TC Electronic Monitor Pilot Multi-Monitor Switching Control Station with Elegant Desktop Controller and Calibrated Listening Reviews
Designed for seamless monitor switching with the utmost sound quality, the TC Electronic Monitor Pilot monitor control station is sure to elevate the sound in your studio. On the input side, you have fully balanced stereo inputs for your main mix, plus an 1/8-inch aux input for easy monitoring from portable devices. On the output side, you have three fully balanced stereo outputs for three sets of monitors, plus a high-quality 1/4-inch headphone output for premium headphone monitoring. Complete with a remote control for your desktop, true analog volume control, and the ability to mount directly underneath your mixing desk for easy access, the TC Electronic Monitor Pilot delivers a superior monitoring experience for music and broadcast studios.
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Highest Rated Reviews
All I can say is, “Wow!”
I honestly don't know why I haven't heard of this thing until now. Perhaps it's just that new. Its price point really sets it apart from anything else I've seen. I couldn't find anything else that had what this offers that didn't have some kind of negative review that turned me off.
First of all, it has a remote that allows you to keep the main unit mounted close to your interface. You won't have XLR cables all over your desk space. The remote has a super small footprint. The remote has a long cable so I can have a clean desk space. The rubber on the bottom of the remote has an incredible grip so this thing is super stable and feels premium.
I haven't heard an ounce of noise introduced by this unit. It's super quiet. I'll say the same for the headphone amp: no extra noise that I can hear. And why I'm on the subject of the headphone amp, it's a great headphone amp. It sounds as good as my Apogee Groove DAC/headphone amp. It's wonderful.
I use monitor calibration software and the VSX headphones. I use a MacBook Pro M1 Max. So when I'm switching between my Focals w/sub and my Yamaha monitors, I leave SoundID room correction engaged. When I switch to headphones, I simply disengage SoundID, start VSX system-wide and I'm ready for phones.
When I'm using my recording software, Cubase, it's a similarly easy transition with the calibration software.
I can't recommend this unit highly enough.
I'll say I also invested in some "World's Best Cables" Canare Star-quad TRS to XLR and some traditional XLR cables to connect the system. I'm sure that has some bearing on no noise.
Nothing in this price range touches it.
Excellent problem solver
Excellent problem solver for multiple monitor systems in your daw set up.
I highly recommend it if you need to run different monitors after all, more is better in these situations.
Speedy delivery and service from the awesome guys at Sweetwater.
Left and right channel out from the tascam model 12 into the desktop monitor input bank and 3 channels out to my monitors,the remote volume knob and channel selector is awesome.
Perfect for what I needed.
I wanted a simple way to switch between 2 speakers, but I hated the form factor of everything that's available as I like to have as clean of a desk as possible. This seems like it was literally designed for my needs and it's been great so far (been using for about a month). If you simply need output switching and volume control, and don't want more gear on your desk, this is the one to get.
I would love to see a pro version of this with some more features, like mono and subwoofer controls.
Question for reviewers: PFl?
Thanks for your reviews here. Question: can the headphone out be used as a pre-fade listen? Could I turn the master volume all the way off and still listen at the headphones? If so, I'm in. Thanks in advance.
Mark
Great Option on a Budget
I was looking for a speaker monitoring system that could manage 2 sets of monitors in my studio. The TC Electronics monitor pilot fit the bill nicely! You have the main unit with 1 stereo balanced input and 3 balanced outputs, all XLRs. On the front you have the attenuation controls to balance all the monitor levels across each set connected to the pilot. The remote control is solid and not flimsy like other users described. The volume control has resistence which adds a nice feel. The bottom of the remote has a thick rubber grip pad that tacks on to your desk and does not allow the control to move or slide. The buttons light up and feel ok but I would have liked them to be rubber so they don't make a clicking noises when pressed. The major reason I didn't give this unit 5 stars is because you can't select multiple sets at once. You can only select set 1, 2 or 3 independently. Many other options both expensive and cheaper allow you to select all speakers at once if you like. This is not a deal breaker for me and the unit offers a lot of value at this price point so I will enjoy the many features it does have. I highly recommend the TC Electronics Monitor Pilot!
Does the job but...
Cons:
The buttons and wheel feel cheap, wish the remote was more sturdy.
Feels like it's going to break soon.
Another issue is that the headphones output picks up noise, I had a WIFI router next to the unit which is not ideal, but my UAD interface didn't have the same issue with the HP outputs.
Pros:
This was a great solution to get more gain for my headphones, control the overall gain from my desk and switch between speakers and headphones. It does the job.
