How To Setup A PA System - A Step By Step Guide For Performers

[@fadel1254]

Thank you Abut Gain in Digital mixer.. help me and change my music .

[@michaelcroutear2222]

Nice clearly presented information, look forward to seeing further content on more advanced themes. 👍

[@JaspTechAudio]

Thank you. I’m hoping to record the next video either this weekend or the following weekend. It will look at how to deal with microphone feedback at gigs.

[@Trainingat45-vk3zz]

Nice one, I think a lot of people don't know how to properly ring out their PA to the room and limit their potential for better sound.

[@JaspTechAudio]

Agreed. And I see people making simple mistakes that won’t help with feedback problems before we even get onto graphic EQ’s and ringing out etc. The video will go through a few steps and mistakes to avoid then look at using a graphic EQ on both digital and analogue desks.

[@MrHartfell]

I watched your video just now after having mic volume trouble at my gig last night. After watching your video, i discovered that the PAD button on my mic channel had inadvrtently been pressed, im assuming when i was packing it to take to the gig. The PAD button isnt the easiest to see and i didnt realise that this is its function. So that explained why i had to turn my mic volume on the mixer ridiculously high to get a decent level of sound! Got my mixer out after watching your video and spotted it immediately! Problem solved thanks to your video! Have subscribed and looking forward to more tips. Many thanks.

[@JaspTechAudio]

Brilliant! Glad I could help. I’m working on the second video at the moment which looks at how to deal with and eliminate feedback. Hoping to get it out in the next few days.

[@MrHartfell]

@JaspTechAudio look forward to it. I just changed from a Shure sm58 to a Sennheiser E945 mic. Being a super cardioid means it picks up less surrounding noise and I've not experienced any feedback since, so I'm really pleased with it.

[@JaspTechAudio]

Nice 👍

[@nealepitts3321]

Thanks, nicely explained and in line with the way i set up. Just need to get the rest of the band on board to understand gain ! I have subscribed and look forward to further videos.

[@JaspTechAudio]

Thank you. Working on the second video at the moment. Hoping to get it out at some point over the weekend.

[@dienn77]

Brilliant video! This is just the guide I’ve been looking for - simple, clearly explained and very useful!! Thank you ☺️

[@JaspTechAudio]

Thank you, I’m glad you’ve found it useful. This is the first video I’ve made for this channel. More will be uploaded soon 👍

[@hotuser5783]

Great video, please post more about this topic

[@JaspTechAudio]

Thank you. I’m working on another video as we speak. The next video will look at ways to avoid and eliminate feedback.

[@peabee6530]

Most valuable part of this based on what I've observed out int he wild is - "don't use guitar cable from powered PA to speakers" . Nice video; I look forward to the next ones

[@JaspTechAudio]

Thank you. Glad you liked it. I’ve seen A LOT of people over the years using regular Jack to Jack cables instead of speaker cables! The next video will look at how to deal with feedback at a gig.

[@Sikhlobhaiyo]

Nice

[@nilegriffiths5494]

Sorry but have to criticise you set up process. Setting up your system and having already set your amplifiers whether in your mixing desk, stand alone, or contained within the speaker cab itself to 0db (unity) before having established all of your input and output levels on your mixing desk is just asking for trouble (usually the loud screaming trouble from your speakers that makes you want to drink bleach). Unless you really know the venue (especially if it's a small venue) Turn your amps right down (whether in your mixer, stand alone, or in speaker). Set each and all of your input channel gains (with EQ flat) and then and only then, using one on stage microphone. Bring your main outputs up to unity (hopefully no sound from your PA, good thing, if you've got noise then bad thing) Bring microphone (slowly....) up to unity. Then! assuming you have no squeaky squeally sounds, gently increase the gain of your amplifier(s) until you start to hear the microphone "feedback". IMPORTANT! The feedback frequency may not necessarily be a high pitch/note, it may well be a low end rumble/boom. What you will hear is if you hold the amplifier gain steady that the feedback tone will start to increase in level. When this occurs pull the microphone down fully. All things being equal your feedback will disappear. You now have a good idea of at what point your system goes into feedback. If your PA is going into feedback before you've made any real change to the input gain of your amps then you're using way to big amps/speakers for the gig. Conversely if you're running your amps flat out and still not pushing the system into feedback you may well struggle during the gig itself. However the important factor is knowing where and when your system starts to feed back. From that point you can start using techniques such as Speaker placement, Changing Mic types, System and Input channel EQ as an aid to help you get a few more db in level out of your system. IMPORTANT POINT Every venue has a point at which you can make a microphone on stage feedback. If it's an arena sized venue you'll need a lot of amps and speakers but there will be a point you can make the mic feed back. If it's a pub sized gig then that feedback point is going to take a much lower number of speaker power to achieve and regardless of how much you spend on the quality of kit at your disposal, You will hit Feedback it's about how you avoid getting there too soon, but get there you will

[@JaspTechAudio]

I’m sorry but I respectfully disagree. At no point did I say to set everything to unity. I said to set power amplifier to unity and that I mix with my master volume set to unity. I then adjust channel volume accordingly to suit the mix. I do understand your point of view, but every venue I have have worked in and every engineer I have ever worked with does this the same way. The power amps are always set to unity, the mixing desk then determines the volume of each input using the channel faders. And it isn’t always practical to use amplifier volumes to determine your maximum volume before feedback. For instance, when I play a gig with our band and PA system we use multiple powered cabs. So I would be walking all over the stage adjusting individual amplifier volumes finding the point of feedback. The venue I work in regularly, the power amplifiers are in a room next to the stage, nowhere near the FOH position. The same result can be achieved with the amplifiers set to unity and using the mixing desk to find the point of feedback. Both ways will achieve the same result. Thanks for your input though.