What's the difference between DCAs and Groups?

The world of audio has a lot of confusion about the difference between a DCA, a Group, and a Bus. What do they do, how are they different, and which one should you choose? Let's head to nerdtown and find out.
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[@jimpemberton]

The best use for DCAs in my opinion is to simplify mixing. I break down most of the live sound elements into DCAs. All the drum mics are on a single DCA. All the choir mics are on a single DCA. All the winds are on a single DCA. All the strings are on a single DCA. So I can have a volunteer who doesn't understand how the whole sound system works but still has a good ear, I can show them the DCAs, and just have them move DCA faders. When I'm on FOH, I can do the same thing myself and switch over to individual channels on the same DCA as needed to adjust the mix or channel processing within the DCA.

[@djjazzyjeff1232]

We do the same. I front a 4 piece rock-band and we do our own sound 99% of the time. 80% of the songs are: Drums, Bass, 2 Guitars, 4 vocals. I have 3 DCAs: Drums, Vox, Instruments. We rarely get to do a full-band soundcheck, so if we're starting a show "cold," I set the Drum DCA to -5dB, Vox to +5dB, Instruments to 0dB. And that gets you REAL close without ever hearing a note. I feel your point about a volunteer who has a good ear but not the technical understanding, because I do all the "pre-work" at home doing virtual soundchecks setting compressors and EQ and everything, and then at the actual show, my mom (love her so much) mixes the show, mostly on the DCAs but she's gotten more involved over the years. But 90% of the adjustments she makes during the first song are on the DCAs, then after that it's riding vocals, vocal delays, and pushing guitars for solos and song intros and stuff.

[@pavelbasov5488]

What point in the chain does DCA control interrupts in? Will the DCA volume change affect channel compressors/gate level ruining threshold level set?

[@jimpemberton]

@@pavelbasov5488 DCAs are basically a remote control for the faders. Set to unity on the DCA, there is no change on the channels linked to it. The percentage change you make in either direction changes each channel by that percentage so the mix stays the same. It doesn't influence the processing at all.

[@BoHunter2010]

I mix our input channels down to different groups. I then send those groups to my matrix channels in addition to foh. I send the matrix output to our livestream and can thus control the livestream output completely separate from our FOH sound while still retaining all 16 busses for foh. Slick use of matrix channels.

[@nathanseida4096]

This is fantastic, I've been trying to explain this exact thing to my team for a while. Thanks so much.

[@xray111xxx]

We have DCAs used in my church for keeping groupings simpler. I am a noob, and have too many years in audio, and video, but am interested in the live venue process. I am learning slowly. As it took a lot of years to learn audio and video what I have. I am not a pro in a week. Thanks for the video here. Really good.

[@andilekunene9409]

I mix my subs in an aux post eq and dynamics, pre fader.

[@BoHunter2010]

Nobody leaves humming the kick drum. Awesome.

[@aaronaustin7760]

Interesting comment on not sending your kick to a sub through an AUX which is what I would normally do, but now I am rethinking that process because you're absolutely right that I'm sending a signal pre compressor. How would you deal with keeping the kick nice and punchy when sending to the sub, assuming that my board doesn't allow direct signal to a matrix? Thank you!

[@surge-tech9381]

Ahh yes. I've always wondered about dca. Great video. 👍

[@joshblain7476]

"Throwdown in Nerd Town" 🤣

[@osanyinbidamiloju3438]

Nicely explained James thanks.

[@mickeymiguel2726]

Great lesson Attaway

[@michaeltablet8577]

Thank you and God bless you!

[@manydreams1life315]

Great video... Exactly what I've been looking for... Your video is clear but I'm fairly new at using these items (20 years with just channel faders, monitor aux's and mains - a simply gig setup). Would you be interested in chatting about this a bit more so that I can ask a couple more questions so that I can follow you more slowly as I chew and digest this information? Let me know your thoughts on a sort of "virtual, zoom or whatever consultation". thanks ...

[@adrianpeterson6945]

Hey James. Can I add a compressor to my roku remote? It has the headphone jack, so it is sending audio ;) but seriously great video as always. Thanks for taking the time!

[@FilipeFlorido]

Love your vids bro! Note: When working as monitor engineer I only mix with post fader auxes.

[@AttawayAudio]

Very true - there's a time and place for post-fader monitors. But most of the people watching my videos are the one-man-audio-crew, so that's what I focus on :)

[@raphaelkasongo8377]

So if I want in-ear monitors, I will use buses (Auxs) without sending it to the master bus. If I want to separate the level of different groups such as instruments vs vocals, I use group. Each group has its own master fader. If i push up or down that master fader, the entire signal moves along with it. However, dropping by 2db isn't the same amount from 0db vs -15db, so If i want to keep the level balanced in ratio to the other component of that group, such as drum's mic, that's when I use a DCA. If my snare was 2db more than my kick, adjusting the level by moving the fader individually or from the group fader will not maintain that difference, but adjusting the level from a DCA will. Is that it?

[@paulmorrey733]

Thanks

[@tubeo94]

If i send all my channels into a stream bus with all post fader. Does dca affect the volume of the channels in the stream?

[@LAURENTIU9900]

Awesome

[@spencerblumenfield5377]

I personally prefer to mix subs on aux I find in really bad rooms it gives you a little more flexibility in low end output as well as the added flexibility of assigning only certain channels to the sub.

[@bontakunzid9269]

Do you guys know some place to download multitrack resources of live mixes. I want some to practice with.

[@MikeSilv]

I believe Cambridge online? I also believe they’re free.

[@bontakunzid9269]

@@MikeSilv thanks Mike. Ill look into it.

[@pavelbasov5488]

So, why don't send Drums to Drums Buss /subgroup intead of using DCA? What are the benefits using DCA over the buss?

[@AttawayAudio]

DCA is just remote control of the faders, so the signal path stays simple to the stereo bus. I'm often thinking of setting things up for volunteers so it's simple and there are fewer points of failure that can trip them up.

[@pavelbasov5488]

1) What point in the chain does DCA control interrupts in? Will the DCA volume change affect channel compressors/gate level ruining threshold level set? 2) So, why don't send Drums to Drums Buss /subgroup intead of using DCA? @@AttawayAudio

[@user-mc7nr8je7q]

Крутой чувак! Спасибо!

[@mishaelmusicpro]

❤️

[@jar4554]

Great topic but it was like info vomit. Maybe do a slower, deeper dive later if you can. Maybe even showing your board and why. Thanks for the channel.

[@MikeSilv]

I think this video was more geared to someone who already has an understanding of the terminology, but needs to further grasp the small differences between similar functions (like myself). There’s thankfully a plethora of videos and tutorials to break down the individual components of what goes into mixing.

[@user-ul7cb3yx1k]

Me gusta mucho tu música y tus videos cortos. 👍 uno de Virginee.Uno Quiere compartir videos como el tuyob para conseguir el cariño que no tiene.

[@tubeo94]

If i send all my channels into a stream bus with all post fader. Does dca affect the volume of the channels in the stream?

[@spencerblumenfield5377]

I believe it would because DCAs are post fader