3/12/2017 PlayinginaBand|PABeginnersGuide|Training&Support|Yamaha

PlayinginaBand
Here'sanexampleofaPAsystemforbandconsistingofdrums,bass,twoelectricguitars,akeyboard,andvocals.

Thistime,we'llusea32channelanalogmixerMGP32X,poweredspeakersDSR112andDSR118Wformainspeakersand
subwoofersandDXR12formonitorspeakers.

1.Mixer,MainspeakerplacementandConnections

TheplacementoftheMGP32XmixerandmainpoweredspeakersDSR112andDSR118Waswellastheirconnectionsisas
follows:

(1)First,placethemixer.Commonly,theidealpositionisinthecenteroftheaudience,whereaudiocanbestbeheard.Trytofind
thepositionthatisbestdependingonthesituation.Placethemixeronadeskoratable,soitiseasytooperate.
(2)Placethespeakerstotheleftandrightofthefrontmostpartofthestage,sothattheydonotinterferewiththemicrophones
andcreateacousticfeedback.Putthesubwoofersonthefloororonthestage,andmounttheDSR112speakersonatripodor
polesothebottomofthespeakerislevelwiththeaudienceheadhight.
(3)Preparethepowerformixerandpoweredspeakers.Don'tturnthepoweron,sinceallconnectionshavenotyetbeenmade.
(4)ConnectINPUTofthepoweredspeakerstoSTEREOOUTofthemixerwithXLRcables.
(5)ConnectTHRUoftheDSR118WandINPUToftheDSR112withXLRcable.

2.Next,setupthemonitorspeakersfortheperformersonstage

Monitorbreakdown
WhenusingtheAUXchannels,themixer'sinputsignalscanbesenttothemonitorspeakers,usingadifferentbalanceofsound
foreach.ThemonitoraudioissentthrougheachAUXchanneltotheperformersasfollows:
AUX1:Sendsaudiotovocalmonitor
AUX2:Sendsaudiotodrummonitor
AUX3:Sendsaudiotobassguitarandelectricguitar1monitor
AUX4:Sendsaudiotokeyboardandelectricguitar2monitor

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(1)PlaceaDXR12monitorspeakerateach
performer'sposition.Payattentiontothe
placementofthebackingvocalmicrophonesto
preventfeedback.
(2)Pluginthepowersuppliesofthepowered
speakersusedformonitoring.Sinceall
connectionshavenotyetbeenmade,donotturn
thepoweronyet.
(3)ConnecttheAUXoutputsfromtheMGP32X
mixertothespeakersusingXLRcables.
Note:Whenconnectingmultiplemicrophones
andinstruments,youcankeepyourconnections
neatbyusingasnake(multicorecable)that
combinesthecablesinasinglejacket.

3.Microphoneandinstrument
connections

Theinputsandconnectionsfortheinstruments
usedinthisperformanceareasfollows:

Channel InputSource

1 LeadVocal Dynamicmicrophone

2 Vocal(electricguitar1) Dynamicmicrophone

3 Vocal(electricguitar2) Dynamicmicrophone

4 Vocal(electricbass) Dynamicmicrophone

5 Electricguitar1 Dynamicmicrophone

6 Electricguitar2 Dynamicmicrophone

7 Kick Dynamicmicrophone

8 Snare Dynamicmicrophone

9 Highhat Condensermicrophone

10 Tom1 Dynamicmicrophone

11 Tom2 Dynamicmicrophone

12 Floortom Dynamicmicrophone

13 Drumoverhead(L) Condensermicrophone

14 Drumoverhead(R) Condensermicrophone

15 Electricbass(viaD.I.) Directconnection

25.26 Keyboard Directconnection

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Dynamicmicrophone:connectthemicrophonetothemixerinputviaanXLRcable.

Condensermicrophone:aswiththedynamicmicrophone,connectthe
microphonetothemixerinput,andthenturnonthephantompower.

BassguitarDI:connecttheelectricbasstotheDIwithaphoneconnector,and
connecttheDIoutputtothemixerinputusinganXLRcable.Also,connectthe
AMPconnectorfromtheDItothebassamplifier,sothatsoundalsocomesoutof
thebassamplifier.WhenusinganactivetypeDI(onewhichrequiresapower
supply)andbatteriesarenotused,youwillneedtousephantompower.Turnthe
phantompoweroninthesamewayaswiththecondensermicrophone.

Note:ADIisa"DirectInjection"box,whichconvertshighimpedanceto
lowimpedanceandunbalancedsignalstobalancedsignalswhichare
moresuitablefortravellingthroughlongcablestothemixer.SomeDI
boxesarepassive,whileothersareactive(meaningtheyneedpower
eitherfromabatteryorfromthemixer'sphantompowersupply).

Keyboard:
as
keyboards
featurea
stereo
output,
connectthe
keyboard
using
phone
connectors
tostereo
channel
25/26.
Youmay
hearless
noiseby
connectingthekeyboardusingaDIinstead.

4.Microphonesetting

Setupmicrophonestandsateachvocalmicrophoneposition,andplacethemicrophones.

Fortheelectricguitars,setupmicrophonestandsfacingthespeakersofeachamplifierandplacethemicrophones.

Forthedrums,setupmicrophonestandsateachpartoftheset(kick,snare,hihat,toms,overhead)andplacethemicrophones.
Takecaretoavoidplacingthesemicrophoneswherethedrummermightaccidentallyhitthem.

5.Turnthepoweron

(1)Setthemixer'sGAIN,faders,andthevolumeofthepoweredspeakerstominimumlevel.
(2)Whenturningthepoweron,firstturnthemixerpoweron,thenthepoweredspeakers,inordertoavoidunexpectednoise.
Note:Whenturningthepoweroff,firstturnthepoweredspeakersoffandthenthemixer.

6.Checkingthesoundinputandoutput

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Here,wewillgiveanexampleforasinglevocalchannel.

Adjustthelevelofthemainpoweredspeakers.SettheDSRseries
MIC/LINEinputswitchto"LINE."SetLEVELto12o'clockposition.

Note:Thisisatemporaryvolumesettingforthepoweredspeakers.
Readjustthevolumelaterasneededtoasuitablelevel.

Next,setthemixersettings.
(1)TurnontheSTEREO(master)channelswitch.
(2)RaisetheSTEREO(master)faderto"0".
(3)TurnontheONswitchforchannel1.
(4)TurntheGAINknobtoadjustthevolumeuptotheappropriate

amount,untiltheSIG(signal)lampnexttothefaderlightsup.
AdjusttheGAINsothatthePEAKindicatordoesnotlightupevenifthevocalistsingsatfullvolumeorthemusiciansplayloudly.

Note:ThePEAKindicatorwilllightupifthemaximuminputofthemixerisexceeded,andtheaudiowillbecomedistorted.Togeta
wellbalancedmix,settheGAINsotheinputisjustbelowthepointwhereitstartstodistort.

Note:Sincetheoutputlevelsofelectricandelectronicinstrumentssuchaskeyboardscanbehigh,theinputlevelwhenthesignal
comesintothemixermayalreadyexceedthemaximumlevel.Inthiscase,pushthePADswitchtobringtheinputlevelsdown,
andthenadjusttheGAIN.

(5)TurnontheST(stereo)switchofchannel1,andcheckforsoundbygraduallybringingthefaderuptoaroundthe"0"mark.

Repeatsteps(3)to(5)withtheotherchannelsaswell,adjustingtheinputvolumesforeachchannel.
Thenexttaskistoadjusttheoverallsoundlevelswhilethemusiciansareplaying.

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7.Mixingthevolumeandadjustingthepan

Whenthelevelsforeachchannelhavebeenproperlyset,havethemusiciansplayasong,andadjustthevolumeusingthefaders
sothatthemusicsoundswellbalanced.
Thekeytomixingistomakeinputsthatarelowerinvolume(suchasvocals)easiertohear.

Payparticularattentiontothebalancebetweenthevocalsandthoseinstrumentsthatareloudonstage(suchaslivedrums,
electricguitarorbassguitarsconnectedtoanamplifier)whenmixing.
Also,adjustthepositioning(leftrightbalance)ofthesoundsusingthePANcontrols.
Panninginstrumentswithlowertones(suchaskickdrumsorbassguitars),andvocals(whichusuallyplaytheprominentrolein
thesong)tothecenterbalancesthemusic,makingiteasiertolistento.
Inthisexample,thekeyboardisconnectedtoastereochannel.Usually,PANonstereochannelsfunctionsasBAL(balancepan).
Puttingtheknobinthecenterpositionwilldistributethesoundbetweenleftandright.Operatethisknobtoadjusttheleftright
balancewhenyouhearadifferencebetweentheleftandrightvolumes.

Whendoingafillinusingtomtoms,thetomtomscanbepannedfrom
righttocenterandthentoleft,sothatdoingacontinuousfillinwill
makethesoundseemtopassinfrontofyourface.

Ifthereareseveralguitarsorotherinstruments,trypanningeachone
toaslightlydifferentposition,matchingtheirphysicallocationonthe
stage.

8.Usingthegroupfunction

MGP32Xisequippedwith4GROUPbusses.These"groups"canbe
usedforvariouspurposes.Inmixing,theyareusefulforcollecting
multiplechannelsignalsbeforeoutputtingthemtothemaster.
Forexample,thereareatotalofeightdrumchannels.Whenraising
andloweringtheoveralldrumvolume,alleightfadersmustbemoved
simultaneously.However,ifthegroupfunctionisused,thiscanbe
accomplishedbyusingonlytwofaders.

(1)TurntheSTassignswitchesoffforthedrumchannels.
(2)Turnthedrumchannels'switchesforgroups12on.
(3)TurntheGROUP1andGROUP2masterson.
(4)TurntheSTassignswitchesonforGROUP1and2.
(5)RaisetheGROUP1and2fadersto"0".
(6)InordertokeepthestereoPANpositionssetforeachinputchannel,setPANallthewaytotheleftforGROUP1,andallthe
wayrightforGROUP2.

NowtheoveralldrumvolumecanbeadjustedquicklyusingtheGROUP1andGROUP2masterfaders.

9.Howtousetheequalizer

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Differentinstrumentsarefocussedindifferentfrequencyranges.Forexample,amplifyingthemiddlerangeofaninstrumentthat
specializesinmidhightones,suchasvocals,willincreaseitsclarity.However,ifthelowrangeisraised,itwillcoverthesoundsof
thelowtonedinstrumentssuchasthebassdrumorbassguitar,andtheclaritywillbelost.Ifthelowrangeisthenreduced,itwill
nolongercoverthesoundsofthelowtonedinstruments,andthesoundwillopenupmoreeasilyoverall.Byamplifyingthespecific
registersofeachinstrumentinthisfashionandattenuatingunneededranges,theregistersorrangesofeachinstrumentcanbe
isolatedfromoneanother,resultinginamixwithagoodbalance.Asageneralpractice,itisbettertocutthantoboosttogetthe
bestlivesound.

Next,theeffectsofboostingandcuttingateachfrequencybandareshownbelow.

Boost Cut
High Bringsoutthelivelinessofsounds Createsafeelingofspaceinthemix
Mid Vocals,etc.,becomeeasiertohear Tonesbecomecalm
Low Bringsoutthestrengthinsounds Soundsaregivenclarity

10.Adjustingacousticpressureusingacompressor

Whenmixing,youmayfeelthatsomehowyourmixsoundsdifferentfromthatofaprofessional.Professionallymixedsoundmight
bemorepowerful,withatighterfeeling.Oneofthereasonsforthisdifferenceisthecompressiontoolthatprofessionalsuseduring
soundproduction.
Compressorscanfunctionasalimiterthatkeepssignalsfromgettingtooloud,buttheycanalsoshapetheloudnessofsounds.
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Thiscanresultinanincreasedacousticpressureandbringsoutasenseofaggression.However,itisnecessarytoadjustmultiple
parameterstogether(suchasratioandattack)whenactuallyoperatingacompressor,and,iftheoperatorisnotfamiliarwithit,it
couldcausethesoundtofeelsquashed,withnosenseofpresence.

MGP32Xisequippedwithoneknobcompressorsthataredesignedsothatevensomeonewhoisnotaccustomedtousinga
compressorcanautomaticallyadjustparameterstoanappropriatelevelbysimplyturningtheknob.Tryapplyingthecompressor
tothekickandsnaredrums.Applyingthecompressortotheelectricbassorelectricguitarcanalsoimprovetheirsound.
Whenturningtheoneknobcompressorclockwise,thesoundlevelwillincrease.Becarefulthatapplyingtoomuchcompression
couldcauseacousticfeedback.Bringthechannelfaderdownalittletocompensate,ifnecessary.

11.Enhancingtheacousticfieldusingreverberation

Usingreverberationproducesasenseofpresenceforsound.Inparticular,applyingreverberationtovocalscangiveabeautifulor
majesticfeelingtothesong.MGP32Xincludestwohighgradeprocessorsystems,FX1andFX2,thatallowfortheapplicationof
highqualityreverberationwithoutanyexternalequipment.ThefollowingexamplewilluseonlyFX1,butitispossibletouseboth
processorsystemstocreateasoundwhichisoverflowingwithpresencebyusingdifferentreverberationprogramsforvocalsand
drums.

(1)AssignHALLtoFX1inthedisplaysection.HALLisatypicalformof
reverberation.However,PLATE,whichisasmoothformofreverberation,mayalso
beusedforvocals.

(2)TurnonFX1RTN(whichadjustsreverberation
returnlevel),turnontheSTswitchinordertosend
thesignaltothestereooutput,andsetthefaderto0.

(3)Toapplyreverberationtoa
channel,inthiscaseitisa
vocalchannel,turntheFX1
knobofthechannel
clockwise.

Becarefulwithreverberation.
Iftoomuchisapplied,the
soundmaylooseclarity,oritsprofilemaybecome
indistinct.

Afterconfirmingthatsoundisoutputfromeach
instrument,havethewholebandplayandadjustthe
volumeofeachinstrument.
Next,adjustthevolumelevelofthepowered
speakerstomatchtherequiredsoundpressurelevel
inthevenue.Takecarenottomakeittooloud,toavoidanydamagetohearing,andtoavoidreachingtheamplifier'slimits(which
maycausethesoundtodistortorheavillycompress).
Afterthat,themonitorswhichareusedbytheperformerstolistenonstageshouldbeadjusted.

12.Adjustingthemonitorspeakers

Sendamonitorsignalsothateachperformercanclearlyhearhisorherownsoundaswellasthesoundsofotherperformers
aroundthem.Onceagain,checktheplacementandconnectionsofthemonitors(Thespeakershouldnotbedirectlyaimed
towardsthefrontofamicrophoneforexample).SinceoursystemusesDXR12speakers,wewillswitchtheDContourswitchto
MONITORoneachspeakertooptimizethefrequencyresponseforuseasafloormonitor.

Monitorbreakdown

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AUX1:Sendssoundtovocalmonitor
AUX2:Sendssoundtodrummonitor
AUX3:Sendssoundtoelectricbassandelectricguitar1monitor
AUX4:Sendssoundtokeyboardandelectricguitar2monitor

Howmonitorsignalsaresent

TherelationshipbetweeneachAUXchannelformonitorsandtheSENDMASTERareasshown.
ThevolumewhichissenttoSENDMASTERAUX1isadjustedbytheknobofAUX1foreachinputchannel,locatedinthesame
row.
Forexample,ifthevocalistwhousesthemonitorspeakerattachedtoAUX1,wantsalouderguitarsound,turnthevolumeknobof
AUX1ontheguitarchannelclockwisetoraisetheguitarsound.Andcontrolthesendvolumetothevocalist'smonitorspeakerwith
SENDMASTERAUX1knob.
Moreover,whenheadphonesareconnectedtomixer,thesoundofeachmonitorspeakercanbecheckedwithheadphonesby
usingtheAFLbuttons.

Insummary,thetwopointstoconsiderare:
Whichinput(thechannelwheretheinstrumentorvocalisconnected)
WhichAUXsendthemonitorspeakerisattachedto
ThereareAuxSendmastercontrolsintheoutputsectionoftheMGP32X.

Withthis,basicpreparationsarecompleted.Tryactuallyoutputtingsound,andthenconfirmthesoundbalanceonstageandat
variousaudienceseats.

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