How to set gain on the mixing console
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- Опубликовано: 31 янв 2012
- A short video showing how to set the channel gain control using the Pre-Fade Listen button in conjunction with the meters. Mixer shown is a Soundcraft Spirit Live 4/2 but the general principle can be applied to any mixing console.
A couple of questions that come up quite a lot in the comments:
Q: Where should the channel fader be during this process?
A: I recommend keeping the channel fader all the way down whilst setting gain just in case the input level is higher than expected.
Q: Where should the master fader be during this process?
A: I recommend keeping the master fader at 0dB/unity.
Part of the St George's Church PA training series of videos.
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Good explanation.
One question: when you set gain. What level we have to set our fader.
There you go: ruclips.net/video/U54_AyR9SQk/видео.html
I'm a new soundboard tech at my church and was taught this wrong. My church uses gain as a last resort and the sound barely has any green and definatelly no yellow and red. Tomorrow at church I want to try it your way! ;)
How did that work out?
10 years after and still te best tuto on the subject! Cheers Bruno.
You're welcome Kiosko, amazing how time flies.
Absolutely fantastic explanation. English elocution and enunciation is perfect to boot. Thank you sir!
+Scott Rader You're welcome, thanks for watching.
Wow ! BRUNO IS STILL THE BEST. He never ceases to amaze me with his very well spoken and easy to understand way of explaining things. Thank you Bruno! Keep rockin' steady my brother.
Always appreciate your encouragement my friend! 😊
- You're welcome, glad they've been helpful. Yes it's fine to use both sets of outputs at the main time - in fact it is ok to use *all* of the outputs of a mixer at any time :)
I just got a little mixer and encountered a little distortion on a recording earlier today. I looked up videos on RUclips about the proper way to set Gain and Levels. Thank goodness I watched yours first. I watched about 6 others after and 4 of them were recommending absolute garbage. You really outline the terminology and principles so well. Thank you. I'm getting perfect pristine sound now.
Thanks Craig, very glad the video was helpful!
Definitely can hear the noise floor slowly disappear when you reach unity gain. Great tutorial. Live audio isn't as forgiving as the noise floor in a digital virtual mixer. But too low a signal level causes many big problems in the digital world also. Thanks for the refreshment of this very important procedure in setting up the input gain sensitivity!
Clear as crystal, a lot of potential arguments can be avoided using correct technique.
Probably the best audio advice on youtube .... Cheers man, Excellent comprehensive explanation.
You're welcome, thanks for watching :)
You really helped me a lot. You're a good teacher
- Thanks for the question, this is an interesting issue! I would begin by turning your amps down by 6dB - if your amp level controls are not marked in dB, turn them down to the 12 o'clock mark, and adjust from there. The chances of feedback will not increase as long as you do not increase your channel gain more than the amount by which you have turned down your power amps.
I get my ideas here and it is very handy for a starter like myself, understanding the basics and applying them is fun, but thank you GLB and Bruno for putting this together no BS just straight up sharing of each important piece about sound management, God bless and more power Sir!
Glad to hear that, thanks for supporting the channel and all the best with your business!
WOW! I never knew that! I would always fiddle with the Gain knob to get the best sound.
Thanks a lot!
Kevin
+1crazynordlander You're welcome, thanks for watching!
THE BEST TUTORIAL !!!!)
Me too.....and not just with the "Gain"...
Am a novice when it comes to properly setting up equipment. Out of all the many videos on the web addressing gain, your video leads the pack with your straightforward instructions and explanations. Well done. Two thumbs up.
Bill Leonard Thanks for watching, your vote of confidence is much appreciated :)
I like how you explain gain it was very good and you kept me interested
- You're most welcome, glad it was helpful. The volume knob on the back of the receiver is normally set to 100%, i.e. fully clockwise. This should yield a gain setting on your console of somewhere between 10 and 2 o'clock if you are running into a microphone input. The reason for this is mainly consistency between channels, and to achieve the best signal to noise ratio.
Anyone who is serious about wishing to learn the correct methodology of mixing desk and sound configurations should definitely subscribe to this most excellent channel!
Another ace vid, Bruno. You explain things very well, fella. Thanks again 👍👍
You know your stuff man. I do more studio stuff (mixing, tracking, etc...) and I can absolutely reaffirm your statement that proper gain staging is probably THE MOST important aspect of audio. It drives me INSANE sometimes when I get raw tracks to mix that have the levels completely jacked up. Gain staging cannot be stressed enough. Well done.
- Thank you for the positive feedback :)
Best explanation on the whole youtube !!! You are a good teacher and I will keep watching your videos . Thanks
+MikeMirror88 Thanks very much for watching, your support is much appreciated :)
+GLB Productions I agree with +MikeMirror88 this most practical explanation, will be sure to share with my team. Thanks for the tutorial!
This is a VERY good explanation! The best I've found so far.
My Soundcraft Notepad 124 requires me to have the gain set to FULL up to get any level from a dynamic, low-impedance mic. I can't even get to 0db, much less into the yellow.
Btw you've been a TREMENDOUS help in answering my questions. Thank you so much Bruno.
Thank you Bruno!
Your explanation was crystal clear.
The Lord bless you!!!
You're most welcome, God Bless you too!
I've said it before, and I'm saying it again. Someone who is so good and clear I have so far never found, completely world class.
All electronics manufacturers should bombard you with offers. Many thanks, a pure joy to watch listen and learn from you.
Thanks again my friend, you're the best! 🥰
Finally it's clear to me, how to set the gain.
Thank you so much!
I am a subscriber now.
You're most welcome, thanks for watching and subscribing!
Just recommended this video to a Friend that's starting /restarting his home studio. Great Reference Video!!
- Thank you. The jazz was one of the stock pieces available in my video editing software, nothing in particular :)
Thank You, Very, Very Much!! I've been hampered by improper gain structure for years. I've watched several long videos on this topic that leave me feeling that I've missed something. Your demonstration was short, clear and insightful. We have an event coming up next week and I'm planning on implementing your lesson then. Thanks again!!
That's great news Chuck, thanks for getting in touch! Gain structure is both very simple and very complex at the same time but end users can get 80% of the way there just by setting that knob at the top of the channel strip correctly! How did your event go?
Bruno, Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. We produce the Worthy Music Ministries'
Family Stage at the Orting Pumpkin Festival. The event is run by the Tacoma Events Commission www.tacomaevents.com/pumpkin-festival.html . This year the sound was better than ever and that was Greatly due to your very helpful presentations!! Thanks again from myself and the Tacoma Events Commission. Now I'm looking forward to rather then dreading next years Freedom Fair 4th of July event www.freedomfair.com/. Thanks again Bruno!!
Great news Chuck, very glad your event went well. Feel free to contact me in future if you have any more questions.
THAT was one of the most easily understood demo that I have experienced. Thanks a ton!
Napoleon Haney You're welcome, thanks for watching!
Best video ever on gain principle. Thank you!! Never knew volume vs gain difference i thought it was the same thing! Bravo!
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
I have now watched several of your tutorials, they are best out there, bought a mixer couple of months ago and with your videos learned to use it correctly, thanks
That's awesome, all the best with your music!
Thanks, that was very helpful. Esp. the background information why you actually do what and how it is supposed to work was very helpful for understanding the concept. This should be a 1o1 for everyone diving into sound works of any kind (podcasts, music recording, music production whatever)
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
- You're welcome, glad to hear that!
Thank you for this Sir, I have been looking for such a concise explanation and you hit the nail on the head. Cheers and please keep up the great work!
Thanks for watching Michael!
Great console btw, I worked on Soundcraft Spirit mixers myself numerous times and never had a problem!
***** Yes, this particular console lasted 10 years at our church and is currently still in service at another location. Thanks for watching!
Learned to mix on an X32 console, each channel strip has it's on input meter, so no PFL is required. But it's cool to learn that in case I ever have to mix on an analog board at some point. We do have a couple in use for karaoke at our venue, but I haven't spent much time to fully learn them, as that's not my primary job. I'm the event engineer for the venue room mixing bands, so I spend most of my time learning more about the Behringer X32.
This video covers gain very well so that even a novice could understand and implement that. Gain structure is the very foundation, and as you said, the most important knob on your mixer!
Thank you Bruno keep up your good work
- You're welcome, glad it was helpful. All the best with your music!
I always find this guy to be pleasant, concise and very helpful indeed !
Thank you
You're welcome Julian :)
Excellent tutorial. Mandatory viewing for anyone interested in pro audio. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much. I was having a bad feedback problem. I'm not tech savvy at all and this trick fixed the problems. God bless you.
You're most welcome Myra. Too much gain is definitely a recipe for feedback! Glad your problem is solved, and feel free to contact me any time you have more questions.
- You're most welcome. All the best with your music!
Another excellent video/teaching aid, learning as I go sort of thing. Mic set ups for ukulele/banjolele band. Thank you very much. Take care.
You're welcome, all the best with your music :)
Very Helpful!! Clearly presented and articulate explanation of the importance of setting gain levels first! Thank You from Key West Florida!!
- You're most welcome, thanks for watching!
PS: My father is from St Petersburg ;)
Russia?
Ian Ritchie Stewart
No, St Petersburg Florida :)
Very good video. I learned a lot. Thank you for this.
I bought my soundcraft from my job in downtown Orlando. It is a piece of history! Kid Rock, Supervillains, Backstreet Boys any one who ever played the Social. I need to learn this Board and I appreciate your video ! Thanks and God Bless you !!
Awesome! Hope it serves you well for many years to come!
Very easy to understand. Excellent. Thank you
I needed that, thanks for sharing
Bruno, you are such a blessing, thank you and may GOD bless you for being a blessing to the music industry.
You're most welcome Elroy.
- Thanks for the question. In general, it is best to keep the channel fader all the way down when setting gain, mainly as a safety precaution against unexpectedly high levels. Console master faders should be at unity, power amp levels should be at whatever you have determined works best with your system. Once gain is set, then bring up the channel fader to hear the source through the PA.
When do we usually use the volume faders?
Bruno is the man!. i love your videos, very informative and you have a great way of explaining everything so well... thank you
You're most welcome.
How can I understand crossover and how does it work
Thee best video on setting gain control out there!
Sincere thanks for you informative sessions they have been valuable in helping me understand many aspects of mixing
You're most welcome Brian, very glad the videos have been helpful.
Thanks for the lesson.
Vital information that's well explained. I wish complicated classes were thought by individual like himself.
***** Glad you could understand the concepts explained, thanks for watching.
Have you had the chance to play around with the gm10XU? I recently considered going analogue and I decided on the Yamaha mg10XU. I am used to digital than analogue so to say for example, when it comes to compressor, I just punch numbers on ratio, threshold ect.. of course assigning the right value depending on what needs to be achieved. When it comes to analogue gears, how far should I dial on the compressor during live vocal recording? Should I even bother much with the compressor during live vocal take or should I take care of everything in the DAW that I am using to record in combination with the Yamaha? If you have any notion and that you don’t care sharing, I would appreciate it in advance. Thank you again for your tutorial Video on proper use of “Gain”
***** I haven't used the XU versions of the MG mixers but I'm familiar with their 'one knob' compressors and I find they don't offer much control. If working with them live I tend to set them to 12 o'clock on vocal channels and just leave them there - this theoretically gives a compression ratio of 2:1 at a threshold of +7dBu so is useful for housekeeping but not much else. I suggest you use your ears and see what sounds best.
When recording I generally do not use a mixer so will do all of my processing within my DAW.
Thank you for suggestions and feedback. I kept my settings at 12 o clock on the eq. i first played around with the com knob and I realized that it didn't really affect the vocalist much. I was testing it then, I didn't really see the use on that application. I can however, see it being useful with a live band on Drums.
GLB Productions Bruno- thanks so much! I have one question. When setting gain for my line level keyboard what is the correct balance between gain and volume on the keyboard volume slider (which doesn't display dB levels). Should the slider on the keyboard be higher and the gain lower or vice versa with the slider lower and gain higher?? Thanks so much in advance. Appreciate your clear videos!
- You're most welcome, glad it was helpful :)
- You're most welcome. If that is the case I would turn down your power amps - if they are set to maximum try turning them to 50% and then raising the gain on your mixer. The idea is to set gain on the mixer correctly and then use the power amps to determine the final volume of the PA system.
Of course, PFL I over looked that part of your tutorial! Well done.
Thank you very much for this very clear instruction. You're an excellent instructor.
You're welcome, thanks for watching :)
Very nice - This is the best explanation I've found. Well thought out, great video.
Thanks for watching :)
this is really very helpful. it's like going to an actual seminar. atleast with your videos i don't have to to go actual seminars and pay. all i need to do is watch your videos and try to apply them. thanks so much. all this time i thought that its only limited to setting your gain input to 12 o clock..
Glad to hear that! Yes gain is designed to be continuously variable just like the gas pedal on your car - more gain for lower level signals, less gain for higher level signals.
thanks so much again sir. now atleast i know. i couldn't set my gain to more than 12 o clock cause i thought it would destroy my speakers...hahahaha...wow..thanks so much again. i've been watching your different videos. really helpful
I really love your videos. The way you explain things is very clear. Thanks so much. GBY :)
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
thank you so simple and easy way of learning for church mixing
Lazarus Joseph You're welcome, thanks for watching :)
You are evidently a born sound engineer :)
Luckily I just assumed this when I started mixing. Glad to see I've been following the correct procedures. :)
Excellent explanation. Thanks
- Yes, main faders are set to zero (unity gain) although this does not actually affect the gain setting procedure using the PFL button - you can still use this procedure with the main faders all the way down, monitoring the output of the mixer on headphones. Thanks also for the good point about gain for sung vs spoken vocals.
RE-teaching this to our volunteer staff week after week after week after week... then the paid consultant comes in and teaches the same thing... Thank you for confirmation, I will pass this on. Sound check with full band, and setting 0db input gain. Can't skip step 1, or else everything else is a mess...
Glad you have the patience :) With volunteers who are running the same console with the same musicians week after week it is often best to give them a starting point for setting the gain eg 2 o'clock for vocals and 11 o'clock for instruments (depending on your console). I find that this greatly speeds up the soundcheck because they are already in the ballpark so only need to check the gain rather than set every single channel from zero.
excellent very simple and informative thanks
I see. Thank you for the help so far!
Thank you sir, great demo, our church desk definitely needs adjusting.
You're welcome :)
What a very nice and informative tutorial. Very clearly demonstrated. :)
Thanks for watching :)
Thank you for taking time to explain things in a clear and concise way. Gathering help/information with regards mic ing up my wife's banjolele group for play-outs (they like to call them gigs) at various venus, usually rest homes and care home( captive audience(?)) bit naughty I know :-). Limited budget so running with Behringer power amp/mixer and xm1800s mics, we have Shure SM 58 when we perform. Thanks, please keep up the valiant work.
You're welcome, hope the play-outs are going well!
Great video brother GB
...
Great video! Very professional made! Thanks so much.
You're most welcome, thanks for watching.
This is an excellent video..clear and concise..a great help..Many thanks
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
very Informative, thank you
- You're welcome, glad the videos have been helpful. There is some information on this topic on my video 'how to set up monitor mixes for live sound.' Take care and God Bless you too!
Thanks so much sir. I truly appreciate your tutorials.
You're welcome Godwin!
Bought a Fender Acoustasonic 15W Guitar Combo Amp...for the XLR connection bought an Adapter...somehow the JVC 600 ohms Mic., Shure etc. only works via the XLR and not Directly with the 1/4 inch jack? Why?
Guitar works Directly and also when plugged in the XLR Adapter?
Maybe, that is why they always worked in the Behringer UB1202 all the time, as I think it has a built in Mic preamp?
So how does the Adaptor converts the Mic signal? An XLR male to balanced 1/4" female adapter.
Thank you so much! Very useful and helpful... :D
love your channel
Nice! Thank you for share this knowledge.
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
I needed this, thanx for sharing!
You're welcome, thanks for watching :)
thanks bro, i'll do it today... and keep in touch.. cheers...
- No problem, all the best with making good music sound better!
bro! nice vid..love all your vids. lots of help and knowlege~!!!
- Glad you're finding them helpful, thanks again for your support!
- You're welcome, glad it was helpful :) Bruno
Absolutely GREAT explanation!!!!!.. I will support the Channel
Thanks for your support!
Great demonstration!😁
Amazing tutorial.
Wow this video finally makes me understand how to set gain. Thank you very much
You're welcome!
Very Clear and a very Good Job my Friend... Thanks!!
Blayde Stone You're welcome, thanks for watching!
Thanks buddy providing the very good information. God bless you.
You're most welcome :)
Thank you very much
thank you for this video man....... really helped out!
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
Thank you so much. Will follow your advice :)
You're welcome Rick :)
Thank you very much for the fantastic clear explanation sir 🙏
You're most welcome :D