Running your signal to the board. Phone or XLR?

SJonesofva

SJonesofva

Inspired
Using my brand new FM9 for first time in church this weekend. When you guys send your signal to the board, do you use the XLR output, or the 1/4 phone jack output? With my old processor (L6 Pod XTLive) there was only one output, the phone jack, that went to a direct box then to the snake. I'm worried that if I use the XLR output, since it is not a mic level output, that I may have too hot a signal. Pros and cons of one way vs. the other?

Steve
 
My concern is the sound guys are used to a mic level signal on that channel. The same channel is used for all electric guitars and I'm one of three (only one plays each week). The other guitarists will always be sending them a mic level signal. I'll talk to them when I get there. I leave for practice in 5 minutes or so.
 
SJonesofva said:
My concern is the sound guys are used to a mic level signal on that channel. The same channel is used for all electric guitars and I'm one of three (only one plays each week). The other guitarists will always be sending them a mic level signal. I'll talk to them when I get there. I leave for practice in 5 minutes or so.
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Only you can know whether your sound tech can handle a line-level signal. You can always turn down the volume on your FM9, and set the output to -10 dBV.
 
This is not a problem. If your sound tech wants to keep the gain on the desk the same as when he uses a mic just do as Rex said and set your output to -10db. Then turn the level up on your FM9 until your sound tech says it's ok...

Personally I'd rather have a hot signal coming from the FM9 and less gain at the desk...
 
Always XLR. If the person running the mixer knows anything about it at all, this is an easy adjustment. If you were running a 1/4 to a direct box in the past, the direct box was converting it to an XLR. The signal will be cleaner and much more resilient to noise running XLR.
 
I used the XLR. I told the sound guy I was running a line level signal but I don't think he knew what that meant or what to do. When the system came up finally (we're a "portable church" and getting sound working was a struggle on Saturday for some reason) I was really hot in the monitor system. So I just turned down on my end and things were fine.

JasonE said "If the person running the mixer knows anything about it at all" and that is part of my problem. We've got three guys doing sound on rotation, all volunteers, and none of them are really sound guys. The mix is always terrible. Typically you can't hear the electric guitar at all. If you can, it is just barely. I don't understand how someone running sound can't ask themselves as they look from one side of the stage to the other, "can I hear them? Are they too loud or not loud enough?" and make adjustments. I used to run sound for years at a church and my mix was very balanced. But then again I'm a musician and know how things should sound. Very frustrating.
 
SJonesofva said:
I used the XLR. I told the sound guy I was running a line level signal but I don't think he knew what that meant or what to do. When the system came up finally (we're a "portable church" and getting sound working was a struggle on Saturday for some reason) I was really hot in the monitor system. So I just turned down on my end and things were fine.

JasonE said "If the person running the mixer knows anything about it at all" and that is part of my problem. We've got three guys doing sound on rotation, all volunteers, and none of them are really sound guys. The mix is always terrible. Typically you can't hear the electric guitar at all. If you can, it is just barely. I don't understand how someone running sound can't ask themselves as they look from one side of the stage to the other, "can I hear them? Are they too loud or not loud enough?" and make adjustments. I used to run sound for years at a church and my mix was very balanced. But then again I'm a musician and know how things should sound. Very frustrating.
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That's rough. Ive been there, leading worship at a school, church out of the box.
And if you are using wedges for sound, instead of IEM's, that's even more of a challenge.
I used to bring a small amp, as a fold back, and sent the board a XLR out ( mono)
At least I could hear myself.
 
We aren't allowed amps. We send a direct signal to the sound board (even the guy with the huge pedal collection). No amps. We each have a Behringer P16-M Personal Mixer so we can mix our own monitor mix. I listen using over the ear headphones so the drums aren't overwhelming. Most folks use IEM headsets. I'm probably the only one actually hearing what I play (except for the drummer, he likes my playing). We have to play to a multitrack with a click track. I dislike doing that, but seems like lots of churches are doing that now. I'd rather be using amps and floor monitors. But that's because I'm old and used to things the way they used to be.
 
SJonesofva said:
The mix is always terrible. Typically you can't hear the electric guitar at all. If you can, it is just barely.
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Isn’t that standard procedure for mixing church sound? Keyboards dominate the instruments. Vocals 10 dB hotter than anything else. Bury the guitars, because guitars are dinosaur music. :)
 
Rex said:
Isn’t that standard procedure for mixing church sound? Keyboards dominate the instruments. Vocals 10 dB hotter than anything else. Bury the guitars, because guitars are dinosaur music. :)
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Hah, that sums it up. Except in our mix I think the vocals are 20 db hotter. They are ridiculously loud. Oh, and the acoustic guitar can be heard, sometimes really loud, unless I'm playing it of course...then it's buried.

The funny thing is, the songs we're playing, the actual recordings are guitar heavy!

Steve
 
SJonesofva said:
Hah, that sums it up. Except in our mix I think the vocals are 20 db hotter. They are ridiculously loud. Oh, and the acoustic guitar can be heard, sometimes really loud, unless I'm playing it of course...then it's buried.

The funny thing is, the songs we're playing, the actual recordings are guitar heavy!

Steve
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I never understood that. The recordings are well-mixed. So much of the live stuff is not.
 
I guess in P&W the vocals play the most important part (they need to get 'the message' across). And because the guitar plays in the exact same frequency range it tends to be kept very low in the mix. It's not a rock concert. Add amateur sound people and terrible room acoustics (like a medieval church). That war is lost before it started.
 
ChristThePhone said:
I guess in P&W the vocals play the most important part (they need to get 'the message' across). And because the guitar plays in the exact same frequency range it tends to be kept very low in the mix. It's not a rock concert. Add amateur sound people and terrible room acoustics (like a medieval church). That war is lost before it started.
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That’s part of it. Inexperienced sound people is a major factor. Many church sound techs are intimidated by EQ, so they lose a tool for instrument separation. But even in the worst acoustic situation, it’s possible to let the vocals be heard without making it sound like someone singing to a radio in the background.
 
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