Do you panic when you don't get a signal from the stage? "Why can't I hear the singer!?!" No more worries…this list explains the common line check problems and how you can fix them. This means less time spent on line checks and more time making the band sound great! Doesn't that sound better than "oh no, what do I do?"
- Bad cable. Cables goes bad and if you don't test your cables on a regular basis, then the issue will most likely show up during a line check. A product like the Ebtech Swizz Army cable tester can tell you when a cable has gone bad and the issue with the cable. Keep spare cables of all types because you will need them. On a related note, having the right tools like a line tester helps a lot. Check out this list of tools for your gear bag.
- Bad connection. Plugs aren't always pushed all the way. Typically I see this with guitar cables into the guitars or cables into guitar pedals and di boxes. A simple reseating of the plug should resolve the problem. This goes for all cable connections including XLR, TR, and TRS.
- Dead batteries. These might be in an effects box or, where i usually see it, in the onboard EQ/Amp in an acoustic guitar. Keeping a few 9V batteries in the booth comes in handy in these situations.
- Wrong wiring. Plug A into B, not C. Following the signal from the source to the mixer, you should be able to find where the wires are plugged into the wrong place. Typically, an input is plugged into an output. We, in the sound booth, see everything coming INTO the sound booth. Musicians, on the other hand, see wires coming TO the stage. Fix the wiring and then educate the musicians if they do any of their own setup.
- Poor microphone location. While you might see a signal, if it's not in the right location, you might not get enough signal for proper gain structure. You might not even get a signal because the microphone is too far away. I can see this point as more of a sound-check issue but I say the sooner you can resolve it, the better.
- Broken equipment. Be it an active di box, or a broken microphone, equipment will break and you have to be ready for it. Keeping extra equipment around does pay off. Replace any equipment that is "just hanging in” before it breaks. If it works "most of the time" then it's unreliable and needs replacing. You don't want to spend your time mending equipment each week when it could be better spent on the sound check.
- Channel labeled wrong. Of course there's no signal, nothing is in that channel! Sometimes mistakes are own fault. Just fix it and then ask the person on stage to try again. If they ask what was wrong, just say it was a board problem. :)
- No signal from guitarist/bassist. This happens when they turn down their volume pedal, have their setup set for tuning, or have done something else to disable their rig from sending a signal. Ask them to check their volume pedal and any effects board options like being set to tune or mute. The increase in use of digital effects pedals in the church environment means an increase in the likelihood of this issue occurring.
- Pastor wants to add a video. Hey, this stuff can fly in at any time. I'm just sayin'.
- Bad mixer channel. This is the most frustrating because it will result in money and probably require a substitute mixing board for a while. When it does happen, try another channel and mark the channel as bad. Definitely escalate this issue up the chain o' command ASAP.
I remember freaking out when I couldn't get a signal from the stage. I thought there were so many possible problems and I had no idea where to start. It's great being on the other side of that and knowing it's usually a simple solution. And I think that's how most audio problems should be seen.
The solutions to most line check problems aren't complex. However, knowing what can go wrong, you can now provide solutions much faster. Line check problems aren't the end of the world so don't treat them that way. Knowing what to expect, you can view these problems as speed bumps.
Question: What Problems Have You Found During a Line Check?
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I'm Chris Huff and I've been working behind a mixer for over twenty years. Since 2008, I've been helping other sound techs learn all about the art of church audio through behindthemixer.com.
For more about me, 
Just recently we solved a problem that had been “hanging around” for some time although I wasn’t able to put my finger on it – just a semi-vague feeling that something wasn’t “quite right”.
Sometimes it would show up as weird feedback for no obvious reason. Just recently during setup We had two male singers that have very different voices – one guy has a very deep voice – bordering on baritone, while the other guy has low levels at the lower end with substantially stronger mid/upper mid levels and petering off at the treble end.
Anyway, they were practicing OK then moved onto another song. Things were fine until they sang a particular line in the chorus and then there was a very rapid onset of feedback – truly something to behold. After some effort playing with the semi-parametric mid sweep controls it solved the problem for that day.
A little while later, during another setup, I turned down the FOH main faders to nothing, so that the only sound being produced should have been the monitors. However, one of the two FOH speakers was producing sound. This was puzzling, and because there was limited time to investigate the problem I put it to one side for the moment.
Afterwards after some investigation, we discovered that one channel of the graphic equaliser that fed the left FOH speaker had two inputs – one from Left main output from the desk and one from Auxiliary 1 Send (Monitors).
We puzzled about this and then remembered our Pastor had decided some time ago to move the sound desk from the Sanctuary into a separate room with an open window into the Sanctuary. This was done during the week and I found about it on Sunday morning.
I must admit that this gave me a good opportunity to exercise grace, which sad to say I found very hard to do for some time.
It was easy enough to fix now, but I shudder to think what could have happened.
Now things are fixed technically, the sound is much better.
Ross, nice catch on that. Scary to think they moved all that equipment and just guessed at how to put it back together. Separate room for your mixing board – I can only hope that the window is a cut-out (no glass) and that you are in-line with the house speakers.
From time to time I lose a mike signal because somebody turned the switch on the mlke off. I tape them over in the on position but the “talent” will remove the tape to turn them off. I finally made an edict. “Touch a mike switch and I shoot. After you wake up in the hospital we’ll discuss why you felt it was necessary to turn off the mike.” (they still do it…. but not as much)
Larry, you should take an audio file of a gunshot. Next time during practice, when you see one of them turn it off, play the audio. :)
Not a bad idea….. Although I think I’ll find a clip of an AK-47! Is it any wonder any time I am in the market for a mike, if it has a switch, I cross it off the list. Perhaps we should discuss why talent does not trust the sound geek to turn the mike off driving the behavior.
Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day.
Give a man a switch and he’ll flip it just because he can.
Another problem I have had is the lack of phantom power.
LOL – yes…it's possible…that I have…on occasion…forgot to turn on the phantom power.
We started turning off our soundboard at the power switch rather than at the breaker. The Phantom Power Switch is on the back next to the main power switch and it has been shut of on occasion while the main power is cut. We’ve realized many times a few minutes into practice wondering why there was no signal from 4 mic channels. Flip that switch and bam! everything is working again.
Happened last week: the acoustic guitar player had their cable in the line out of the DI box. Fortunately the worship leader noticed it right after I said I wasn’t getting a signal, so I didn’t need to go to the stage to check it.
Other problem was no sound from the DVD player. Turned out someone disconnected the DVD player audio and connected the minidisc recorder in it’s place. The minidisc recorder is used for recording, and it has a headphones jack right on the front, so I don’t have a clue why they did that. Plus there was an empty channel on the mixer right next to the one they used. But now I’m going to check that connection before I hit play, at least until I can rewire the booth (it’s bad).
I should probably mention that the minidisc recorder is the backup recorder. A very unreliable computer that has already crashed several times is the primary recorder. That’s another project.
I did a gig in a park for a vacation bible school this summer. A mic cord got stuck under a post and shorted. I was trying to get the system up and realized the phantom was off. I turned it on and my board went up in smoke. I ran to my truck and pulled out a small back up as every one watched this nut pulling and plugging cables like I was in a relay race. It is worth the time as the lead tech to check over the helpers work not as lack of trust but a second st of eyes. it seems the little things are what bite. it cost almost $300 to fix the board
Fuzzy, great point on checking over wiring (audio or electrical) when done by someone new to the job. To that, I'd add that if you find a mistake, show that person what was wrong and how to fix it. Also ask why they thought it would have worked the way they plugged it in. I've found some musicians who were confused on when to use an input jack on a DI and when to use the output jack. A simple lesson in signal flow cleared up the issue.
amen we can not share our knowledge enough with others. now how do I change my log in icon? I’m an old softy grand pa not a growler face
In addition to Matt’s comment above about plugging into the wrong port on a DI, be sure to check the pad switch on DI boxes. A -40dB cut works almost as well as a mute switch, although an unexpected -20dB drop can be even more baffling to solve.
Also, things that I’ve seen go wrong with wireless mics include: getting switched to the wrong channel, mute switch activated accidentally, gain settings (on the mic) getting messed up. It’s probably also a good idea to work out hand signals in advance to tell your vocalists to check their power button, in case they get switched off between sound check and service.
Micah