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Last month we talked about microphone selection. This month let's focus on setting gain and EQ on your vocal channels to achieve the sound you want.

As a reader last month pointed the first mistake often made is not properly setting the input gain or sometimes called trim. This knob is usually located at the top of your mixer. Think of the audio signal as water. The "water" comes in the back of the console or mixer and the first thing it hits is the gain knob. This adjusts how much audio signal gets into the channel strip. To properly set the gain for your channel, start the signal, be it your trax, vocal, etc. Most consoles have some type of meter to set this. Your channel strip should have a PFL or SOLO button. Depress this button. Watch your meters in the master section. Start with the gain knob all the way to the left. Slowly turn the knob to the right until you see the lights on your meter light up to the -0- mark at the signals loudest points. This will ensure you to have good head room and a good starting signal to work with.

This is an abbreviated explanation and would be happy to elaborate more via email. EQ is the trickier part and is based on preferences and depends on the equipment, the system EQ and the room. I will address these issues as I write these articles. For now lets assume you have set your overall system EQ with pink noise or a high quality produced recorded material( a CD). Believing you have set the "house" EQ to your liking, let's get to the channel EQ. Most consoles at least have a 3 band EQ, a High, Mid, and Low. Sometimes the Mid has a "sweep." Listen to your vocal and push the fader up to a volume slightly louder than what you would set it at. One EQ knob at a time, slowly turn up that Frequency band or knob to the right and see if it sounds better or worse. If it sounds better, leave it. If it sounds worse, turn it back to center or back a little to the left. Do this with each frequency. Take your time and listen to what you think sounds good. If you have sweepable frequencies use them to cut out bad frequencies. To use a sweep, turn the sweep knob to a frequency. Turn the other knob it's associated with up till you hear a change in the sound. Now with the sweep knob slowly turn left and right until you hear the most annoying frequency. Go back to the other knob and decrease the level of that frequency. The more sweepable frequencies your EQ has on your board the better you can get your vocals sounding.

Other tips for great sounding vocals�If you use sub groups for your vocals and you board has an "insert" jack for you sub groups, insert a 15 or 31 band graphic EQ on your vocal sub group to fine tune your overall vocal mix. Also, if you can, send your Subwoofer signal from an Aux send. This gives you better control of how much of your vocals low end goes to your subs. Not sending as much of your vocals to the sub can smooth them out and make them easier to EQ. This can also help enhance your bass singer's bottom end without making it muddy because you don't have to boost the low end on your EQ. This also helps with your trax. However this set up costs more money.

Again, to elaborately explain these techniques would take a chapter in a book. This is a very brief explanation. If there is a topic you'd like to see me write about please email me.

Josh Hoevelmann
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