Often, you will see the line "when turning on three channels, the total output volume increases." There is science in them thar words! The first thing you must understand is how sound volumes are added. Two sound sources at 96 dB and 104 dB do not equal 200 dB. That's pretty obvious; ... Read More
Headphones : Used for Mixing Or Not?
Headphones can be your best friend or your biggest hinderance to providing a great sound. Headphones are used so you can isolate the sound you want to hear and tweak that sound via volume or eq settings accordingly. Seems like it would be perfect for using for an entire service, ... Read More
How to Set Gain Levels For A Mixing Console
Gain, a.k.a. Trim, is a volume control for each channel of a mixing console. The Gain knob controls the volume being input into the channel, not the amount of volume output through the channel. Different types of input devices, from mp3 players to guitars to vocal microphones all have different ... Read More
Phantom Power and When To Use It
PHANTOM POWERPhantom power (labeled as +48 V on most audio equipment) is a method that sends DC voltage through microphone cables. It is best known as a power source for condenser microphones, though many active DI (direct input) boxes also use it.Phantom power supplies are often built into mixing ... Read More
Metronomicon: Piping in a Metronome
Give me the beat boys and free my soul I want to get lost in your rock and roll and drift away. When the band drifts away from song tempo, one of two things happen; the song slows down or speeds up. Most noticeable is the rushing during choruses and lagging during verses. This ... Read More
A Myth of the Microphone
A question commonly asked when picking microphones is "Which microphone has the best reach?" The problem is that a microphone doesn't reach for anything. A microphone responds to sound waves that travel to its location. The microphone measures variations in air pressure and ... Read More
Interview: Mike Sessler | Church Tech Arts
Mike Sessler, of Church Tech Arts, is the Director of Technical Arts at Upper Room Community outside Minneapolis. He has 20 years of experience in sound, lighting, and video. Mike enjoys helping others create the best worship experience. His blog is full of useful information! 1. The ... Read More
Interview: Jason Cole | Production Nuts
Jason Cole, of Production Nuts, is the Director of Media Servies at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, Texas. Along with his great blog, he also holds quarterly meetings with church tech's from area churches. His blog contains video as well as audio posts. 1. Recently, you had a sound ... Read More