Karaoke Forums

I have just concluded a Certificate III in Technical Production so if anyone would like to know anything about sound manipulation to get a better result for your singers just let me know.

Hint #1# if your mixer has Low, Mid and High Equalizer (EQ), I am getting one that has an additional Mid Sweep function to give more range versatility. You need to start and balance your levels first because if you don't then all you are doing is compounding a specific problem you are trying to fix by dropping out the background fillers so it will sound tinny/thin/no or too much bass.

If there is a particular problem you are having, let me know and I will tell you if we covered it on course and the outcome, it may help you and I hope it does.

Explain oscillation, as it applies to sound amplification, and it's affect on the potential amount of power an amp can deliver to, and over power a speaker.

After nearly 40 years (off & on) as a mobile DJ, I hate to admit this, but I've never really understood the difference between "gain" and "level"...

Most DJ mixers I've owned have had both a slider for level and a small knob above it for gain, and, although I usually seem to get good sound by "playing" with each... I'm not really sure what I'm doing...

I must also admit that I really don't understand how those little electrons managed to get from here to there through a solid piece of wire... so that'll give you some idea about my over-all technical knowledge.

Normally, I've set the gain control somewhere in the 12 o'clock range and adjust the level/volume by ear, and it seems to work... but I don't know if that's giving the optimum result.

So... if you could provide a simple explanation about the functions of the gain and level controls, and generally speaking, where they should be set... I'd be thankful.

Thanks.

_________________
Earl
(BS, PHD & Certified CurmuDJeon)

[font=Times New Roman]"Growing Old may be mandatory... but growing UP is still optional."[/font]

In live music settings:

Gain is used to match the input sources (ie mics, and other input) to their optimum settings on your mixer board.

Level is used to mix all these sources together in your mix.

Typically you set and forget gain settings if things don't change dramatically. Level can be and usually is adjusted according to conditions frequently. (like different singers with different power levels...)

Typically you should set the gain knob to a place just under where the clip light starts to blink...you want the loudest signal before feedback and clipping occurs. So basically you need to check using loud signal and make the clip light come on by adjusting the gain and then back it off again. (Good idea to mute the main channels while doing this as you don't need to be heard while doing this) Do this for each input individually, mics and other sources as well. If you find you are moving your level sliders past unity, it likely means you need more gain on that channel. Note: This will be fine for 90 percent of normal singers...the screamers who have no idea how to control their own volume will need special care not to clip....

Levels are set with all sources active, such as all your mics and music source(s) to balance out the sound in your mix. If a channel seems low, the level is raised... etc