Mixing Console: The Input Strip
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Signal flow is an important concept in recording and it is no different when understanding a mixing console. Even if you have to imagine and invisible signal that you can trace over your mixer will put you ahead of the game. The input strip of a mixing console is where signal begins and once you understand how one channel works you can sit behind any console confidently. An input strip is just a preamp that boosts incoming mic and line level inputs to a signal that can be worked with by your mixer and outboard gear. Just remember, signal flows from the top of the input channel down to the faders.
The first dial in an input channel is the gain trim or just gain or trim. It's important to know that depending on manufacturer or design there can be different names for things labeled on a console but believe me when I say, they all do the exact same thing. Gain boosts the low level signal of a microphone to an optimum level that can be processed and mixed. Gain can be tricky to get perfect because too much gain will cause clipping in your audio and too low will introduce noise into the recording. A good way to start finding gain levels is rehearsing the loudest part of a performance and setting the gain level just before the signal is about to clip and setting faders to zero.
Once signal has been adjusted with the gain knob signal ends up at the auxiliary sends. Auxiliary sends is an area that allows you to move signal to outboard effects, microphone mixes, output sends or even to a speaker in your bathroom. While signal moves top to bottom on an input strip auxiliary sends signal moves horizontally across all the input channels that are using the same auxiliary send. An example of using auxiliary sends would be turning the auxiliary 1 on both channel 1 and channel 2 and sending the signal from channel 1 and channel 2 too a reverb unit.
The EQ section gets its signal directly from the input section so once signal has gone through gain and auxiliary sends the signal reaches the EQ. Here depending on the manufacturer or model of mixing console usually you can find four continuously variable overlapping frequency band controls each having a variable bandwidth and boost or cut control over + or - 18db. A handy tool is the EQ in/out which allows you to switch the EQ in or out (bypass). Be careful, if you record with EQ it is difficult to reverse during the mixing phase if you change your mind about the EQ.
Once signal has made its way through all these components you are left at the pan knob, fader and bus outputs. The pan knob allows you to spatially move the signal from the left speaker to the right speaker and any percentage in between. The fader adjusts the sound level of the input signal that has gone through whatever adjustments before it reached the fader. When recording try to keep faders at zero, if signal is quiet turn up the gain a bit first before the fader.The bus outputs allows for simplification of multiple inputs, For example if you have five microphones plugged into separate input channels 1-5 then you can take those input channels and put them to a bus output that would allow you to increase the sound level of all mics with one fader making turning up the drums easier.
With experience, trial and error working with a mixer becomes very exciting. Understanding how signal flows through your mixer will make understanding your mixer very easy. When looking at your input channels remember signal flows from the top to the bottom and auxiliary sends move horizontally along the console. You can imagine your audio signals as little leprechauns moving through your console it doesn't matter, the secret is understanding signal flow, that is key to pushing buttons and moving faders with ease.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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