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A Good Sound Tech Is
Church Sound Basics page 1
Proper ___________ Be dependable and on time. Be serious about doing your best. Be flexible - stay cool under pressure. Be alert and focused. Art and Science Technical ability – know your equipment, read _______. __________ ability - looking, listening and mixing. Can I hear everything I see happening? The lead vocal is most important - then the rhythm. Feature different instruments in the mix as appropriate. Use SPL Meter to measure sound level in the room. If you are in a balcony, go down and listen.
Understanding you are a valuable part of the ________team. Help the musicians and singers sound their best by using your art and science skills. Develop relationships with those on stage. Create confidence that you are there to help.
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Sound System Signal Flow
Church Sound Basics page 2
Input devices A) Line level devices - Guitar, Keyboard, Computer, CD. B) ____________ P Mixer The mixer is a sound tech’s ___________. All ______ __________ are combined for output. EQ individual channels for better sound quality. Combine logical inputs into sub-groups to help you mix. Route signals to house processing, _________, speakers. Route signals via _________ sends to monitors, video, reverb/effects or recording devices. Supply phantom power to condenser mics. Powered mixers have built-in amplifiers .
P Processing devices System EQ (equalizer) attempts to flatten or level out the frequency response of __________ within a room. Each speaker system commonly has an EQ unit. Other devices such as compressor / limiter or reverb. P Amplifiers Increases output signal to speaker system. Avoid clipping your amps - avoid speaker damage. Use good gain structure before the amps to reduce noise.
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Church Sound Basics page 3
Always turn amps ON _____ and OFF _____ to avoid pop. Never let amps run by ____________. P Powered or Non-powered speakers Powered speakers have built-in _____. House speakers (mains). Stage monitors for band and vocalists. Choir monitors, nursery or hallway speakers, other. Sound Mixing Console Features These are common features, but each console is different. P Can be analog or digital, powered or not powered. P Phantom power (+48v) sends DC power via XLR cables. ____________ mics require phantom or battery power. Some instruments need phantom power as well. P Phantom power can damage computer soundcards and other line-level input devices, use a direct box to attach a line-level device via ____ ______. P Pad or A/B button selects proper input ______ for XLR mic input or 1/4” line input. Connect to either input, not both. P ______ or trim knob Used to adjust the volume of the incoming signal. Too hot a signal and the channel will be distorted. Important - Once you have distortion you can’t fix it later.
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Church Sound Basics page 4
P EQ section High shelving knob cuts frequencies above setting. Low shelving knob cuts frequencies below setting. Mid-range is often _____________ or _____________, with 2 knobs. One knob sets the frequency to be adjusted. The other knob increases or decreases that frequency. Low EQ is usually not needed for vocals. Cut low EQ to reduce low frequency ____________. Most experts agree that turning down EQ to cut offensive frequency is best. P Auxilliary or _____ section These knobs let you create additional mixes for nursery, hallways, stage monitors or recording mixes. P Aux Pre / Post buttons give you very important flexibility. Pre means the _____ knob controls the aux send volume. Post means the _______ _____ controls the aux volume. P Output routing or assign buttons, and ____ knob determine where the channel sound goes next. Use to group channels in sub-groups or to left or right out. P On / Off or ______ button turns channel on and off. On many (not all) consoles this also mutes the auxes. Might not mute pre-fade aux - check your manual. P Channel LEDs indicate strength of channel signal. Red light indicates overload, reduce the ______.
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Church Sound Basics page 5
P PFL or ____ ______ _______ buttons send to headphones the volume before the fader. Use PFL to check for signal on a channel. Do NOT use channel PFL to mix multiple channels. Some mixers call this feature _______. P AFL or ______ ______ ________ buttons send to headphones the volume after the fader. Use AFL to check the mix on a sub-group or L/R. P Channel _______ adjust the channel output volume. Set channel gains with fader at zero, then mix with your faders. P Aux master section. Volume knobs adjust overall volumes of the aux mixes. ____ or ____ buttons let you hear the aux mix in your headphones. Typically these are AFL. P Sub-group section. Combine channels into groups for mixing. You might want all choir mics, or all vocals, or all guitars on a group. L-R buttons must be down for signal to go to the processing equipment, amplifiers, and _________. P Left and Right _______ are the master volume controls. P ______ is generally a sum of the left and right faders. I like using L for vocals, R for instruments, and mono. P Use the features of your mixer any way it makes sense.
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Church Sound Basics page 6
Digital Mixers P Today’s digital mixers are as affordable as ________ mixers. P Allow you to ______ and recall settings. P Provide on-board ______________ at no additional cost. P Still have ________ strips, but use a master control section for gain, EQ, auxes, and processing. P Often have an I/O box ________ from the control surface. P Will require a learning curve for the primary operator. About the Decibel P We perceive a 10dB increase as doubling the volume. PDoubling your amp power only gains 3dB more volume. PTypical volumes are ___dB for music, ___dB for speaking.
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Microphone Types
Church Sound Basics page 7
Choose the right mic. Both type and pattern are important. P ___________ mic No battery or phantom power* needed. Proximity effect, lows, close to mic. Durable, less costly, used for vocals. Hold mic 1” to 4” from mouth. Speak over (not directly into) mic to reduce p-popping. P ___________ mic Brighter, more natural sounding, usually more expensive. Greater pickup distance. For instruments, choir, pulpit, vocals. Small mics are typically condenser mics. Large recording mics are condensers. Lapel (lavalier) and headworn mics also. Important - Condenser mics will not work without _________ from battery or phantom power*. *Phantom power is commonly supplied to the mic by the mixer via the _____ ______, but can be from a battery or other unit.
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Church Sound Basics page 8
P __________ mic Mounts on smooth, flat surface - floor, wall, table, etc. Larger surfaces increase low frequency response. A 3 foot square surface is common. Commonly used in drama and conference rooms. Crown PZM is one example of a boundary mic. 3 to 1 Rule for Using Multiple Mics To avoid comb filtering and phase cancellation when using multiple mics, the 2nd mic should be ____ times the distance from the sound source, as the sound source is to the 1st mic. Sound source
1x Mic 1
3x Mic 2
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Church Sound Basics page 9
Microphone Pickup Patterns
P Uni-directional. Cardioid - most common. Greatest feedback rejection at the _____ of the mic. Supercardioid or Hypercardioid - has narrower pattern. Greatest feedback rejection at 30-45 degree angles from the rear of the mic. Has some pickup at rear. P Omni-directional. Picks up in ____ directions from the mic. Use monitors carefully to avoid feedback. P Bi-directional. Picks up on 2 sides, but not from ______ or back. Wireless Mics P According to audio experts, ...if you are using ANY lapel mic, avoid sending the lapel channel signal to a floor ________. Even a cardioid lavalier, has a tendency for _________. P Receivers should be at least 15’ from transmitter with direct line of sight, at least 5’ from large, metal objects or some RF emitting equipment such as lighting dimmers, CD players, digital processing units, or __________. P _________ reduces unwanted signals picked up by the receiver, but can also reduce the operating range, so use the lowest setting that reliably mutes the interference. Dropouts can be caused by setting _________ too high.
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Church Sound Basics page 10
P All but the least costly units have replaceable ____ elements that plug into the transmitter. P Headworn mics give you better gain before ________, since the mic is closer to the sound source. Headworn mics can be very light and extremely small, come in beige and black.
Omni vs uni-directional lapel microphones P Omni-directional pickup. Mic placement not critical (upside down is OK). Cables do not pickup clothing noise. Less susceptible to breath noise. Drawback - can be more likely to _________. P Uni-directional pickup pattern (cardioid, hyper, super). Can give less feedback due the the directional pattern. Cables can pickup clothing noise. Mic __________ is more critical to avoid proximity effect or loss of frequency response when head is turned.
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Cables
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P ___________ (XLR connectors). Balanced, 2 wires plus shield to help reject RF noise. Shielded to reduce unwanted interference. Cables can be 1000 feet long and maintain good signal. P ______ (RCA or 1/4” connectors) tape deck, guitar, etc. Unbalanced, 1 wire plus shield to help reject RF noise. Keep cables as short as possible, less than 25 feet. Can lose contact from oxidation, work in and out of jack. P _________ (1/4” and other connectors) 2 wires, unshielded, wires twisted for best RF rejection. Thicker to reduce signal loss, 10-14 gauge is common. Don’t use to hook up guitars or keyboards - no shield. Direct Boxes (DI - Direct Inject) Direct box (please, no barrels) converts 1/4” line cables to XLR. Using XLR (balanced cable) avoids RF from electrical devices and maintains quality sound from instruments over long runs. Two types - ______ and _________, have both available. Instruments w/ passive pickups sound better with active DI. Experts say passive DI's w/ good sound use a Jensen transformer. Pass-thru jack for connecting to instrument amplifier. Ground-lift switch can stop ____ from unequal ground voltage.
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System Equalizer (EQ)
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P _________(3 band, 10 band, 15 band, 31 band) Increase or decrease frequencies preset by manufacturer. P ____________ Increase or decrease user defined frequencies. Usually set by computer software. Compressor / Limiter P Reduce audio peaks and valleys providing a more consistent volume. Useful for audio _________, as well as vocalists or speakers with drastically changing volumes. P Brick wall limiting sets a maximum volume sent to the speakers, to avoid __________ them. Design your new building for sound Architects and contractors do not design rooms for sound. Acoustical engineers and sound system designers can offer suggestions during pre-construction planning. Avoid drywall-box rooms, curved back walls, parallel walls. Plan for future needs, install extra cables and conduit now. Ideal sound booth location is on the sanctuary floor, 2/3 of the way back, just left or right of center. The balcony, or a room behind the back wall are not good mix positions. CP Productions Group 2010
Church Sound Basics page 13
Build your volunteer tech team Promote the need. Have orientations to explain tech to potential volunteers. Offer training to help volunteers succeed. Have flexible schedules that work for your volunteers. Do monthly or bi-monthly scheduling breakfasts. Establish a team leader to coordinate, train, and fill-in. Some Helpful Websites www.churchsoundcheck.com - Website for church techs www.shure.com/ProAudio/TechLibrary/EducationalArticles/index.htm www.audiotechnica.com - AudioTechnica website www.soundcraft.com - Learning Zone - Guide to mixing www.allchurchsound.com/ACS/edart/index.html - Articles www.churchproduction.com - Church Production Magazine www.tfwm.com - Technologies For Worship Magazine www.prosoundweb.com/studyhall - Articles Answers by page: 1. attitude, manuals, creative, worship 2. microphones, instrument, input devices, amps, aux, speakers 3. last, first, themselves, amps, condenser, XLR cable, level, gain 4. parametric, sweepable, feedback, aux, gain, channel fader, pan, mute, gain 5. pre fader listen, solo, after fader listen, faders, PFL, AFL, speakers, faders, mono 6. analog, save, processing, channel, separate, 90, 70 7. dynamic, condenser, power, XLR cable 8. boundary, 3 9. rear, all, front, monitor, feedback, computers, squelch, squelch 10. mic, feedback, feedback, placement 11. microphone, line, speaker, active, passive, hum 12. graphic, parametric, recording, damaging
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