How to set up monitor mixes for live sound

[@ArielTamasi]

I can't believe how many videos I've watched without getting a clear idea on how monitor mixing works, when you make it so easy... This tutorial is just GREAT. Thanks so much!

[@GLBProductions]

+Ariel Tamasi Really glad to hear that, thanks very much for watching and commenting!

[@LM-bc7pf]

This is by far the most simplistic and easy to understand video I've seen till date on the subject. Very straight forward using an analogue mixer. Thank You!

[@GLBProductions]

You're most welcome, glad the video was helpful.

[@jpnoll1781]

this video is probably the most understandable I have ever heard. I NOW understand monitor / Auxes. It's easy ilke a matrix. The different performers is horizontal across the channels and each channel is vertical! A cinch! Thank you so very much!!

[@GLBProductions]

James Noll Exactly right! In fact there are mixers which actually have a section that is called a Matrix and is used to mix groups of channels in just the same way. Glad the video was helpful!

[@norbertoaudiffred3312]

Explained to perfection! Helps very much. Our choir set up is way smaller but when you see the bigger picture, the smaller picture is much more clear. God bless you!!

[@GLBProductions]

Thanks for watching, glad the video was helpful! God Bless you and your ministry!

[@utubekpphoto]

I love all your tutorials. Thank you BRUNO!!! Very concise and easy to understand.

[@GLBProductions]

- You're most welcome. Not everyone has the latest equipment but what matters is how you sound - I've heard fantastic sounding bands using 10 year old loudspeakers and 20 year old mixing consoles! All the best with your music :)

[@GLBProductions]

- Thank you, I praise the Lord for his wisdom and provision!

[@GLBProductions]

- Yes, pastors are busy people! Glad the video was helpful, and all the best with your sound ministry.

[@jimgravesus]

Very clear. Very informative. Thank you.

[@GLBProductions]

Jaime Tumbas You're welcome, thanks for watching :)

[@azguitar]

Effing BRILLIANT, man! After 40 years of playing live, I finally understand how to send the aux on a channel pre-fader to a monitor mix, and why you want to do that.. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

[@GLBProductions]

That's awesome news man! Sorry you had to wait 40 years to learn this 😅

[@zinhuilucan]

thank you thank you thank you....well explained, thanks for helping me... cheers

[@GLBProductions]

+Enrique Martinez You're welcome, thanks for watching :)

[@78tag]

The hows and whys are usually the reason I look for videos about a subject. That is just what I got here - thanks

[@GLBProductions]

You're welcome and thanks for watching :)

[@kdavies1000]

Excellent tutorial, thank you very much

[@GLBProductions]

You're most welcome :)

[@Naeng]

Excellent

[@fitzjameswood5486]

As a sound engineer tutor I would recommend this video to my students. Very clear description of foldback for any setting.

[@GLBProductions]

+Fitzjames Wood Thank you! I see you still use the old BBC term 'foldback' - it's interesting that if you said that in my part of the world people would think you were talking about origami ;)

[@fitzjameswood5486]

Yes, some quaint terms we british engineers still use.

[@Mmaeyenmusic]

Detailed and clear. Thanks again.

[@casmoviesandmusic]

not detailed/clear enough for novices.

[@FFHavoK]

Ghost Dog I don't think it's his job to hand hold your way into sound engineering. Just have to research more

[@Mmaeyenmusic]

There are videos out there for absolute beginners. Type better keywords to narrow your search results. This was a great one for me, but I guess not for you. Not my responsibility, though.

[@casmoviesandmusic]

I didn't say it was anyone's job/responsibility, I was just making an observation...I'm not a troll!!!!

[@roycefaggotter6860]

As they say, if you want to become an audio engineer, pay for a course, this is totally free, I gave Bruno thumbs up.

[@radarsoundengineeringservi9514]

There way too many wanna be's who don't know how to explain this process and they fail miserably. That's why I came here to your channel. Love the way how you explain the difference between each section of the console and what they're used for. It's makes a huge difference in setting up musicians monitors and monitors for the sound man. Educational and easy to learn. Thank You Very Much! I'll use this video for any references in terms of learning to setting up all my monitors.

[@GLBProductions]

Great to hear from you, really appreciate the positive feedback! Let me know if you have questions about any aspect of live sound in the future :)

[@radarsoundengineeringservi9514]

I've A Question... Does The Same Apply To Smaller Mixer Boards?

[@GLBProductions]

Yes, the only difference being that on smaller board you have to be more selective about what you send to the monitors - with fewer mixes there is a high chance that several people are sharing the same mix so there's less room for customisation.

[@radarsoundengineeringservi9514]

Yes Sir, I agree with that and that it becomes even more difficult when musicians of a lower caliber experience want to hear themselves when all they can really hear is some type of garbled noise. - Thank You Kindly.

[@musicmanics9512]

"... the musicians and the Singer listen to." nice separations of roles. haha

[@graxjpg]

I LOL’d at this as well.

[@Light-Blast]

I can't believe how many videos I've watched without getting a clear idea on how monitor mixing works, when you make it so easy... This tutorial is just GREAT. Thanks so much! @Ariel Tamasi ....you finally got the same problem as mysel -.- maybe 60 videos i showed until now . and NOW I GOT IT!!!!!!!!!! Thanks GLB PRODUCTION

[@GLBProductions]

Wow, 60 videos that's incredible... Glad you understand the concept now!

[@thamaraiselvam7005]

good information. welcome

[@DrumnG83.]

This is a really informative tutorial. My friend and i are musicians, and we're starting to get a sound rig up and running for local shows. Our equipment is old Mackie 16 channel analog board and passive speakers. We were just talking about how to control monitor mixes last night, and i stumbled across this this morning. God always leads us to the right places. Thank you for the great learning videos. I look forward to learning more.

[@GLBProductions]

Thanks for watching George, glad the video was helpful :)

[@Fili2009able]

Thanks a lot for your great information

[@GLBProductions]

+Fili2009able You're welcome, thanks for watching.

[@ChristLives85]

I appreciate the breaking down of the material you gave. I understood every bit of it and learned a lot. Thanks!!!

[@GLBProductions]

- Thanks for watching, great to hear from you!

[@Jammievonn]

27 dislikes???? who are those?

[@GLBProductions]

+Kuulexnat Oh they're mostly people who are upset that I didn't show them how to connect the mixer to power amplifiers and speakers :P

[@GLBProductions]

- Thanks for getting in touch. I'm afraid that I do not use equipment from Behringer but will do the second video when time allows.

[@GLBProductions]

- Glad it was helpful. The reason I didn't show the cables is that everybody's setup after this point is different - some use power amps and passive monitors, others use powered monitors, some are using in-ear monitors. What sort of setup do you have?

[@gregoryisom8333]

GLB is the best information on KZbin when it comes to audio information (GLB Productions is the best!)

[@Dangerpass]

You are my go to guy for live sound! I do our bands sound on stage and it is scary but listening to your tutorials are helping immensely! Many thanks Bruno!

[@GLBProductions]

+Dangerpass You're most welcome, the best way to improve is to get out there and mix! Yes you'll make mistakes but that's part of the learning process. All the best with your music, and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.

[@djkrazay7791]

You made the point of "pre" and "post" for the aux channels very clear. Opened my eyes! Thanks!

[@GLBProductions]

Yes this is vital to understand - thanks for watching!

[@alexchubbymclynn6060]

I love your videos, watch them all the times as a reference. Put in simple, plain words, most informative and useful, they do help a lot! Regards from Russia.

[@GLBProductions]

You're welcome Alex, thanks for watching 😊

[@kmchale1313]

You are very helpful! I have been singing for 20+ years but I'm just now setting up my own PA and running my musicians through the board. I'm trying to understand "all the buttons" and the monitor piece was a challenge. Your videos are so clear - thank you.

[@GLBProductions]

Kimberly Mchale You're welcome, it's great that you're getting into doing your own sound. In my experience women are often better sound engineers than men once they master the technical side of things - they are better at multi-tasking and often better at artist relations ;) All the best with your music!

[@johnathanashton5598]

I just found this whilst trying to understand PA systems/mixers before buying one. Excellent and concise content; most informative!

[@GLBProductions]

Johnathan Ashton Thanks for watching!

[@theluckymanfrom]

Great explanation. I came back to watch this again. I'm an electric bass player in church/sound Man on occasions. This was very helpful in clarifying particulars in a monitor mix. Thanks Bruno.

[@GLBProductions]

You're welcome Marco, all the best with your music!

[@bennysh]

10 years later, best explanation I seen on aux mixes.

[@GLBProductions]

Thanks for watching, I'm glad the video is still current when it comes to the basic concepts.

[@okonkwoandrew5880]

I glad to have come in contact with this page more grace.

[@dhapumdhap]

I do not have any such extensive set up being a Karaoke singer that I'm with my Bose's L1 Model II with Tascam M164UF mixer and I'm not a SOUND ENGINEER; but I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed this video presentation giving detailed insight into what each button entails. Excellent job Bruno! Please keep it coming! Thanks!

[@GLBProductions]

- You're most welcome. We all have our own level of doing sound and although your equipment may be simple what counts is that you get good sound! All the best with your music!

[@maxammo6282]

Older content still relevant today thanks a lot for your time and effort hope all is well with you. Most people still use analog gear this was very useful and helpful thank you.

[@GLBProductions]

Thanks for watching Max! Yes there will always be a place for analog gear in the pro audio world.

[@GLBProductions]

- You're welcome, glad it was helpful. Yes, you need at least one amplifier channel per aux output. Most amplifiers have more than one channel so it's best to think in terms of amplifier channels. Also, depending on the number of monitor speakers you have, you may need more than one amplifier channel. For example, if aux 1 is being sent to four monitor speakers, you may need two amplifier channels just for that aux.

[@sweetbishopmix1562]

that was the best teaching I have heard in a long while .Gods speed and thank you so much

[@GLBProductions]

You're welcome, God Bless you too!

[@charlescharamba1976]

The clarity in your explanation is amazing.

[@GLBProductions]

- You're most welcome, thanks for the positive feedback.

[@2wiceremoved]

I am new to all of this, but this video, specifically a little before 6:37 literally blew my mind!!! I was so confused before but this helped so much! Praise Jesus!

[@GLBProductions]

Great to hear that, thanks for watching 😊

[@mattysguitarjourney9057]

Even though this video is based on analog board controls, the concept of utilizing floor monitors is the same, even in a digital world. I just ordered the Allen & Heath QU-16 digital mixer for my band and I look forward to applying the principles learned in your video(s) to the band mix. We were great before - now we're moving into AWESOME - thanks to you!

[@GLBProductions]

Yes, the principles are the same - the only difference is that you use the faders to route the signals to the monitors rather than a dedicated knob on each channel. All the best with your music!

[@GLBProductions]

- Yes, I'm pretty sure you are exactly right on that. However it does mean that if your monitors start to feed back you cannot use the channel EQ to correct it, so you will need some other form of EQ for your monitors, eg a graphic EQ on each monitor send, before the power amplifier.

[@GLBProductions]

- You're welcome, glad it was helpful! I do believe that the best live sound engineers are musicians themselves. All the best.

[@felipefigueroa2521]

I have the Mackie CFX 16 that I got used I never really new how to operated until I started watching your lessons, thank you, you are very informative and very and precise, thanks again

[@GLBProductions]

You're welcome, nothing pleases me more than hearing about people making full use of their gear :)

[@nleong1314]

Thank you for explaining all the terminology with examples, and for repeating the main points. The text pointers are very helpful as well.

[@jwcorcoran9838]

This taught me more than a 2 hr lecture at college did. Thanks man!

[@GLBProductions]

You're welcome, glad you learned a lot!

[@craigsweeden1376]

Finally someone who knows how to do an instructional video, great job mate! I have a home studio and do a lot of mixing for recording projects but very little live mixing. I just started running live sound for my brother in laws project. Although i am getting good mixes i am not as informed as i should be, hence the reason i landed here. Thank you for great info!

[@GLBProductions]

You're most welcome Craig, let me know if you ever need any help or advice with your live sound :)

[@nyghtflyght]

Your videos are simple but very in depth and complete! Thank you for your effort. I have ran sound in played in b ands for many years and this was a great guide.

[@GLBProductions]

- You're most welcome, thanks for watching! It's good that you play an instrument as well as do sound, important to have both perspectives!

[@sarathjayewardena5367]

Having problems listening to myself during live performances, this is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much!

[@GLBProductions]

You're welcome Sarath!

[@GLBProductions]

- If you like Mackie gear, the SRM150 is a great little monitor - it's tiny, but because it can be placed on a mic stand you can get it really close to you at your ear level. It has two mono and one stereo inputs so you also have great versatility.

[@EastTexasProductions]

I agree with others here. Your explanations are some of the best I've seen. Concise, direct, and you make sense of it all. Thank you.

[@GLBProductions]

You're welcome, thanks for watching.

[@juako811]

This has really dimystified the mixing board at least in a broad sense! Very clear and detailed explanation! Thanks!

[@GLBProductions]

+Joaquin Castillo You're welcome, really glad to hear that!

[@GLBProductions]

- I see, what do you mean by the sound is 'not coming so good'? Too soft? Distorted? How are you connecting the dj mixer to your Mackie? What input and output connectors are you using, and what cables?

[@Polarisripper]

Very well explained. Thank you! And I must say that it's easy to understand because you're speaking "slowly" with clear breaks between sentences. Not babbling on with "eeh" and "uhm" between every word (like in every other video here on youtube) :)

[@GLBProductions]

- Ah I see. On the Mackie 1604 aux sends 3&4 are fixed post fader, so in order to get signal from the aux outputs the channel fader needs to be up and the channel must not be muted. It is also possible that the '5/6 shift' button has been pressed accidentally on the channel, which routes the signal to the aux 5 and 6 outputs instead of the 3 and 4 outputs.

[@freaksunleashed]

this is a great explanation of how to run your monitor mixes. thank you so much for sharing... I like the part about faders being what the audience and engineers hear and the auxiliaries are what the musician's hear. Also asking yourself, who needs to hear this person.. it helps me to keep things straight in my head.....😇😇

[@GLBProductions]

You're welcome John, glad the video was helpful.

[@TimothyBlairMusic]

What a great tutorial !thanks for the help.As a hobby musician with a simple home studio I often play venues without the advantage of a regular sound engineer, and get asked to help with the sound. So understanding how monitor mixes work and the limitations of some house systems is a great advantage. again thank you

[@GLBProductions]

Tim Scott Yes, when working at smaller venues you often need to be performer, front and house and monitor engineer all rolled into one, so it really helps to have at least a basic knowledge of how a mixing console works and how signals are routed. All the best with your music!

[@GLBProductions]

- Exactly, your mixer has what are called discrete send and return jacks for the channel inserts as opposed to a single jack that combines send and return. That is usually the mark of a higher-end unit. On the mon, aux 1, aux 2, I would need to take a closer look - what is the make and model of your mixer please?

[@greenpea9412]

Bruno your videos are fantastic my friend. I'm in the process of learning a sound board and helping my sons band. These tutorials you have are explained extremely well and easy to comprehend. Their board is an analog board but much smaller. It only has the 1 auxiliary send so the monitors are daisy chained and when I dial in one persons monitor level it effects each monitor the same. I couldn't figure out how to separate them out but now understand why. Thank you for your time and teachings. Take care and God Bless.

[@GLBProductions]

- You're most welcome, helping people is why I started the channel in the first place :) With only one monitor send I suggest you restrict it to vocals only - any instruments in there and you'll have a volume war going on! Let me know if you have any other questions, always happy to help if I can.

[@GLBProductions]

- You're very welcome. If the output of your mixer is balanced (which is the case with all modern mixers) then the connector at the mixer end should be a TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) balanced connector. Your mixer user manual should make clear whether the mixer's aux outputs are balanced or unbalanced.

[@TheDJjems]

never had a chance to use as big as this mixer... em always fascinated and intimidated with this monsters.... thank you for such infos very well explained a huge help for newbies like me sir... gobless you...

[@GLBProductions]

- Glad to hear that. Understanding pre and post fader is vital when setting up monitor mixes.

[@GLBProductions]

- Ok this is a really good question! Under ideal circumstances, pre-recorded content should be sent to the monitors via a post-fade aux send, so that when you pull the channel fader down the monitors fade out as well. Some mixers allows you to change the setting of the aux bus on the individual channels, which is ideal. If this is not available, I will use two hands to do the fade - one pulls down the fader and another one turns down the aux send knob.

[@MrMouldie]

Thanx for all the info and help, we had a awesome practise last night ,with the monitors set at 9 and the desk aux master fades set at between 12 and 2 the sound was best its ever been ,God Bless

[@GLBProductions]

- That's wonderful news, thanks for the update! Amazing how much difference a little bit of adjustment can make! Hope the music on Sunday goes well too and that you and your congregation are blessed!

[@GLBProductions]

No, you cannot use an adaptor to combine signals, only to split them! The simplest solution is to use only one of the control room outputs, either left or right. If you need to hear a stereo signal then you will need to use two monitor wedges, or a monitor which can accept a stereo signal and then convert it to mono. Which make and model of monitor are you using?

[@leeardamer]

Years later and still making use of these tutorials. Thanks so much

[@GLBProductions]

You're welcome, glad the video was helpful :)

[@twangfifty6]

Great tutorial Bruno, that was the clearest and most useful video guide I have ever watched on this subject! You managed to get over all the basics of how to set up the stage monitor mix in one easy lesson and without confusing me. i look forward to watching your other videos. Many thanks

[@adexdapcy5903]

I must confess u re a great lecture.....God will continue to bless you with more knowledge as your are impacting knowledge into lifes

[@GLBProductions]

- Those are the insert points on the channels - they are used to take a signal out of the channel, run it through an external device like a compressor or effects unit and return it to the channel at the same point. More info on my video 'how to hook up the personus ACP88.'

[@GLBProductions]

- Thanks. How do you route your signal from your mixer to the speakers? In particular are you sending a fullrange signal to the subs, and do you use a crossover? In addition, what are the acoustics of the venue like? Are there hard or soft surfaces around the stage?

[@GLBProductions]

- I think you may be confusing subgroups and aux sends. When mixing monitors, treat each aux send (monitor mix) as a person, and ask yourself, "What does this person need to hear?" So for example, if you know that aux 1 goes to your lead singer, ask yourself what they need to hear, and turn up the aux 1 knobs on the relevant channels. Does that help?

[@GLBProductions]

- Thanks for the feedback - the easiest way would be to use one of the KZbin downloading softwares available online. Just google 'KZbin downloader'.

[@trocvailima6159]

Thank you. I appreciate your expertise. Voice and instructions are very clear and not rushed. Best

[@GLBProductions]

You're welcome, thanks for watching!

[@jediyaadar9258]

Nice vid, full of info. Context and specific terms are also explained sufficiently. As an audio engineering student looking for some refresher before a live practice tonight at a real event, this definitely come in handy

[@GLBProductions]

Jediya Adar Thanks for watching - if you're an audio student you should do some videos of your own, too :)

[@tonymarieiii2444]

My first tutorial with you. I've been running sound for years, but learned some important tips from your video. Well put together!

[@GLBProductions]

Thanks for watching, glad you learned something :)

[@andywale2436]

Bruno I love your teaching style. You teach sound the way I used to teach IT :).

[@Gladingson1]

WOW....I DIDN'T KNOW THIS CHANNEL EXIST UNTIL I FOUND YOUR CHANNEL...KUDOS SIR

[@GLBProductions]

Welcome to the channel, Eric!

[@rishulmatta16]

the best explanation of stage monitoring. Wish I found you before.

[@GLBProductions]

Welcome to the channel!

[@GLBProductions]

- Thanks for the question! Could I first ask - what sort of feedback are you getting? Is it the low-frequency 'groaning and moaning' type feedback or the shrill high-frequency feedback? Also, where are your house speakers in relation to the mics?

[@GLBProductions]

- You're welcome. I realise that the majority of people are visual learners so put in the text to reinforce what I was saying. All the best with your music!

[@GLBProductions]

- You're welcome, glad the videos have been helpful. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions in the future.

[@JCBigCat]

This is the best thing a church has ever done for me.

[@GLBProductions]

Glad to be of service ;)

[@barnyardstory]

Or anyone.

[@waltergoodwyn2561]

I like the way you explain things , I am sure to use your point tomorrow at my church. this helped me a lot Thank you

[@GLBProductions]

- You're most welcome, hope the service goes well and that you and your congregation are blessed :)

[@StenDaniel]

I just bought my first sound board and this was the best lesson for me. Thank you!

[@andrewrance]

A focused well lit KZbin Video! Hallelujah!, Clear thorough instructions from an obviously very experienced professional thank you!

[@2009Tosh]

What a fantastic explanation..... now able to use the aux send of 'selected' channels to the recording inputs of my interface - Thanks so much.

[@GLBProductions]

You're welcome. If your mixer has them you can also use the channel direct outputs to feed your recorder.

[@2009Tosh]

On my little mixer in the studio I use the alt 3-4 - but the smaller one I use downstairs (ZMX122FX) doesn't have this option - only tape or aux and the tape sends master mix, so your aux system works a treat - the iPad input is connected to the aux on the mixer.

[@GLBProductions]

- Ok I understand. One final question - do you use the mixer's internal effects, or an external effects unit? I'm trying to determine if you are using the aux 2 output on your DFX 12.

[@GLBProductions]

- You're welcome. Working with big bands is very interesting - I have encountered many good-sounding approaches, from miking just the vocals and the kick drum to setups involving dozens of mics on every single instrument. Feel free to get in touch if you have questions in the future.

[@xanadudeboston3344]

Simple, straightforward, and informative. I feel ready to tackle this task. Good job.

[@GLBProductions]

Glad the video was helpful!

[@azzawazza8635]

Another brilliant easy to follow and understand upload from this Bruno. Thank You.

[@GLBProductions]

You're welcome Paul.

[@GLBProductions]

- You're welcome. You would connect the monitors to the auxiliary outputs of the mixer.

[@GLBProductions]

- I think you may be confusing monitors and aux sends. How many physical monitor speakers do you have on stage, and how are they wired?

[@johnwalsh6998]

Very informative. I now work at a music store and I need to learn about mixers! Great video.

[@GLBProductions]

Ah, welcome to the learning journey of a lifetime :)

[@Mr-GoldenEli96]

This is wonderful and serious teaching

[@GLBProductions]

- Yes you are correct - you connect the aux output of the mixer to the input of your power amplifier, sometimes with a graphic equaliser in between. If you are using powered monitor speakers you connect to the input of the powered speaker. Will add your request to the list, thanks for the feedback :)

[@luna-ue1cq]

You DID make things easy to be understood....OMG, this is soooo helpful!!!!!!!! Hope to see more of your videos, maybe you could cover some stuff like signal flow/cable routing etc.. I'm so easily to get confused on that part. Thank you!!!!

[@GLBProductions]

You're welcome, thanks for watching!

[@marcuscorvinus8927]

Very concise explanation! I learned significant information on this one. Good job!

[@yiyuan8]

Thank you so much for your patience and initiative to explain this to us all.

[@GLBProductions]

- You're welcome, knowledge shared benefits everyone :)

[@Madlove4life2009]

oh man thank you thank you , havent dont any of that since i left school and somehow today i found myself having to do the work for somebody whoes counting on me lol and your video just made it aaaaaaaaaaall clear again ,thank you

[@GLBProductions]

Madlove4life2009 Glad the video was helpful, hope your gig went well!