Audio Console

1. Signal Flow – Analog Mixing Board

2. Objectives
• To teach the signal flow through a channel strip on
an analog mixing board
• I chose this topic to teach because, for the longest
time, I have had an analog mixing board and I recall
spending so much time, researching different sites
on how to use it. Being enrolled in this course has
definitely shed some light on what I used to think as
difficult to comprehend. I hope you feel the same
way after reviewing this presentation. I took the time
to take pictures of my very own mixing board; a
Mackie.

3. Mixing Board
• An analog mixing board can also be referred
to as:
-audio mixer
-mixing console
-mixing desk
-audio production control
-mixer

4. What is it?
• So what is a mixing board?
It is an electronic device for combining, (aka mixing), routing,
and changing the level, timbre and/or dynamics of audio signals.
A mixer can mix analog or digital signals, depending on the type
of mixer. The modified signals (voltages or digital samples) are
summed to produce the combined output signals.

5. Mixing Board
A mixing board can look like this:
OR

6. Mixing Board
It can also look like this:
The more channels a mixer has, the more sources it
can accept.

7. In-depth look of the Channel Strip
• Channel Strip
Next, let’s take a look at a single
channel strip.

8. Input Jacks
Gain Control
Auxiliary Sends
Equalizer
Panning Control
Level
Control

9. Input Jacks
This is where you will connect the working end of your XLR Cables (Top) or 1/4"
Instrument Cables (Middle) to the input of each channel. This is where the input
signal is introduced to your Mixer.
This board also has a mixer insert input, which is similar in function to the Auxiliary
Send which we will discuss.
The microphone
preamp section
The trim knob can be
used to set levels when
recording
After this section, there
is another section we
cannot see from the top,
called the insert section.
This section allows us to
add external devices into
the flow.

10. Sometimes called aux
channels for short, auxiliary
channels are a way to send a
"copy" of the channel signal
somewhere else. There are many
reasons to do this, most
commonly to provide separate
monitor feeds or to add effects
(reverb etc.)
The equalizer controls allow you to
change the characteristics of the
output by cutting or boosting the
frequencies of each input.
The Hi, Mid, and Low (blue dials)
frequencies can be adjusted.
The panning control defines where the
sound exists in the stereo field. In
other words, does the sound seem to
be coming out of the left speaker, right
speaker, or some combination of the
two.

11. Mute button turns off
the sound of the track
The solo button isolates the track while muting
the rest of the tracks. The solo signal is tapped
off the channel ahead of the mute switch so
that you may audition a muted channel in the
headphones before bringing it up to the mix.

12. Then we have the volume
faders. On an analog
mixing board, will often
have a ‘”u” or unity gain
section which will not
amplify or attenuate the
signal. The volume faders
basically regulate the
volume of the signal of all
the channels that will go
to the main bus.

13. The output of all the tracks
gets combined on our
master bus or master
section.
The LEDs will give us the
level setting of feedback
so trims can be set based
on this. Always best to
keep things in the green.

14. Thank You!
I hope you have enjoyed my presentation and
thank you for taking the time to read.