multiple jack input to only one output circuit

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Hello,

I'm trying to figure out how I could ever wire several jacks in serie/parallel (no idea) together so I can have multiple input going through only one output.
The purpose is building a vibraphone pickup like this k&k sound system:
http://www.kksound.com/vibesystem.html#straight
or this self-made system:
http://www.semijazz.8m.com/vibe.htm

Does somebody out there know how to "link" those jacks ?
Thank you so much,

Benoit

 

[ruffrecords]

To connect several sources to a single output you really need a mixer. You cannot just wire them together. You need something like the mini mixer in the link you posted.

Cheers

Ian

 

[ChristianW]

I have actually some problems with my old Deagan Pickups. They were all connected together in the rail  to one output. No mixer no preamp no resistances  at all. Regards,  Christian

 

[joaquins]

You could connect the mics in parallel if they have output impedance "high" enough, it's done all the time with guitar pickups for example, you can't connect a lot of them though, with electric guitars 2 pickups are almost always connected directly in parallel, also with acoustic 6 little piezo mics are used.  Also depending on some other facts they could be connected in series, again like electric guitar pickups, you could take advantage from humbucking connecting them out of phase if they are windings. When you connect them in series intermodulation may happen if the load is low impedance (compared to the output impedance of the arrange).

You could use series/parallel matrix to do it, I would take some time to think if the intermodulation will be a problem, and in such case I would see how to avoid it, selecting which mics in parallels with which ones. For example, the octaves are in series, (al C notes in series with each other) and then all the notes in parallel with each others, so you have one serie of pickups with each note, all octaves, and all those in parallel. (I don't know if this is the best option, just to make an example)

If there are not too many notes and you can build a simple preamp for each mic would be much better. I don't know which pickups you are using, but if you manage to make a preamp simple enough for each one of those (single opamp with a couple of passive) maybe better to preamp first and then use a conventional mixer, to provide overall better noise performance. Then you could build a stereo output mixing them in different ways, lower notes to the left, higher to the right, with some smooth swing from one side to the other, just selecting different resistors to both summing bus.

JS