DCAs vs. Groups Explained | Organise your digital mixer for larger input channel counts

In live sound we use various techniques for managing high input channel counts. Most popular ones are DCA assignments and groups (or Mix buses). I use the Behringer x32 digital mixer connected to X32 Edit software to explain the difference between these options (the same applies to Midas M32 and generally any digital console for live sound). Find out the difference of use between DCAs and mix buses, when to chose one or the other and what does that mean for your workflow.
_________________________________________________________________________
Sign up for my online course Guerrilla Mixing on Digital Consoles:
gainmedialab.com/guerilla-mix...
_________________________________________________________________________
My Setup:
Camera: amzn.to/3dqV69s
Lens: amzn.to/3dzZJhm
Camera Microphone: amzn.to/2YPIp3N
Voice-Over Mic: amzn.to/2WNniwz
Headphones: amzn.to/3fzYqRn
_____________________________________________________________
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting gainmedialab.com!
Website: gainmedialab.com
Facebook: / gainmedialab.pages
Twitter: / gainmedialab
Instagram: / gainmedialab (@gainmedialab)

[@darelfinkbeiner4473]

This was the clearest explanation I've found of this. Thank you.

[@gainmedialab]

Hi Darel, I appreciate you reaching out. Glad you liked it.

[@Notjoshua_h]

I’m learning more from this video then I did from my study/school during covid

[@emilefeltesse]

Perfectly described 👌🏻

[@lausurfer]

Hi Ales, thank you for your video from France ! Very useful for me. Will try to apply a dca groupe to manage only the level of my 5 drums bus. Not easy for a beginner like me !

[@georgezhou814]

This video clears my long-term confusion, thanks!

[@timwhitehead4419]

Incredibly helpful, thank you!

[@TimeofourlivesAu]

Brilliantly explained

[@joop1991]

Thank you for this great explanation!

[@chai__tea]

Thanks! That's what I needed. So clear now! :D

[@bestnyah1455]

Great video...very easy to understand 👍

[@markcoffield6876]

Thank you! Great explanation

[@dodengdaga4138]

solid explaination very clear MORE VIDS 💪👊👍

[@anaisoula02]

this was so helpful thanks a lot!!

[@emuhanna]

Really helpful, Aleš.

[@4767Seeker]

Perfect 👍🏼 You made my life much easier....

[@theroll666]

Perfect, thank you!!

[@igorazem]

Bravo! ;)

[@SHAKTHISOUNDSYSTEMSUDUPI]

Explanation 👌👌👌👌

[@MikeSilv]

So I understand that a DCA is pretty much just a ‘remote control’ for the faders of the inputs that populate it. But why would you want a DCA when you could have a mix instead, giving you the ability to further EQ/compress etc.? I see DCAs as limited versions of post-fader aux sends. Thank you very much for the video

[@szunabass]

occasionally In the digital mixers' setup you have limited amount of groups to be created (6-8-12) - counter to DAWs on desktop computer. With DCAs you can spare capacity and buses for your needs.

[@mvwoon]

It's the anti-mixer if "mixing" means mixing the volumes on various channels and combining those channels. Sometimes you want a subset of channels to always move up and down together relative all the other channels.

[@georgealejos6314]

Sir, i have problem with the distortion when 5 vocals sing together i have distorted is it too much gain from the microphone.. Is the dca can help to get rid the distortion?

[@SHAKTHISOUNDSYSTEMSUDUPI]

Tq sir

[@revelationevents2323]

Nice video: let me ask you something. My understanding is that DCA’S being purely volume controls do change the resolution of sound by lowering the bit depth. In the analog scale 0 equals plus 4 dbu which gets you at about 22 bit depth which gives you good resolution. So having the faders at -10 to 0 gives you pretty good resolution. This tells me dca groups alter to a point the resolution of your sound if you go lower than -10. What about group sends? What do they play with? Cause I know it’s not just pure volume. Do they work more with gain than volume? Why is it better to mix using groups than vca’s to keep good resolution in the mix?

[@miltonportersr563]

I use SQ7 Allen Heath in my live mixing (FOH). I have a DCA assigned to my lead guitar but it affects my house mix volume overall -- lowing the mix without moving fader (DCA assigned and to Master Mix only). What causes this?

[@gainmedialab]

Not really sure what is going on, but if the DCA is affecting your master mix volume, then either your master bus or matrix (if you are using them) are assigned to it as well. I suggest you check your DCA assignments again.

[@andya9350]

If the mix bus can do what a DCA does (plus other processing) then why use a DCA at all? Are there limitations or any specific reason?

[@hpa4355]

Because the bus affects audio while the DCA doesnt, or because everything going into a bus is summed while it wont with a DCA. As he said, the DCA is like a remote control, not an audio pach. Can be handy if you want to control the volume of several outputs, in relation to each others. Take the example of a dome of speakers or a surround ensemble for example, then a DCA is used a bit like a master control. That is only one example, but DCAs are very handy in the surround world where most of the hardware and software has yet to upgrade from a stereo conception of audio to a whole new stage :)

[@onzkicg]

What software is that? Looks good for practicing.

[@casperzareba5958]

x-32 edit called also X Air Edit

[@3xAudio]

Does the bus cause the volume to go up in addition to FOH. So would it be the main channels + the bus volume in the final mix ?

[@gainmedialab]

If you have your channels routed only to the bus (and not to main LR as well) and that bus routed into the master bus, as long as you keep the fader of the first bus at nominal level (0 dB), there should be no change in volume (unless you have additional processing applied on the bus).

[@3xAudio]

@@gainmedialab perfect thank you

[@tuck2311]

Hmmmm.... what would like to do is when I add effects to main vocal it sends the same effect to all vocals. Am I on the right path??🤔

[@gainmedialab]

If I understand correctly, what you want to do is create an aux send to a reverb fx unit, then add the desired amount of effects to each vocal by sending them to that aux send. Not really connected to DCAs or groups, but I hope it helps.

[@jimorgain63]

are there dcas in the aux channels? can i send dca to aux channel?

[@gainmedialab]

Since DCAs are not busses, you can’t send them anywhere. They just control the level of the main bus faders. However, if your auxes are set to post fader, moving the DCAs will affect the levels in auxes as well.

[@fatuka79]

hi ales, is it possible to group the drums to a dca and then send it to a mixbus ? or instead, send channels into several group buses and send them to main stereo or monitor buses ?

[@gainmedialab]

You cannot send from a DCA anywhere, since a DCA is not a bus, it is just a remote for multiple faders. However, you can send channels to more busses and then to a Main Mix (which is also a bus).

[@fatuka79]

@@gainmedialab got it, so, does a matrix will be a good solution for group several mix busses (like drums and vocals) and then sending them from the matrix to main LR ?

[@gainmedialab]

No, matrix is a bus one level above (or after) the Main LR. Consider it as another small mixer that your first console connects to. So you can send the Main LR and other busses into a Matrix, but you can't send a Matrix into the Main LR. The matrixes would usually connect to the PA system, recording setups, etc. - they are usually the last bus before the signal leaves the console.

[@fatuka79]

@@gainmedialab @gainmedialab wow, thats very helpful information, thank you very much. One last, what is the best way to group drums and group vocals and control each with seperate volume fader and then send them to main LR and monitors ?

[@EliteFishingSeries]

Recently I changed my 11 drum mics from my DCA to a group immediately I noticed that it did not sound the same in the house how can a group affect the sound quality of a mix…? Is it because of the extra audio path you mentioned when I ran the drums as a DTA a lot of war very much movement in the self could feel the low end when I changed to a group with no other changes applied it sounds thinner and does not have the dynamic range it appears… Can you please help tell me if I am imagining things or if this is a real possibility. Thank you great video!

[@EliteFishingSeries]

I’m driving and using talk to text please excuse any errors but I found your video online and thought you might could help… My main issue is it appears it running the drums through a group versus a DCA has affected the sound quality in the FOH…

[@gainmedialab]

When you sent the channels to the group, did you remember to remove them from the Main LR bus? A thin sound might be cancellation between the different path lengths. Otherwise I see no reason why sending to a group would change the sound.

[@EliteFishingSeries]

@@gainmedialab Yes I did specifically it seems like my bass drum lost all of its power volume whatever… the toms I don’t notice a big difference and if I assign the kick drum directly to the mains it sounds totally different than if I assign it to my drum sub group…

[@SteveSykesCornwall]

Maybe you have processing on your group bus output?

[@tiltedpenja3786]

Had a question. If I set a group of channels onto a DCA, can it assist in affecting my mix for a mixbus, or does DCA only assist the master mix? I ask this, as my current situation is I have the faders all the way down for my drum set but I use them for my livestream mix. So by setting it onto a DCA group I want to know if it will help my increase the volume for my livestream mixbus?

[@gainmedialab]

If the channels are routed to a group and then that group is routed to the master bus, it will affect both the group and the master mix.

[@tiltedpenja3786]

@@gainmedialab they're seperate mixes, so our master is for our in house and the mixbus is for our livestream

[@gainmedialab]

The only way to have a mix unaffected by the DCA or fader movements is to create a pre-fader AUX or bus and create a separate mix there.