Volume levels

Mau5

Think im starting to get the hang of this a bit but i have a question...

Where should i have my volumes set, in regards to everything like master, channel gain, the channel faders (i usually have them all the way up the whole time, dont think thats right is it?) and cue gain, all i really know is to have the cue gain equal to the master so you can hear the two properly.

Any help would be great.

VinylJunkie

Most people say the Master should not go into the red on the pfl lights. I agree but it depends on the sound system. By going into the red you are increasing the chances of distortion.

Same goes for the channel gains try keep them just clipping in the red, this will allow you to control the volume of individual tracks to ensure each are at the same level.

I Put the channel faders up all the way aswel but remember to adjust the gain.

The Headphone Cue is totally up to personal preference!

Daroxtar

If you're playing anything by Tiesto or Deadmau5 i'd advise keeping the volume at about 0.

VinylJunkie

Resists the urge to drop a slur about a certain genre :pac:

Jev/N

From a physics point of view (of what I can remember) -

faders should be up full or most of the way, gains are just to equate the levels between the different channels so shouldn't be messed with too much and the master should be hitting 0 dB and not much over, the amps should be dealing with amplification

Executive Steve

Channel faders = up all the way when you want them there

Gain = gains are for minor volume adjustments to compensate for quieter pressings

EQ's = are for relative frequency-dependent volume adjustments, for creative effect and to compensate for badly mastered tunes

Nothing should ever be red on your mixer; all sound systems sound at their best when they're being played within the limits of their capacity; if in doubt, keep your Master Gain at a sensible level and turn your amp up.


Always turn your amp off before your mixer, and always turn your mixer on before you switch on your amp.

ED E

[cm]tyranny wrote: »

Channel faders = up all the way when you want them there

Gain = gains are for minor volume adjustments to compensate for quieter pressings

EQ's = are for relative frequency-dependent volume adjustments, for creative effect and to compensate for badly mastered tunes

Nothing should ever be red on your mixer; all sound systems sound at their best when they're being played within the limits of their capacity; if in doubt, keep your Master Gain at a sensible level and turn your amp up.


Always turn your amp off before your mixer, and always turn your mixer on before you switch on your amp.

I turned on my amp while disconnected from the speakers the other day. Sooo glad its a protected Amp

I've had a usb disconnect while using my PA, not nice.

As for settings, on Analogue systems there is a proper way to do it, digital it doesnt make that much difference. Usually I have my master at 40%, channel gains at 0+- and faders averaging around that line at the ~75% mark. Then the Amp starts at 8/10 of 30 on both sides and later moves up to 12/14.

franklyshocked

Mau5 wrote: »

Think im starting to get the hang of this a bit but i have a question...

Where should i have my volumes set, in regards to everything like master, channel gain, the channel faders (i usually have them all the way up the whole time, dont think thats right is it?) and cue gain, all i really know is to have the cue gain equal to the master so you can hear the two properly.

Any help would be great.

Hopefully your mixer has volume level LEDs on each channel, although most do.
On the individual channels you can push the faders up to max and leave the master channel down for the moment.
Use your channel gains to increase the volumes untill all green lights are lit.
I've always said keep out of the red!
If one or two red lights are blinking in time to the beat its not too bad sound quality wise, but if the red lights stay lit you need to reduce your gains a little.
Not only will your mixes have better sound quality, you'll be less likely to blow your amp.
I know a guy that regularly does birthday parties and pub gigs near me and he pushes everything up to 11 and he's spending a fortune replacing broken speakers the whole time.
At the top level like that with all the distortion you'll actaully lose sound. Better quality sound will almost sound louder even if the gains are set lower. And its more likely to keep you in the a promoters good books.

sweetie

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

....Then the Amp starts at 8/10 of 30 on both sides and later moves up to 12/14.

It's generally recommended to have your amp at or near full output and to control the volume with your mixer.

unclebill98

Jesus, some of the early posts are shocking....

If you have at any stage a red clipping light its a bad thing. Turning faders up to the max is a bad thing. I've stood infront of a PA and had someone play the exact same song through two systems. One the faders are up top much and the other it was done right. The difference the the sound quality is massive.

If you need to push things into the red then you simple to not have enough rig for the gig. You'll blow something and your also punishing your poor listeners to having to put up with it.

As stated, your FOH Amps should be turned up full. On both channels. If you need to pull back on the tops then you should have some kind of processor taking care of this. Your gain on you inputs from your music source will vary depending on audio quality and your faders on your mixer should be a unity. Your Master out on your mixer should be enough to get the amp working but as i said nothing should be clipping.

and some DJ's wonder why the Pro Audio world hates them...

VinylJunkie

The Linear faders don't make any difference what so ever as long as the gains are set correctly.

unclebill98

If any fader has an impact on the master signal to your amps then its posistion has relevence to the over all sound quality.

francois

Speaking as a pensioner here just be careful-If you are out DJing watch the monitor, if it's too harsh watch the treble, as you will start to over compensate on your headphones-trust me the ear I used to listen to the monitor to has seriously degraded-I find it hard to hear people talking when there is any backgroung noise in places like pubs and clubs. If you are really unlucky you can suffer tintinus.
Sadly most venues dont provide a decent monitor mix, where you can hear at a decent volume what the punters are hearing on the dancefloor, jayzuz when I started out the idea of a monitor didn't even exist!
O

Savman

VinylJunkie wrote: »

By going into the red you are increasing the chances of distortion.

By going into the red, you are distorting.

VinylJunkie wrote:

Same goes for the channel gains try keep them just clipping in the red

My god in heaven :eek:

Lethal_Bullet wrote:

I turned on my amp while disconnected from the speakers the other day. Sooo glad its a protected Amp

Sorry to shatter your illusion dude, but there isn't an amplifier in the world that's protected well enough to compensate for negligence or Operator Error. Try hard enough and you can break anything.

Amazing some folk just can't grasp the 'traffic light' system, it's surprisingly simple:
Green = good to go
Yellow = caution
Red = STOP

Anyone blowing drivers on a regular basis or having to endure frequent trips to the repair shop....well, whatever makes you happy I guess.

VinylJunkie

Savman wrote: »

My god in heaven :eek:

Tell me how you can damage speakers with linear faders all the way up and gains all the way down?????

Gains are there to adjust the output volume.

edit: read it wrong

Im no sound engineer as you can tell, Im merely offering my knowledge, Ive played many a gig where Mixer is being pushed to the limits while the sound system is still crisp can someone explain this?

Savman

VinylJunkie wrote: »

Im no sound engineer as you can tell, Im merely offering my knowledge, Ive played many a gig where Mixer is being pushed to the limits while the sound system is still crisp can someone explain this?

You want the truth? You can't handle the truth

The simple answer is that most Audio manufacturers add a few red lights to most DJ mixers, so that the output stays clean unless driven to bejaysis. But nothing is idiotproof to an idiot, you just get guys who just do not realise that every system, no matter how big or expensive, has it's limit.

If you want a big beefy rig, double the number of you boxes, but then it won't fit in the back of an Estate and you'll need a LWB Commercial Vehicle. Most guys are happy just pushing whatever they have to infinity and beyond.

acman

Keeping the channels on your equipment out of the red will do no harm to your equipment or the publics ears! Whereas some equipment will let you run in the red all night without any audible distortion (due to lots of headroom, analog signals vs digital etc.), it does not necessarily mean its doing your equipment / ears any good.

Bottom line: stay out of the red (everywhere from mixer to amp)...this is the correct way to do things. Some scenarios will allow you to go into the red without any audible difference, however it does not mean its right / safe for you and your equipment.

Quick note on headphone volume: I seriously recommend setting the volume to the same (audible) level of your monitors...it will improve your volume /gain control and inevitably your mixing greatly!

ED E

Savman wrote: »

Sorry to shatter your illusion dude, but there isn't an amplifier in the world that's protected well enough to compensate for negligence or Operator Error. Try hard enough and you can break anything.

I could blow it if I tried yes, most def. But if you read the above post I was talking about powering on with nothing connected. The amp automatically runs a carrier signal first, if that fails then it doesnt power up. Simple but clever for when you arent paying attention:)