Enabling and Running a Soundboard

A soundboard (also known as a Mixing Board, Mix Console, or Sound Desk) is a complex and sometimes intimidating piece of equipment. Here is a very basic guide to setting up a mixing board for a small live show with a basic bare-bones PA system setup.

Before we get to the step-by-step portion it is necessary to understand the basic layout of a soundboard. A mixing board has two main sections: the input section and the output or master section.

• The input section is made up of a number of separate channels, there can be anywhere from four channels on a mixing board to upwards of thirty-two. Each channel consists of a set of inputs, on the back of the board and a corresponding set of controls which together are called a channel strip. A channel strip generally consists of a gain or trim control which controls the volume at the first stage as the signal enters the desk before any processing can or routing be done a channel fader which controls the volume after the processing; one or more auxiliary sends, which function like faders except they send to alternate outputs on the soundboard, which are used for effects such as reverb or echo and for monitor speakers; a set of Equalizer or EQ controls which control the tonal quality of the bass and treble and often mid-range as well bus or group assignment buttons that send the signal to alternate bus faders and outputs in the master section of the board.
• The master section controls the output of the mixing board to various different outputs on the back of the desk. The output section of a sound board generally consists of a master fader, which controls the volume of the main outputs on the board in other words it's the master volume for the whole system's auxiliary masters which control the volume of the auxiliary outputs auxiliary returns which are used to bring the signal from a reverb unit or other outboard effect into the mix without having to use up a channel strip bus faders which are alternate master faders for bus outputs which are used for alternate speakers, recording devices, and for grouping channels together.