Operating the Audio Mixer, A Beginning Sound Engineer Course
What you'll learn
- You will be able to operate a small to medium-sized mixing board.
Requirements
- No knowledge of audio equipment is necessary but access to an audio mixer is necessary to implement the training.
Description
This course provides a no-nonsense approach for beginning audio engineers, allowing them to quickly learn to operate a professional audio mixer. The course is great for all beginning band, venue and church sound engineers and it covers all of the basic features of mixing boards and exactly how to implement them. There is no filler in this course. Every minute is packed full of valuable information.
This course focuses on using analog mixing consoles in live sound applications. It is beneficial for a beginning sound engineer to learn to use an analog mixer before applying that knowledge to digital mixer operation because digital mixers are primarily based on the emulation of analog controls.
When you complete this course, you will know the basic workings of operating an analog audio mixer. In the future, if you decide to pursue either digital mixer operation or computer recording using programs like Pro Tools and Logic, this knowledge will give you a head start. It will help you learn those platforms much quicker as well.
The first three video lectures explain each component of a mixing board (control knobs, faders, buttons, etc.). The next three lectures show you exactly how to use those components. The final lecture shows you how to sound check a band from start to finish.
The information in this course is applicable to all manufacturers' mixing boards. Every mixer has a few unique features and the labeling varies a bit by the designer (we cover that). However, all analog mixers primarily work in the same way.
Videos segments include:
Types of mixers
Basic signal flow of a sound system
Gain control
Equalizers
Auxiliary Sends
Groups (or Submixes)
Phantom power
Other features
Setting the gain controls
Using equalizers
Using groups (or submixes)
Setting the stage monitors and/or in-ear monitors
Using effects
Compressors and limiters
Connecting devices using inserts
Controlling feedback
How to sound check a band
Who this course is for:
- Beginners with a desire to start mixing live sound. This course is not for advanced sound engineers.
Instructor
- 4.5 Instructor Rating
- 271 Reviews
- 953 Students
- 1 Course
RF Audio is a sound company owned by audio engineer and musician Rick Fowler. Rick has worked with major recording artists both as a sound engineer and as a musician for decades.
He was technical editor for two McGraw-Hill Pro Tools training manuals and he has both performed and mixed live sound in all types of venues from very small rooms to stadiums. His studio experience includes engineering and/or producing over 100 CDs and performing on dozens as well.
His teaching approach is straight forward and comprehensive and he avoids unnecessary technical jargon. He fully knows sound from both sides of the mixing console and that is an incredibly valuable asset.