A high gain will be more sensitive to quieter signals like soft overtones and even spit pops in microphones. Using Gain Many people make the mistake of mistaking gain for volume. This is wrong. Gain should be used just like any other control knob: to set the kind of sound you want and the quality, not volume. That is what faders are for. Additionally, any gain changes will also affect the sound in the monitors or other auxes, so be careful.
If you don't know what those are, don't worry: I'll explain them later. A common use for gain is to sort of even out or normalize the signal calibration. This is done if you have a VU meter, which tells you how loud the output sound is.
One would set your fader or output volume control to 0dB and alter the gain until the meter says the sound is at 0dB. For those of you who are new to audio, equalization refers to the control boosting, cutting of certain frequencies to achieve a better sound or to eliminate feedback or unwanted noises. Tone Knob: One knob that, when turned clockwise boosts high frequencies and lowers low, and vice versa. Sometimes called contour, and usually found on very small mixers.
I don't think I need to explain these. A sweepable control is one that has a pair of knobs: one chooses a frequency to boost or cut, and the other sets the boost or cut. The Frequency knob is called a sweep. The mixer below has one sweepable band. Fully Parametric: Every band has a sweep to go along with it. Graphic: These contain sliders instead of knobs. Each slider has a set frequency and is moved to change the presence of that frequency.
These are not commonly found on channels, but are often found on the total mix right before the output goes out. As you progress in size from small mixers to large, you will find the amount of control over the EQ of each channel increasing. Many of the large boards, like the Soundcraft MH series, have a 3rd control knob on their fully-parametric EQ bands: Q.
Just as the sweep sets the "center" frequency to be boosted, the Q sets how wide the boost range is. If you think of an EQ band as a line with a hill or bump in it, the sweep sets where the bump is, the boost sets how high the bump is, and the Q sets how wide the bump is.
Many digital mixers allow you to actually have a graphic EQ on each channel. You would select the channel on the screen, and set its EQ.
These can be troublesome, however, if you need to quickly cut a particular frequency in a live show before it causes feedback and time is crucial. I have told you how to use EQ, but not how to be good at it. Many times it is best for newbies to leave the EQ on flat no frequencies boosted or cut if possible.
Mastering use of EQ takes experience and research. Remember, however, that it can make an OK sound sound good, and a good sound great, but it cannot replace what should be in a bad sound. Auxiliary outputs, or auxes, are incredibly useful tools. If you can, picture the signal coming into the mixer, going through the gain and the EQ, then hitting an aux knob. That knob controls how much of that signal from that channel gets sent into that aux out.
On this board there are 4 aux outputs, thus 4 aux knobs on each channel. Each row of aux knobs controls the level of all the channels in its auxiliary output. Example: The most common use for auxes is stage monitors.
Lets say that we have Bob on stage singing, and Joe playing guitar, and each has his own monitor. Lets also say we have Bob's voice plugged into channel 1, and the guitar in 2, and Bob's monitor in aux 1 and Joe's in aux 2. So, if Bob wanted more guitar in his monitor, we would go to channel 2 where Joe's guitar is plugged in and turn up the Aux 1 knob: this tells the board to put more of the signal in channel 2 into the device plugged into aux 1.
Two other common uses for auxes are reverbs device that simulate reverberation effects and subwoofers loudspeakers designed to reproduce lower frequencies than normal speakers can play. The fader present in small mixers as a level or volume knob is used to set the volume of that channel's signal in the mix. It is the most basic component in any channel strip. Faders are essentially volume sliders, set in a logarithmic scale of dB if you don't know what that means, ignore it.
Faders are also used to set the volume of the buses, or subgroups, and the main mix or mixed mono, and VCA's if applicable. I'll get into those next step. Auxes, you should know, are normally pre-fader by default. It certainly did with me the first time I saw one. But when you look at them in detail, the consoles are actually very easy to follow. Learning about the layout and functions of a hardware mixer can also prepare you for using a software-based mixer, as they use the same principles of signal flow and design which helps to keep things consistent across both domains.
So even if you choose not to have a hardware console in your studio, the knowledge of how one works will still be vital when it comes to using a mixer inside your DAW. I first learned how to use a console on an old Soundcraft desk many years ago, and those lessons made it easy to start using a mixer in my production software. Mixing board, mixing desk, mixing console, sound board, audio mixer — all these names refer to the same thing. You can then change the parameters of each part as you wish, such as:.
Each channel consists of a set of inputs, on the back of the board and a corresponding set of controls which together are called a channel strip. A channel strip generally consists of a gain or trim control which controls the volume at the first stage as the signal enters the desk before any processing can or routing be done a channel fader which controls the volume after the processing; one or more auxiliary sends, which function like faders except they send to alternate outputs on the sound board, which are used for effects such as reverb or echo and for monitor speakers; a set of Equalizer or EQ controls which control the tonal quality of the bass and treble and often mid-range as well bus or group assignment buttons that send the signal to alternate bus faders and outputs in the master section of the board.
The master section controls the output of the mixing board to various different outputs on the back of the desk. The output section of a sound board generally consists of a master fader, which controls the volume of the main outputs on the board in other words it's the master volume for the whole system auxiliary masters which control the volume of the auxiliary outputs auxiliary returns which are used to bring the signal from a reverb unit or other outboard effect into the mix without having to use up a channel strip bus faders which are alternate master faders for bus outputs which are used for alternate speakers, recording devices, and for grouping channels together.
Chose a location for your sound board. This is important because sound volume decreases as you get further away from the source of the sound and the way that sound reflects off surfaces in the room; you want to be in a place where you are far enough away from the speakers that you don't have sound blasting directly in your face all night, but close enough that you don't end up turning the mix up way too loud because you can't hear it at the back of the room.
You will also need to consider the length of your mic cables and the location of the electrical outlets in the room. Plug in your speakers. Connect cables from the Output jacks on the power amp to the 'Input' jacks on your speakers. Note: If you have powered speakers speakers that have a power amp built into them you can treat all references to power amps as referring to the speakers themselves, as the amp and speaker are already connected.
Plug in your Power Amps. Connect cables from the Main Out jacks on the mixer to the 'Input' jacks for your power amp or powered speakers. Connect your monitors. If you have monitor speakers on stage for the musicians to hear themselves connect cables from the Auxiliary Output jacks nearly always labeled Aux Out on the sound board to the input on the power amp for your monitors. Build your stage setup. Set up your microphones and stands as needed, along with any DI direct Input boxes you need for instruments to plug directly into the PA system such as an acoustic guitar, or a keyboard.
Make an Input List. Write down a numbered list of each mic or DI box on the stage, from left to right when standing at the desk. For example: 1. Guitar DI 2. Keyboard DI 3. Kim's Vocal Mic. Label the sound board. Take a strip of painter's tape and place it on the sound board just below the faders, use a marker to copy your input list on to the tape so that each fader has one item under it you may have to use abbreviations in order to fit these labels in the space under each fader, write Vox instead of Vocal Mic for example.
Cable your mics. Connect your mic cables to each mic and DI box using your Input List from step 7 as a guide, in our previous example you would connect a cable from Input 1 on the sound board to the DI box for the guitar Input 2 connects to the keyboard DI and so on. This jack would be labeled Line In not to be confused with a jack labeled Inst which would stand for Insert Point not instrument.
Auxiliary channels work well when you need to send copies of audio to specific monitors or put effects on them. You can send multiple channels to an auxiliary channel. Did you know you can get answers researched by wikiHow Staff?
Unlock staff-researched answers by supporting wikiHow. Yes No. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 3. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 2. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 1. Through the mic input. It looks exactly like a guitar cable input, but it will have the word "mic" under it.
Not Helpful 3 Helpful Give the amps separate output speakers, but loop the input or use cross overseas to split the sound for the inputs. Not Helpful 2 Helpful The sound does not come from the mixer; therefore, you do have to use external speakers. The mixer is the bass producer.
Not Helpful 12 Helpful You can connect the main outputs of mixer A to an input on mixer B. Make sure you connect it to a line-input. You can use a standard line-input or an aux-return on mixer B. Not Helpful 8 Helpful How can I hook up three receivers to a mixer so that I can switch between them?
Hook one receiver to channel 1, another to 2, and so on. Mute the ones you don't need and unmute it when you need it to switch between them. Turn the fader on and off if you don't have mute switches. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 4.
When connecting instruments that have their own volume controls, such as keyboards, how do I balance the volume into and out of the mixer? Most digital instruments do not allow you to control the volume once an output is connected. Even in a the case where it allows you to, you must keep it at a constant level, and control it only from the mixer or vice versa. If the balance is the problem, keep all bands at zero nil level or at the same level, and control it only by the mixer.
Not Helpful 2 Helpful 8. PJ Smith. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 3. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published.
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