Our band just invested in a new Mackie digital mixer and your tutorial series is a fantastic primer for a Master Fader and live sound mix newbie. Much thanks for the time and effort you put into these!
I am very late to the game here, but I never saw or touched a mixer until sometime in October of last year (7 months ago). I dont have a particularly musical ear, but I've been in a position where I can actually manage most smaller bands on the darn thing thanks to your videos. I was just messing around in the test environment on Master Fader, discovered VCA (ivhad honestly never given it a second look), came here immediately. Now that dude with 10 drum channels is no match for me! Thank you for putting this out there. It definitely helps an idiot like me understand what's going on.
You definitely DO NOT sound like an idiot,.... learning sound, recording and mixing is an art. It takes may years to get really good at it, the good comes from making mistakes and learning from them. I am self taught too, but you have a huge advantage,.... and that is youtube videos. Don't get wrapped up in esoteric gear, simply use your ears, trust them, and make adjustments as YOU see fit. I am happy that these videos have helped you. Have fun, and never hesitate to ask questions.
That's great! You certainly deserve it. When I first got this thing I didn't even understand that aux Is an output! The front of the DL 16 S does not say AUX it says output. Stuff like that drives me nuts:-) your detailed explanation of a particular item helps me infer so even when I have a specific question that is an answered, it seems like in someway it has been answered and I am able to begin experimentation. One thing I love about this mixer are the preamp's. After coming from a Yamaha, I'm surprised by the overall sound quality call. It feels bigger and cleaner and some of the raspy sounds that I was getting from my telecaster have gone away. Now I have to readjust my helix. Anyway please keep up the great work!
Thank you so much :) I tested all the reasons for choosing vca or subgroups To not have that problem of reverb levels changing in a subgroup I removed each drum channel from the mains As well as the reverb. Routing all to the subgroup it acted exactly the same as the VCA did. The advantage of the VCA was in not having to go through all of that. It did what it was supposed to just in routing the drum channels to it. Advantage VCA The disadvantage of the VCA was no panning. Also no access to compressor or EQ If we wanted to do either or both to the entire drum mix. After all individual channels were set. So I’m still not sure which I’d use to group drums vca or subgroup lol Ty again all the info insight tips along the way to every aspect of this was helpful and enjoyable. 🙏
Hi Mike, all of your observations are correct, but if you included the reverb return with the drums in the drum "group", that reverb should have nothing but drums in it. In other words, make sure that you are using one reverb just for drums. :)
In most mixers you can use VCA and SubGroups at the same time, so you can EQ and Comp your drums in the group and control their volume (wich will affect the reverb send too) with the VCA
Great job. Is it possible to assign channels within an AUX to a VCA? I'd like to turn down other channels instead of always turning the main up? In a Presonus its called more me.
@@user-jx3jp3gb4x Thank you for the response. Your videos are well done. I wish you could flesh out adding effects to the auxes a bit more if I had any complaints. Otherwise well done.
Is the VCA setting in FOH independent of the Aux mix? I tried to use VCAs in my aux channel and everytime I turn one VCA channel down, it turns my aux master down. How can I make my aux VCA setting to work just like the FOH where it only moves the faders assigned and not my master?
It sounds to me like you are trying to use a VCA to control channels in an aux mix but not in the main mix. You cannot assign aux input channels to a VCA. You can only assign main mix inputs and aux output masters to a VCA
@@user-jx3jp3gb4x i am trying to utilise something similar to the VCAs in main for my aux, would you suggest using subgroups instead then? or can I not use that in aux as well?
I think you are trying to submix certain things and use those ‘“grouped” type mixes in your aux mixes. Mackie does not allow the output of subgroups to be used in aux mixes. I am doing my best to try to interpret your wording. If you can tell me exactly what you want to do I can try to help.
Hi Julie! Yes, a VCA/DCA is a very handy and very efficient way to control many things. The cool thing about most all of this digital stuff is you can experiment with it and not blow stuff up :) I hope you are doing great!
@@user-jx3jp3gb4x Thanks. Experimenting is the word at the mo! Had Covid in March and was a bit poorly at home. Had fatigue for months and cough but just about back to normal now and back involved in worship and sound. Glad you're ok.
Where do the subgroup and VCA group signals go? Do they only go to the mains? Or do they work on the aux mixes too? I noticed that the levels of the subgroups and VCAs stay the same no matter which tab I switch to.
Hi Daniel, it is important to remember that a subgroup is basically a master for the audio signals (channels) routed to them. A VCA (DCA) does NOT pass audio signals like a subgroup does, it is simply a remote control that remotely controls the channels assigned to it. Here is a simple analogy of how a VCA works, I use this example when I am doing some "sound" engineering training,,, imagine you have four mics on your church choir. Every time the choir sings you want to raise the faders of all four mics simultaneously. In the old days with a simple mixer, you could use some Scotch tape and tape a pencil that is just long enough to stretch across the four choir mic faders. When you move the pencil, you are moving all the faders taped (assigned) to it. That's a VCA. A subgroup allows you to route the (AUDIO) from any number of input channels assigned to it like: all drums mics, or all praise team singers. So, if this is now clearer and understandable, it should be clear about WHERE these audio signals go as mentioned in your first question. The subgroup outputs typically feed the main L/R mix, and it is common to UN-assign those input channels from going directly to the Main L/R mix. You said... "where do the VCA signals go?" Since a VCA has no audio signal, the channels assigned to it would go to the same output destination that they did before you assigned them to the VCA. It would take way too much time typing here to explain how a sub-group typically cannot be used for an Aux mix, but even that is not impossible but far more complicated. I hope that helps, if you are still stuck you can always contact me through my website www.kurysound.com. and Happy New Year!
Thank you for the videos. I have a problem I connected a microphone to a channel and headphones I hear some latency of my voice. Is there a solution? or is this normal. Thank you.
Hi Lee, if you are familiar with any other mixer, Master Fader 5 gain is used the same way. It is used to set the maximum level (gain) going into the mic preamp. Since music is constantly changing, you want a good solid level that is hovering (averaging) around the orange area of the level meter. Occasional spikes of volume hitting the red is usually OK. If the gain is too low, down in the green area, you will likely not have enough volume for monitors and mains. While you are setting the gain for a singer or instrument, it is always best to have that channel muted and fader set all the way off.... at the bottom. After you have asked the singer to sing their loudest passage, or phrase, that should inform you of where the GAIN slider should be set, for optimum level, but leaving a certain amount of "headroom" just in case they sing louder during the show, concert, service etc. It is common practice to ask the singer to sing the phrase a couple of times, giving you time to set the Gain properly. Now, unmute the channel and slowly raise the fader till you hear it in your main speakers at the volume that you think is a good starting point, and to your liking,... based on YOUR EARS. Remember that as you add other instruments, their fader may need to be turned up to keep their vocal on top of the mix. Speaking of main speakers, it is usually best to set the main master fader to about 10 dB below zero which is slightly higher than halfway up. This should provide plenty of volume in the main speakers for the audience. Virtually everyone on the internet will tell you that I am wrong and that you should set the Master Fader to zero dB, commonly referred to as "Unity Gain". Do what you wish, but I have been doing concerts for over 45 years and I never needed the master higher than negative 10 dB. Now,,,,,,, the Trim slider should ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS be left alone, it should be set to zero dB. If you don't know where it is set, you can click on that slider's widget and move it ever-so-slightly.... then, look at the top of Master Fader where the black Navigation bar is, and in the center of that display the value is always shown whenever you adjust anything on Master Fader. Clicking on that value in the center of the Navigation bar will bring up the iPad's keyboard so you can enter your own exact value,...type 0 then hit DONE. A note about why we should NEVER adjust the TRIM slider... that Trim slider is used to adjust the incoming level of a digital input from a USB port or some other digital signal. If you are using the mic preamp, moving this green TRIM slider will affect the signal but it should never be used to adjust GAIN.
Hi Chris, subgroups certainly do have their purpose but I rarely if ever use them. A subroup is nice if you want to use the same Eq or other audio processing on all the signals that are routed to that group. I have never liked the fact that all of the "post" aux sends do not get the benefit of changing with the group fader as it is raised and lowered. That is not musical at all and is the very reason that I almost never use subgroups. Thanks for watching!
it is not possible to hear the reverb unless you selected a reverb for one of the effects slots and even then you must send the source mic input or whatever to that reverb. Then in order to hear the reverberated sound the reverb return needs to be turned up. This is all covered in the manual.
@@zeppo20 Hi Nicky, you are correct, any odd/even "adjacent" channels can be linked by clicking on the name/icon area of the input or output channel. Settings like EQ and compression will be identical for both channels. Have fun!
Our band just invested in a new Mackie digital mixer and your tutorial series is a fantastic primer for a Master Fader and live sound mix newbie. Much thanks for the time and effort you put into these!
Thanks Robert! Glad to help :)
I am very late to the game here, but I never saw or touched a mixer until sometime in October of last year (7 months ago). I dont have a particularly musical ear, but I've been in a position where I can actually manage most smaller bands on the darn thing thanks to your videos. I was just messing around in the test environment on Master Fader, discovered VCA (ivhad honestly never given it a second look), came here immediately. Now that dude with 10 drum channels is no match for me!
Thank you for putting this out there. It definitely helps an idiot like me understand what's going on.
You definitely DO NOT sound like an idiot,.... learning sound, recording and mixing is an art. It takes may years to get really good at it, the good comes from making mistakes and learning from them. I am self taught too, but you have a huge advantage,.... and that is youtube videos. Don't get wrapped up in esoteric gear, simply use your ears, trust them, and make adjustments as YOU see fit. I am happy that these videos have helped you. Have fun, and never hesitate to ask questions.
These tutorials are so helpful! I am relatively new to mixers and I've already got the system working. Thank you!
fantastic,, that made my day :)
Just wanted to say thank you for the videos. You have literally saved me hours when trying to figure this thing out.
always glad to help!!!
That's great! You certainly deserve it. When I first got this thing I didn't even understand that aux Is an output! The front of the DL 16 S does not say AUX it says output. Stuff like that drives me nuts:-) your detailed explanation of a particular item helps me infer so even when I have a specific question that is an answered, it seems like in someway it has been answered and I am able to begin experimentation. One thing I love about this mixer are the preamp's. After coming from a Yamaha, I'm surprised by the overall sound quality call. It feels bigger and cleaner and some of the raspy sounds that I was getting from my telecaster have gone away. Now I have to readjust my helix. Anyway please keep up the great work!
I'm glad it helps :)
Thank you so much :)
I tested all the reasons for choosing vca or subgroups
To not have that problem of reverb levels changing in a subgroup I removed each drum channel from the mains
As well as the reverb. Routing all to the subgroup it acted exactly the same as the VCA did.
The advantage of the VCA was in not having to go through all of that. It did what it was supposed to just in routing the drum channels to it.
Advantage VCA
The disadvantage of the VCA
was no panning. Also no access to compressor or EQ
If we wanted to do either or both to the entire drum mix.
After all individual channels were set.
So I’m still not sure which I’d use to group drums vca or subgroup lol
Ty again all the info insight tips along the way to every aspect of this was helpful and enjoyable. 🙏
Hi Mike, all of your observations are correct, but if you included the reverb return with the drums in the drum "group", that reverb should have nothing but drums in it. In other words, make sure that you are using one reverb just for drums. :)
In most mixers you can use VCA and SubGroups at the same time, so you can EQ and Comp your drums in the group and control their volume (wich will affect the reverb send too) with the VCA
I purchased the DL16S without these tutorials the learning curve would have been a lot steeper.. thank you
Glad to help you:)
Great job! Thanks!
Hi Denny, I am happy to help :)
Ah cool gotcha again ty so much :)
glad to help Mike
Great job. Is it possible to assign channels within an AUX to a VCA? I'd like to turn down other channels instead of always turning the main up? In a Presonus its called more me.
No, you can not use a VCA to control faders in an Aux mix.
@@user-jx3jp3gb4x Thank you for the response. Your videos are well done. I wish you could flesh out adding effects to the auxes a bit more if I had any complaints. Otherwise well done.
@@DavidYoung-jh8wr ua-cam.com/video/IG2M5bAh6so/v-deo.html
Is the VCA setting in FOH independent of the Aux mix? I tried to use VCAs in my aux channel and everytime I turn one VCA channel down, it turns my aux master down. How can I make my aux VCA setting to work just like the FOH where it only moves the faders assigned and not my master?
It sounds to me like you are trying to use a VCA to control channels in an aux mix but not in the main mix. You cannot assign aux input channels to a VCA. You can only assign main mix inputs and aux output masters to a VCA
@@user-jx3jp3gb4x i am trying to utilise something similar to the VCAs in main for my aux, would you suggest using subgroups instead then? or can I not use that in aux as well?
I think you are trying to submix certain things and use those ‘“grouped” type mixes in your aux mixes. Mackie does not allow the output of subgroups to be used in aux mixes. I am doing my best to try to interpret your wording. If you can tell me exactly what you want to do I can try to help.
Sounds like this is very important if using send out for Zoom and YT live streaming
Hi Julie! Yes, a VCA/DCA is a very handy and very efficient way to control many things. The cool thing about most all of this digital stuff is you can experiment with it and not blow stuff up :) I hope you are doing great!
@@user-jx3jp3gb4x Thanks. Experimenting is the word at the mo! Had Covid in March and was a bit poorly at home. Had fatigue for months and cough but just about back to normal now and back involved in worship and sound. Glad you're ok.
WOW I am glad you made it through,,, gosh
Thank you so Much i Learn a Lot sir God Bless you 😊
Thank you very much Renz!
Where do the subgroup and VCA group signals go? Do they only go to the mains? Or do they work on the aux mixes too? I noticed that the levels of the subgroups and VCAs stay the same no matter which tab I switch to.
Hi Daniel, it is important to remember that a subgroup is basically a master for the audio signals (channels) routed to them. A VCA (DCA) does NOT pass audio signals like a subgroup does, it is simply a remote control that remotely controls the channels assigned to it. Here is a simple analogy of how a VCA works, I use this example when I am doing some "sound" engineering training,,, imagine you have four mics on your church choir. Every time the choir sings you want to raise the faders of all four mics simultaneously. In the old days with a simple mixer, you could use some Scotch tape and tape a pencil that is just long enough to stretch across the four choir mic faders. When you move the pencil, you are moving all the faders taped (assigned) to it. That's a VCA.
A subgroup allows you to route the (AUDIO) from any number of input channels assigned to it like: all drums mics, or all praise team singers. So, if this is now clearer and understandable, it should be clear about WHERE these audio signals go as mentioned in your first question. The subgroup outputs typically feed the main L/R mix, and it is common to UN-assign those input channels from going directly to the Main L/R mix. You said... "where do the VCA signals go?" Since a VCA has no audio signal, the channels assigned to it would go to the same output destination that they did before you assigned them to the VCA.
It would take way too much time typing here to explain how a sub-group typically cannot be used for an Aux mix, but even that is not impossible but far more complicated. I hope that helps, if you are still stuck you can always contact me through my website www.kurysound.com. and Happy New Year!
@@user-jx3jp3gb4x Thank you so much for your help :) That cleared my doubt! Happy new year btw! :))
@@the_danielmark glad to help!!!
Thank you for the videos. I have a problem I connected a microphone to a channel and headphones I hear some latency of my voice. Is there a solution? or is this normal. Thank you.
there is no latency with the DL mixers, unless you messed with delay on the output that you are using
I found that there is a delay slider in the monitor section, solved. Thank you.
Could you help me with setting a proper Trim and Gain on the Masterfader 5?
Hi Lee, if you are familiar with any other mixer, Master Fader 5 gain is used the same way. It is used to set the maximum level (gain) going into the mic preamp. Since music is constantly changing, you want a good solid level that is hovering (averaging) around the orange area of the level meter. Occasional spikes of volume hitting the red is usually OK. If the gain is too low, down in the green area, you will likely not have enough volume for monitors and mains. While you are setting the gain for a singer or instrument, it is always best to have that channel muted and fader set all the way off.... at the bottom. After you have asked the singer to sing their loudest passage, or phrase, that should inform you of where the GAIN slider should be set, for optimum level, but leaving a certain amount of "headroom" just in case they sing louder during the show, concert, service etc. It is common practice to ask the singer to sing the phrase a couple of times, giving you time to set the Gain properly. Now, unmute the channel and slowly raise the fader till you hear it in your main speakers at the volume that you think is a good starting point, and to your liking,... based on YOUR EARS. Remember that as you add other instruments, their fader may need to be turned up to keep their vocal on top of the mix.
Speaking of main speakers, it is usually best to set the main master fader to about 10 dB below zero which is slightly higher than halfway up. This should provide plenty of volume in the main speakers for the audience. Virtually everyone on the internet will tell you that I am wrong and that you should set the Master Fader to zero dB, commonly referred to as "Unity Gain". Do what you wish, but I have been doing concerts for over 45 years and I never needed the master higher than negative 10 dB.
Now,,,,,,, the Trim slider should ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS be left alone, it should be set to zero dB. If you don't know where it is set, you can click on that slider's widget and move it ever-so-slightly.... then, look at the top of Master Fader where the black Navigation bar is, and in the center of that display the value is always shown whenever you adjust anything on Master Fader. Clicking on that value in the center of the Navigation bar will bring up the iPad's keyboard so you can enter your own exact value,...type 0 then hit DONE.
A note about why we should NEVER adjust the TRIM slider... that Trim slider is used to adjust the incoming level of a digital input from a USB port or some other digital signal. If you are using the mic preamp, moving this green TRIM slider will affect the signal but it should never be used to adjust GAIN.
Do you also use subgroups? Or is this just a better way than subgroups?
Hi Chris, subgroups certainly do have their purpose but I rarely if ever use them. A subroup is nice if you want to use the same Eq or other audio processing on all the signals that are routed to that group. I have never liked the fact that all of the "post" aux sends do not get the benefit of changing with the group fader as it is raised and lowered. That is not musical at all and is the very reason that I almost never use subgroups. Thanks for watching!
dankurydotcom thanks. I enjoy your videos. I just got a DL1608 a few days ago. There is a lot to learn.
don't hesitate to ask questions if you get stumped on anything :) Dan
Where is the phase button to reverse the polarity on a channel?
just below the 48 volt phantom power switch in each input's preamp section.
dankurydotcom ok thank you
always glad to help :)
Also I can´t hear the reverb on headphones.
it is not possible to hear the reverb unless you selected a reverb for one of the effects slots and even then you must send the source mic input or whatever to that reverb. Then in order to hear the reverberated sound the reverb return needs to be turned up. This is all covered in the manual.
@@user-jx3jp3gb4x Sorry reverb return fader was down.
@@user-jx3jp3gb4x If I want to make a stereo monitor I have to use Aux 1 and 2 as Left Right?
@@zeppo20 Hi Nicky, you are correct, any odd/even "adjacent" channels can be linked by clicking on the name/icon area of the input or output channel. Settings like EQ and compression will be identical for both channels. Have fun!