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Allen Heath Mono or Stereo question

#21
uhdinator said:
When you set gains you solo/PFL each mic/channel and set gain level so Main meter is around 0, not Peak.
Click to expand...

I'm sure this varies manual-by-manual but the Soundcraft recommends hitting the amber section with only occasional peaks to the red LED on the loudest passages. Either way, you want to saturate the channel for the best signal / noise ratio. Pre-gig adjustment is close at best as levels tend to rise during a live performance thanks to adrenalin-driven vocals and stage / backline volume bleeding into the vocal mics.

Riis
 
#22
uhdinator said:
When you set gains you solo/PFL each mic/channel and set gain level so Main meter is around 0, not Peak.
Click to expand...

+1. Running the mics too hot is the main culprit for monitor feedback issues. Well, that and monitors being too loud. I am curious as to why you would use an EQ and a loudspeaker management system on the mains? The BBE should have everything you need for the mains and subs, freeing up the EQ for the monitors and thereby eliminating the need for a feedback suppressor.
 
#23
I don't remember the DS-24 having a multi band EQ and if it did it would be a pain to scroll through the menu in a live situation unless it had several presets but even that would be more difficult than the slider EQ.
I'm thinking about upgrading to a DBX Driverack to gain some Speaker presets and the other advantages.
I guess that I'm just trying different things and learning as I go with ALOT of help from the TB community.
Steve
BadB said:
+1. Running the mics too hot is the main culprit for monitor feedback issues. Well, that and monitors being too loud. I am curious as to why you would use an EQ and a loudspeaker management system on the mains? The BBE should have everything you need for the mains and subs, freeing up the EQ for the monitors and thereby eliminating the need for a feedback suppressor.
Click to expand...
 
#24
of course it has EQ and the ability to store presets...

I feel like I say this a lot on this forum but you really need to sit down and learn exactly what every part of your system does and how to operate it. The manual is available on line.

Do this before you start buying more stuff. Really, it would be nice if people did this before they started asking questions.
 
#25
The BBE has graphic and parametric EQ and, like the Driverack, eliminates the need for most other outboard gear. You're right, though. They are a pain and have a moderate learning curve. If you're not using the BBE to it's full potential, then what would a Driverack accomplish? If you're looking for ease of use and on-the-fly adjustability, you should downgrade to a standard crossover/graphic EQ setup.
 
#26
I do see where it shows that it has a 5 band parametric EQ and that will be useful to set my speakers where I want them but as far as using it to dial in a room or adjust for feedback on the spot I would not have the time or patience to fumble through those menus,they are not easy when you have the time to sit there and go through them with peace and quiet.
Point taken on knowing more about my equipment more but I don't see a problem with posting questions about specifics and getting other peoples input on how they use it.
projectMalamute said:
of course it has EQ and the ability to store presets...

I feel like I say this a lot on this forum but you really need to sit down and learn exactly what every part of your system does and how to operate it. The manual is available on line.

Do this before you start buying more stuff. Really, it would be nice if people did this before they started asking questions.
Click to expand...

I do need to spend more time learning what the BBE can do for me but honestly it is such a pain with the vague menus.I am mainly using the BBE for the crossover to handle my mains and subs.
If I'm correct the Drivreack has a feedback eliminator built in which might be nice to keep it on for the mains but set it low and it can't be any harder to use than the BBE from what I have read.
BadB said:
The BBE has graphic and parametric EQ and, like the Driverack, eliminates the need for most other outboard gear. You're right, though. They are a pain and have a moderate learning curve. If you're not using the BBE to it's full potential, then what would a Driverack accomplish?
Click to expand...
 
#27
FuzzBoxVoodoo said:
I do need to spend more time learning what the BBE can do for me but honestly it is such a pain with the vague menus.I am mainly using the BBE for the crossover to handle my mains and subs.
If I'm correct the Drivreack has a feedback eliminator built in which might be nice to keep it on for the mains but set it low and it can't be any harder to use than the BBE from what I have read.
Click to expand...

That BBE is pretty expensive to be only using as a crossover. The Driverack would be another piece of under-utilized gear. If you're playing in a bar band and running the sound, a standard crossover and graphic EQ is the way to go. As for monitoring and feedback problems, setting your gain structure properly goes a long way to avoiding any issues.
 
#28
I am attempting to learn the proper gain structures as I go and the sound is getting better and a little easier but there are still times that it is such a delicate balancing act between F.O.H,monitors,feedback and stage sound bleeding into the house to the point that the mains are being used to fill in the holes when we are play small clubs and have to keep the levels down.
Oh and don't forget your notes or words and have fun!!
BadB said:
That BBE is pretty expensive to be only using as a crossover. The Driverack would be another piece of under-utilized gear. If you're playing in a bar band and running the sound, a standard crossover and graphic EQ is the way to go. As for monitoring and feedback problems, setting your gain structure properly goes a long way to avoiding any issues.
Click to expand...
 
#29
FuzzBoxVoodoo said:
I am attempting to learn the proper gain structures as I go and the sound is getting better and a little easier but there are still times that it is such a delicate balancing act between F.O.H,monitors,feedback and stage sound bleeding into the house to the point that the mains are being used to fill in the holes when we are play small clubs and have to keep the levels down.
Oh and don't forget your notes or words and have fun!!
Click to expand...

Yeah, copy that! Gain structure is pretty straight forward. PFL the channel with the fader on "0" (nominal). Average level should be "0" on the main meter. You'll notice on the gain knob that there are 2 scales. Set around 0/20 (+20 on the mic scale) and that'll get you in the ballpark for sound check. When the band is playing, the main faders should be close to "0" as well (there is a shaded area -4 to +4 on each fader). If you are way low, turn down the power amp and get the fader back up around "0", if you are way high, turn the power amp up. Just attempt to keep all the levels in the shaded area and you should be good to go. And remember, to avoid feedback, keep the mains and subs in front of the band, avoid hot mics, and keep the monitor levels down.
 
#30
Thanks for the info,I have been good about positioning of the mains for the most part now like you say i will need to work with my levels more and get an adapter so I can hook my laptop up to the DS24 and see if that makes the setup easier.
As far as Monitor levels that can be tough when they keep wanting them louder but I have been able to bring down the stage volume a little bit by having both guitars use more monitor instead of there amp for sound unfortunately the drums are what they are and I don't like using a shield for him so we deal with it.
Sound is defiantly an important part and requires some time to learn it.
 
#31
So I spent a couple of hours with the DS24 manual and all of the speakers hooked up and finally figured out how to use the PEQ and played with the crossovers and made some slight adj to where I had set them before.
I have 2 questions that the manual doesn't really give me any help with and that is what is option Q in the PEQ for and what would be a good starting point? I have it set at 2.0 for the presets I'm using,the lower the number the more effective the freq adjustment seems to be.
2nd question is what would be a good starting point for the limiter?
I have the limiter set at:
+ 10.0 db
attack 12ms
hold 20ms
decay 120ms
 
#32
Q adjusts the bandwidth of the filter. A higher number is narrower.

The limiter is for protecting your drivers. Where you set it depends on a bunch of stuff: the voltage gain of the amplifiers you are using, the maximum voltage you ever want the speakers to see, how you have the overall gain staging set up relative to the metering on the console, etc. The idea is to catch any spikes that are going to blow your stuff up while doing as little damage to the overall sound of the rig as possible.
 

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