Intelix Psychologist
Personal Monitor
Mixing System
by Kurt Gibson

Whether you’re doing sound for an arena concert or Sunday morning church service, one of the greatest engineering challenges remains the same: achieving a monitor mix that please most (let alone all) of the musicians. Time and time again, engineers and musicians alike find themselves wishing that the ones listening to the monitors could be the same folks that are mixing them.
The Intelix Psychologist solve this age-old dilemma by making the “do it yourself mix” wish come true. The Psychologist places each musician and vocalist in charge of their own monitor mix by way of a small remote mixer. Whether feeding floor wedges, headphones or in-ear monitors, the Intelix system insures that each musician hears exactly what he or she wants to hear.
The System
At the heart of the Psychologist system is a two-rackspace matrix module that houses the unit’s audio inputs, outputs and most of its electronics. The matrix hardware is available in several different stereo and mono configurations, including 8x8, 8x16, 16x8, 16x16 and 32x8 (mono only). The standard 8x8 unit, for example, allows eight different mixes of eight inputs.
That the Intelix system was designed for permanent installation is immediately apparent when you look at the back of the matrix box. Instead of XLR and 1/4-inch connectors, the Psychologist has terminal block-style Phoenix connectors (all balanced, +4 dBV). All connectors are on the back panel of the Psychologist; all that graces the front panel is the unit’s name and a power LED.
The first Mini-Mixer attaches to the matrix box, and the rest daisy-chain onto the first in a series fashion. Two small power supplies feed the main matrix box and eight or more Mini-Mixers, eliminating the need for a power supply or battery in each mixer. The standard cable is thick and quite durable (more like heavy speaker wire than a mic cable), and the locking computer-style DB9 connectors seem sturdy enough. The distance the Psychologist’s mixers can sit from the matrix box is impressive—roughly 5,000 feet.
The Psychologist Mini-Mixers come in several different styles and two chassis sizes. The smaller mixer is 7.5 in. wide by 4.5 in. deep. It can hold eight rotary knobs or sliders to control input levels, an overall output level slider or knob, and an additional set of pan knobs for each input (stereo versions only). The larger mixer (roughly 13 in. long) doubles the number of input knobs or faders and pan knobs, hence doubling the number of channels the mixer will control. Each mixer also sports a bright red power LED to show that the Psychologist has power
and the mixer is communicating with the matrix box.
It’s important to note that the Mini-Mixer cables do not carry any audio signals. Instead, the cable carries just digital control information that the matrix box turns into changes in audio level. This keeps signal paths as short as possible, subjecting your audio to less hum, interference and other potential maladies. You can place the matrix box near your mixer at the back of the sanctuary and run short cables between it and your house mixer. One long data cable then runs between matrix box and first stage-mounted Mini-Mixer.
The Mini-Mixer’s LED does more than just show that it’s receiving power. When there is a communication problem between a mixer and the matrix box, the mixer’s LED blinks. The rate and duration of the blinks reveal what type of problem the system is having. This could come in very handy when trying to troubleshoot a problem with a mixer or the system as a whole.
Small rotary selectors inside the Mini-Mixer select the mixer’s communication channel as well as which of the matrix output(s) it controls. Stereo Mini-Mixers take up two adjacent channels, while mono mixers take up just one. The order you connect the mixers on the chain doesn’t matter—they control whichever matrix outputs their switches assign them to.
In Use
Setting up the Psychologist system is relatively straightforward, and should be well within the means of anyone with some sound system experience. Wiring the back-panel connectors takes care to maintain correct phase, but the manual offers some clear advice on connecting both balanced and unbalanced cables to the matrix box. Building remote control cables and soldering the DB9 connectors are best tackled by someone with computer wiring experience.
Deciding which signals to send to the Psychologist will take some forethought. Most churches will be creating sub-mixes of like instruments in the house mixer, while sending some signals to the matrix box individually. A typical eight-channel mono setup for a large worship band might include submixes of drums/percussion, guitars, synths, brass and backing vocal/choir; individual sends then might include bass, piano and main vocal.
Keeping track of which inputs appear on which Mini-Mixer channels is a problem the Intelix folks thought of. Each mixer has a smooth finish well-suited to writing on with a dry erase marker or grease pencil. As with a full-size mixer, strips of artist tape work very well also.
Once signals are flowing to the Psychologist, setting up a good-sounding mix with the Mini-Mixer is easy. Plan on smiles all around the first time your musicians begin working with their own personal mixer. Plan also on them never being happy going back to mixes dialed in by somebody else.
Sonically, the Psychologist is extremely transparent. High-quality VCA’s (voltage-controlled amplifiers) adjust levels and pan positions without adding noise or sucking away openness and detail. The Psychologist only attenuates signals to create its mixes, so it’s important to feed it good strong signals (+4 dBV to +24 dBV) to keep the system’s noise floor where it belongs. Give it hot signals, and the Psychologist will add no noticeable noise to your monitor system.
When digital control circuits and audio signals mix, the result can sometimes be audible artifacts in your audio. Not so with the Psychologist. Control noises are inaudible even at extremely high gain settings, which speaks to the care Intelix engineers took in isolating digital control circuitry from the audio stream.
The Psychologist system has a few strikes against it. First is the cramped layout of the Mini-Mixers, which can make it a challenge to turn one knob without bumping the next. Faders are quite short in their travel, and don’t have as much resistance as I’d like. With the faders so easy to displace, one wayward elbow can spell the end of a perfect mix.
Other drawbacks of the Psychologist include the extra on-stage cable clutter from the system’s heavy control cables. Add in the additional in-line power supply required for larger systems, and you’ve got quite a lot of extra cable underfoot. Lastly, at anywhere from $4,000 to $12,000, the Psychologist system represents a pretty hefty investment.
Hire a Psychologist
Though not cheap, a church can expect immediate benefits from a Psychologist system. These include quicker setup time, less complaining and friction between musicians and engineers and an improvement in sound quality.
Better house sound from a monitoring system? You bet—when musicians hear better, they play and sing better. Whether your monitoring system includes floor wedges, headphones, in-ear monitors or a combination of all three, the Psychologist system will help every musician improve their own monitoring environment and perform their best.
And for some churches, that’s going to make the Psychologist worth every penny.