Members in2dblues Posted May 3, 2008 Members Share Posted May 3, 2008 I recently took over the job of soundman for the band after a band member moved and left the band. I have some experience but I am unsure of the correct way to set the gain. I had been doing it this way: Master L&R down, Channel fader all the way down, PFL on for channel to monitor signal led, then I would turn the gain up to just before it peaked then back off slightly. A sound man saw what I was doing and told me I should start with the channel faders on zero and not all the way down. Can I get some advice on the proper technique? Should I use the same technique for instruments as I do for the vocal mix? I use a Carvin 16 channel non-powered mixer with Active Mackie 1532's as mains and Active Mackie 450's for monitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steve Edwards Posted May 3, 2008 Members Share Posted May 3, 2008 IMO You should always start by setting the gain through use of the PFL as you described. When you get ready to bring up levels you would start with the L/R Masters at unity or 0. Then use the channels faders to mix up to that level. When you have your channels faders set above your master fader levels you are taking a much bigger chance on distortion. A guitar player turns up his channel volume and turns down his master volume to get distortion. Does the same thing on your PA. Also mixing from your attenuators at the top of the channel messes with your mains but also effects monitors and F/X's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted May 3, 2008 Members Share Posted May 3, 2008 Steve's advice is good. The "setting all faders at zero" is an old school way to approximate somewhat acceptable (but not always "good") gain structure where PFL or input clip indication is not present. I like to be ~6 - 10dB below clipping on the input clip LED, that way I am not surprised by an unexpected "event". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted May 3, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted May 3, 2008 Setting *channel* gain is part of the overall process, but it's really a separate procedure from setting the overall system structure, as each channel has its own level for both gain and overall mix volume. When set properly, a channel's gain simply makes sure the instrument or voice is producing enough signal to be heard, isn't going to clip (at the channel...it can still clip further down the signal chain) and has good signal-to-noise ratio. As Andy mentions, setting all channel faders to 0 has no effect when the mixer has PFL capability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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