Setting the levels on the mixing board properly

  • Thread starter Thread starter GarrenKeith
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GarrenKeith

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Any advice on this? I'm using a Phonic mu1202. I have the gain set to 75% and the main volume all the way down to -25. It seems when I have the gain set high and the main volume low, there is no background noise, vice versa, the background noise is very noticable. Too noticable. Should this be right? I have all 3 bands of the built in eq set to 0. Is there a way I can set the gain lower and main volume higher without getting a bunch of trash? Is there a standard way for setting the levels? Thanks.
 
Well, lets start at the begining:
Unity gain is when you have a fader or knob set at the point where it is neither turning the gain up or down. On the main fader, that is at 0db. On the individual channel fader knobs, it is also at 0db.

On your mixer (from what I can tell from the tiny picture I found) what you need to do is set the channel and the master fader to 0db. Then set the gain control so that the meter reads about 0db.

That is the correct gain level for that channel.

Obviously, when you are mixing different channels together, you have to use the channel faders to get the mix you want.
 
I actually just record vocals with it, but it seems to work nice now. Thanks! Did a little testing. Volume is much easier to tweak now. Virtually no background noise.
 
Farview said:
Well, lets start at the begining:
Unity gain is when you have a fader or knob set at the point where it is neither turning the gain up or down. On the main fader, that is at 0db. On the individual channel fader knobs, it is also at 0db.

On your mixer (from what I can tell from the tiny picture I found) what you need to do is set the channel and the master fader to 0db. Then set the gain control so that the meter reads about 0db.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you don't do live sound for my band. That is the complete opposite of what i was taught. I use the channels gain pot to get the signal to peak at about zero, THEN use the fader to adjust the volume in the mix.
 
michaelst said:
I'm glad you don't do live sound for my band. That is the complete opposite of what i was taught. I use the channels gain pot to get the signal to peak at about zero, THEN use the fader to adjust the volume in the mix.
Click to expand...
Well, in most live situations, the mixer will have a pfl button that makes one of the meters read the channel. Since his doesn't, he needs to set the channel fader and the main fader to unity so that the main output meters are reading the actual channel gain. It's a work around for the mixer that he is using, and it is exactly the same technique as you describe. You were just assuming that there was a way to meter the channel other than setting the rest of the signal path at unity...

If you would have bothered to look up his mixer, you might have noticed that it doesn't even come with mute switches.
 
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