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A presentation for the 2009 ACUI Annual Conference Ryan Willerton

UNDERSTANDING THE BASICS OF SOUND SYSTEM EQUIPMENT. A presentation for the 2009 ACUI Annual Conference Ryan Willerton Director of Student Activities Facilities University of Notre Dame. If you are familiar with these acronmys, this session may be too basic for you. SM58 XLR PFL IEM.

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A presentation for the 2009 ACUI Annual Conference Ryan Willerton

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  1. UNDERSTANDINGTHE BASICS OFSOUND SYSTEMEQUIPMENT A presentation for the 2009 ACUI Annual Conference Ryan Willerton Director of Student Activities Facilities University of Notre Dame

  2. If you are familiar with these acronmys, this session may be too basic for you. SM58 XLR PFL IEM UNDERSTANDING THE BASICS OF SOUND SYSTEM EQUIPMENT Ryan Willerton

  3. A presentation for the 2009 ACUI Annual Conference Ryan Willerton Director of Student Activities Facilities University of Notre Dame UNDERSTANDINGTHE BASICS OFSOUND SYSTEMEQUIPMENT

  4. LEARNING OUTCOMES • Understand • Identify • Learn 2

  5. SESSION OVERVIEW 4 core components of a sound system How each component functions Advice & tips 2

  6. FOLLOWING ALONG Number at the lower right of the screen corresponds to the page in your booklet. 2

  7. HOW COMPONENTS CREATE SOUND A signal is sent from here INPUT DEVICE MIXER Receives signal & manipulates it AMPLIFIER Magnifies & drives the signal SPEAKER Converts signal to audio waves 3

  8. INPUT DEVICE MIXER AMPLIFIER SPEAKER 4

  9. INPUT DEVICES: MICROPHONES • Not all are the same • Shape • Size • On/off switch • Pick up area • Sound quality • You get what you pay for 4

  10. OTHER INPUT DEVICES • Guitar • Keyboard/Electric Piano • CD Player • DVD Player • Portable Media Player • Laptop Computer 5

  11. GETTING THE SIGNAL TO THE BOARD • XLR • Quarter Inch (6.3 mm) • RCA • Mini (3.5 mm) XLR 6

  12. CABLE ADAPTERS • Mini to RCA • Mini to Quarter Inch • RCA to XLR 6

  13. DIRECT BOX • Adapter for connecting instruments to the mixing board without using a microphone. • Converts signal from high-impedance to low-impedance. i.e. Convert Quarter Inch to XLR 6

  14. SNAKE • “Extension cord” for multiple mic cables • Keeps mic cables organized • Keeps mixer at Front of House (FOH) • Box goes on stage. • Plug XLR cable from mic into the box. • Other end of XLR plugs into mixer. • Also has “returns” to send signal from mixer to stage (stage monitors). 6

  15. INPUT DEVICE ? 6

  16. INPUT DEVICE MIXER AMPLIFIER SPEAKER 7

  17. DIFFERENT TYPES OF MIXERS • Line Mixer • DJ Mixer • PA Mixer • Standard Mixer • Large Format Mixer Standard Mixer 8

  18. KEY FEATURES OF A MIXING BOARD 9

  19. HOW SOUND TRAVELS THROUGH A MIXER 10

  20. SNAPSHOT OF A CHANNEL • Gain/Trim • High (or Low) Pass Filter • Equalizer • Aux • Pan • PFL Button • Mute Button • Fader 11

  21. SIMILARITIES OF CHANNELS • Gain (a.k.a. Trim) • Equalizer • Aux • Pan/Balance • Fader 12

  22. DIFFERENCES OF CHANNELS • High Pass Filter (or Low Pass Filter) • Mute Button • Pad Button • PFL Button • Channel Indicator Light • Limit Indicator Light • Bus (Subgroup) Selector • Phantom Power by Channel 12

  23. MASTERING THE EQ HIGH HIGH-MID LOW-MID LOW Start at midpoint (12:00) and adjust slowly! LOW MID HIGH 12

  24. SETTING THE CHANNEL BY USING PFL 13

  25. PRACTICING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED 1. Turn on channel 1. 2. Turn down the volume on channel 2. 3. Put more of channel’s 3 sound in the right speaker. 4. Channel 4 is on. Turn it off. 5. Add more high frequency to channel 5. 6. Give channel 6 more bass. 14

  26. MIXING BOARD ? 14

  27. INPUT DEVICE MIXER AMPLIFIER SPEAKER 15

  28. WHAT EXACTLY DOES ANAMPLIFIER DO? BOOSTS SIGNAL & SENDS IT TO SPEAKER 15

  29. CONNECTING MIXING BOARD TO AMPLIFIER XLR 15

  30. 2 MOST IMPORTANT FEATURES FOUND ON AN AMPLIFIER • Control knobs • Signal limit indicator light 15

  31. AMPLIFIER SELECTION 2x CONTINUOUS OUTPUT (CONTINUOUS POWER HANDLING. SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS RMS.) 15

  32. WHY 2x AMPLIFER TO SPEAKER RATIO 1,500 watts Peak Speaker Wattage Output 1,000 watts Amplifier Peak Wattage Output (2x RMS) 500 watts Continuous Speaker Wattage Output (RMS) 0 watts Sound Signal 15

  33. CHALLENGE WITH2x AMPLIFIER POTENTIAL FOR SPEAKER DAMAGE 15

  34. MOST IMPORTANT ADVICEFOR SELECTING AN AMPLIFIER ASK AN EXPERT 15

  35. AMPLIFIER ? 15

  36. INPUT DEVICE MIXER AMPLIFIER SPEAKER 16

  37. DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPEAKERS 16

  38. 2 COMMON SPEAKER TYPES • 2 Way Full-Range Speaker • Tweeter • Woofer • Subwoofer (No Tweeter or Mid) 16

  39. WHAT TO EXPECT TO HEARWITH A TWO-WAY FULL RANGE SPEAKER Tweeter Woofer Highs Mids & Lows 16

  40. CONNECTING AMPLIFIER TO SPEAKERS • Quarter Inch • Speak-On 16

  41. OTHER SPEAKERS ON STAGE • Monitor (Wedge) • Guitar Amp • IEM 17

  42. CONTROLLING MONITOR VOLUME AUX KNOBS 17

  43. TWO TYPES OF SPEAKERS PASSIVE VS. POWERED (ACTIVE) ALTHOUGH MORE EXPENSIVE, POWERED SPEAKERS ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR A SEPARATE AMPLIFIER. THE POWERED SPEAKER ALSO MATCHES THE APPROPRIATE AMPLIFIER TO SPEAKER RATIO TO MAXIMIZE SOUND QUALITY. POWERED SPEAKERS CONNECT TO MIXER WITH XLR CABLE, NOT SPEAKER CABLE. 18

  44. SPEAKER ? 18

  45. RECAP INPUT DEVICE MIXER AMPLIFIER SPEAKER 19

  46. CONSOLIDATED EQUIPMENT OPTIONS INPUT DEVICE MIXER Powered Speaker w/ Mixer a.k.a. Self-Contained PA system Powered Mixer AMPLIFIER Powered Speaker SPEAKER 19

  47. CONSOLIDATED EQUIPMENT OPTIONS INPUT DEVICE MIXER Powered Speaker w/ Mixer a.k.a. Self-Contained PA system Powered Mixer AMPLIFIER Powered Speaker SPEAKER 19

  48. THE BEST OPTION FOR NOVICES Powered Speaker Matches the appropriate amplifier with the speaker, AND allows you to have a separate mixing board to match the size of your event. Also eliminates the need to keep an inventory of speaker cables. 19

  49. TIPS AND ADVICE • Setup & Use • Purchasing advice • Other advice 20-21

  50. CLOSING • Terminology recap • How to become an expert • Insight from others • Questions 22

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