Audio 101 – How To Adjust The Volume on Those Big Boards!

So you’re a volunteer, and you’re sitting at this massive sound board.  Now run sound! Not so easy is it? The board can look overwhelming at first. So let’s take it in sections. For someone running sound for the first time or someone who is not a seasoned sound person, try this– close your eyes and just listen to the band. Can you understand the vocals? Are the drums too overpowering? Can you hear the backup vocalists, or are they buried in the sound? Now adjust the volumes accordingly.

Today I just want to cover volume levels. There are two primary places where you can make volume changes on a mixing console. The first is at the top called “Trim,” and the other is the volume slider at the bottom. Here is the trick – Set all your sliders at the 0 db or zero mark. This is usually near the top.  If you have an LED visual output for each channel, NEVER LET THE SOUND HIT THE RED AREA AT THE TOP! Adjust to keep the level in the green area if you have one. One channel at a time, adjust the trim at the top for the proper sound level. When your level is set properly, the volume slider should always be near the 0 db level. If it is too high, or   too low it causes tone changes, which I’m not going to cover at this time.

Clipping – Most mixing boards contain a red light at the top of the board. If it illuminates intermittently or constantly, you’re clipping. That means the signal coming into the board is too strong and will cause distortion (a kind of static sound). If your trim is all the way down, and the light is still coming on, ask the musician to turn down the output volume on their equipment.

Be careful on a digital board. Most digital boards when saved will automatically return the sliders to the same spot each time. However, this does not include the trim volume at the top of the board. Therefore, if someone moves the trim volume next week when you’re not there, guess what? You’re coming into the music set with all different levels. I suggest you use tape and make marks at the top of the board to be certain they remain in the same position each week. Keep the tape with a marker near the board, If you change the trim, change the tape and marker.

Tell the praise team musicians to keep their volume setting consistent each week. My guitar effects have a volume output. I marked my volume output with tape to help the soundman.

Anytime you get a different musician, ask him or her to mark his or her output level after you make your settings on the sound board. Keep a journal near the board and document information on any musicians who may not be present each week or guest musicians. Note their equipment and volume levels for future reference. Most boards have a button called a “20db Pad.” It reduces the incoming sound. This should ONLY used when the signal coming into the board is so loud (also reffered to as a hot signal) that severely clipping occurs. Most signals can be turned down. Last week I discovered a channel for an acoustic guitar cranked to the max, and affecting the tone, only to discover someone pushed in the pad, which was not noticed.

Back to a good volume mix, get a copy of the music for each week. Ask the music director to include you in the music distribution. Listen to the songs for just volume. Each song will be slightly different; some music will be in your face with the vocals, while others may favor other instruments like the piano or guitar.

For this exercise, listen to the volume. When you arrive at the praise team session, apply that same principle. Just listen to the volume and make the appropriate adjustments. Go for an even blend. If you have a vocalist who one second is screaming into the microphone, and the next a foot away, ask them to find a consistent spot. Compressors will help this problem. I’ll cover them at a later time.

Use Caution – I’m a singer. I’ve lived this scenario. Most singers when learning a song, when not certain of their parts, will tend to back off the microphone or sing at a low volume so the rest of the team won’t figure them out. The caution part is when the church service begins.  Once they sing out with confidence, they will kill your earlier mix. If you notice a singer acting sheepishly during practice, keep his or her level lower than the other singers, and be prepared to turn him or her down. If he or she only know parts of the song, they will change their volume wildly with the confident parts. Again, a compressor will fix this.

Lastly, be prepared for the weak musician or singer. If you have several singers and one bad, don’t go for the even mix. Pull them back. There are effects you can add to make them sound better; I’ll cover that at a later time. For now, just back him or her off and bury him or her in the mix.

Mixing sound for volunteers is more difficult than mixing for paid professionals.

I highly suggest you spend time listening to the music before mixing the sound of the band. Listen at a low volume. When a volume is very loud, the sound levels are more difficult to differentiate. Listen, pray and then serve God with all you have. You owe that to the band who practices hard, to the congregation, and mostly to our Father who art in Heaven!

So you’re a volunteer, and you’re sitting at this massive sound board.  Now run sound! Not so easy is it? The board can look overwhelming at first. So let’s take it in sections. For someone running sound for the first time or someone who is not a seasoned sound person, try this– close your eyes and just listen to the band. Can you understand the vocals? Are the drums too overpowering? Can you hear the backup vocalists, or are they buried in the sound? Now adjust the volumes accordingly.

Today I just want to cover volume levels. There are two primary places where you can make volume changes on a mixing console. The first is at the top called “Trim,” and the other is the volume slider at the bottom. Here is the trick – Set all your sliders at the 0 db or zero mark. This is usually near the top.  If you have an LED visual output for each channel, NEVER LET THE SOUND HIT THE RED AREA AT THE TOP! Adjust to keep the level in the green area if you have one. One channel at a time, adjust the trim at the top for the proper sound level. When your level is set properly, the volume slider should always be near the 0 db level. If it is too high, or   too low it causes tone changes, which I’m not going to cover at this time.

Clipping – Most mixing boards contain a red light at the top of the board. If it illuminates intermittently or constantly, you’re clipping. That means the signal coming into the board is too strong and will cause distortion (a kind of static sound). If your trim is all the way down, and the light is still coming on, ask the musician to turn down the output volume on their equipment.

Be careful on a digital board. Most digital boards when saved will automatically return the sliders to the same spot each time. However, this does not include the trim volume at the top of the board. Therefore, if someone moves the trim volume next week when you’re not there, guess what? You’re coming into the music set with all different levels. I suggest you use tape and make marks at the top of the board to be certain they remain in the same position each week. Keep the tape with a marker near the board, If you change the trim, change the tape and marker.

Tell the praise team musicians to keep their volume setting consistent each week. My guitar effects have a volume output. I marked my volume output with tape to help the soundman.

Anytime you get a different musician, ask him or her to mark his or her output level after you make your settings on the sound board. Keep a journal near the board and document information on any musicians who may not be present each week or guest musicians. Note their equipment and volume levels for future reference.

Back to a good volume mix, get a copy of the music for each week. Ask the music director to include you in the music distribution. Listen to the songs for just volume. Each song will be slightly different; some music will be in your face with the vocals, while others may favor other instruments like the piano or guitar.

For this exercise, listen to the volume. When you arrive at the praise team session, apply that same principle. Just listen to the volume and make the appropriate adjustments. Go for an even blend. If you have a vocalist who one second is screaming into the microphone, and the next a foot away, ask them to find a consistent spot. Compressors will help this problem. I’ll cover them at a later time.

Use Caution – I’m a singer. I’ve lived this scenario. Most singers when learning a song, when not certain of their parts, will tend to back off the microphone or sing at a low volume so the rest of the team won’t figure them out. The caution part is when the church service begins.  Once they sing out with confidence, they will kill your earlier mix. If you notice a singer acting sheepishly during practice, keep his or her level lower than the other singers, and be prepared to turn him or her down. If he or she only know parts of the song, they will change their volume wildly with the confident parts. Again, a compressor will fix this.

Lastly, be prepared for the weak musician or singer. If you have several singers and one bad, don’t go for the even mix. Pull them back. There are effects you can add to make them sound better; I’ll cover that at a later time. For now, just back him or her off and bury him or her in the mix.

Mixing sound for volunteers is more difficult than mixing for paid professionals.

I highly suggest you spend time listening to the music before mixing the sound of the band. Listen at a low volume. When a volume is very loud, the sound levels are more difficult to differentiate. Listen, pray and then serve God with all you have. You owe that to the band who practices hard, to the congregation, and mostly to our Father who art in Heaven!