#Turn down for what sound clip how to

With so much potential for gain, even in the simplest of examples, it is critical to examine each stage, from the source all the way to the output. For simplicity's sake, our example also will not consider Pan Law. These processors also contain their own gain structures that need to be accommodated. It should be noted that our example diagram assumes that you donвЂ™t have a compressor, gate, or other processor connected as an insert somewhere. This the output level of the onboard power amplifier. This is the level of the input signal that is driving your loudspeaker. This is the overall output level at which you set your mix. This sets the channel's volume in the mix and generally provides more opportunity to cut than boost-for good reason more on that later. Boost them all, and you potentially add up to 15 dB or more to your signal before it hits the mix. The more bands your EQ has, the more potential gain stages you must account for. As with the Low-Band Gain, the Mid-Band gain contributes to the overall gain-staging of a signal. That is why it is generally recommended to cut, rather than boost an EQ frequency. Even though this is frequency-dependent, it is still a gain stage. This is the amount you boost or cut the low-frequency band of the channel EQ. Set it too high, and you'll be overdriving your system before you've even gotten started. If you set the signal too low at this first critical stage and increase it later on, you will amplify system noise. This is the first and arguably most important gain stage. That is, there are eight points at which the signal passes through an amplifier:

In this simple system, there are actually eight gain stages. In the example below, we have a microphone connected to a preamp on a StudioLive AR-series mixer and back out to an AIR10 powered loudspeaker. LetвЂ™s take a look at a basic signal chain. The first step is to understand the components of your system and how they relate to one another. It should be noted that signal flow is the same whether you are recording into a simple handheld SD recorder or setting up a complex live sound system for broadcast and redundant recording.

#Turn down for what sound clip how to

The first part of understanding how to configure your signal levels is to understand how audio signal functions within an audio system. PreSonus В® has put together this brief tutorial to help you to understand how properly set input levels throughout your signal path, as well as how to avoid some of the most common misunderstandings and pitfalls. Setting up your audio equipment to maximize the input signal and minimize the inherent noise is arguably the most important step in optimizing its sound quality.