Calibrating Mixer

Modern_Talking

New member
i was just wondering how to calibarate my mixer before i start to do mix downs.

i have a mackie 24x8 mixer and a behringer cable tester as a test tone

i guess i'm alittle bit confused.

i did set my cable tester volume to 0db then connect that to ch 1 on my mixing board and set the ch fader to 0db on the mackie and used the trim so that my meter on ch 1 reads at 0db right

now this is where i get confused. i have to do the same above for the rest of the channels, ... eg- ch 2,3,4,5,6,7 etc

meaning i have to connect the behringer tester to chanel 2 then to ch 3 and so on .

if this is the way can't i just set ch 1 up and then just see the setting for ch 1 and set up the rest of the ch trims to exactly as ch 1 or ????

i'm confused.

i use ch 1 to 6 for microphones and ch 7 to 18 for instruments. like bass guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, electronic drums, modules etc

THANKS
 
This is something you usually find in the manual. It's something called, "Unity" or "Unity Zero".

This is the best specified level for the mixer you are working with. Most of the time it's something like setting your faders to zero. That way you don't pick up excessive noise and/or over drive your preamps. It insures the best recording possible.

Higher end boards may have an onboard ossilator, which you turn on to set your meters and set your inputs on your outboard recording gear.
 
Are you testing the calibration of the meters? setting the trim for 0db won't do you any good. You have to set it for the mic that is plugged into it, on the source that you are micing. The trim will (potentially) change all the time.

All the channels need to be set to the things plugged into them.
 
The pots are not absolute from channel to channel, there could be 1-2dB difference between trims/faders even if positioned at the same spot... so yes, you need to adjust each channel independently of the other.
 
Farview said:
Are you testing the calibration of the meters? setting the trim for 0db won't do you any good. You have to set it for the mic that is plugged into it, on the source that you are micing. The trim will (potentially) change all the time.

All the channels need to be set to the things plugged into them.

thanks for the replies guys

but i read somewhere that before plugging anything into the mixing board or start doing a mixdown, its always best to calibrate the mixer

and this is where i was getting confused from this article.. here is a little cut & paste form it

THE MIXDOWN PROCESS

Step one is always to calibrate the mixer.
1) use a test tone of 0db (that's LOUD, so turn down the monitors)
2) Set the fader at 0db on the board. If you don't have a test tone to use, take the loudest sound that the channel does during the mix.
3) Set the trims so at the loudest, the meter pegs read at 0db
4) do this for every channel in the mixer. This gives you a reference. A zero db signal will meter at zero db when the fader is at zero db.

This is what i had found on another forum (can't remember which one) but didn't quiet understand it

right now the way i do it is i set up all the channels faders at 0db (the channels that the mic and instruments are pluged into) and when the channels are playing, i look at the meter and if it goes over 0db (the led light) i used the trim or the fader to either bring the meter display up or down.
 
Modern_Talking said:
take the loudest sound that the channel does during the mix.
3) Set the trims so at the loudest, the meter pegs read at 0db
4) do this for every channel in the mixer. This gives you a reference. A zero db signal will meter at zero db when the fader is at zero db.

.

This is for a mixdown from tape, not from live sources. Depending on how loud you track stuff, you might beat the crap out of the inputs doing it this way.

Line level (0db) coming out of the converters from a daw will read -12db or -15db on the daws meters (it is a different db scale) . So if you calibrate to a 0db test tone and send hot signal from your daw, you will run out of headroom quickly.
It is best to set the trim to match the input, not some test tone that has nothing to do with anything.

I do, however, use a test tone to calibrate the sends and outboard gear.
 
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