I can't believe how many videos I've watched without getting a clear idea on how monitor mixing works, when you make it so easy... This tutorial is just GREAT. Thanks so much!
This is by far the most simplistic and easy to understand video I've seen till date on the subject. Very straight forward using an analogue mixer. Thank You!
this video is probably the most understandable I have ever heard. I NOW understand monitor / Auxes. It's easy ilke a matrix. The different performers is horizontal across the channels and each channel is vertical! A cinch! Thank you so very much!!
James Noll Exactly right! In fact there are mixers which actually have a section that is called a Matrix and is used to mix groups of channels in just the same way. Glad the video was helpful!
Explained to perfection! Helps very much. Our choir set up is way smaller but when you see the bigger picture, the smaller picture is much more clear. God bless you!!
- You're most welcome. Not everyone has the latest equipment but what matters is how you sound - I've heard fantastic sounding bands using 10 year old loudspeakers and 20 year old mixing consoles! All the best with your music :)
- Those are the insert points on the channels - they are used to take a signal out of the channel, run it through an external device like a compressor or effects unit and return it to the channel at the same point. More info on my video 'how to hook up the personus ACP88.'
- Glad it was helpful. The reason I didn't show the cables is that everybody's setup after this point is different - some use power amps and passive monitors, others use powered monitors, some are using in-ear monitors. What sort of setup do you have?
There are videos out there for absolute beginners. Type better keywords to narrow your search results. This was a great one for me, but I guess not for you. Not my responsibility, though.
Effing BRILLIANT, man! After 40 years of playing live, I finally understand how to send the aux on a channel pre-fader to a monitor mix, and why you want to do that.. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
This is a really informative tutorial. My friend and i are musicians, and we're starting to get a sound rig up and running for local shows. Our equipment is old Mackie 16 channel analog board and passive speakers. We were just talking about how to control monitor mixes last night, and i stumbled across this this morning. God always leads us to the right places. Thank you for the great learning videos. I look forward to learning more.
- You're welcome. Working with big bands is very interesting - I have encountered many good-sounding approaches, from miking just the vocals and the kick drum to setups involving dozens of mics on every single instrument. Feel free to get in touch if you have questions in the future.
You are very helpful! I have been singing for 20+ years but I'm just now setting up my own PA and running my musicians through the board. I'm trying to understand "all the buttons" and the monitor piece was a challenge. Your videos are so clear - thank you.
Kimberly Mchale You're welcome, it's great that you're getting into doing your own sound. In my experience women are often better sound engineers than men once they master the technical side of things - they are better at multi-tasking and often better at artist relations ;) All the best with your music!
- Yes, I'm pretty sure you are exactly right on that. However it does mean that if your monitors start to feed back you cannot use the channel EQ to correct it, so you will need some other form of EQ for your monitors, eg a graphic EQ on each monitor send, before the power amplifier.
There way too many wanna be's who don't know how to explain this process and they fail miserably. That's why I came here to your channel. Love the way how you explain the difference between each section of the console and what they're used for. It's makes a huge difference in setting up musicians monitors and monitors for the sound man. Educational and easy to learn. Thank You Very Much! I'll use this video for any references in terms of learning to setting up all my monitors.
Yes, the only difference being that on smaller board you have to be more selective about what you send to the monitors - with fewer mixes there is a high chance that several people are sharing the same mix so there's less room for customisation.
Yes Sir, I agree with that and that it becomes even more difficult when musicians of a lower caliber experience want to hear themselves when all they can really hear is some type of garbled noise. - Thank You Kindly.
I can't believe how many videos I've watched without getting a clear idea on how monitor mixing works, when you make it so easy... This tutorial is just GREAT. Thanks so much! @Ariel Tamasi ....you finally got the same problem as mysel -.- maybe 60 videos i showed until now . and NOW I GOT IT!!!!!!!!!! Thanks GLB PRODUCTION
+Fitzjames Wood Thank you! I see you still use the old BBC term 'foldback' - it's interesting that if you said that in my part of the world people would think you were talking about origami ;)
- You're welcome, glad it was helpful. Yes, you need at least one amplifier channel per aux output. Most amplifiers have more than one channel so it's best to think in terms of amplifier channels. Also, depending on the number of monitor speakers you have, you may need more than one amplifier channel. For example, if aux 1 is being sent to four monitor speakers, you may need two amplifier channels just for that aux.
No, you cannot use an adaptor to combine signals, only to split them! The simplest solution is to use only one of the control room outputs, either left or right. If you need to hear a stereo signal then you will need to use two monitor wedges, or a monitor which can accept a stereo signal and then convert it to mono. Which make and model of monitor are you using?
- Thanks. How do you route your signal from your mixer to the speakers? In particular are you sending a fullrange signal to the subs, and do you use a crossover? In addition, what are the acoustics of the venue like? Are there hard or soft surfaces around the stage?
I do not have any such extensive set up being a Karaoke singer that I'm with my Bose's L1 Model II with Tascam M164UF mixer and I'm not a SOUND ENGINEER; but I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed this video presentation giving detailed insight into what each button entails. Excellent job Bruno! Please keep it coming! Thanks!
- You're most welcome. We all have our own level of doing sound and although your equipment may be simple what counts is that you get good sound! All the best with your music!
I love your videos, watch them all the times as a reference. Put in simple, plain words, most informative and useful, they do help a lot! Regards from Russia.
I am new to all of this, but this video, specifically a little before 6:37 literally blew my mind!!! I was so confused before but this helped so much! Praise Jesus!
- I see, what do you mean by the sound is 'not coming so good'? Too soft? Distorted? How are you connecting the dj mixer to your Mackie? What input and output connectors are you using, and what cables?
You are my go to guy for live sound! I do our bands sound on stage and it is scary but listening to your tutorials are helping immensely! Many thanks Bruno!
+Dangerpass You're most welcome, the best way to improve is to get out there and mix! Yes you'll make mistakes but that's part of the learning process. All the best with your music, and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
- You're very welcome. If the output of your mixer is balanced (which is the case with all modern mixers) then the connector at the mixer end should be a TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) balanced connector. Your mixer user manual should make clear whether the mixer's aux outputs are balanced or unbalanced.
Even though this video is based on analog board controls, the concept of utilizing floor monitors is the same, even in a digital world. I just ordered the Allen & Heath QU-16 digital mixer for my band and I look forward to applying the principles learned in your video(s) to the band mix. We were great before - now we're moving into AWESOME - thanks to you!
Yes, the principles are the same - the only difference is that you use the faders to route the signals to the monitors rather than a dedicated knob on each channel. All the best with your music!
- If you like Mackie gear, the SRM150 is a great little monitor - it's tiny, but because it can be placed on a mic stand you can get it really close to you at your ear level. It has two mono and one stereo inputs so you also have great versatility.
- Ok this is a really good question! Under ideal circumstances, pre-recorded content should be sent to the monitors via a post-fade aux send, so that when you pull the channel fader down the monitors fade out as well. Some mixers allows you to change the setting of the aux bus on the individual channels, which is ideal. If this is not available, I will use two hands to do the fade - one pulls down the fader and another one turns down the aux send knob.
Great tutorial Bruno, that was the clearest and most useful video guide I have ever watched on this subject! You managed to get over all the basics of how to set up the stage monitor mix in one easy lesson and without confusing me. i look forward to watching your other videos. Many thanks
- Thanks for the question! Could I first ask - what sort of feedback are you getting? Is it the low-frequency 'groaning and moaning' type feedback or the shrill high-frequency feedback? Also, where are your house speakers in relation to the mics?
- Yes you are correct - you connect the aux output of the mixer to the input of your power amplifier, sometimes with a graphic equaliser in between. If you are using powered monitor speakers you connect to the input of the powered speaker. Will add your request to the list, thanks for the feedback :)
Bruno your videos are fantastic my friend. I'm in the process of learning a sound board and helping my sons band. These tutorials you have are explained extremely well and easy to comprehend. Their board is an analog board but much smaller. It only has the 1 auxiliary send so the monitors are daisy chained and when I dial in one persons monitor level it effects each monitor the same. I couldn't figure out how to separate them out but now understand why. Thank you for your time and teachings. Take care and God Bless.
- You're most welcome, helping people is why I started the channel in the first place :) With only one monitor send I suggest you restrict it to vocals only - any instruments in there and you'll have a volume war going on! Let me know if you have any other questions, always happy to help if I can.
- I think you may be confusing subgroups and aux sends. When mixing monitors, treat each aux send (monitor mix) as a person, and ask yourself, "What does this person need to hear?" So for example, if you know that aux 1 goes to your lead singer, ask yourself what they need to hear, and turn up the aux 1 knobs on the relevant channels. Does that help?
- Ok I understand. One final question - do you use the mixer's internal effects, or an external effects unit? I'm trying to determine if you are using the aux 2 output on your DFX 12.
- Ah I see. On the Mackie 1604 aux sends 3&4 are fixed post fader, so in order to get signal from the aux outputs the channel fader needs to be up and the channel must not be muted. It is also possible that the '5/6 shift' button has been pressed accidentally on the channel, which routes the signal to the aux 5 and 6 outputs instead of the 3 and 4 outputs.
- Exactly, your mixer has what are called discrete send and return jacks for the channel inserts as opposed to a single jack that combines send and return. That is usually the mark of a higher-end unit. On the mon, aux 1, aux 2, I would need to take a closer look - what is the make and model of your mixer please?
Great explanation. I came back to watch this again. I'm an electric bass player in church/sound Man on occasions. This was very helpful in clarifying particulars in a monitor mix. Thanks Bruno.
Finally someone who knows how to do an instructional video, great job mate! I have a home studio and do a lot of mixing for recording projects but very little live mixing. I just started running live sound for my brother in laws project. Although i am getting good mixes i am not as informed as i should be, hence the reason i landed here. Thank you for great info!
- Hi John, nice to hear from you again. To begin with I would suggest trying to run your monitors with no EQ - it's not ideal but it certainly can be done and is often perfectly adequate for lower-volume situations. Do you already have an outboard EQ that you are planning to integrate into your system?
Older content still relevant today thanks a lot for your time and effort hope all is well with you. Most people still use analog gear this was very useful and helpful thank you.
Very well explained. Thank you! And I must say that it's easy to understand because you're speaking "slowly" with clear breaks between sentences. Not babbling on with "eeh" and "uhm" between every word (like in every other video here on youtube) :)
- Yes it sounds like they are definitely reversed - I suggest that you check the wiring from the mixer to the amps, and then from the monitor amp to the monitors themselves to see which amp channel is powering which speaker. Many church setups have very confused wiring which need to be sorted out before the system can be used effectively.
I have the Mackie CFX 16 that I got used I never really new how to operated until I started watching your lessons, thank you, you are very informative and very and precise, thanks again
- Good question, thank you for asking. This video is more about setting up a monitor mix as opposed to troubleshooting and problem solving. The causes and prevention of feedback will be discussed in a future video, so stay tuned!
- You're welcome, thanks for watching. Just remember when confronting these large mixers that once you understand how one channel works you understand how every channel works. All the best with your music!
Your videos are simple but very in depth and complete! Thank you for your effort. I have ran sound in played in b ands for many years and this was a great guide.
- Wow what a great old vintage board! Any idea when it was made? So wonderful that these units are still making music! I took a look at the online spec sheet, and apparently the 'mon' connector is pre-fader, pre-EQ. Aux 1 is post-EQ, pre-fader, and aux 2 is pot-EQ, post-fader. So you could use either 'mon' or aux 1 as a monitor send - if you use 'mon' bear in mind that any EQ changes you make on the mixer will not affect the sound in the monitors. You've got a real gem there, look after it!
What a great tutorial !thanks for the help.As a hobby musician with a simple home studio I often play venues without the advantage of a regular sound engineer, and get asked to help with the sound. So understanding how monitor mixes work and the limitations of some house systems is a great advantage. again thank you
Tim Scott Yes, when working at smaller venues you often need to be performer, front and house and monitor engineer all rolled into one, so it really helps to have at least a basic knowledge of how a mixing console works and how signals are routed. All the best with your music!
I totally agree Bruno we have very old Yorkville passive loud speakers with an equally old Mos-Fet 260 watt amp. The thing is when you buy a mixing console, the only thing you get as a user manual is just a bunch of diagrams telling you what you can or can not do, but no explanation ever on how to patch the wires, use the EQs and so on. Sound mixing is really a craft. I learn a little at a time but i'll never be a sound engineer that's for sure :-)
2. Reduce bass as much as possible - if you are running subs turn them down or even off and see if it improves things. 3. Reduce the number of speakers as much as possible - the more speakers you have the more they will excite the room. Hope this helps, let me know how it turns out!
- That would be the ideal situation :) Unfortunately on the smaller mixers without a matrix you are often stuck with one of the other - a notable exception would be the Allen and Heath Mix Wizard boards, on which the aux sends on the *individual* channels are switchable pre or post fader. It's a lot of switches, but gives wonderful flexibility.
- If you are monitoring on headphones, you would connect the auxiliary output to the input of your headphone amplifier. If you are monitoring in stereo, you will need to use two auxiliary outputs, one for the left and one for the right channel.
Thanx for all the info and help, we had a awesome practise last night ,with the monitors set at 9 and the desk aux master fades set at between 12 and 2 the sound was best its ever been ,God Bless
- That's wonderful news, thanks for the update! Amazing how much difference a little bit of adjustment can make! Hope the music on Sunday goes well too and that you and your congregation are blessed!
- Hi David, is your mixer the Alesis Multimix 6 FX? If so you can use the control room outputs as your monitor send - this will give you a duplicate of the main mix.
- Ok, based on what you have told me, I suspect that there is excessive low frequency information in your system that is finding it's way back into your mics. 2 x 15 cabs produce a lot of low end, and you are also running 18" subs which makes the issue worse. These frequencies are relatively omnidirectional, so even if the speakers are in front of the mics the sound is still getting into them and causing feedback.
more than enough to support the vocals. 5. Keep the pan controls on your laptop channels in the centre - this will send the music to both the tops and the subs. 6. Patch your graphic EQ into the send to the tops, and cut all the frequencies below 80Hz. If this make the voices sound too thin, try cutting less, or bringing back some of the lower frequencies. You may also need to cut around 250-400Hz depending on the room.
- Is your power amp made by Peak Audio? I'm afraid I need to know the exact make and model number of your speakers - this can usually be found on the back panel or on the outside of the box eg Mackie SRM450, Mackie SRM1801 etc. This will allow me to look up the specs on the internet. Thanks.
never had a chance to use as big as this mixer... em always fascinated and intimidated with this monsters.... thank you for such infos very well explained a huge help for newbies like me sir... gobless you...
Tks. for your help first of all. This is somewhat new for me. Well, two monitors on stage and I've been unable to adjust them independently. I will probably visit this week when I have time to spend a coupel hrs on it. Not sure if monitors are in the board correctly and I'm suspicious the monitors and house speakers may be reversed. With aux controls all the way down, stage monitors still have sound and are controlled only by the sliders. Vince
- Great question - are you using the PA system just for vocals with separate amps for the instruments, or are you putting everything through the PA system?
- You're welcome. I realise that the majority of people are visual learners so put in the text to reinforce what I was saying. All the best with your music!
I can't believe how many videos I've watched without getting a clear idea on how monitor mixing works, when you make it so easy... This tutorial is just GREAT. Thanks so much!
+Ariel Tamasi Really glad to hear that, thanks very much for watching and commenting!
This is by far the most simplistic and easy to understand video I've seen till date on the subject. Very straight forward using an analogue mixer. Thank You!
You're most welcome, glad the video was helpful.
this video is probably the most understandable I have ever heard. I NOW understand monitor / Auxes. It's easy ilke a matrix. The different performers is horizontal across the channels and each channel is vertical! A cinch! Thank you so very much!!
James Noll Exactly right! In fact there are mixers which actually have a section that is called a Matrix and is used to mix groups of channels in just the same way. Glad the video was helpful!
Explained to perfection! Helps very much. Our choir set up is way smaller but when you see the bigger picture, the smaller picture is much more clear. God bless you!!
Thanks for watching, glad the video was helpful! God Bless you and your ministry!
- Thank you, I praise the Lord for his wisdom and provision!
- You're most welcome. Not everyone has the latest equipment but what matters is how you sound - I've heard fantastic sounding bands using 10 year old loudspeakers and 20 year old mixing consoles! All the best with your music :)
I love all your tutorials. Thank you BRUNO!!! Very concise and easy to understand.
- Those are the insert points on the channels - they are used to take a signal out of the channel, run it through an external device like a compressor or effects unit and return it to the channel at the same point. More info on my video 'how to hook up the personus ACP88.'
Very clear. Very informative. Thank you.
Jaime Tumbas You're welcome, thanks for watching :)
- Glad it was helpful. The reason I didn't show the cables is that everybody's setup after this point is different - some use power amps and passive monitors, others use powered monitors, some are using in-ear monitors. What sort of setup do you have?
"... the musicians and the Singer listen to." nice separations of roles. haha
I LOL’d at this as well.
- Thanks for getting in touch. I'm afraid that I do not use equipment from Behringer but will do the second video when time allows.
Excellent tutorial, thank you very much
You're most welcome :)
Excellent
- Yes, pastors are busy people! Glad the video was helpful, and all the best with your sound ministry.
thank you thank you thank you....well explained, thanks for helping me... cheers
+Enrique Martinez You're welcome, thanks for watching :)
- You're welcome, glad the videos have been helpful. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions in the future.
Detailed and clear. Thanks again.
not detailed/clear enough for novices.
Ghost Dog I don't think it's his job to hand hold your way into sound engineering. Just have to research more
There are videos out there for absolute beginners. Type better keywords to narrow your search results. This was a great one for me, but I guess not for you. Not my responsibility, though.
I didn't say it was anyone's job/responsibility, I was just making an observation...I'm not a troll!!!!
As they say, if you want to become an audio engineer, pay for a course, this is totally free, I gave Bruno thumbs up.
Effing BRILLIANT, man! After 40 years of playing live, I finally understand how to send the aux on a channel pre-fader to a monitor mix, and why you want to do that..
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
That's awesome news man! Sorry you had to wait 40 years to learn this 😅
Thanks a lot for your great information
+Fili2009able You're welcome, thanks for watching.
The hows and whys are usually the reason I look for videos about a subject. That is just what I got here - thanks
You're welcome and thanks for watching :)
good information. welcome
This is a really informative tutorial. My friend and i are musicians, and we're starting to get a sound rig up and running for local shows. Our equipment is old Mackie 16 channel analog board and passive speakers. We were just talking about how to control monitor mixes last night, and i stumbled across this this morning. God always leads us to the right places. Thank you for the great learning videos. I look forward to learning more.
Thanks for watching George, glad the video was helpful :)
27 dislikes???? who are those?
+Kuulexnat Oh they're mostly people who are upset that I didn't show them how to connect the mixer to power amplifiers and speakers :P
- You're most welcome, thanks for the positive feedback.
- You're welcome. Working with big bands is very interesting - I have encountered many good-sounding approaches, from miking just the vocals and the kick drum to setups involving dozens of mics on every single instrument. Feel free to get in touch if you have questions in the future.
You are very helpful! I have been singing for 20+ years but I'm just now setting up my own PA and running my musicians through the board. I'm trying to understand "all the buttons" and the monitor piece was a challenge. Your videos are so clear - thank you.
Kimberly Mchale You're welcome, it's great that you're getting into doing your own sound. In my experience women are often better sound engineers than men once they master the technical side of things - they are better at multi-tasking and often better at artist relations ;) All the best with your music!
GLB is the best information on UA-cam when it comes to audio information (GLB Productions is the best!)
- Yes, I'm pretty sure you are exactly right on that. However it does mean that if your monitors start to feed back you cannot use the channel EQ to correct it, so you will need some other form of EQ for your monitors, eg a graphic EQ on each monitor send, before the power amplifier.
There way too many wanna be's who don't know how to explain this process and they fail miserably.
That's why I came here to your channel.
Love the way how you explain the difference between each section of the console and what they're used for.
It's makes a huge difference in setting up musicians monitors and monitors for the sound man.
Educational and easy to learn.
Thank You Very Much! I'll use this video for any references in terms of learning to setting up all my monitors.
Great to hear from you, really appreciate the positive feedback! Let me know if you have questions about any aspect of live sound in the future :)
I've A Question...
Does The Same Apply To Smaller Mixer Boards?
Yes, the only difference being that on smaller board you have to be more selective about what you send to the monitors - with fewer mixes there is a high chance that several people are sharing the same mix so there's less room for customisation.
Yes Sir, I agree with that and that it becomes even more difficult when musicians of a lower caliber experience want to hear themselves when all they can really hear is some type of garbled noise. - Thank You Kindly.
I can't believe how many videos I've watched without getting a clear idea on how monitor mixing works, when you make it so easy... This tutorial is just GREAT. Thanks so much! @Ariel Tamasi ....you finally got the same problem as mysel -.- maybe 60 videos i showed until now . and NOW I GOT IT!!!!!!!!!! Thanks GLB PRODUCTION
Wow, 60 videos that's incredible... Glad you understand the concept now!
As a sound engineer tutor I would recommend this video to my students. Very clear description of foldback for any setting.
+Fitzjames Wood Thank you! I see you still use the old BBC term 'foldback' - it's interesting that if you said that in my part of the world people would think you were talking about origami ;)
Yes, some quaint terms we british engineers still use.
I appreciate the breaking down of the material you gave. I understood every bit of it and learned a lot. Thanks!!!
- Thanks for watching, great to hear from you!
- You're welcome, glad it was helpful. Yes, you need at least one amplifier channel per aux output. Most amplifiers have more than one channel so it's best to think in terms of amplifier channels. Also, depending on the number of monitor speakers you have, you may need more than one amplifier channel. For example, if aux 1 is being sent to four monitor speakers, you may need two amplifier channels just for that aux.
No, you cannot use an adaptor to combine signals, only to split them! The simplest solution is to use only one of the control room outputs, either left or right. If you need to hear a stereo signal then you will need to use two monitor wedges, or a monitor which can accept a stereo signal and then convert it to mono. Which make and model of monitor are you using?
- Thanks. How do you route your signal from your mixer to the speakers? In particular are you sending a fullrange signal to the subs, and do you use a crossover? In addition, what are the acoustics of the venue like? Are there hard or soft surfaces around the stage?
I do not have any such extensive set up being a Karaoke singer that I'm with my Bose's L1 Model II with Tascam M164UF mixer and I'm not a SOUND ENGINEER; but I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed this video presentation giving detailed insight into what each button entails.
Excellent job Bruno! Please keep it coming!
Thanks!
- You're most welcome. We all have our own level of doing sound and although your equipment may be simple what counts is that you get good sound! All the best with your music!
I love your videos, watch them all the times as a reference. Put in simple, plain words, most informative and useful, they do help a lot!
Regards from Russia.
You're welcome Alex, thanks for watching 😊
I am new to all of this, but this video, specifically a little before 6:37 literally blew my mind!!! I was so confused before but this helped so much! Praise Jesus!
Great to hear that, thanks for watching 😊
- I see, what do you mean by the sound is 'not coming so good'? Too soft? Distorted? How are you connecting the dj mixer to your Mackie? What input and output connectors are you using, and what cables?
You are my go to guy for live sound! I do our bands sound on stage and it is scary but listening to your tutorials are helping immensely! Many thanks Bruno!
+Dangerpass You're most welcome, the best way to improve is to get out there and mix! Yes you'll make mistakes but that's part of the learning process. All the best with your music, and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
- You're very welcome. If the output of your mixer is balanced (which is the case with all modern mixers) then the connector at the mixer end should be a TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) balanced connector. Your mixer user manual should make clear whether the mixer's aux outputs are balanced or unbalanced.
The clarity in your explanation is amazing.
Even though this video is based on analog board controls, the concept of utilizing floor monitors is the same, even in a digital world. I just ordered the Allen & Heath QU-16 digital mixer for my band and I look forward to applying the principles learned in your video(s) to the band mix. We were great before - now we're moving into AWESOME - thanks to you!
Yes, the principles are the same - the only difference is that you use the faders to route the signals to the monitors rather than a dedicated knob on each channel. All the best with your music!
- If you like Mackie gear, the SRM150 is a great little monitor - it's tiny, but because it can be placed on a mic stand you can get it really close to you at your ear level. It has two mono and one stereo inputs so you also have great versatility.
- Thanks for the feedback - the easiest way would be to use one of the UA-cam downloading softwares available online. Just google 'UA-cam downloader'.
- Ok this is a really good question! Under ideal circumstances, pre-recorded content should be sent to the monitors via a post-fade aux send, so that when you pull the channel fader down the monitors fade out as well. Some mixers allows you to change the setting of the aux bus on the individual channels, which is ideal.
If this is not available, I will use two hands to do the fade - one pulls down the fader and another one turns down the aux send knob.
- You're welcome, glad it was helpful! I do believe that the best live sound engineers are musicians themselves. All the best.
Great tutorial Bruno, that was the clearest and most useful video guide I have ever watched on this subject! You managed to get over all the basics of how to set up the stage monitor mix in one easy lesson and without confusing me. i look forward to watching your other videos. Many thanks
that was the best teaching I have heard in a long while .Gods speed and thank you so much
You're welcome, God Bless you too!
I just found this whilst trying to understand PA systems/mixers before buying one. Excellent and concise content; most informative!
Johnathan Ashton Thanks for watching!
I glad to have come in contact with this page more grace.
You made the point of "pre" and "post" for the aux channels very clear. Opened my eyes! Thanks!
Yes this is vital to understand - thanks for watching!
- Thanks for the question! Could I first ask - what sort of feedback are you getting? Is it the low-frequency 'groaning and moaning' type feedback or the shrill high-frequency feedback? Also, where are your house speakers in relation to the mics?
- Thank you, and thanks for watching!
- Yes you are correct - you connect the aux output of the mixer to the input of your power amplifier, sometimes with a graphic equaliser in between. If you are using powered monitor speakers you connect to the input of the powered speaker. Will add your request to the list, thanks for the feedback :)
Bruno your videos are fantastic my friend. I'm in the process of learning a sound board and helping my sons band. These tutorials you have are explained extremely well and easy to comprehend. Their board is an analog board but much smaller. It only has the 1 auxiliary send so the monitors are daisy chained and when I dial in one persons monitor level it effects each monitor the same. I couldn't figure out how to separate them out but now understand why. Thank you for your time and teachings. Take care and God Bless.
- You're most welcome, helping people is why I started the channel in the first place :)
With only one monitor send I suggest you restrict it to vocals only - any instruments in there and you'll have a volume war going on!
Let me know if you have any other questions, always happy to help if I can.
- I think you may be confusing subgroups and aux sends. When mixing monitors, treat each aux send (monitor mix) as a person, and ask yourself, "What does this person need to hear?" So for example, if you know that aux 1 goes to your lead singer, ask yourself what they need to hear, and turn up the aux 1 knobs on the relevant channels. Does that help?
- You're most welcome, thanks for watching!
- Ok I understand. One final question - do you use the mixer's internal effects, or an external effects unit? I'm trying to determine if you are using the aux 2 output on your DFX 12.
- Ah I see. On the Mackie 1604 aux sends 3&4 are fixed post fader, so in order to get signal from the aux outputs the channel fader needs to be up and the channel must not be muted. It is also possible that the '5/6 shift' button has been pressed accidentally on the channel, which routes the signal to the aux 5 and 6 outputs instead of the 3 and 4 outputs.
- Exactly, your mixer has what are called discrete send and return jacks for the channel inserts as opposed to a single jack that combines send and return. That is usually the mark of a higher-end unit. On the mon, aux 1, aux 2, I would need to take a closer look - what is the make and model of your mixer please?
Great explanation. I came back to watch this again. I'm an electric bass player in church/sound Man on occasions. This was very helpful in clarifying particulars in a monitor mix. Thanks Bruno.
You're welcome Marco, all the best with your music!
Finally someone who knows how to do an instructional video, great job mate! I have a home studio and do a lot of mixing for recording projects but very little live mixing. I just started running live sound for my brother in laws project. Although i am getting good mixes i am not as informed as i should be, hence the reason i landed here. Thank you for great info!
You're most welcome Craig, let me know if you ever need any help or advice with your live sound :)
- You're welcome, thanks for watching :)
- Hi John, nice to hear from you again. To begin with I would suggest trying to run your monitors with no EQ - it's not ideal but it certainly can be done and is often perfectly adequate for lower-volume situations. Do you already have an outboard EQ that you are planning to integrate into your system?
Older content still relevant today thanks a lot for your time and effort hope all is well with you. Most people still use analog gear this was very useful and helpful thank you.
Thanks for watching Max! Yes there will always be a place for analog gear in the pro audio world.
Very well explained. Thank you! And I must say that it's easy to understand because you're speaking "slowly" with clear breaks between sentences. Not babbling on with "eeh" and "uhm" between every word (like in every other video here on youtube) :)
This taught me more than a 2 hr lecture at college did. Thanks man!
You're welcome, glad you learned a lot!
- Yes it sounds like they are definitely reversed - I suggest that you check the wiring from the mixer to the amps, and then from the monitor amp to the monitors themselves to see which amp channel is powering which speaker. Many church setups have very confused wiring which need to be sorted out before the system can be used effectively.
I agree with others here. Your explanations are some of the best I've seen. Concise, direct, and you make sense of it all. Thank you.
You're welcome, thanks for watching.
10 years later, best explanation I seen on aux mixes.
Thanks for watching, I'm glad the video is still current when it comes to the basic concepts.
- You're welcome. You would connect the monitors to the auxiliary outputs of the mixer.
I have the Mackie CFX 16 that I got used I never really new how to operated until I started watching your lessons, thank you, you are very informative and very and precise, thanks again
You're welcome, nothing pleases me more than hearing about people making full use of their gear :)
Having problems listening to myself during live performances, this is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much!
You're welcome Sarath!
- Good question, thank you for asking. This video is more about setting up a monitor mix as opposed to troubleshooting and problem solving. The causes and prevention of feedback will be discussed in a future video, so stay tuned!
- You're welcome, thanks for watching. Just remember when confronting these large mixers that once you understand how one channel works you understand how every channel works. All the best with your music!
Thank you for explaining all the terminology with examples, and for repeating the main points. The text pointers are very helpful as well.
This has really dimystified the mixing board at least in a broad sense! Very clear and detailed explanation! Thanks!
+Joaquin Castillo You're welcome, really glad to hear that!
Your videos are simple but very in depth and complete! Thank you for your effort. I have ran sound in played in b ands for many years and this was a great guide.
- You're most welcome, thanks for watching! It's good that you play an instrument as well as do sound, important to have both perspectives!
- Wow what a great old vintage board! Any idea when it was made? So wonderful that these units are still making music!
I took a look at the online spec sheet, and apparently the 'mon' connector is pre-fader, pre-EQ. Aux 1 is post-EQ, pre-fader, and aux 2 is pot-EQ, post-fader. So you could use either 'mon' or aux 1 as a monitor send - if you use 'mon' bear in mind that any EQ changes you make on the mixer will not affect the sound in the monitors.
You've got a real gem there, look after it!
Years later and still making use of these tutorials. Thanks so much
You're welcome, glad the video was helpful :)
What a great tutorial !thanks for the help.As a hobby musician with a simple home studio I often play venues without the advantage of a regular sound engineer, and get asked to help with the sound. So understanding how monitor mixes work and the limitations of some house systems is a great advantage. again thank you
Tim Scott Yes, when working at smaller venues you often need to be performer, front and house and monitor engineer all rolled into one, so it really helps to have at least a basic knowledge of how a mixing console works and how signals are routed. All the best with your music!
- Thanks for watching!
- I think you may be confusing monitors and aux sends. How many physical monitor speakers do you have on stage, and how are they wired?
I totally agree Bruno we have very old Yorkville passive loud speakers with an equally old Mos-Fet 260 watt amp. The thing is when you buy a mixing console, the only thing you get as a user manual is just a bunch of diagrams telling you what you can or can not do, but no explanation ever on how to patch the wires, use the EQs and so on. Sound mixing is really a craft. I learn a little at a time but i'll never be a sound engineer that's for sure :-)
2. Reduce bass as much as possible - if you are running subs turn them down or even off and see if it improves things.
3. Reduce the number of speakers as much as possible - the more speakers you have the more they will excite the room.
Hope this helps, let me know how it turns out!
This is the best thing a church has ever done for me.
Glad to be of service ;)
Or anyone.
- That would be the ideal situation :) Unfortunately on the smaller mixers without a matrix you are often stuck with one of the other - a notable exception would be the Allen and Heath Mix Wizard boards, on which the aux sends on the *individual* channels are switchable pre or post fader. It's a lot of switches, but gives wonderful flexibility.
- If you are monitoring on headphones, you would connect the auxiliary output to the input of your headphone amplifier. If you are monitoring in stereo, you will need to use two auxiliary outputs, one for the left and one for the right channel.
Thanx for all the info and help, we had a awesome practise last night ,with the monitors set at 9 and the desk aux master fades set at between 12 and 2 the sound was best its ever been ,God Bless
- That's wonderful news, thanks for the update! Amazing how much difference a little bit of adjustment can make! Hope the music on Sunday goes well too and that you and your congregation are blessed!
- Hi David, is your mixer the Alesis Multimix 6 FX? If so you can use the control room outputs as your monitor send - this will give you a duplicate of the main mix.
- Ok, based on what you have told me, I suspect that there is excessive low frequency information in your system that is finding it's way back into your mics. 2 x 15 cabs produce a lot of low end, and you are also running 18" subs which makes the issue worse. These frequencies are relatively omnidirectional, so even if the speakers are in front of the mics the sound is still getting into them and causing feedback.
more than enough to support the vocals.
5. Keep the pan controls on your laptop channels in the centre - this will send the music to both the tops and the subs.
6. Patch your graphic EQ into the send to the tops, and cut all the frequencies below 80Hz. If this make the voices sound too thin, try cutting less, or bringing back some of the lower frequencies. You may also need to cut around 250-400Hz depending on the room.
- Is your power amp made by Peak Audio? I'm afraid I need to know the exact make and model number of your speakers - this can usually be found on the back panel or on the outside of the box eg Mackie SRM450, Mackie SRM1801 etc. This will allow me to look up the specs on the internet. Thanks.
never had a chance to use as big as this mixer... em always fascinated and intimidated with this monsters.... thank you for such infos very well explained a huge help for newbies like me sir... gobless you...
Tks. for your help first of all. This is somewhat new for me. Well, two monitors on stage and I've been unable to adjust them independently. I will probably visit this week when I have time to spend a coupel hrs on it. Not sure if monitors are in the board correctly and I'm suspicious the monitors and house speakers may be reversed. With aux controls all the way down, stage monitors still have sound and are controlled only by the sliders.
Vince
- Great question - are you using the PA system just for vocals with separate amps for the instruments, or are you putting everything through the PA system?
- You're welcome. I realise that the majority of people are visual learners so put in the text to reinforce what I was saying. All the best with your music!
Thank you. I appreciate your expertise. Voice and instructions are very clear and not rushed. Best
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
the best explanation of stage monitoring. Wish I found you before.
Welcome to the channel!