The SoundcrafT Guide To MixinG ® THE SOUNDCRAFT GUIDE TO MIXING – CONTENTS SECTION 1: STARTING OUT SECTION 4: PA MIXING A What does a Mixer do? 3 A Introduction, A Typical Live Performance; Microphones, B Guidelines in Choosing a Mixer. 3 Cables and Connections, Connecting External Effects and Processors, Setting Up, Ringing Out: Nulling Room C The Controls — A Description. 3 Acoustics, Setting the Mix, Avoiding Feedback. 17 Mono Inputs, Stereo Inputs, Subgroups, the Master Section. B Larger Performances; Medium Venues, Large Sized Venues. 20 D Signal Flow. 7 C Recording Live. 22 SECTION 2: CONNECTING EQUIPMENT TO YOUR MIXER SECTION 5: ON 1: ON I A Input Devices. 8 OTHER APPLIcatIONS CT E B Equipment requiring Inputs and Outputs. 9 S StartingOut A Monitor mixing. 23 C Output Devices. 9 B Submixing. 24 SECTION 3: SECTION 6: IN THE STUDIO MIXING TECHNIQUES A Essentials and Ergonomics. 25 A Choosing the Right Microphone; 10 Microphone types, Condenser, Dynamic, B Tape Machines and Recording media. 25 Electret. Different Polar Patterns. C The Console. 25 B Setting up a Basic Mix; 11 D Simple Multitrack Recording. 26 Setting the Gain, Balancing Fader Levels, E Simple Multitrack Mixdown. 27 Balancing Output Levels. F Using a Dedicated In-Line Console. 28 C Using the Mixer’s EQ; 12 G Recording Instruments and Voices; Vocals, Drums, Electric Fixed EQ. Using a sweep-mid equaliser. Guitars, Acoustic Guitars, Bass Guitars, Keyboards. 28 D Using Effects Units; 13 H Planning a Session. 30 The different types; Reverb, Delay, Echo, I Creating a Mix. 30 Chorus & Flanging, Pitch Shifters. Setting up an effects loop. J Balancing the Mix. 30 Pre and post fade auxiliaries. E Using Signal Processors; 15 SECTION 7: The difference between signal processors and effects; Different types of signal processors; Graphic Equalisers, WIRING UP & CONNECTORS Parametric Equalisers, Gates, Expanders, Balanced and Unbalanced Mic Inputs, Balanced and Compressors/Limiters. Unbalanced Line Inputs. 31 Setting up a processor. Inserts, Ground Compensated Outputs, Impedance F Creating a Foldback/Monitor Mix. 16 Balanced Outputs. 31 SECTION 8: GLOSSARY An A to Z to save your head! 32 2 ® STARTING OUT C. The Controls — A Description This is where we get into the nitty-gritty of what DIR A. What does a Mixer do? controls and inputs/outputs you’ll find on a typical mixer. If you are already familiar with MIC what the controls on a standard mixer do, then No matter how sophisticated or expensive, all mixers carry out the it’s OK to skip to section 2. If you find a term same basic function — to blend and control the volume of a particularly difficult, further explanation can be A number of input signals, add effects and processing where found in the Glossary (Section 8). LINE required and route the resulting mix to the appropriate destination, which could be power amplifiers, the tracks of a INSB recording device — or both. A mixer is the nerve centre of these MONO INPUTS sources, and therefore the most vital part of your audio system. SENSC 30 A Mic In 20 40 Use this "XLR" input to connect your 10 50 5 microphones or DI boxes. 0 -60dBu 100Hz B. Guidelines in Choosing a Mixer 1: ON –+0 33 I 66 For Mic Input Wiring Explanations see section 7. 99HF CT 12 12 E 1515 Audio mixers come in many different sizes and at all price levels, S StartingOut so it’s little wonder that people are confused as to what type is B Line In 100 actually needed for the job in hand. However there are several Use this connector for plugging in "Line Level" –+0 MID 33 questions you can to ask yourself that will help you narrow your instruments such as keyboards, samplers or 66 99 12 12 search to the most appropriate models. drum machines. It can also be used to accept 1515 –+0 33 the returns from multitrack tape machines and 66 99LF • What am I going to be using the mixer for — i.e. multitrack other recording media. The Line Input is not 12 12 recording, live PA work or both? designed for microphones and although it may 1515 AUX • What is my budget? be used, will not provide optimum performance 1 PRE • How many sound sources do I have? As a guideline your mixer with them. 100 AUX needs to have at least as many inputs as sound sources. If you 2 POST/ PRE are likely to be buying more equipment in the future you For Line Input wiring explanations see section 7. 100 should budget for extra inputs. AUX 3 What particular mixer facilities must I have for my application? POST • C Insert Point 100 0 PAN i.e. plenty of EQ, auxiliaries, or Direct Outs for recording. This is used to connect external signal processors 11 22 • How portable does the mixer need to be? such as 33 MIC/LINE 44 • Will I be doing any location work where there won’t be any compressors or 55 0N mains power available? PROCESSOR limiters within the 10 • Have I read the Soundcraft Guide to Mixing from cover to cover? - COMPRESSOR input module. The - NOISE GA TE MIX INSERT - LIMITER Insert Point allows 5 - EXP ANDER Once you can answer these questions satisfactorily you should external devices to SUB have a fairly accurate specification for the mixer you need. be placed within 0 EQ FIG. 1.1 the Input Path — 5 see Fig. 1.1. 10 15 See Section 2 and 3 for more detail on how to use 20 processors, and Section 7 for information on wiring. 30 PFL ∞ 8 3 D Direct Out H Auxiliary Section This allows you to send audio direct from your channel out Typically, these controls have two functions: First, to control the to a multitrack tape recorder, or to an effects unit when the levels of effects such as reverb from external effects units that channel requires its own special effect. DIR have been added to the input signal, and second to create D separate musician’s "foldback" mixes in the studio or on stage. See sections 2 and 6 for more details on connections MIC and studio techniques. How to use auxiliaries, connecting them to external equipment and other applications are described in section 3. E Gain Control (Input Sensitivity) Sets how much of the signal from the LINE I Pan (Panoramic Control) mic or line inputs is fed to the channel. This determines the position of the signal within the stereo INS mix image or may be used to route (send) the signal to F HPF (High Pass Filter) particular GROUP outputs as selected by the ROUTING As the name suggests this switch cuts out the very lowest SWITCHES (see below). 30 SENS frequencies of a sound whilst allowing the higher 20 40 10 50 J Solo (PFL and Solo in Place) frequencies to “Pass Through”. It’s particularly useful in E 5 0 -60dBu The PFL solo switch allows you to monitor an input signal live situations to reduce stage rumble or microphone 100Hz –+0 ON 1: ON F 33 independently of any other instruments that have been I ‘popping’, which can produce a muddy mix, or to 66 99HF connected, which is useful for troubleshooting, or setting an CT ‘clean-up’ male vocals and filter out low frequency hum. 12 12 E 1515 instrument’s Input Preamp Gain and EQ setting. S Some manufacturersStartingOut may also use the term ‘low-cut’ filter to describe the HPF. See Fig. 1.2. 100 Pre-Fade Listen (PFL) is a type of solo that allows you to –+0 MID 33 +20 G 66 monitor your sound BEFORE THE FADER. In other words when STAGE RUMBLE 99 MIC “POPPING” +15 FIG. 1.2 12 12 you move the input fader in PFL mode the level will not 1515 –+0 +10 33 change, nor will you hear any effects. Because effects and 66 +5 99LF volume are not a distraction, PFL solo is very useful for 12 12 dB 0 1515 setting proper input preamp levels. -3 AUX -5 1 PRE Some Soundcraft mixers use SOLO IN PLACE, which allows -10 H 100 you to monitor signals after the fader in their true stereo -15 AUX 2 -20 POST/ image, and with any effects that have been added. This type PRE 2060 100 500 1k 5k 10k 20k 100 of Solo is less good for level setting, but more useful in Hz AUX 3 mixdown situations for auditioning sounds. POST G EQ Section 100 0 PAN 11 See section 3 — Setting Gain, for more information on using PFL. Usually the most closely scrutinised part of any mixer, 22 33 the equaliser section allows you to change the tone of I 44 55 K Mute/Channel On-Off Switch the sound on each input. An EQ is normally split into 0N This turns the channel on or off and is useful for isolating the ‘bands’, which control a range of frequencies, in a K 10 channel when not in use or pre-setting channel levels which similar fashion to the treble and bass tone controls on MIX 5 may not be needed until later, ie: theatre scene-setting or your Hi-Fi. Indeed a simple ‘2-band’ EQ is little more M SUB support acts/performers. than an input treble and bass control. The more bands 0 an EQ has the more sophisticated it is. This example has a L 5 L Fader 3-band EQ, with a separate control for the middle audio This determines the level of the input signal within the mix frequencies.