Welcome to “Effective Audio”

1. Welcome to “Effective Audio” Presented by Terry Neudorf

2. Your instructor: Terry Neudorf • Began mixing in 1982 • Turned “pro” in 1993 • Well “traveled”, have toured North America extensively, as well as Africa and Europe. • Have been fortunate to work with many well known artists, groups, organizations and festivals. • Experienced in the design & installations of systems.

3. A very brief bio: • Have worked with Hillsong, Hillsong United, Robin Mark, Paul Oakley, Paul Baloche, Kutlass, Delirious, Newsboys, Audio-Adrenaline, Tim Hughes, Parachute Band, Noel Richards, Vicky Beeching, Robin Mark, Jars of Clay, Dakona, Promise Keepers and many others over the years. • Current sound engineer for Brian Doerksen, Unite in Worship Canada as well as many other groups, festivals and organizations. • Classified as an A1 technician in the world of corporate audio. • Lead audio tech at 2000 seat Church in Abbotsford, BC. Brian Doerksen Dakona Promise Keepers Toronto 05’

4. So, what’s my point? I bring up where I’ve been and what I’ve been involved with to simply assure you of one thing: I live in your world, I know personally what your up against. I understand the issues, they’re universal, and we all deal with them. Hillsongs Steve McPherson Brian Doerksen in Cairo 2007

5. The Frequency Range

6. Input Devices Input devices are items such as microphones, direct boxes generally used for connecting various instruments and playback devices like CD players and cassette decks.

7. Microphones Microphones are extremely common and yet hardly understood by those who use them. How do they work and how do we best use them? The two most common types you will find are: The Dynamic Microphone The Condenser Microphone

8. How microphones hear... Microphones come with “pick up” patterns, they hear in specific ways depending on the type. Here are some common types you will encounter:

9. Microphone patterns and angles of coverage Darker shaded areas give prime pick-up areas in pattern of coverage. Working within these areas will lead to the best pick-up and the most off-axis rejection.

10. Feedback The cause…and the cure • Cause: microphones set too sensitive due to improper microphone technique or placements. • Cure: using microphone properly, thus reducing the need for extra sensitive microphones. This will give you much more control.

11. Direct boxes (D.I.’s) Direct boxes are used to convert the audio signal from a line level (1/4” jack typically, -10dBu) to a balanced format (XLR, +4dBu) format. This is done to transfer the signal safely from the stage to the mixing console.

12. Let the buttons begin... Input gain control/amplifier. If an incoming signal is too weak you can amplify it here or if a signal is too strong you can turn it down This is the channel equalizer section. Mixers range anywhere from 2 band fixed EQ to 4 band fully parametric. Shown here is a 4 band EQ with two sweepable midrange controls.

13. Setting the tone Tone controls are just volume controls that work on certain frequencies. Consoles provide different levels of equalization control ability. Some are very basic, others are very complex and capable.

14. Visualizing equalization The following illustration shows a 2 band EQ in action:

15. Visualizing equalization This illustrates a 3 band EQ in action:

16. Multi-channel EQ tips • Tonal boosts or cuts combine to create a greater sum, or total channel volume. Remember…tone controls are just restricted volume controls. • Your mix is a summation of all the individual channel EQ settings as well as the individual channel volume settings. It all becomes one mix output.

17. Multi-channel EQ tips • Only take what you need from each input to create the overall mix. This allows each input to have it’s own space • Taking everything offered can quickly lead to a mix with no definition and clarity, always remember to not get greedy.

18. Tip’s on Bass management Because BASS frequencies are much larger than HI frequencies it is very easy for BASS to become overpowering. Overpowering BASS tends to cause muddy, boomy sound that has no clarity or clean sound. Sound persons need to be constantly aware of this in order to maintain clean, natural sounding and understandable mixes. The trick here is to not let unwanted BASS into the system. This is done by using high pass filters, rolling BASS out of vocal microphones and instrument inputs that do not produce BASS to begin with.

19. Bass Management Many newer mixing consoles have a selectable HI PASS Filter available. This filter, when it is activated cuts out frequencies below a certain level (75 - 100Hz) and keeps them from getting into the channel. BASS from your speakers or stage instruments can sneak into vocal microphones and if you do not manage this situation you will unwittingly be amplifying the BASS all over again…unintentionally.

20. The other 85% of the frequencies • With proper bass management the rest of the mix should flow nicely • Pay attention to articulation, establish clean, clear intelligible sounds from the various inputs. • Remember that life is sibilant and alive, not dull. Keep your mixes in that “live” sound space • Try to always find spaces to put things, for example, leave some low mid out of the synth and piano to make space for guitars and perc.

21. Why all the attention to bass? • Bass waves are large, much larger than mid and high frequency sound waves. Therefore it is easy for these bass frequencies to overpower ALL other frequencies • Intelligibility is established in the mid/hi ranges. Without proper representation of these frequencies your mix will not be clearly defined and easy to hear • If you do not pay close attention to your bass mix the rest of your mix won’t matter anyway!

22. The “rest” of the buttons Channel strips also offer AUXILIARY SENDS. Aux. sends are used to send a signal to different locations, other than the main speakers. They are used to create stage monitor mixes, recording mixes, effects sends. They fill other needs you may have for separate & area specific mixes. Each channel will have Aux. sends.

23. Getting it to the audience Some mixers simply send the individual channels directly to the main outputs. Others allow the user to assign them to subgroups first, allowing the user to control multiple channels with one subgroup fader. This is very easily done once understood. Essentially all subgroup capable mixing consoles operate the same way. All you have to do is simply decide which subgroup you want a channel to go to, push a button, turn a dial and you are there.

24. Subgroup’s For example, if we wanted to take this channel and route it to subgroup #3, we would first press the button that says 3-4. This tells the mixer that we want the channel to go to these subgroups. To have the channel only go to subgroup #3, turn the pan control at the top all the way to the left. This is known as the “odd #” side Going to the right on the pan control is the “even #” side which would have sent the channel to subgroup #4.

25. On with the mix! Welcome to the hot seat! It’s rarely the same twice and always subject to change. A mix wakes up and comes alive when the sound person does! This is where the fun starts!!!

26. Controlled Chaos • There is generally not a lot of time • Different tech’s have different “styles” • Equipment is not left in a standard setup or configuration…altered & not reset • Musicians sometimes don’t understand the purposes of “sound-checks” • Everyone has a plan…a different one

27. Putting together a mix This can be the most frustrating part… trying to put it all together in the few minutes they give you… It does not have to be hard! With a few basic guidelines and “house rules” set up, sound-check and the performance can be creative and fun.

28. Here we go… How would you like to be able to set input gain (volume) levels, audience mix levels, monitor mix levels, recording mix levels, all within two songs? And get it right too? You can.

29. Start your mix with the basics. What will you want to hear? What will the singers want to hear? What will the musicians want to hear?

30. Audience/Soundperson needs As a soundperson your goal should be to achieve a linear mix… nothing drastically louder than something else, so that everything can be clearly heard.

31. Singer/musician needs Singers & musicians generally want the same thing…a nice even stage mix with consistent volumes. Stage monitor mixes will have different priorities but the mix still needs to be linear and even. Brian Doerksen in Biel, Switzerland

32. Preparing the mix • Get the console set up as much in advance as you can based on the info you have • A large part of your events success will depend on “pre-planning”, on advance technical needs information. If you don’t have info…why not?

33. Get an early start on the mix... • Set the stage as you expect it will be • Connect the input devices • Have a clean stage, cables neatly run • Label the channels on the console • Test the inputs…ensure they are working Prepare as much “stuff” as possible in advance of what you know is coming...

34. Get an early start on the mix... Make some assumptions about what’s going to be needed and start there. Then… PRE-DIAL. Watch this…see how easy it can be.

35. The “Pre-dial” You know you will need some input gain…set all used channel gain controls to 10 o-clock.

36. EQ pre-dialing • Adjust the channel EQ’s as you think they might be best used per input type & item • Remember, channel EQ affects the total channel gain structure…it’s best to pre-dial at this time.

37. Monitor mix pre-dialing • Set any monitor mixes up as you would expect them to be needed • If using Aviom prepare the Aviom direct sends or auxiliary sends using the predetermined format for Aviom mixer channel layouts

38. Setting up the main mix • Set ALL used channel faders to the “Unity” or “0” position. • Subgroup items as needed. • Set subgroup faders to “Unity” as well. • Set Masters to -10

39. What are you doing right now? • Due to the fact that you have pre-dialed a lot of stuff already your next task is to set the input gain structure. • As the band plays work your way across the gains…using them to create your main mix. Increase and decrease volumes as needed with the volume controls to set up the mix blend.

40. Bring on the band! Sound-check is for the soundperson. • To begin the sound-check the band needs to just start playing a song…and they need to KEEP playing the song. • The only way a soundperson can set up the mixes is to have input program coming in, so the band need to give the soundperson 2 back to back songs. • This time is strictly for the technician.

41. The “mix” key The input channel’s GAIN control is the master volume control for the entire channel strip. This includes the main channel output and all of the Auxiliary sends your console offers. One master volume per channel when used wisely.

42. Remember... It’s not about how much gain you can take in before you clip the channel. It’s about only taking what you need and giving back what you don’t need.

43. Doing a bunch at once. Due to the fact that the gain control is the channel master volume control, and due to the fact that musicians basically want the same as you do… when you dialed in what you wanted with the gain controls you also dialed them in at the same time. Now you can fine tune the mixes easily.

44. After the two songs... • You are now ready to take requests from stage…fine tuning the monitor mixes. Ask each “mix” how things are and adjust as asked • You should find that the changes are minor • Let the band continue “rehearsing”, fine tune your mix as needed. MJC (Mennonite Jazz Committee)

45. Staying in touch… • Because you started off your mix with lots in common with the band…you will be able to accurately correct a drastic shift in an inputs level • If an inputs level drastically changes…use the gain control to bring it back in line, thereby fixing not only the main mix but also the monitor mixes on stage Dakona

46. Stage monitor guidelines • Monitors are there to give the artist direct sound for accurate “monitoring” of their performances. • Monitors should be the first thing a musician hears, not the only thing. When this rule is followed stage monitors will never be too loud “out front”. Physic’s won’t allow it. • Less is more. The more things in a mix the harder it is to hear each of those things. • Have artists differentiate between what they want and what they need in their mixes. This will greatly enhance the mixes clarity. Monitor console, “Today” recording. 21 stage mixes.

47. One very important thing... A sound tech should NEVER compromise the audience for the sake of a performer. Especially when mixing in Church! Musicians & worship leaders… please be sensitive to & respect the tech’s foremost responsibility…the congregation! They are also your first and most important consideration!

48. Have the right mind set • Mixing audio is not a power thing • A calm, easy going professional manner will go miles in easing performer tension • Remember that the happier the musicians are the better you ALL sound • Be in control in such a way that others think that they are, but always know what’s up and how you are going to deal with it.

49. You are the direct link! Understand that you are the centre of the hour glass. You represent the congregation first, worship team second.

50. One very important thing... Never, ever, for any other reason than an Act of God compromise the audience for the sake of a performer. Especially when mixing in Church!