Just wanted to chime in as a vocalist, and a producer that records many different vocalists, many vocalists actually do like singing with compression on in their headphones. I personally sing my best with heavy compression. It’s best to ask the singer what they prefer, and try with/without and see which they perform better under. Thanks for these videos, they’re very helpful! Been looking into getting an IEM rack for my band.
Yes, when the singer knows what they want, and the tech understands what he or she is doing and the signal flow, it's possible to use compression in the monitors. The problem comes in when the singer isn't really familiar with singing into compression vs just needing more or less level, and the tech is dialing or over dialing for FOH sound without realizing the talent is getting that same compression in the mons. Of course mixing with a sep monitor console alleviates that issue quickly. I always feel I need to warn people about that because a lot of people just starting out don't think of all the aspects of the signal chain and signal flow. Nor are people just starting out, or who don't do this fulltime (like some church volunteers for example), likely working with talent that is all that experienced either. Always a bit of a balancing act.
You can actually have 5 stereo in ear mixes on here. 3 from the aux buses, 1 from the main left + right and 1 from the headphone output. We have access to routing so you should be able to route the main left right outputs to a seperate bus and still use ultranet for running your mains. You can route the headphone jack to one of the fx buses as well for more control, you could even rename your fx bus to be the same colour and naming convention as your aux buses🙂
Excellent videos, Alan! Question: this video focuses on not providing any signals to FOH via Main L and R. What if you have a mix of IEM AND sends to FOH? Our current XR18 setup for live purposes will be pretty simple for the time being, but may evolve towards a full IEM rig. For now, only I will be using the XR18 (as a drummer). The channel config will be: 1) kick, 2) monitor mix L from FOH, 3) monitor mix R from FOH, 16) click track from USB, 17/18) Backing tracks from USB. BUS1+2 will be my stereo IEM with channels 1, 2, 3 , 16 and 17/18 active. MAIN L+R will only be for 17/18 to serve FOH with backing tracks. I am quite new to the XR18 and also the whole routing lingo, hehe. Channel 17/18 will not have any gate/eq./comp or FX for obvious reasons. What should I do about channel 17/18? Just bring up the fader for both MAIN LR AND for BUS1+2? Or am I complicating things?
Heh... I've read this a few times, and I still haven't figured out what you're doing enough to answer the question ;) So the XR18 is being used as a monitor board, but it's also being used as an audio interface and handling USB audio in for tracks and click? But... you're also taking a feed from FOH to foldback the FOH mix into your monitors? That's kind of odd so I don't know if I'm following that right or not. Is there a full band and the tracks are supplemental, or are the tracks the actual 'band in a box' and it's just you or you and a bandmate or two as far as playing/singing live? If there's a full band, which I kind of think that's what you're saying since you mentioned you're playing drums and there are others on monitors, then are your channels (drums, vocals, guitars, etc) not going to the XR18 for your monitors? I'm trying to understand but I'm lost... either I'm not understanding, or you're doing things really differently from the norm. And actually, in either case, I still don't think I understand ;)
@@AlanHamiltonAudio i THINK i have an idea what Empiricist is talking about. i'm a drummer using an MR18 in a similar way. inputs 1-12 are drums (i have a large kit i'm submixing down to 4 outputs), vox on 14, RETURN monitoring from the other band members "downstream" of my rig on 15, and the click from my DAW returning via USB on 16. i have 3 stereo usb returns from my daw on FX 2-4 for electronic drums, keys, and effects for material sent from the MR to the DAW. the USB sends from the MR are routed from each input channel to channels in the DAW so i can process them and send back that material to be mixed in. aux/bus outputs are 1 kick, 2 snare, 3-4 stereo drums (including drum FX and samples returning form the daw), 5 vox, and 6 my IEM. my master LR is sending everything else from the DAW such as keys, backing tracks, and any stereo delay type effects my vox may need. this gives FOH plenty of flexibility in mixing my mix to the room, and adding FX as they like. FX 1 on the MR is dedicated for my IEM so i can have a global reverb send for my snare/toms and vox to hear for my own edification if i'm not using the computer for any reason. it's not sent out to anything but my IEM, and FOH can still deal with how they want to apply FX. i won't get into the weeds with my DAW setup, other than i'm using Reaper which is made for the kind of things i'm trying to accomplish, but i am able to use it both as an effects processor for my MR inputs, as well as playback of tracks and virtual instruments. those are the things i'm sending back to the MR via the USB returns placed on the inputs of FX 2-4 which i then assign to the busses as described above. what's nifty is that i'm also controlling the MR via midi from the DAW to engage mutes and such so that i can use the DAW not only as a send effect, but an an insert effect. say i want a section where my voice is running through autotune. i will send a command to mute the channel on the MR, but it's still being fed to the DAW, so that signal is processed in the DAW and sent to my vocal FX return channel on the MR which is then send to my vocal bus or my master channel, depending on if stereo is needed or not. as mentioned before, input 15 is a return from "downstream" and is routed only to my IEM. i am plugging my MR into the band's mixer using only 7 channels instead of the many, many i am running. i still need to hear their guitars, vocals, or whatever. so, via whatever bus they would normally send my IEM mix, i take the lead an put it in 15. i ONLY take the stuff i don't already have running in my ears such as my drums, my vox, click, keys, etc, and i can control that mix with my phone being connected to THEIR system. in the case i'm running instead to a FOH system with monitor controls, etc, i'll just take a monitor mix back from them with the same things... no drums, keys, or my own vox. this setup has proved flexible in another way.... one band i'm playing with wants EVERYBODY to get the click (annoying), but they provided me with mono backing tracks, so in the DAW, i make sure the keys/tracks/whatever are all hard paned to the left, and the click hard panned to the right, and sent through the same returns to the same outputs. this way, they have two isolated tracks that i can independently control the volume of from the DAW. using the stereo return in the way i am, there's no independent way in the MR to balance the two, but the DAW takes care of that easily. oh, and as for those FX 2-4? i assign the internal precision limiter FX to certain output busses via the "insert" selection, just to make sure i never cross any lines. i don't need to do this with my main LR because the limiting is already happening in my DAW, but the inputs that are remaining local to the MR and being sent to busses MAY have a peak here and there, and this protects from those. gotta love rim shots ;-) i THINK that's something like he's trying to accomplish, and i can report that the MR/XR seems to do this wonderfully, if not intuitively.
Hello Alan, thank you so much for all the videos regarding the XR18...Could you please do a little tut on HOW to turn the main outs into a 4th pair of stereo IEM and how to control them with a tablet/mobile? I use the X Air edit software on PC and Mixing Station on my Android devices but cannot really figure how to set it up right :-/ Thanks in advance and keep up the good work!
Great video! I'm currently using the Behringer P2 which does not have a built-in limiter. Can you share some compression/limiter settings and which might be the better effect choice on the XR18 so I can have a brick will limiter on my IEM bus?
I haven't used the Precision Limiter as much as just using the compressor. For the regular built in bus comp I'd do at least 10:1... but if you're really wanting brick wall then I'd max the ratio out which I think is like 100:1 on the XR compressor. Fast attack... although you could try the auto setting. Then just adjust the threshold so that normal settings are not into the compressor at all, but adjust it so that as soon as you reach 'too loud' the compressor is clamping on. If you set the threshold too tight then you'll notice normal dynamics hitting the compression too soon, which might mess with your vocals since that is likely the loudest part. Though if you have heavy bass or drums in your mix, then low notes or the kick might use up some of your headroom and get you into compression sooner than you want. As for the knee, for brickwall stuff you probably want it hard knee... though for the 100:1 setting, even soft knee settings are pretty hard.
Is there a way to get 2 more outputs in mono from the Main LR, instead of one additional stereo mix? I have an XR12 and the only XLR outputs are the mains. The unit will only be used by our two singers and I want to give them their individual mix, of course, but I am reluctant to use the TRS aux 1+2 to send to the IEM unit. TIA! Love your videos!
i have a similar question/issue. i am currently experimenting with using the main L and R outs as separate "outputs" by hard panning the things i'm feeding it. this is working with my setup so far as the outputs are dedicated to outputting material from my daw, inside of which i am able to manage individual levels and panning so as to isolate the channels. i assume the same can be done internally in the XR. the only thing i may be concerned with is FX bleed through if you're applying that.
Hello, Alan! I have an incredibly rookie question to ask you about the XR18. Is this mixer controllable using a Windows-based PC or laptop? I'm new to the Behringer line of digital mixers, and everything I've read about it as well as my Sweetwater rep. said that it's iPad-controllable only. However, I can see you're using something Windows-based in the video, and I also see that Behringer has the X-Air software for Windows. I've probably already answered my question for myself, but I really want to make sure before I sink $750 into buying the mixer only to find out that I also need an iPad. I run sound for my band, and we plan on using the XR18 for our IEM rig and for FOH whenever necessary. Thanks for your help!
I'm using a Windows PC running X-Air Edit in the video. But you can also run Android... as well a Apple products. I use Mixing Station on my Android devices. The paid version of Mixing Station is like US$5.00 and works on Androids and Ipads... and PC too... and probably others. I bet the Sweetwater rep was just using "iPad" as a generic term since the X-Air doesn't have a surface and requires SOME kind of device to control it. Or maybe he'd heard iPad as a generic term and took it literally and is now mistaken and repeating that?
This video talks about how you would build out a system to use the XR18 as a dedicated monitor console and connect it with any FOH console you come across- ua-cam.com/video/xT9gTBFxvZk/v-deo.html Of course the FOH console needs to have enough channels to accommodate your band and what you're sending from the the XR18. IOW, if you're using all 16 mic inputs on the XR18 then the FOH console also needs at least 16 channels. But, if your band only uses (for example) 10 channels on the XR18 then the FOH console then would only need 10 or more channels itself to accommodate your band/group.
I don't think there'd be a very practical way. It could be set to listen to the existing mixes... But they already have outputs. To expand beyond a 4th stereo mix from a dedicated XR18 as a monitor console, probably the only real practical thing to look into would be via Ultranet and using P16's.
Do you use this for live shows as FOH AND IEM MONS combined mixer with laptop for USB digital recording and playback backing tracks, or only the IEM MONS with a split snake to a large traditional FOH desk?
This setup is mainly focused on the settings you'd use for using the XR18 with a split snake and separate FOH desk. There are a couple of videos on the channel that talk about using the XR18 as the FOH mixer and also doing FOH... and a video about stream mixing too. This video is a channel walk-thru and touches on monitor setup as part of that: ua-cam.com/video/xPsSPK6RKzU/v-deo.html This video is specifically about monitor settings and talks about mons from FOH: ua-cam.com/video/5gzsEErKdb8/v-deo.html Streaming video guide (OBS): ua-cam.com/video/aNlBOOhWbZw/v-deo.html There are some other videos on the channel that touch on this... and also videos for the X32. Those above are probably the most to the point for mons from FOH on the XR18 itself...
I know it was mentioned (maybe in one of your other videos), but Behringer's documentation states that it can have only allow 4 devices to connect to the Xr18. If I am using an EXTERNAL router, can I have all 6 members of the band use devices (phone or tablet) to connect wirelessly to control their own in-ear monitoring? Just curious on how I can connect more than 4 devices for IEM.
It shouldn't be a problem for all of the band to be connected. At least on an external router, I wouldn't trust any members to be able to connect to the built in wifi once you're onstage at a gig. This article talks about router limits: www.techadvisor.com/article/742761/how-many-devices-can-connect-to-a-router-at-the-same-time.html
I hope you can answer this Alan, I am using an x18 as the mixer in my band, I use a powered monitor for our monitor and I run a mono bus send to this. The problem I have is that when I adjust a vocal send level to the monitor the effects are not adjusted along with it ,so for example if I lower the volume of the vocalist on her monitor send fader, the volume of her reverb stays at the same level. I have tried every combination of tap points that I can think of but cannot get the effects level to reduce or increase in balance with the fader level. Thanks for your excellent channel, and greetings from the UK
I'm trying to think of a workaround, and I'm drawing a blank. I don't think there's a better way than just knowing if you turn her mon send down 3dB that you have to turn down her FX send or return 3dB (depending on how you're configuring things). I keep thinking there might be a way to utilize a DCA, since DCAs can be applied to the bus (main) outs as well as channels... but I'm not thinking of anything.
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Thanks for getting back to me, at least I now know that I am not just doing something wrong! I also considered trying a DCA but couldn’t find a configuration that didn’t alter the reverb send on the FOH mix!. I am trying to do the mixing at the same time as playing guitar and singing harmonies which can be quite taxing at times so I was hoping for a simple fix. I guess we can’t have everything, it is still a great piece of kit for the money.
How do you SIMPLY send the XR18's FX and EQ to a DAW along WITH the dry signal for each track? Our XR18's mix sounds perfect LIVE, and that's exactly what I want the computer to record! I DON'T want to add FX and EX to the tracks in the DAW later!
Thanks Alan! When using XR18 for a dedicated in ear mixing console, you mention the tap points being pre-fader (and using the main LR as another stereo out)... does that mean that the main channel faders don't really have a purpose, and all the volume levels come from the sends themselves?
Yes... If you want to steal an extra mix beyond the normal 6 XLR outs, then doing that would mean the channel faders do nothing for the 6 channel (mon) sends. So you then can use the channel faders to create another stage mix... even a stereo stage mix since it's a L-R bus that is available. Honestly, it's really just the same concept as if you were using the XR18 as your FOH console with 6 normal monitor mixes from FOH, and then your L-R house feed for your mains. You wouldn't want the channel faders changing your monitor mixes as the FOH person was mixing the show. So, for a dedicated monitor console, you can do the same thing and just free that L-R bus up to be another monitor mix.
Excellent video Alan, your videos have been so helpful getting my IEM rig setup! We are running our XR18 as a dedicated IEM rack (using a splitter prior to the inputs) but occasionally will use it as our own FOH console for shows where we bring our own PA.
Thank you very much for all ur videos, allan... It so helping us. I have one question, hope u will answer. How can i combine my xr18 as dedicated as a monitor mixer and xr18 dedicated as a FOH mixer?🙏🙏 Thanks allan 😀
i have learned so much thank you! is there a way to monitor the inputs on the headphone way? i have my backing tracks on USB out 17/18 and under headphone i have selected monitoring headphones out. unfortunately i have not managed to route the inputs 1-6 to 17/18/monitor as well so that my drummer also has the live instruments in his ears.
I'm not actually following... Could you not leave the headphones set to "monitor" and just solo channel 17 and 18 to hear them? And solo any other channels too if you want to hear more than just 17 and 18?
@@AlanHamiltonAudio So my main left and right goes to FOH with the backing track without clicktrack. and my headphone out to which I have routed USB out 17/18, goes with backing track and clicktrack to the ear of the drummer. the easiest solution would be to use an aux out for the drummer, but i wanted to keep the aux out free for the other monitoring systems :) Thanks for your help.
@@Okeoma_Obinna The FOH console would get its feed from an analog splitter. Like what is installed in the rack in this video (linked below). There are a few different versions of analog splitters, which the video addresses. Essentially, each mic onstage is split to 2 consoles. The monitor console and the FOH console. The monitor console sets up the monitor mixes, with everything being independent of FOH. The FOH console sets up the FOH mix, with everything independent of the monitor. No gain or anything else is shared. The only thing shared is the mics themselves. But, since they plug into a splitter that splits their feed, the FOH console and Mon console can do whatever they need without compromising for the other position. ua-cam.com/video/xT9gTBFxvZk/v-deo.html
Great video! I want to use my Behringer P2 in stereo. Can I make a Y adaptor with two female XLR and one male XLR or do I need to convert both balanced XLR signals to unbalanced with transformers first? The Y adaptor = Left XLRF pin 2(hot) goes to XLRM pin 2 Right XLRF pin 2(hot) goes to XLRM pin 3 Left AND Right XLRF pin 1(shield) & pin 3(cold) to XLRM pin 1
@@darrylday30been trying the same but didn’t work, does P2 need TRS connection on its end instead of xlr? i.e 2 xlr female to 1 trs? I have Y connector but it didn’t work.
THANK YOU FOR THIS. Not only for Xair info, but for adding the Mixing Station info as that's my preferred app. One question- if you are doing this for a band's monitors and leaving the main mix to the house system and their sound guy- Would the gain structure that I'm setting only be for the monitors, OR would it affect both the monitors and the FOH? So would I set one gain structure for the monitors, and then would the FOH guy set his own? Might be a dopey question, sorry.
When connected with a splitter or split snake, the consoles are 100% independent. So you can set your gain without any impact on FOH or vice versa. That's one of the benefits of an analog split on the Behringer platform- No gain sharing! :)
Hey Alan, I am in the drummer in my band and we are using the XR18 solely for in ear monitor system. I am setting every pre fader so that I as the drummer can use the master faders as my own dedicated stereo in ear mix. I simply run a 25 foot headphone extension cable from the phones out of the XR18 to my drum throne. Wondering...am I missing anything in this setup? I know some folks will use the Aux outs into a Behringer PM1 and run their headphones off that, but that should be the basically the same audio signal right? and I am not spending hundreds of dollars on that setup... is there any downfall to my approach of just using phones out?
If I can give you my humble advice as a drummer, get a Behringer P1 or a Donner EM2... they don't cost much, but they are very useful in these cases. From your personal aux you'll go to the input or both LR inputs with a balanced xlr into these HP amplifier. You have the general volume knob, the mono/stereo button depending on your needs and another knob for blending the two channels volume, useful for example if in one of the two inputs you have the click/backing tracks and in the other the band mix . Instead of having a 25 foot cable coming straight out of the mixer. Cheers!
@@Axeltab yeah, I have thought about it but at the end of the day if I have to run XLR’s to my drum stool or a long headphone, cable is sort of the same thing
It kind of depends on how many tracks. A click and a mono track could be done with either USB or the headphone out into a stereo DI. Several tracks could be done via USB. If you've got several tracks, already level mixed inside a DAW and only need mono, you could still do the DI method... That would just about about routing in the DAW to pan tracks left and click right, and then connect them to the system. And USB works for just two tracks as well. Just route music to one side and click to the other in the DAW and assign the L-R outs of the DAW to two USB channels in the mixer. If you want to send several tracks to the sound system and let the house mix them, then USB still works for that. BUT, you have to burn channels. You have a maximum of 18 inputs on the XR18. And the two aux inputs are hard wired stereo inputs, so they won't work as click and track inputs because you can't separate the two linked aux channels in the monitor sends on those two aux channels. IOW, the band AND the trax needs to fit on the standard input limitations of the XR18. If you're using the XR18 as a dedicated monitor console, and splitting to FOH via an analog split, it might be best to use your DAW computer with another USB interface, or even another XR18, so you can split the outputs from there to your mon console and the house console. As long as there's enough outputs on the USB interface to handle the number of track outputs you want to send separate to the mons and house. The Reaper to XR18 video talks about USB routing, and virtual soundcheck type of things... and that's essentially the same concept as feeding trax to a the console via USB from the DAW: ua-cam.com/video/xYmJGyroVe0/v-deo.html
I have a question when using MX-Q for iems. Band members can move faders to adjust thier personal iem mix but as soon as they remove thier finger from fader the fader goes back to its original position?
Any suggestions on settings to use the bus compressor as a limiter for IEMs? Seems like a good option for a little more control over the limiting, which is very basic even on some of the more expensive IEM systems. I know it’s a high (100%) ratio and mix (also 100%), just not certain about threshold, attack, hold, and release parameters. Also not sure if the “knee” setting matters much at those extremes. Thanks!
High ratio... 10:1 at least... 20:1 better. Fast attack. Fast release. Minimal hold. Since you want it for protection limiting, you want it to act fast, and get out of limiting quickly when the moment has passed. If you're constantly banging into the limiting, then you'll get 'pumping' and a longer release might make that more natural sounding... BUT... If you're constantly into limiting, something is probably wrong somewhere. Either your threshold is too low, or your transmitter and/or beltpacks are too low. Or your earbuds are not sealing well, or are too weak sonically. IOW, 'something' is wrong, because the IEMS should be plenty loud enough for a normal gig to never really hit the limiter unless something unusual happens... and THEN the limiter should be there to catch it. But under normal circumstances, normal singing, normal playing, you should be under the limiter threshold. And also under clipping at all points too.
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Thanks so much for the detailed reply. This is exactly how I set it instinctively, just following the logic of compression, so I’m glad to be validated. Should reduction be around -12dB? That’s where I have it currently.
@@Allthewrongkeys821 I figured out Mixing Station though and it works like a charm. I'm just glad there was something I could use. I'm also super new to sound, so a big part of my issues was operator error, but the only thing that didn't work on X AIR was the setup button. Unfortunately, it's an important button
So I set my gain input to average around -18 on every channel I’m using… is that an adjustment I’ll have to make at every show providing I’m using the same instruments, mics, band, etc? Or with the software keep it there and then I can just adjust the faders as need be provided the space we’re in? Also, I hear so much about “faders to unity.” If my gain is at -18 avg, I then set my Mains to unity, then adjust each individual channel as desired for volume? Is that the order of operations?
The XR18 will remember your gain settings... so if you use the same amp level, same mics, same drums/drummer, the gains should stay consistent. And if you DO turn your guitar amp up for example (making the gain hotter into the mixer) it's easy enough to readjust the gain on just that channel AND that means when the meter reads what it did before you turned the amp up, all the mixes are now back to the same levels they were even though you turned your amp up. So that one knob gets everything back as long as you are consistent with your gain staging. Otherwise, the XR will be remembering those settings so if you don't change your source, there should be no reason to need to readdress gain. I would only worry about the channel faders being AROUND unity... give or take 3-5dB or so... and maybe even -10dB in some cases. They definitely don't need to be in a straight line at exactly unity. Once the gain is right, averaging -18dBFS and peaking a bit higher, then the channel faders need to be where your ears tell you they need to be for the mix. CAVEAT: That said, if you can't get the faders to unity, like say your vocal channel, without it being WAY too loud, or screaming feedback... that is a clear sign gain structure is wrong after the channel or (more likely) after the mixer. The quick fix is pulling the master fader back so that the channel faders can ride in the neighborhood of unity. The better fix is figuring out where the gain staging is going off the rails and adjusting it down there. Turning amps or speakers down might be the next best fix for that issue. The input meter gives you the ability to see your input level and to know it's right. A lot of people do it backwards and choke their gains back, changing the one thing that was definitely right, to fix a problem downstream, trying to fix it from the wrong end of things. In a perfect world, your master fader would ride around unity giving you room to turn up or down the overall mix. Like maybe soundcheck with it at unity (once any gain staging issues are fixed), then bring it back down 3-6dB for early show level if you don't want to go full assault mode on the first song ;)
Hi Alan, For in ear mixing, should I avoid putting compression on the vocalist? I read that its bad to compress as they may overcompensate and blow their voice out. I was confused if I should just turn off compression on their vocal mic channel, or change the tap point to be post-eq (that way it would be compressed in everyone else's mix?) Can you help?
The easy answer is to say "no EQ on the vocal" in the monitors. But we can look at that a bit deeper. Some light compression might be perfectly fine, but it's a place to tread carefully. How much is too much can be a moving target. Generally, what works for FOH compression as an ideal setting does NOT work AT ALL for vocal compression in the monitors. That's why monitors from FOH can lead to problems when compression is being used and tap points and/or signal flow is not being considered. So if there's any question about how much is too much, or if it's needed at all, a default position of just not using it at all is probably never going to hurt you. On the other end of things... You don't generally want to defeat any built in limiting on the ear units. Not unless you're replacing that with something else. And if you're running some limiting or peak reduction on the monitor bus outputs, you're doing it for ear protection. So, you shouldn't actually be into limiting normally. Gain structure and gain staging still matters. And some or all of the reasons not to run compression on the monitors (as far as the problems it creates for a vocalist) are still there with limiting... IF you're running the mon bus outs into limiting. You can look at it this way: Compression on a vocal isn't a problem if the vocal is never hitting the threshold to kick the compressor into gain reduction in the first place. But for compression to do its job, at some point you WANT it kicking in. And that is where you start crossing the line as far as vocal compression into the monitors goes. A little goes a long way... and a lot can be terrible for a singer in their monitors/IEMs. Meanwhile, limiting, by it's nature should NOT be normally kicking in. That's why it's OK to be on and helping to be protective of a musician's hearing from accidents and the like. Not to normally be into limiting. So if you're limiting is kicking in regulary, then you're hitting something too hard in the signal chain. And besides hurting the sound the musician is hearing, it's also essentially the same issue as vocal compression for the singer (fighting their natural dynamics). I kind of went beyond the question you asked but there's the simple part, and the part a bit deeper into the signal chain. They both matter, although, if your gain structure is correct, and the musician using good earbuds, then you're probably not going to be hitting limiting anyway. But it's worth mentioning... just in case... It's easy to run into problems like the musician turning the level WAY down on their pack, then asking for more from the mixer and wrecking gains structure that way.
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Wow thank you so much. Ok - I am likely just going to turn vocal compression off for in ears. My big take aways here are - no, I am not currently using any form of limiting on the aux buses in the XR18 in my band setup. And yes, I am already in situations where musicians are starting with all wildly different volumes on in their receiver packs, and then asking for more or less of 'whatever channel' every time that we play, when it really should be set and forget (as long as the channel gain doesn't change).
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Thank you (again). Would it make sense to on the Vocal channel, set that tap point to the vocalists IEM as POST EQ (therefore no compression in their ears), but for everyone else in ear mix, the vocal channel sends can be set as Pre-Fader, so that the vocals are compressed in THEIR ears? (Drummer, guitarist, etc.)?
@@DavidMacVicar Definitely makes sense. Might not be overall worth the effort, but cannot hurt, and possibly will be liked if they have the option and you have time to test the two options. It could be a "nobody knows what they're missing... until they get to experience it" situation. But better is better, and it makes sense to try it if you're trying to get the best experience for everyone. But don't get caught up in thinking it's 100% necessary just to have a workable monitor mix either. Don't over-complicate things just because you can... but don't overlook things like this just because it's easier to skip doing it. It definitely makes sense to try if you want to go down that path of experimenting and learning what makes for the best mix in a given circumstance.
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Understood! The only thing I don't get here is your comment about it being 'worth the effort',. It is literally a single button click in the sends panel for the channel (to change the vocalists tap point).... which leads me to think I could be misunderstanding all of this! hahah
Question. I have my aux 1&2 as a dedicated step iem and I have then post eq. But I also noticed that the master aux fader 1or 2 and it's more don't do anything. I can mute it out turn the fader off and I stole get signal to my iems.. is that natural?
If I follow you correctly, it sounds like you've changed your tap point on the OUTPUT, which you don't want to do for normal uses like monitors. You DO want your CHANNEL sends to be whatever you need them to be for your particular use, but the default tap point on the OUTPUTS is for the output (fader) only. It's about where it gets tapped in relation to the XLR aux out. So, you've put the XLR output BEFORE the master aux fader. In the In/Out Routing section, Aux Out you want your monitor feed BUS to be Post Fader. I think I talk about this more in this video, which might explain it better since it has graphics/video. ua-cam.com/video/UNO-dACc7YY/v-deo.html
Hello Alan and thank you for a great channel you have been a great help. I have an XR16 connected to a HA8000 headphone amp (bahringer), I have a strange issue on AUX 4, which seems to have less output than the others (aux-1 to 3) Now I have swapped cables and outputs but it points to the port itself. Looking at the Green lights on the HA8000 on each channel, the one connected to AUX 4 does not illuminate any lights when all the others light 3 greens! So If I plug AUX4 into any of the HA8000 channels the same happened, so its the AUX4 right ? Well also when I check the meters on the bus's and inputs they are all the same, and level. Also strangely listening to each port AUX/BUS they do sound the same level, in Summary, the meters show each bus/aux at the same level, and listening it seems the same, but does not illuminate the same number of lights on the HA 8000 as the other AUX/BUS's) any ideas, its a new unit I feel I have to exchange to prove its faulty.
Have you tried swapping the cable(s) themselves? Like moving the entire cable to a working I/O combination and see if the problem follows the cable itself? IOW, does the cable you have in Aux 4, if the cable is moved to Aux 3 suddenly make Input 4 work on the HA8000? Or take the working cable from Aux 3 and move it to Aux 4 output. I'm unclear if you've taken the cable itself out of the equation in the troubleshooting. You can always reinitialize the console in case something got changed or corrupted. The defaults should've been perfectly fine for the outputs for normal/typical uses.
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Thanks Alan, yes I have, and reset (initialised the unit) so if I used a new cable from Aux 4 to the HA8000, then no lights (but sound ok), the same cable from Aux 3 for example, is fine same sound and 3 lights, so all cables fine, we may say well if sound sounds the same as the aux 3,2, and 1 whats the problem, its jjust for me if the lights are not showing (unless I turn up volume on 8000 high) somethign is wrong,
Hi Alan, Love the videos ! , I am having a hard time dedicating my XR18 as a IEM system, I'm using the X Air app. The layout is way different then the X Air Edit, that is no longer available. I'm using the Xtuga 5 pack, 2 channel IEM system and the XR18. My rack has the 16 channel Seismic splitter as well.
@@allenhurt I just downloaded both the Mac and PC versions of X-Air Edit from the site so the download links are still working. But keep on mind X-Air Edit is for PC and Mac computers. So you'd need to run it on one of those. There's also a Linux version.
I am considering one of these but new to this, so dumb question on the way !, for the 6 aux outputs as IEM's I can selct each one (bus) and set the input mix for all 16 channels to each aux out put, is that dorrect. In other words each IEM has their own mix setup. This can be done on each persons Iphoen etc, ?
Yes... The XR18 is capable of 6 separate mono mixes, plus the stereo house mix. So, 6 musicians could have their own personalized mix, and even have control of their own mix using one of the available apps. ...If you're using the mixer as a dedicated monitor mixer (and not using it as the house mixer as well), you can even use (what is normally) the house L-R outs as another monitor mix so up to 7 monitor mixes (one of which could be stereo) is possible. Stereo mixes require two outputs.... so if the goal is stereo mixes then the 6 XLR aux outs would have to be used in pairs for stereo. So that would mean 3 separate STEREO mixes are possible... and as I mentioned above, the House/Main L-R could be an additional stereo mix IF the console is being used as a dedicated monitor console and you don't need the Main outs for the house mix.
This video is a bit of a part two for the previous video that was all about the parts and pieces needed to package and interconnect an XR18 or MR18 (or X32R) as an IEM rig. That video is here: ua-cam.com/video/xT9gTBFxvZk/v-deo.html Today's video focuses on the Behringer or Midas, and the software settings you would use as a dedicated monitor console, and why, and some tips and a look at some interconnecting how to's and why's.... I also managed to add some Android tablet mixing screengrabs and instructions on how to do these settings there as well as X-Air Edit. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. ►Patreon Page where Patrons have access to script files, other PDF tutorials, Behringer X32/M32/XR18/MR18 channel and scene files, and other audio production information: www.patreon.com/AlanHamiltonAudio ~~~~~~~~ ►►Amazon Affiliate Links To Equip Used/Shown/Mentioned In Video- ►Cable Matters 6.35mm (1/4 Inch) TRS to XLR Cable 6 ft Male to Female (XLR to TRS Cable) on Amazon: amzn.to/3niRAFK ►Shure Wireless In Ear Monitor Systems on Amazon: amzn.to/31ZLz8J ►Elite Core Fan to Fan Snake Cables on Amazon: amzn.to/3knZb47 ►Behringer P1 In Ear Monitor Beltpack on Amazon: amzn.to/3p5DAjU ►KZ ZS10 Pro earpieces on Amazon: amzn.to/37Q8mnJ ► Behringer P2 micro IEM Beltpack on Amazon: amzn.to/2YQijjL ►Behringer XR18 on Amazon: amzn.to/2LfTpmO ►Cable Matters 2-Pack Premium XLR to XLR Microphone Cable on Amazon: amzn.to/3ciVrfI ►Stellar X2 (Narration Mic) on Amazon: amzn.to/3ggUWFq "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases." ~~~~~~~~ Suggested videos: ►DCA's vs Subgroups on the XR18 / MR18: ua-cam.com/video/x6TKam2F50Q/v-deo.html ►Behringer XR18 Monitor Setup Tutorial: ua-cam.com/video/5gzsEErKdb8/v-deo.html ►Sending FX to Monitors XR18/MR18/X32/M32: ua-cam.com/video/e_XsfTV36vU/v-deo.html ►Cable Management For Live Audio: ua-cam.com/video/nYZ9nrPGswo/v-deo.html ►Patch Order and Input Lists For Live Sound: ua-cam.com/video/FE2KRj8vEEc/v-deo.html ►In Ear Monitors On A Budget: ua-cam.com/video/FOon2wEZss8/v-deo.html ►Behringer X32 Monitor Setup Tutorial: ua-cam.com/video/Vz9E6FaCatQ/v-deo.html ►Top 5 Frequently Asked Questions About the XR18 (and MR18): ua-cam.com/video/x9wciA2wFd0/v-deo.html ►Five Tips For Better Live Vocal Mixes: ua-cam.com/video/oP4sdpkkNhY/v-deo.html ►5 Typical Mistakes Behringer XR18 and Midas MR18 Users Make: ua-cam.com/video/EilVDp39A9g/v-deo.html ►5 Typical Mistakes Behringer X32 and Midas M32 Users Make: ua-cam.com/video/tP7dO2Za6bw/v-deo.html ►Pro X Rack Assembly Instructions and Review: ua-cam.com/video/kkt9lEnJ8nY/v-deo.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ►Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/livesoundproduction ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You got all the answers I was looking for. Thank you so much!
Just wanted to chime in as a vocalist, and a producer that records many different vocalists, many vocalists actually do like singing with compression on in their headphones. I personally sing my best with heavy compression. It’s best to ask the singer what they prefer, and try with/without and see which they perform better under.
Thanks for these videos, they’re very helpful! Been looking into getting an IEM rack for my band.
Yes, when the singer knows what they want, and the tech understands what he or she is doing and the signal flow, it's possible to use compression in the monitors.
The problem comes in when the singer isn't really familiar with singing into compression vs just needing more or less level, and the tech is dialing or over dialing for FOH sound without realizing the talent is getting that same compression in the mons.
Of course mixing with a sep monitor console alleviates that issue quickly.
I always feel I need to warn people about that because a lot of people just starting out don't think of all the aspects of the signal chain and signal flow. Nor are people just starting out, or who don't do this fulltime (like some church volunteers for example), likely working with talent that is all that experienced either.
Always a bit of a balancing act.
Alan, another very helpful video, thank you! How to pan a stereo-linked pair of monitor buses had eluded me until watching this. Thanks again.
These videos are great. I shall be applying these learnings next weekend. Many thanks for your time creating these. Keep them coming
Glad you like them! Thanks!
This helped me out a lot. You truly know what youre talking about!
Thanks! Glad it helped!
You can actually have 5 stereo in ear mixes on here. 3 from the aux buses, 1 from the main left + right and 1 from the headphone output. We have access to routing so you should be able to route the main left right outputs to a seperate bus and still use ultranet for running your mains. You can route the headphone jack to one of the fx buses as well for more control, you could even rename your fx bus to be the same colour and naming convention as your aux buses🙂
Just what I needed, thanks 👍
Glad I could help!
Great video, thanks a lot, from Argentina.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Good explanation, thanks!
Excellent videos, Alan! Question: this video focuses on not providing any signals to FOH via Main L and R. What if you have a mix of IEM AND sends to FOH? Our current XR18 setup for live purposes will be pretty simple for the time being, but may evolve towards a full IEM rig. For now, only I will be using the XR18 (as a drummer). The channel config will be: 1) kick, 2) monitor mix L from FOH, 3) monitor mix R from FOH, 16) click track from USB, 17/18) Backing tracks from USB. BUS1+2 will be my stereo IEM with channels 1, 2, 3 , 16 and 17/18 active. MAIN L+R will only be for 17/18 to serve FOH with backing tracks. I am quite new to the XR18 and also the whole routing lingo, hehe. Channel 17/18 will not have any gate/eq./comp or FX for obvious reasons. What should I do about channel 17/18? Just bring up the fader for both MAIN LR AND for BUS1+2? Or am I complicating things?
Heh... I've read this a few times, and I still haven't figured out what you're doing enough to answer the question ;)
So the XR18 is being used as a monitor board, but it's also being used as an audio interface and handling USB audio in for tracks and click?
But... you're also taking a feed from FOH to foldback the FOH mix into your monitors? That's kind of odd so I don't know if I'm following that right or not.
Is there a full band and the tracks are supplemental, or are the tracks the actual 'band in a box' and it's just you or you and a bandmate or two as far as playing/singing live?
If there's a full band, which I kind of think that's what you're saying since you mentioned you're playing drums and there are others on monitors, then are your channels (drums, vocals, guitars, etc) not going to the XR18 for your monitors?
I'm trying to understand but I'm lost... either I'm not understanding, or you're doing things really differently from the norm. And actually, in either case, I still don't think I understand ;)
@@AlanHamiltonAudio i THINK i have an idea what Empiricist is talking about. i'm a drummer using an MR18 in a similar way.
inputs 1-12 are drums (i have a large kit i'm submixing down to 4 outputs), vox on 14, RETURN monitoring from the other band members "downstream" of my rig on 15, and the click from my DAW returning via USB on 16. i have 3 stereo usb returns from my daw on FX 2-4 for electronic drums, keys, and effects for material sent from the MR to the DAW. the USB sends from the MR are routed from each input channel to channels in the DAW so i can process them and send back that material to be mixed in.
aux/bus outputs are 1 kick, 2 snare, 3-4 stereo drums (including drum FX and samples returning form the daw), 5 vox, and 6 my IEM. my master LR is sending everything else from the DAW such as keys, backing tracks, and any stereo delay type effects my vox may need. this gives FOH plenty of flexibility in mixing my mix to the room, and adding FX as they like.
FX 1 on the MR is dedicated for my IEM so i can have a global reverb send for my snare/toms and vox to hear for my own edification if i'm not using the computer for any reason. it's not sent out to anything but my IEM, and FOH can still deal with how they want to apply FX. i won't get into the weeds with my DAW setup, other than i'm using Reaper which is made for the kind of things i'm trying to accomplish, but i am able to use it both as an effects processor for my MR inputs, as well as playback of tracks and virtual instruments. those are the things i'm sending back to the MR via the USB returns placed on the inputs of FX 2-4 which i then assign to the busses as described above.
what's nifty is that i'm also controlling the MR via midi from the DAW to engage mutes and such so that i can use the DAW not only as a send effect, but an an insert effect. say i want a section where my voice is running through autotune. i will send a command to mute the channel on the MR, but it's still being fed to the DAW, so that signal is processed in the DAW and sent to my vocal FX return channel on the MR which is then send to my vocal bus or my master channel, depending on if stereo is needed or not.
as mentioned before, input 15 is a return from "downstream" and is routed only to my IEM. i am plugging my MR into the band's mixer using only 7 channels instead of the many, many i am running. i still need to hear their guitars, vocals, or whatever. so, via whatever bus they would normally send my IEM mix, i take the lead an put it in 15. i ONLY take the stuff i don't already have running in my ears such as my drums, my vox, click, keys, etc, and i can control that mix with my phone being connected to THEIR system. in the case i'm running instead to a FOH system with monitor controls, etc, i'll just take a monitor mix back from them with the same things... no drums, keys, or my own vox.
this setup has proved flexible in another way.... one band i'm playing with wants EVERYBODY to get the click (annoying), but they provided me with mono backing tracks, so in the DAW, i make sure the keys/tracks/whatever are all hard paned to the left, and the click hard panned to the right, and sent through the same returns to the same outputs. this way, they have two isolated tracks that i can independently control the volume of from the DAW. using the stereo return in the way i am, there's no independent way in the MR to balance the two, but the DAW takes care of that easily.
oh, and as for those FX 2-4? i assign the internal precision limiter FX to certain output busses via the "insert" selection, just to make sure i never cross any lines. i don't need to do this with my main LR because the limiting is already happening in my DAW, but the inputs that are remaining local to the MR and being sent to busses MAY have a peak here and there, and this protects from those. gotta love rim shots ;-)
i THINK that's something like he's trying to accomplish, and i can report that the MR/XR seems to do this wonderfully, if not intuitively.
Excellent! Thanks
Thanks!
Good tip on stereo monitor panning.
Thanks!
Hello Alan, thank you so much for all the videos regarding the XR18...Could you please do a little tut on HOW to turn the main outs into a 4th pair of stereo IEM and how to control them with a tablet/mobile? I use the X Air edit software on PC and Mixing Station on my Android devices but cannot really figure how to set it up right :-/ Thanks in advance and keep up the good work!
Can i use the headphone output as a extra iem on a behringer xr16
Great video! I'm currently using the Behringer P2 which does not have a built-in limiter. Can you share some compression/limiter settings and which might be the better effect choice on the XR18 so I can have a brick will limiter on my IEM bus?
I haven't used the Precision Limiter as much as just using the compressor. For the regular built in bus comp I'd do at least 10:1... but if you're really wanting brick wall then I'd max the ratio out which I think is like 100:1 on the XR compressor. Fast attack... although you could try the auto setting.
Then just adjust the threshold so that normal settings are not into the compressor at all, but adjust it so that as soon as you reach 'too loud' the compressor is clamping on. If you set the threshold too tight then you'll notice normal dynamics hitting the compression too soon, which might mess with your vocals since that is likely the loudest part. Though if you have heavy bass or drums in your mix, then low notes or the kick might use up some of your headroom and get you into compression sooner than you want.
As for the knee, for brickwall stuff you probably want it hard knee... though for the 100:1 setting, even soft knee settings are pretty hard.
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Thanks Alan I will try these settings out and go from there.
Great video
Thanks!
Is there a way to get 2 more outputs in mono from the Main LR, instead of one additional stereo mix? I have an XR12 and the only XLR outputs are the mains. The unit will only be used by our two singers and I want to give them their individual mix, of course, but I am reluctant to use the TRS aux 1+2 to send to the IEM unit. TIA! Love your videos!
i have a similar question/issue. i am currently experimenting with using the main L and R outs as separate "outputs" by hard panning the things i'm feeding it. this is working with my setup so far as the outputs are dedicated to outputting material from my daw, inside of which i am able to manage individual levels and panning so as to isolate the channels. i assume the same can be done internally in the XR. the only thing i may be concerned with is FX bleed through if you're applying that.
Hello, Alan! I have an incredibly rookie question to ask you about the XR18. Is this mixer controllable using a Windows-based PC or laptop? I'm new to the Behringer line of digital mixers, and everything I've read about it as well as my Sweetwater rep. said that it's iPad-controllable only. However, I can see you're using something Windows-based in the video, and I also see that Behringer has the X-Air software for Windows.
I've probably already answered my question for myself, but I really want to make sure before I sink $750 into buying the mixer only to find out that I also need an iPad. I run sound for my band, and we plan on using the XR18 for our IEM rig and for FOH whenever necessary. Thanks for your help!
I'm using a Windows PC running X-Air Edit in the video. But you can also run Android... as well a Apple products.
I use Mixing Station on my Android devices. The paid version of Mixing Station is like US$5.00 and works on Androids and Ipads... and PC too... and probably others.
I bet the Sweetwater rep was just using "iPad" as a generic term since the X-Air doesn't have a surface and requires SOME kind of device to control it. Or maybe he'd heard iPad as a generic term and took it literally and is now mistaken and repeating that?
Hey Alan how do I connect the xr18 to the front of house the that’s a mackie fx16 mixer. I want to use the xr18 as a didicated monitor consolé
This video talks about how you would build out a system to use the XR18 as a dedicated monitor console and connect it with any FOH console you come across- ua-cam.com/video/xT9gTBFxvZk/v-deo.html
Of course the FOH console needs to have enough channels to accommodate your band and what you're sending from the the XR18. IOW, if you're using all 16 mic inputs on the XR18 then the FOH console also needs at least 16 channels.
But, if your band only uses (for example) 10 channels on the XR18 then the FOH console then would only need 10 or more channels itself to accommodate your band/group.
great video, thanks! In addition to using the main mix as a fourth stereo mix, is there a way to use the headphone out as a fifth?
I don't think there'd be a very practical way. It could be set to listen to the existing mixes... But they already have outputs.
To expand beyond a 4th stereo mix from a dedicated XR18 as a monitor console, probably the only real practical thing to look into would be via Ultranet and using P16's.
Do you use this for live shows as FOH AND IEM MONS combined mixer with laptop for USB digital recording and playback backing tracks, or only the IEM MONS with a split snake to a large traditional FOH desk?
This setup is mainly focused on the settings you'd use for using the XR18 with a split snake and separate FOH desk.
There are a couple of videos on the channel that talk about using the XR18 as the FOH mixer and also doing FOH... and a video about stream mixing too.
This video is a channel walk-thru and touches on monitor setup as part of that:
ua-cam.com/video/xPsSPK6RKzU/v-deo.html
This video is specifically about monitor settings and talks about mons from FOH:
ua-cam.com/video/5gzsEErKdb8/v-deo.html
Streaming video guide (OBS):
ua-cam.com/video/aNlBOOhWbZw/v-deo.html
There are some other videos on the channel that touch on this... and also videos for the X32. Those above are probably the most to the point for mons from FOH on the XR18 itself...
I know it was mentioned (maybe in one of your other videos), but Behringer's documentation states that it can have only allow 4 devices to connect to the Xr18. If I am using an EXTERNAL router, can I have all 6 members of the band use devices (phone or tablet) to connect wirelessly to control their own in-ear monitoring? Just curious on how I can connect more than 4 devices for IEM.
It shouldn't be a problem for all of the band to be connected. At least on an external router, I wouldn't trust any members to be able to connect to the built in wifi once you're onstage at a gig.
This article talks about router limits:
www.techadvisor.com/article/742761/how-many-devices-can-connect-to-a-router-at-the-same-time.html
I hope you can answer this Alan, I am using an x18 as the mixer in my band, I use a powered monitor for our monitor and I run a mono bus send to this. The problem I have is that when I adjust a vocal send level to the monitor the effects are not adjusted along with it ,so for example if I lower the volume of the vocalist on her monitor send fader, the volume of her reverb stays at the same level. I have tried every combination of tap points that I can think of but cannot get the effects level to reduce or increase in balance with the fader level. Thanks for your excellent channel, and greetings from the UK
I'm trying to think of a workaround, and I'm drawing a blank. I don't think there's a better way than just knowing if you turn her mon send down 3dB that you have to turn down her FX send or return 3dB (depending on how you're configuring things).
I keep thinking there might be a way to utilize a DCA, since DCAs can be applied to the bus (main) outs as well as channels... but I'm not thinking of anything.
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Thanks for getting back to me, at least I now know that I am not just doing something wrong! I also considered trying a DCA but couldn’t find a configuration that didn’t alter the reverb send on the FOH mix!. I am trying to do the mixing at the same time as playing guitar and singing harmonies which can be quite taxing at times so I was hoping for a simple fix. I guess we can’t have everything, it is still a great piece of kit for the money.
Insert?
How do you SIMPLY send the XR18's FX and EQ to a DAW along WITH the dry signal for each track?
Our XR18's mix sounds perfect LIVE, and that's exactly what I want the computer to record! I DON'T want to add FX and EX to the tracks in the DAW later!
I believe you are referring to a Matrix Bus. unfortunately i do not believe that is capable on the xr18. the X32 Rack can do it though.
Thanks Alan! When using XR18 for a dedicated in ear mixing console, you mention the tap points being pre-fader (and using the main LR as another stereo out)... does that mean that the main channel faders don't really have a purpose, and all the volume levels come from the sends themselves?
Yes... If you want to steal an extra mix beyond the normal 6 XLR outs, then doing that would mean the channel faders do nothing for the 6 channel (mon) sends. So you then can use the channel faders to create another stage mix... even a stereo stage mix since it's a L-R bus that is available.
Honestly, it's really just the same concept as if you were using the XR18 as your FOH console with 6 normal monitor mixes from FOH, and then your L-R house feed for your mains. You wouldn't want the channel faders changing your monitor mixes as the FOH person was mixing the show.
So, for a dedicated monitor console, you can do the same thing and just free that L-R bus up to be another monitor mix.
@@AlanHamiltonAudio awesome. You’re a legend. TY!
Excellent video Alan, your videos have been so helpful getting my IEM rig setup! We are running our XR18 as a dedicated IEM rack (using a splitter prior to the inputs) but occasionally will use it as our own FOH console for shows where we bring our own PA.
Thank you very much for all ur videos, allan... It so helping us.
I have one question, hope u will answer. How can i combine my xr18 as dedicated as a monitor mixer and xr18 dedicated as a FOH mixer?🙏🙏
Thanks allan 😀
You'll need an analog splitter. This video steps through the process:
ua-cam.com/video/xT9gTBFxvZk/v-deo.html
@@AlanHamiltonAudio ok alan thank you very much 😀😀🙏🙏
i have learned so much thank you!
is there a way to monitor the inputs on the headphone way?
i have my backing tracks on USB out 17/18 and under headphone i have selected monitoring headphones out. unfortunately i have not managed to route the inputs 1-6 to 17/18/monitor as well so that my drummer also has the live instruments in his ears.
I'm not actually following... Could you not leave the headphones set to "monitor" and just solo channel 17 and 18 to hear them? And solo any other channels too if you want to hear more than just 17 and 18?
@@AlanHamiltonAudio So my main left and right goes to FOH with the backing track without clicktrack. and my headphone out to which I have routed USB out 17/18, goes with backing track and clicktrack to the ear of the drummer.
the easiest solution would be to use an aux out for the drummer, but i wanted to keep the aux out free for the other monitoring systems :)
Thanks for your help.
So, in this video, the XAir isn't used for FOH, how can you send all the mix from the XAir to the FOH?
This video talks more about monitors from FOH, where the X-Air is doing both the FOH mix and the monitor mix:
ua-cam.com/video/5gzsEErKdb8/v-deo.html
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Thank you for replying… But I meant how can you send the mix to FOH if you’re using another mixer board for FOH
@@Okeoma_Obinna The FOH console would get its feed from an analog splitter. Like what is installed in the rack in this video (linked below). There are a few different versions of analog splitters, which the video addresses. Essentially, each mic onstage is split to 2 consoles. The monitor console and the FOH console. The monitor console sets up the monitor mixes, with everything being independent of FOH. The FOH console sets up the FOH mix, with everything independent of the monitor. No gain or anything else is shared. The only thing shared is the mics themselves. But, since they plug into a splitter that splits their feed, the FOH console and Mon console can do whatever they need without compromising for the other position.
ua-cam.com/video/xT9gTBFxvZk/v-deo.html
Great video! I want to use my Behringer P2 in stereo. Can I make a Y adaptor with two female XLR and one male XLR or do I need to convert both balanced XLR signals to unbalanced with transformers first?
The Y adaptor =
Left XLRF pin 2(hot) goes to XLRM pin 2
Right XLRF pin 2(hot) goes to XLRM pin 3
Left AND Right XLRF pin 1(shield) & pin 3(cold) to XLRM pin 1
Yes... that should work. No need for a transformer.
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Thanks!
@@darrylday30been trying the same but didn’t work, does P2 need TRS connection on its end instead of xlr? i.e 2 xlr female to 1 trs? I have Y connector but it didn’t work.
THANK YOU FOR THIS. Not only for Xair info, but for adding the Mixing Station info as that's my preferred app. One question- if you are doing this for a band's monitors and leaving the main mix to the house system and their sound guy- Would the gain structure that I'm setting only be for the monitors, OR would it affect both the monitors and the FOH? So would I set one gain structure for the monitors, and then would the FOH guy set his own? Might be a dopey question, sorry.
When connected with a splitter or split snake, the consoles are 100% independent. So you can set your gain without any impact on FOH or vice versa. That's one of the benefits of an analog split on the Behringer platform- No gain sharing! :)
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Thanks!!
Great info! What version software is that? 1.7?
Thanks! Yes, X-Air Edit V1.7
Hey Alan, I am in the drummer in my band and we are using the XR18 solely for in ear monitor system. I am setting every pre fader so that I as the drummer can use the master faders as my own dedicated stereo in ear mix. I simply run a 25 foot headphone extension cable from the phones out of the XR18 to my drum throne. Wondering...am I missing anything in this setup? I know some folks will use the Aux outs into a Behringer PM1 and run their headphones off that, but that should be the basically the same audio signal right? and I am not spending hundreds of dollars on that setup... is there any downfall to my approach of just using phones out?
That should work perfectly fine.
If I can give you my humble advice as a drummer, get a Behringer P1 or a Donner EM2... they don't cost much, but they are very useful in these cases. From your personal aux you'll go to the input or both LR inputs with a balanced xlr into these HP amplifier. You have the general volume knob, the mono/stereo button depending on your needs and another knob for blending the two channels volume, useful for example if in one of the two inputs you have the click/backing tracks and in the other the band mix . Instead of having a 25 foot cable coming straight out of the mixer. Cheers!
@@Axeltab yeah, I have thought about it but at the end of the day if I have to run XLR’s to my drum stool or a long headphone, cable is sort of the same thing
Hi Alan, is there a tutorial on how to send tracks and clicks to your ears and just backing tracks to FOH?
It kind of depends on how many tracks. A click and a mono track could be done with either USB or the headphone out into a stereo DI. Several tracks could be done via USB. If you've got several tracks, already level mixed inside a DAW and only need mono, you could still do the DI method... That would just about about routing in the DAW to pan tracks left and click right, and then connect them to the system.
And USB works for just two tracks as well. Just route music to one side and click to the other in the DAW and assign the L-R outs of the DAW to two USB channels in the mixer.
If you want to send several tracks to the sound system and let the house mix them, then USB still works for that. BUT, you have to burn channels. You have a maximum of 18 inputs on the XR18. And the two aux inputs are hard wired stereo inputs, so they won't work as click and track inputs because you can't separate the two linked aux channels in the monitor sends on those two aux channels.
IOW, the band AND the trax needs to fit on the standard input limitations of the XR18.
If you're using the XR18 as a dedicated monitor console, and splitting to FOH via an analog split, it might be best to use your DAW computer with another USB interface, or even another XR18, so you can split the outputs from there to your mon console and the house console. As long as there's enough outputs on the USB interface to handle the number of track outputs you want to send separate to the mons and house.
The Reaper to XR18 video talks about USB routing, and virtual soundcheck type of things... and that's essentially the same concept as feeding trax to a the console via USB from the DAW:
ua-cam.com/video/xYmJGyroVe0/v-deo.html
I have a question when using MX-Q for iems. Band members can move faders to adjust thier personal iem mix but as soon as they remove thier finger from fader the fader goes back to its original position?
I've not heard of that problem. Is the firmware updated on the console?
@@AlanHamiltonAudio fyi it was the band members app was not latest version
Any suggestions on settings to use the bus compressor as a limiter for IEMs? Seems like a good option for a little more control over the limiting, which is very basic even on some of the more expensive IEM systems. I know it’s a high (100%) ratio and mix (also 100%), just not certain about threshold, attack, hold, and release parameters. Also not sure if the “knee” setting matters much at those extremes. Thanks!
High ratio... 10:1 at least... 20:1 better.
Fast attack. Fast release.
Minimal hold.
Since you want it for protection limiting, you want it to act fast, and get out of limiting quickly when the moment has passed.
If you're constantly banging into the limiting, then you'll get 'pumping' and a longer release might make that more natural sounding... BUT... If you're constantly into limiting, something is probably wrong somewhere.
Either your threshold is too low, or your transmitter and/or beltpacks are too low. Or your earbuds are not sealing well, or are too weak sonically.
IOW, 'something' is wrong, because the IEMS should be plenty loud enough for a normal gig to never really hit the limiter unless something unusual happens... and THEN the limiter should be there to catch it. But under normal circumstances, normal singing, normal playing, you should be under the limiter threshold. And also under clipping at all points too.
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Thanks so much for the detailed reply. This is exactly how I set it instinctively, just following the logic of compression, so I’m glad to be validated.
Should reduction be around -12dB? That’s where I have it currently.
I wish X AIR worked on my iPad. Everytime I hit the setup button, it crashes the app, so I can't even properly use the app
Works fine on my iPad 9. With an external router. Guessing you have the 10th gen?
@@Allthewrongkeys821 I figured out Mixing Station though and it works like a charm. I'm just glad there was something I could use. I'm also super new to sound, so a big part of my issues was operator error, but the only thing that didn't work on X AIR was the setup button. Unfortunately, it's an important button
So I set my gain input to average around -18 on every channel I’m using… is that an adjustment I’ll have to make at every show providing I’m using the same instruments, mics, band, etc? Or with the software keep it there and then I can just adjust the faders as need be provided the space we’re in?
Also, I hear so much about “faders to unity.” If my gain is at -18 avg, I then set my Mains to unity, then adjust each individual channel as desired for volume? Is that the order of operations?
The XR18 will remember your gain settings... so if you use the same amp level, same mics, same drums/drummer, the gains should stay consistent. And if you DO turn your guitar amp up for example (making the gain hotter into the mixer) it's easy enough to readjust the gain on just that channel AND that means when the meter reads what it did before you turned the amp up, all the mixes are now back to the same levels they were even though you turned your amp up. So that one knob gets everything back as long as you are consistent with your gain staging.
Otherwise, the XR will be remembering those settings so if you don't change your source, there should be no reason to need to readdress gain.
I would only worry about the channel faders being AROUND unity... give or take 3-5dB or so... and maybe even -10dB in some cases. They definitely don't need to be in a straight line at exactly unity. Once the gain is right, averaging -18dBFS and peaking a bit higher, then the channel faders need to be where your ears tell you they need to be for the mix.
CAVEAT: That said, if you can't get the faders to unity, like say your vocal channel, without it being WAY too loud, or screaming feedback... that is a clear sign gain structure is wrong after the channel or (more likely) after the mixer. The quick fix is pulling the master fader back so that the channel faders can ride in the neighborhood of unity. The better fix is figuring out where the gain staging is going off the rails and adjusting it down there. Turning amps or speakers down might be the next best fix for that issue.
The input meter gives you the ability to see your input level and to know it's right. A lot of people do it backwards and choke their gains back, changing the one thing that was definitely right, to fix a problem downstream, trying to fix it from the wrong end of things.
In a perfect world, your master fader would ride around unity giving you room to turn up or down the overall mix. Like maybe soundcheck with it at unity (once any gain staging issues are fixed), then bring it back down 3-6dB for early show level if you don't want to go full assault mode on the first song ;)
Hi Alan,
For in ear mixing, should I avoid putting compression on the vocalist? I read that its bad to compress as they may overcompensate and blow their voice out.
I was confused if I should just turn off compression on their vocal mic channel, or change the tap point to be post-eq (that way it would be compressed in everyone else's mix?) Can you help?
The easy answer is to say "no EQ on the vocal" in the monitors. But we can look at that a bit deeper. Some light compression might be perfectly fine, but it's a place to tread carefully. How much is too much can be a moving target. Generally, what works for FOH compression as an ideal setting does NOT work AT ALL for vocal compression in the monitors. That's why monitors from FOH can lead to problems when compression is being used and tap points and/or signal flow is not being considered.
So if there's any question about how much is too much, or if it's needed at all, a default position of just not using it at all is probably never going to hurt you.
On the other end of things... You don't generally want to defeat any built in limiting on the ear units. Not unless you're replacing that with something else.
And if you're running some limiting or peak reduction on the monitor bus outputs, you're doing it for ear protection. So, you shouldn't actually be into limiting normally. Gain structure and gain staging still matters. And some or all of the reasons not to run compression on the monitors (as far as the problems it creates for a vocalist) are still there with limiting... IF you're running the mon bus outs into limiting.
You can look at it this way: Compression on a vocal isn't a problem if the vocal is never hitting the threshold to kick the compressor into gain reduction in the first place. But for compression to do its job, at some point you WANT it kicking in. And that is where you start crossing the line as far as vocal compression into the monitors goes. A little goes a long way... and a lot can be terrible for a singer in their monitors/IEMs.
Meanwhile, limiting, by it's nature should NOT be normally kicking in. That's why it's OK to be on and helping to be protective of a musician's hearing from accidents and the like. Not to normally be into limiting. So if you're limiting is kicking in regulary, then you're hitting something too hard in the signal chain. And besides hurting the sound the musician is hearing, it's also essentially the same issue as vocal compression for the singer (fighting their natural dynamics).
I kind of went beyond the question you asked but there's the simple part, and the part a bit deeper into the signal chain. They both matter, although, if your gain structure is correct, and the musician using good earbuds, then you're probably not going to be hitting limiting anyway. But it's worth mentioning... just in case... It's easy to run into problems like the musician turning the level WAY down on their pack, then asking for more from the mixer and wrecking gains structure that way.
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Wow thank you so much. Ok - I am likely just going to turn vocal compression off for in ears.
My big take aways here are - no, I am not currently using any form of limiting on the aux buses in the XR18 in my band setup.
And yes, I am already in situations where musicians are starting with all wildly different volumes on in their receiver packs, and then asking for more or less of 'whatever channel' every time that we play, when it really should be set and forget (as long as the channel gain doesn't change).
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Thank you (again). Would it make sense to on the Vocal channel, set that tap point to the vocalists IEM as POST EQ (therefore no compression in their ears), but for everyone else in ear mix, the vocal channel sends can be set as Pre-Fader, so that the vocals are compressed in THEIR ears? (Drummer, guitarist, etc.)?
@@DavidMacVicar Definitely makes sense. Might not be overall worth the effort, but cannot hurt, and possibly will be liked if they have the option and you have time to test the two options. It could be a "nobody knows what they're missing... until they get to experience it" situation. But better is better, and it makes sense to try it if you're trying to get the best experience for everyone. But don't get caught up in thinking it's 100% necessary just to have a workable monitor mix either. Don't over-complicate things just because you can... but don't overlook things like this just because it's easier to skip doing it. It definitely makes sense to try if you want to go down that path of experimenting and learning what makes for the best mix in a given circumstance.
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Understood! The only thing I don't get here is your comment about it being 'worth the effort',. It is literally a single button click in the sends panel for the channel (to change the vocalists tap point).... which leads me to think I could be misunderstanding all of this! hahah
Question. I have my aux 1&2 as a dedicated step iem and I have then post eq. But I also noticed that the master aux fader 1or 2 and it's more don't do anything. I can mute it out turn the fader off and I stole get signal to my iems.. is that natural?
If I follow you correctly, it sounds like you've changed your tap point on the OUTPUT, which you don't want to do for normal uses like monitors. You DO want your CHANNEL sends to be whatever you need them to be for your particular use, but the default tap point on the OUTPUTS is for the output (fader) only. It's about where it gets tapped in relation to the XLR aux out.
So, you've put the XLR output BEFORE the master aux fader.
In the In/Out Routing section, Aux Out you want your monitor feed BUS to be Post Fader.
I think I talk about this more in this video, which might explain it better since it has graphics/video.
ua-cam.com/video/UNO-dACc7YY/v-deo.html
@@AlanHamiltonAudio thank you!
Hello Alan and thank you for a great channel you have been a great help. I have an XR16 connected to a HA8000 headphone amp (bahringer), I have a strange issue on AUX 4, which seems to have less output than the others (aux-1 to 3) Now I have swapped cables and outputs but it points to the port itself. Looking at the Green lights on the HA8000 on each channel, the one connected to AUX 4 does not illuminate any lights when all the others light 3 greens! So If I plug AUX4 into any of the HA8000 channels the same happened, so its the AUX4 right ? Well also when I check the meters on the bus's and inputs they are all the same, and level. Also strangely listening to each port AUX/BUS they do sound the same level, in Summary, the meters show each bus/aux at the same level, and listening it seems the same, but does not illuminate the same number of lights on the HA 8000 as the other AUX/BUS's) any ideas, its a new unit I feel I have to exchange to prove its faulty.
Have you tried swapping the cable(s) themselves? Like moving the entire cable to a working I/O combination and see if the problem follows the cable itself? IOW, does the cable you have in Aux 4, if the cable is moved to Aux 3 suddenly make Input 4 work on the HA8000? Or take the working cable from Aux 3 and move it to Aux 4 output. I'm unclear if you've taken the cable itself out of the equation in the troubleshooting.
You can always reinitialize the console in case something got changed or corrupted. The defaults should've been perfectly fine for the outputs for normal/typical uses.
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Thanks Alan, yes I have, and reset (initialised the unit) so if I used a new cable from Aux 4 to the HA8000, then no lights (but sound ok), the same cable from Aux 3 for example, is fine same sound and 3 lights, so all cables fine, we may say well if sound sounds the same as the aux 3,2, and 1 whats the problem, its jjust for me if the lights are not showing (unless I turn up volume on 8000 high) somethign is wrong,
Hey sir allan, do u use DN4816-O? I have a question, is there a way to eq those 16 outputs? NEWBIE question
I wish I could help but I don't have a DN4816-O nor have I had a chance to use one.
Hi Alan, Love the videos ! , I am having a hard time dedicating my XR18 as a IEM system, I'm using the X Air app. The layout is way different then the X Air Edit, that is no longer available.
I'm using the Xtuga 5 pack, 2 channel IEM system and the XR18. My rack has the 16 channel Seismic splitter as well.
I'm still seeing the X-Air Edit software on the Behringer site for download...
www.behringer.com/downloads.html
Im using a new ipad, Tried downloading that link last night but couldn't get it to work. Thought maybe they discontinued it
@@allenhurt I just downloaded both the Mac and PC versions of X-Air Edit from the site so the download links are still working. But keep on mind X-Air Edit is for PC and Mac computers. So you'd need to run it on one of those. There's also a Linux version.
I am considering one of these but new to this, so dumb question on the way !, for the 6 aux outputs as IEM's I can selct each one (bus) and set the input mix for all 16 channels to each aux out put, is that dorrect. In other words each IEM has their own mix setup. This can be done on each persons Iphoen etc, ?
Yes... The XR18 is capable of 6 separate mono mixes, plus the stereo house mix. So, 6 musicians could have their own personalized mix, and even have control of their own mix using one of the available apps. ...If you're using the mixer as a dedicated monitor mixer (and not using it as the house mixer as well), you can even use (what is normally) the house L-R outs as another monitor mix so up to 7 monitor mixes (one of which could be stereo) is possible.
Stereo mixes require two outputs.... so if the goal is stereo mixes then the 6 XLR aux outs would have to be used in pairs for stereo. So that would mean 3 separate STEREO mixes are possible... and as I mentioned above, the House/Main L-R could be an additional stereo mix IF the console is being used as a dedicated monitor console and you don't need the Main outs for the house mix.
@@AlanHamiltonAudio Thank you great help alan thanks for that
❤
Excelent!
Thank you! :)
👍🙏
-18 db is zero, but only for what? Monitors or?
Input gain meters. Rough approximation of the comparison between dBFS and dBVu.
This video is a bit of a part two for the previous video that was all about the parts and pieces needed to package and interconnect an XR18 or MR18 (or X32R) as an IEM rig. That video is here: ua-cam.com/video/xT9gTBFxvZk/v-deo.html
Today's video focuses on the Behringer or Midas, and the software settings you would use as a dedicated monitor console, and why, and some tips and a look at some interconnecting how to's and why's....
I also managed to add some Android tablet mixing screengrabs and instructions on how to do these settings there as well as X-Air Edit.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments.
►Patreon Page where Patrons have access to script files, other PDF tutorials, Behringer X32/M32/XR18/MR18 channel and scene files, and other audio production information:
www.patreon.com/AlanHamiltonAudio
~~~~~~~~
►►Amazon Affiliate Links To Equip Used/Shown/Mentioned In Video-
►Cable Matters 6.35mm (1/4 Inch) TRS to XLR Cable 6 ft Male to Female (XLR to TRS Cable) on Amazon:
amzn.to/3niRAFK
►Shure Wireless In Ear Monitor Systems on Amazon:
amzn.to/31ZLz8J
►Elite Core Fan to Fan Snake Cables on Amazon:
amzn.to/3knZb47
►Behringer P1 In Ear Monitor Beltpack on Amazon:
amzn.to/3p5DAjU
►KZ ZS10 Pro earpieces on Amazon:
amzn.to/37Q8mnJ
► Behringer P2 micro IEM Beltpack on Amazon:
amzn.to/2YQijjL
►Behringer XR18 on Amazon:
amzn.to/2LfTpmO
►Cable Matters 2-Pack Premium XLR to XLR Microphone Cable on Amazon:
amzn.to/3ciVrfI
►Stellar X2 (Narration Mic) on Amazon:
amzn.to/3ggUWFq
"As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases."
~~~~~~~~
Suggested videos:
►DCA's vs Subgroups on the XR18 / MR18:
ua-cam.com/video/x6TKam2F50Q/v-deo.html
►Behringer XR18 Monitor Setup Tutorial:
ua-cam.com/video/5gzsEErKdb8/v-deo.html
►Sending FX to Monitors XR18/MR18/X32/M32:
ua-cam.com/video/e_XsfTV36vU/v-deo.html
►Cable Management For Live Audio:
ua-cam.com/video/nYZ9nrPGswo/v-deo.html
►Patch Order and Input Lists For Live Sound:
ua-cam.com/video/FE2KRj8vEEc/v-deo.html
►In Ear Monitors On A Budget:
ua-cam.com/video/FOon2wEZss8/v-deo.html
►Behringer X32 Monitor Setup Tutorial:
ua-cam.com/video/Vz9E6FaCatQ/v-deo.html
►Top 5 Frequently Asked Questions About the XR18 (and MR18):
ua-cam.com/video/x9wciA2wFd0/v-deo.html
►Five Tips For Better Live Vocal Mixes:
ua-cam.com/video/oP4sdpkkNhY/v-deo.html
►5 Typical Mistakes Behringer XR18 and Midas MR18 Users Make:
ua-cam.com/video/EilVDp39A9g/v-deo.html
►5 Typical Mistakes Behringer X32 and Midas M32 Users Make:
ua-cam.com/video/tP7dO2Za6bw/v-deo.html
►Pro X Rack Assembly Instructions and Review:
ua-cam.com/video/kkt9lEnJ8nY/v-deo.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
►Facebook Group:
facebook.com/groups/livesoundproduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~