Sound Board Basics
I always get a kick at how people gaze at sound boards with a sense of reverence and fear. The truth is that the basic operation of a board isn’t that difficult. This isn’t to say that operating a board PROPERLY doesn’t require skill, but simply that the basics of operation are easy to understand.
When training new folks on a sound board, I first break down the board into individual channels. Although there are quite a large number of knobs on a sound board, if you learn one vertical row dealing with just one channel you have learned what 90% of the rest of the knobs do.
Look at one channel of y our board. More than likely, you will see a knob at the top labeled Gain, followed by a number of EQ knobs, Aux controls, Pan, Mute and a Fader. You may have or less on your board depending on the brand and model, but for most boards, this is the norm.
GAIN
The gain knob is how you control the input level of the device plugged into the channel. It is recommended to set the Gain to a point on each channel that when the fader is on zero, the audio has a comfortable level of sound.
EQ
The EQ knobs control the tone of the input device. You want to make the device, voice, etc. sound the same through the system as it does without the system. The best operators are invisible to those listening!!
AUX
Aux controls were designed to allow you to create a separate mix from the same board. This is most commonly done in monitors (when you may not want as much mic), but can also be used for recording devices (computers, cd recorders, etc.) and even hearing impared systems/personal monitors.
PAN
The PAN function is generally used to shift the audio from the channel to either the left or right speaker, however, it can also be used when dealing with Subs/Groups (we will look at this later).
MUTE
I’m sure you can figure this out on your own. The Mute button simply stops the output of the channel in question. Some fancier boards may have mute presets that allow you to set up groups of channels to mute, but for the most part, you will probably be muting individual channels as needed.
FADER
The fader is your final control before your audio exits the board. If you have your gain set properly, your fader should be at a comfortable level around zero, however, you will need to make adjustments to each channel to make sure that the mix between them is even.
When training new folks on a sound board, I first break down the board into individual channels. Although there are quite a large number of knobs on a sound board, if you learn one vertical row dealing with just one channel you have learned what 90% of the rest of the knobs do.
Look at one channel of y our board. More than likely, you will see a knob at the top labeled Gain, followed by a number of EQ knobs, Aux controls, Pan, Mute and a Fader. You may have or less on your board depending on the brand and model, but for most boards, this is the norm.
GAIN
The gain knob is how you control the input level of the device plugged into the channel. It is recommended to set the Gain to a point on each channel that when the fader is on zero, the audio has a comfortable level of sound.
EQ
The EQ knobs control the tone of the input device. You want to make the device, voice, etc. sound the same through the system as it does without the system. The best operators are invisible to those listening!!
AUX
Aux controls were designed to allow you to create a separate mix from the same board. This is most commonly done in monitors (when you may not want as much mic), but can also be used for recording devices (computers, cd recorders, etc.) and even hearing impared systems/personal monitors.
PAN
The PAN function is generally used to shift the audio from the channel to either the left or right speaker, however, it can also be used when dealing with Subs/Groups (we will look at this later).
MUTE
I’m sure you can figure this out on your own. The Mute button simply stops the output of the channel in question. Some fancier boards may have mute presets that allow you to set up groups of channels to mute, but for the most part, you will probably be muting individual channels as needed.
FADER
The fader is your final control before your audio exits the board. If you have your gain set properly, your fader should be at a comfortable level around zero, however, you will need to make adjustments to each channel to make sure that the mix between them is even.
Stay tuned for our next audio lesson on SUBBING/GROUPING channels together for an easier mix.
~Shawn
posted by onevoice at 11:22 AM
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