Mixing

Using the mixing desk is an essential skill for any radio presenter. If this is your first time using one it can appear intimidating with many different sliders, buttons and dials but give it a few weeks and you'll be mixing like a pro. I've split this section up into the "Need To Know", "Examples" and the "Non-Essentials".

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Need To Know
To begin with you will need to familiarise yourself with the different channels on the mixer. Each of these channels controls a different audio source eg. your MP3 player, a microphone, the studio PC. You should find these are clearly labeled at the bottom of the mixer.

Some channels are 'doubled-up'. This means that they control not one but two different audio sources which you can switch between. On these channels you use the black A/B audio buttons (highlighted brown on the above picture) to change between the audio sources. On the label, the top source is when the A/B button is up and the bottom for when it is down. Naturally this leads to an issue many people get caught out by; the wrong audio source being selected and no sound coming out.

Before we can start using the mixing desk we need to make sure that the channels we want to use are on. To do this, we need to make sure the Channel ON button (yellow) is down. A green LED to the left of this button will light-up if the channel is on.

You should also check that none of the Channel CUE buttons (yellow) are on. Similarly, if the Channel CUE button is on (ie. the button is down), a red LED to the left of the button will light up. (Pictured Channel CUE off and Channel Cue on)



Now we get to the heart of the mixer; the sliders (red). The sliders control the volume of each channel. The higher the slider, the louder the volume. If you have more then one slider up than both those channels will output sound. One thing you need to be aware of are the output volume lights (blue). The goal is to try and get your output peaking at 0 (the very top green light). If it peaks below this, your output will be quiet. If it peaks above this, your output will become distorted. Remember, if a slider is up (and the channel is ON) that channel's audio will play out! It may take you some time but after a few weeks you should be getting the knack of it.

Finally, you will have noticed the Hi-Mid-Low dials (orange) and the Master controls (purple). For broadcast, you do not need to touch these. They will not benefit your output.

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Examples
Now for a few examples that often catch people out. The first is your audio source is playing music but no sound is heard when the slider is up. For an example I will take the AUX2 - CD2 channel. Let's say you have your MP3 player plugged into AUX2. You put the slider up and then start to play music off your MP3 player but no sound comes out. If this happens to you, first check that the channel is ON and the channel's CUE is off. If this doesn't fix the problem then there is a good chance the channel is set to the wrong audio source. To fix the issue, you need to press the A/B button for that channel.

Secondly, you raise the slider slightly and the audio out is already peaking. This would suggest that the gain dial (Green) is too high. You would need to slowly raise the slider while at the same time turning the dial down.

Finally, audio in the headphones is quiet and the audio out lights are low. This would suggest a CUE button is on.

So these are the main points of interest on the mixer. It may take some time to get used to but stick with it.

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Non-essentials
All that's really left to mention on the mixer is what the Channel CUE buttons (yellow) do. The CUE buttons allow you to listen to a channel's audio through your headphones before playing it out. To do this, make sure the slider is down and the channel is off (as I said earlier, if a slider is up and the channel is ON the audio is played out!) then turn the channel's CUE on. You should notice the music currently playing goes quieter. Don't panic, it's still being played out live at the same volume as before you pressed CUE. Now try playing audio through the channel. You should be able to hear it over the current audio. Remember, once you have heard enough you must take the channel's CUE off! Also, don't forget to turn the channel back on.

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