5. Connecting the Monitor Amps and Speakers
In a typical setup for live sound the “DX” series MON1 and MON2 monitor
(auxiliary) busses will be used to provide monitor mixes for the musicians on
stage. The MON1 and MON2 output signals will be sent to the stage just like
the main output signals. The signals are sent to the stage either by using a
direct shielded wire from the MON 1 and MON 2 outputs or by using the
snake. The signal can now be plugged into the inputs of the monitor amplifiers
that will be powering the monitor speakers.
6. Monitoring at the Mixer
The DX series headphone output can be used to allow the sound mixer to solo
individual channels, to set up the stage monitor mixes, and to audition either the
two-track or mono main outputs. Whenever a “PFL” switch is selected, all the
other signals, regardless of what has been selected in the meters select group,
will no longer be heard. For instance, if a PFL switch is depressed in a channel,
the PFL LED illuminates to indicate that the solo signal has replaced the normal-
ly selected signal as the feed to the phones. When all channel solo switches are
released the phones feed will automatically switch back to the signal selected at
the CTRL RM and PHONES jacks. Usually isolating or ‘closed’ type head-
phones are the best choice, because they help block out some of the sound from
the main speakers. This allows you to better listen to what you have selected
from your console oblivious to the surrounding ambient noise.
For phones monitoring of the the main outputs, turn the PHONES CTRL RM
LEVEL knob all the way down, and plug a pair of stereo headphones into the
PHONES jack next to the power switch. Be sure your headphones are 100
ohms or greater for proper operation. Depress one of the switches in the meters
select group, located below the VU meters. None of the other switches should
be depressed. Depressing the other switches will not harm anything, however, it
will not allow you to concentrate on a single specific selection. Raise the
PHONES CTRL RM LEVEL control for a comfortable volume in the headphones.
7. Setting Up the Main Mix
In order to set the main mix, you need to first have the input channels adjusted
properly. The most important control on the input channel is the GAIN control.
This control determines the overall ‘volume’ of the signal sent to the “ASSIGN”,
from each individual channel. You should always set the gain control just under
the threshold of where the peak “PK” indicator comes on. As a rule, the channel
“PK” light should not be flashing if the channels are set up properly. Slight flash-
es from time to time are OK and indicate that you have probably set up your
channels properly. The “PK” LED light flashes 6dB before actual output clipping
(distortion) occurs so there is a safety margin. You do not have to worry about
brief signal peaks escaping detection because a special peak circuit makes sure
even the shortest over- level peaks will result in a strong flash by the “PK” LED.
If the GAIN controls are set too low, then there may not be enough signal avail-
able at the channel fader when you are adjusting the SUBs’ or main 2 TRACK
mix. If the channel is too quiet after you have set up the main and monitor
mixes, you will need to raise the channel GAIN controls to get more level. Be
careful when you raise a channel GAIN control during a performance because
you will be increasing the volume at the SUB’s (if used), 2 TRACK mix and the
MON1, MON2 mix, and you may risk feedback, especially at the monitors!
With the input channel GAIN controls set properly, you are now ready to set up
the Master Section mix. Start with a couple of channel faders at the nominal (0)
setting and raise the “2 TRACK” faders to get the desired volume over the main
speaker system. You should now hear combined audio from all the channels
with raised faders. Proceed to adjust the channel faders to create the mix of
input signals that you would like. Try to keep the channel faders working in the
upper half of their range of travel. The faders of unused input channels should
be left down so that they do not contribute noise to the mix. If you are listening
to a stereo (2 TRACK) mix, then you can use the Assign “PAN” controls to pan
the individual channel signals anywhere between far left and far right. If you are
mixing to a “mono” output, the pan controls will have no effect except for a slight
volume loss at either far left or far right extremes. For mono mixing the channel
pan controls are usually set at center (0). During Mono mixing, you will probably
want to use the “MAIN” volume control, located at the far right of the board. This
control adjusts the volume of the ”MAIN” XLR and 1/4” phone jacks.
8. Setting Up the Monitor Mixes
Each input channel of your console has knobs labeled “MON 1” and “MON 2”.
These knobs allow you to adjust the volume each channel sends to the desired
monitor. They allow you to send two different monitor mixes at levels indepen-
dent of your main mix. These two mixes (MON 1 and MON 2) are independent
of each other and the main two track mix. The overall level of the MON 1 and
MON 2 mixes is set by the two master “MON 1” and “MON 2” master knobs
located on the Master Effects Strip in the SENDS section.
The monitor send signals, from each input channel, are ‘post’ the channel equal-
izer. This means the channel equalizer will affect both the monitor and main
mix. Also, the monitor controls are ‘post’ the channel LINE point, which means
that any effect you have patched into the channel will affect both the monitor mix
and the main mix. Notice, the monitor controls are not affected by any of the
faders. This means that the channel volume setting, controlled by the channel
slider, will not affect the monitor volume. Your monitor volume levels are com-
pletely independent of your main mix.
The MON 1 and MON 2 mixes can be auditioned in the headphones by depress-
ing the “MON1/2” switch in the METERS select group. Remember that if a PFL
switch is depressed, the PFL channels selected will always override the signal
feeding the phones.
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