Video Transcript
The Mixer
5m 50s
00:07
Believe it or not, there’s another audio source available to you have that we haven’t discussed yet – the Mixer!
00:13
It’s one of the five main menu categories on the right.
00:16
This is a stereo mix that can combine any input in the entire system,
00:20
and also includes an Auto-Mix capability and an FX engine.
00:25
This is perfect for meetings, panel discussions, conferences,
00:29
or even live entertainment applications like an impromptu performance at a coffee house.
00:34
The mixer’s stereo output can be used as a primary, secondary,
00:37
or selectable source for any of the MP-M output channels.
00:41
On the mixer page, you’ll see your fader banks listed horizontally across the top.
00:46
If you have ever used the QSC TouchMix, this should look pretty familiar.
00:50
The first bank is your Mic/Line inputs, the second bank is your mono-summed RCA inputs,
00:56
and then the USB/FX faders include the onboard USB Player and your FX bus, which we’ll discuss in a little bit.
01:03
And don’t forget that we’re using an MP-M80 in this example,
01:08
so you’ll see fewer channels on an MP-M40, but the functionality is all the same.
01:13
For each channel strip, you’ll see the same thing –
01:16
– at the top is its friendly name that you assigned in your initial setup.
01:20
This name is actually a shortcut to that channel’s overview and setup pages,
01:24
if you want to jump over and make some changes on that channel.
01:28
Back in the Mixer, we’ll see that each channel strip also has an option to include this channel in your Cue mix,
01:34
allowing you to listen to the channel on your headphones using the Cue output jack.
01:39
You can pan any channel from left to right, which will of course only be applied to a stereo output,
01:44
and you can also make its volume adjustments with these sliders.
01:48
You’ll notice a Level meter which is pre-fader,
01:51
allowing you to see the nominal level of that audio source even when you have it turned down.
01:56
If your channel has any dynamics, or gating engaged, or phantom power,
02:00
the respective indicator lights will illuminate.
02:03
At the bottom you have the ability to Mute the entire channel, or to add it to your Auto-Mix.
02:09
The MP-M’s automixer is a gain-sharing design,
02:12
that works by comparing the signals from the input channels and applying attenuation—or, level reduction.
02:17
While in operation, the auto-mixer senses which channels are being spoken into,
02:22
and allocates gain to the active channels while reducing gain to the inactive channels.
02:26
This is ideal for conference scenarios to make sure that people who are speaking into their microphones
02:31
are given more gain than those who are silent,
02:34
which will help eliminate the duplication of background ambient noise and give focus where focus is needed.
02:39
There are no settings to use in the Automixer –
02:42
– it will automatically go to work on any channels that have Auto-Mix engaged,
02:47
and it has no effect on the other channels.
02:49
If you want to assign the Main stereo mix out as a possible source for an output channel,
02:54
simply go to that channel’s Source select screen, and add “Mixer” as an option.
03:00
Now, rather than routing a single input source to this room,
03:04
you can use your mix of as many input sources as you like.
03:08
Let’s also take a look at the FX channel.
03:11
This is typically applied to specific instruments or vocals in a small live band scenario.
03:16
If you go to the Mixer and select the USB/FX fader bank, you’ll see the basic controls for your FX channel.
03:23
In order to adjust the settings of the FX we’re using,
03:26
you can select the name of the channel at the top, to jump to the FX setup page.
03:32
On this first tab, labeled “Effect”,
03:34
we have the ability to select what type of effect we want to apply, and which channels it should be applied to.
03:41
All of your input channels are displayed here – simply select a fader and start applying your effect.
03:47
When a fader is all the way to the left, the channel is considered “dry”, meaning no effect is applied.
03:54
When the fader is all the way to the right, the channel is considered “wet”,
03:58
meaning that 100% of the effect is applied.
04:01
Anywhere in between is up to your preference.
04:04
Since these faders are a little small on the screen,
04:07
this is a good opportunity to use the control panel here – get it close enough first,
04:13
and then use the nudge buttons to make finer adjustments.
04:16
You can elect to apply different amounts of the FX to every input channel,
04:21
but all other effect parameters are applied equally to every channel.
04:25
If you need to get more granular control over these effects,
04:27
you should probably take a look at adding a QSC TouchMix to your arsenal.
04:32
Here in the Effect menu, let’s choose what effect we want.
04:35
You can choose from a Mono Delay, Stereo Delay, Chorus, Pitch Shifter, Dense Reverb, or Lush Reverb.
04:43
You can adjust any of the settings in their panel to your liking, or you could select from an existing Preset.
04:48
You can get to the presets either by selecting this preset shortcut,
04:52
or by selecting the Presets tab in the top navigation bar.
04:56
Here you’ll see a list of all the available presets that come with this particular FX bus.
05:02
If you want to use one of these, simply select it and then use the Recall button.
05:06
You can also save your own settings if you’ve made particular adjustments –
05:10
– use the Save/Save As option and give your custom preset its own name.
05:15
This preset will be stored in the MP-M’s internal memory, but you could also choose to copy it to a USB drive,
05:22
so that you could then import it onto a different device.
05:25
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that applying an effect to a channel does not change that original source input,
05:31
or even alter that input’s channel strip in the Mixer.
05:34
You’ll only hear those effects when you add the FX channel here to your mix.
05:39
And once again, you can assign the Mixer output as a selectable source
05:42
for any Zone where you want to hear the effect you’ve applied.
05:45
That’s it, thanks for watching.
Lesson Description
The Mixer
5m 50s
Overview of the Mixer capabilities in the MP-M Mixer, including the FX bus and how to use the mix as a selectable source.