recording - March 2018 - 4
Recording - March 2018 - 5
Recording - March 2018 - Contents
Recording - March 2018 - 7
Recording - March 2018 - 8
Recording - March 2018 - 9
Recording - March 2018 - 10
Recording - March 2018 - 11
Recording - March 2018 - 12
Recording - March 2018 - 13
Recording - March 2018 - 14
Recording - March 2018 - 15
Recording - March 2018 - 16
Recording - March 2018 - 17
Recording - March 2018 - 18
Recording - March 2018 - 19
Recording - March 2018 - 20
Recording - March 2018 - 21
Recording - March 2018 - 22
Recording - March 2018 - 23
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Recording - March 2018 - 25
Recording - March 2018 - 26
Recording - March 2018 - 27
Recording - March 2018 - 28
Recording - March 2018 - 29
Recording - March 2018 - 30
Recording - March 2018 - 31
Recording - March 2018 - 32
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Recording - March 2018 - Cover3
Recording - March 2018 - Cover4
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