Metering is very important because once you start recording/mixing you can be working on several layers of controls and routings, and the only way to check on certain a signal path is to check the relevant meter metering it. On larger consoles there are also a number of states that a desk can be in for different purposes, mix mode, recording mode, broadcast mode, etc., so metering also includes understanding, at a glance, what mode a desk is in, and how that mode affects signal flow and various inputs and outputs. Metering does not necessarily involve hearing anything, initial adjustments can be made without listening, and this can be quite counter intuitive to a beginner. Meters are used to check that the signal is reaching the desk on a chosen channel and that the input levels are healthy. MeteringĪt the beginning of a session, sound signals from the studio live room can be metered before they are heard. ![]() To keep things simple, the following explanation uses an imaginary mixing console/desk with exactly one channel and an extremely basic signal flow.Ĭhannel equalisers, compressors and gates are ignored for simplicity’s sake.Ī (very) simple diagram of the signal flow through an inline console.  On most modern inline consoles a single, mono channel input/output module (Channel Strip) carries two distinct and separate signal paths – a channel path and a monitor path.Ī large mixing console can and will have an enormous amount of routing possibilities that far exceed this simple overview, once you start bussing (combining) signals, and sending them to outboard gear and routing them to other channels for processing, the complexity can multiply exponentially. On large console desks it is helpful to understand the difference between metering and monitoring. If you wrap your head around signal flow all the other concepts of frequency and dynamics and equalisation will fall into place because those concepts are inherent in understanding the devices and components affecting signal flow. It makes all those knobs and buttons much less intimidating if you know what is creating the signal, what the signal is passing through, where it is being processed, what is processing it, and how that process is affecting your audio. Understanding where the audio signal currently is, and where it will go, is a key aspect of working on a large format mixing console. ![]() No comments A look at how and where signal flows on large format mixing console
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