I totally agree with Francis James comments, "Wow... this was an amazing video!". This is a very professional video. I will be spending a lot of time reviewing it and will use it as a reference video. You cover a wide range of information (that has application to many tools) and apply it to this particular tool. I have been at this awhile and finding a tutorial that can take complex topics and break them down into simple understandable language is hard to find. BTW I am retired and have just started taking music technology and recording classes at EIU in Illinois. I feel very fortunate to be able to learn from my professors; and professionals like you. Thank you.
Behringer should have to pay you for this. This was the absolute best tutorial video I have ever watched on this unit (which I have owned for 2 years.) Thank you so much. Great job. Now if you could walk us through how we should have everything set up to record including how to monitor while recording over tracks being played back. I have an issue with delay unless I monitor through the DAW directly while recording. I am having a very difficult time understanding the routing. Basically, I want to learn how to monitor the sound going in to the DAW, while still hearing the previously recorded tracks. However, I want to hear my instrument at a different level than the tracks and click track I am playing to. Very difficult for me.
Yeah, sorry. I didn't get into swapping audio to and from a DAW. The setup I was creating didn't require that kind of sophistication, so I'm not able to advise on that subject. Sorry :(
I do support this sentiment. Most of the videos on this topic are presented for people who are already familiar with studio situations. Thanks to Andrews for this post.
This was a very useful instructional video and having watched at least twenty such videos on the XR-18 over the past several months, there is no doubt that your section on EQ is the absolute best of any of the videos I have seen. THANKS!
Some advice on gain staging: the method you describe, setting the fader to unity or "0" and then raising the input gain until it reaches good volume in the house will not give you optimal results in areas other than the main speakers, e.g. aux sends for monitors. The input gain on a channel sets the stage for how much signal that channel can send to each buss in the mixer - this includes the Main Buss for front-of-house (FOH) speakers, as you mention, but also Auxiliary (AUX) busses and Effects (FX) sends. If you use just enough gain to blend an acoustic guitar into the house mix with the fader at unity, the acoustic guitar player using a monitor system from an AUX out on the mixer will likely have to perform an extreme boost on the bodypack or floor monitor and have a poor signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio which results in a lot of hiss. A more preferred method is to set the input gain to a level where the loudest sounds send the channel meter just below clipping, and then use the fader to mix the instrument into the house. This ensures a full and healthy SNR for all busses and FX sends downstream of the preamp. Cheers!
DrumsBasically hey I’ve encountered a problem. So let’s say for fx1, I want to use it on channel 1. So alright I go to fx1 and bring up Chanel 1 fader. However, I also have to go to Main LR and turn it up there aswell in order for the signal from channel 1 to go into fx1. Alright, sure. But now I want to hear channel 1 in, say, bus 1 so yes go to bus1 and turn up channel one. Now let’s say I want to hear channel 1 with fx1 in bus1. So okay turn up fx1 in bus1. The problem I have is why does the level on channel 1 at Main LR control the amount that goes into the fx. Let’s say I want to hear channel 1 with a lot of delay in my bus1 but not through the FOH. How can I do this? Is it even possible?
@@naingoohtun6716 while I no longer own the XR18 mixer, most digital consoles (to include the XR18) allow you to route FX in different ways e.g. Pre-fader or Post-fader. What you've described, sounds like the FX1 is being routed "Post-Fader", meaning it's intensity on all sends will follow the faders on your Main Buss. To achieve independent level control of the FX, regardless of the position of your main fader, find the send options for your FX1, and there is usually toggle buttons to indicate it's routing style. Change to "Pre-Fader" and you will then have to mix in the effect on each buss manually. Keep in mind, a potentially negative side effect of this approach is you may still hear the effect through your PA even when channels are muted depending on how your mutes are set up. You will also likely have a slightly more complicated workflow for both mains and monitors. Pre-Fader FX is useful for me in limited ways, e.g. when a snare drum is played in a small space, I likely do not need to amplify it, so its fader will be down, however with Pre-Fader effects, I can still send reverb on the snare out of the PA speakers. Cheers!
Sigh. Yes, you're absolutely correct. The Gain approach here is a hold-over from my work on analog boards. I was making these videos while using a digital board for the first time, and really needed to spend some time figuring out gain-staging, which sadly I did not do in advance of making these videos. My penance is to constantly have to apologize for not following best practices. I now adjust gain first, then faders. Wish I had a time machine :)
DrumsBasically I’ve been shown the gain structure approach for the certain reason that adjusting from the fader instead of gain, you loose more. Faders jump harder than gain meaning even a small fader adjustment could cost you 3db.
@@mdleeproductions5002 There is some validity to that position. Faders are often logarithmic, so they're exponentially more sensitive the further they are from Unity - meaning large db shifts will occur with small fader adjustments if operating a good distance above or below unity. In my experience, there is minimal/no risk to operating this way however, as good input gain structure will likely put all faders close enough to unity on the channel strip, that the fader adjustments are quite manageable for mixing the audio. There are tradeoffs with either method; I'd pose that the method I proposed in my first comment is the best all around solution.
Yes, this is very basic instruction aimed at beginners. I've since made other videos that talk more about gain structure. The instruction on setting gain here relies on several unspoken assumptions about how I set up the amps to favour this method of managing gain. Several people have commented that they wish I'd approached it differently, and I have to agree with them. My explanation is confusing and does not reflect best practices.
The only suggestion I would make would be to set your gain first, and not worry about the fader position until after the gain is set. Use PFL and bring the gain peak levels up to "0". Then adjust your faders to desired volume.
@@AndrewBellous I use the same method for both analog and digital mixers. I try to maximize the signal at each step, which gives you more headroom when you get to the amps. Then to increase the overall volume, just bump the power amps or the powered speakers. It always made sense to me to follow the signal path as it comes into the mixer, and maximize at each step. Gain is the first step of mix, so I use PFL, so the loudest signal of a channel reaches zero on a digital mixer. Then adjust your faders to desired sound. Thanks for the video.
Yes, thank you. I follow the same methodology. However, we are all on a path of knowledge as to how to do sound better, and these videos were produced rather spontaneously. I have come to appreciate how important it is to think through every aspect of a video. One moment that was not fully considered can be subsequently brought to one's attention many, many times. I appreciate your interest in finding the right answers and helping me stay on track :)
I realize this is an older video, but the information provided is fantastic. Question. If I'm using a DAW (Reaper in my case) is it advisable to skip the Gate, EQ, and Compression in the XAir and handle all of that in the DAW? I'm assuming so, but thought I'd ask.
Yes, I'd recommend using your DAW to apply those effects. You have much greater variety available. The effects here aren't bad, but any DAW will have far superior options. Glad you found the video useful :)
Very helpful video. One question, though. With the FX send fader - reverb for instance - should you just leave that a unity 0, and then control the amount of reverb on the channel itself? I hope that makes sense.
Yes, that's a good comment. Properly speaking you should set the gain first, and then work backwards to the fader. But, I find that this procedure is easier for beginners who don't have experience using headphones to check the solo levels before starting to mix. For someone just starting out, in my experience this method creates fewer problems. There are certainly other ways to go about it. It's how I was trained, and unless your main speaker amps are set too high so that you can't get your monitor levels up high enough, it does work.
Andrew Bellous the gain is the primary adjustment to get the desired signal (SNR, signal to noise ratio) you want to set to 1 o'clock for vocals as a good starting point. The fader is just the volume control and does not affect the led meter.
Completely agreed Scott. The method explained here is back to front and is a misappropriation of the method we used before we had PFL buttons and better input metering. IMHO, NEVER mix with the gain pots! I see this so often and it's a recipe for clipped channels and a mushy sound. Get all channels in their sweet spot with the gain pot with plenty of headroom and then mix with your faders. Your signal to noise will be heaps better, you'll never have clipped channels and your sound will be clear with heaps of dynamics.
Actually I'm doing the same thing. Set the channel fader first to zero, then set the gain level to the point of optimum but with no noise or hiss on my speaker. This works for me..
Vrixx Aldeguer, yes. I do the same thing. I don't go into it in this video, but I turn the amp all the way down, run a line level from a CD or DVD, set the channel to unity gain, then adjust the amp levels. It allows you to follow the procedure I describe without risking ridiculously low gain settings that distort the sound. There are those with a different opinion and many of them hold those opinions very, very strongly. There are a variety of ways to do it, in my humble opinion.
Great vids !! These really help me out ! Thank you!! I have the xAir18 for a few years now and considering switching to the preSonus 24R. Doing a lot of research. Can the 24R be used as your audio interface? I have an older RME Fireface 800 firewire400, looking for more up to date connectivity like thunderbolt. What do you suggest? Thanks
when he turned the compressor on and says his vocal sounds more beefier, but it was below threshold and all it was was make up gain. good on the guy for giving it a go though!
You definitely taught me something Andrew with all that not so perfect video, as some may call it. Thank you for your efforts! I have ordered an XR18 and need to learn to get around the control system. This is my first Digital Mixer so i needed to watch this video. Thank You!.
It's been 4 years since this video, I hope to get a response to my question. On my EQ there are big circles in the middle of the EQ screen but yours are small circles on the top of the EQ screen. Is there any difference? How can I make mine look like yours?
It may be that the latest software update made this change. If they adjusted the User Interface in a software update, I would expect that there's not a way to revert to the old style.
Thanks for such clear explanation. Quick one: How do I record the onboard EQ, COMP, EFFECTS etc. Directly to my DAW. I mean, is that a possibility with the XAIR18...
I don't think so. Presonus gear allows you to import Fat Channel data that was used in live performance into the DAW, but I don't think that the Behringer gear allows anything like that. But, your DAW should have all the same tools available, and I can't imagine you'd want exactly the same settings for a recording that you would in a live venue, anyway.
Hi Andrew using the default that comes with the app works only the problem that when inserting reverb in any channel works but I have no control over the amount I need. some advice. Thank you
You should be able to adjust the level of reverb in a number of ways. You can change the parameters on the plug-in. If you put the effect on one of the 'send' effects channels, then by using the fader for that effect send, you should be able to adjust how much of the signal is modified by the reverb, controlling the wet-dry of the mix.
Very helpfull and simple explanation of all topics covered. I bought a second had unit and I have on ch 12 its running hot even when nothing is plugged in....is there reset or what do I need to do to fix ch 12?
@@AndrewBellous I have tried every button and reset it several times....turned photos power and every setting in input on and off...its still running hot even when muted...abd with nothing plugged in....time to call Behringer..
I just got this mixer. When I’m using headphones I can’t hear anything? The software is running on windows 10. The meters are showing I’m receiving audio. Not sure what to do
Hey! If you are using only the mixer, then click In/out, then click Main Out, then position the headphones on either Main Out or Monitor, like this it should work. But if you have connected the Mixer to a Daw then position the headphones in the Channel's number that you have chosen in your Daw as an Output. Hope it should help, if you haven't yet found an answer.
The solution is to select one of the 'Virtual Outs' as the output for your main bus. Sorry this reply came too late to be helpful. It took me a month to figure that out, and it was only dumb luck, not anything I found in documentation. I plan to make a video on this subject when I can find the time.
The software updates. I'm not aware of a hardware update that would keep you from upgrading to the latest. That's one of the advantages of these units, they get better over time. But, I've not used one in some time.
The app comes from Behringer. If you search for the Behringer website and go to the download section, there are two types of app. One controls the whole soundboard, the other isolates just one channel at a time. That second one is primarily for people to adjust their own monitors by isolating the aux channel that feeds their monitor.
Thanks , this really helped with setting up a channel, especially for vocals. I'm still having trouble using a line input from a music player.(3.5 to 6.35 stereo cable)..it sounds weird, maybe it's because i'm using a Y splitter for the LR main out in to a single XLR,(single active speaker)?
It could be because you're trying to use a stereo cable instead of a stereo separation cable. That can create a situation where the two audio signals cancel one another out due to common mode rejection. I really like Digiflex HIN series of cables for this application. They have XLR and 1/4" varieties. digiflexcables.com/products/hin-1k2x
Typically the fader on a digital mixer don’t have to be in the middle when setting gain. Also unity on a digital mixer is around -18 DB full-scale. When your gain knob is all the way down counterclockwise that is called Infinity.
Andrew, I just watched your 'X-air for android" video, which is very clear and helpful to an x-air (and mixing) noob like myself. however, the screen on this video doesn't look anything like that app. Is the Pc or mac? is it different from android? Thanks Andy
Thank you for the video. I am having trouble with setting my effects. I get confused on how to send them/set them up with multiple channels. For example; I’m setting vocals for channels 11 & 12 and I want to insert a hall reverb. I’m inserting into the channel and only one channel and I’m unable to add to the other channel. We use the system in a band set and forget setting. Could you give me some tutorials on how to properly do it win the x18? I’ve watched several which is confusing
I'm just learning this board now, but usually that's done in one of two ways. either through the send and receives along one of the effects buses or send the vocals to a sub group and apply the affects to the sub.
Thank you for doing this. It has helped me a lot. I would like to ask you this: How did you label your individual channels?. I cannot seem to find a way to do this, I have looked on the behringer site as well, but I have not found the answer.
The digital scribble strips are very handy. In the X Air Edit program on PC (I'm assuming it's the same on iOS) you need to right click on the black square between the solo button and the pan control that has the channel number on it. Then you can type a name for the scribble strip and change the colour.
I really appreciate this video but there was one problem. All my volume controls were at the very top but your volume level was very low even in good earphones.
This video is brilliant. I need to ask a noob question and hopefully someone will help. I've just bought this and I can hear any channel unless I choose solo. Can someone enlighten a stupid on what I'm doing wrong?
The only thing I can think that would create that situation would be if you had your mains down and were listening via headphones, or had plugged your speakers into the headphone jack. Sorry, hard to be helpful without more details.
I was always taught you set the gain with all sliders down. The gain is the volume of input to the board. The sliders are volume out. Sliders and EQ's are always set after the gain is set. Not together.
This is how I was trained, and if I had the video to make again, I would do it differently. It matters more on a digital board than an analog board like I was trained on.
@@AndrewBellousI'm sure there's different ways to do it to achieve the same result. It looks like to me, the more videos I see, on a digital board it doesn't really matter. It seems, as long as you have the input signal button selected it's a personal preference.
@@JG-vh6mn The reason why it becomes more important on a digital board to set the gain properly at the beginning is twofold. First, many of the digital effects that are included on a digital board operate better if they have enough gain, but operate poorly if they don't. A noise gate needs the gain to be set properly or it may not trigger appropriately. Second, with a digital board, especially, the number of aux channels expands significantly, and various people may have control over those aux channels. So, if the main operator sets the gain too low, and needs to boost the gain, but the musicians onstage have already set their person in-ear monitors, then that can have disastrous effects. Setting the gain properly at the beginning of the process becomes more important when moving to a digital board, which unfortunately I did not have in mind when I made this video. I have been paying for it in overly complex responses to valid criticism ever since.
When you survive thru wienerdog/labrador and mistletoe speeches you will learn something 😄 But joking aside. Really good and helpful video. I learned alot. Thank you so much!!
Glad you found it helpful. Apologies for the verbosity, but these were videos I made without any planning, just stream of consciousness. They were intended for a few people I was training, and I put them up online thinking they might be useful to others.
No. I'm not a pro sound engineer. I'm a pastor. My focus is on providing a basic explanation for those who are unfamiliar with sound engineering. I'm sure that there are many areas where I oversimplify or don't follow best practices. Sorry for what I got wrong :)
Computerjante his target audience and purpose for the video was a basic functional overview of the settings and to get a newby like me started. As us newby's learn the basics, we can then delve deeper into the finner points of sounds mixing.
As a total noob i am trying to understand my XR-18.. your video is of good use as a quick how to... thank you.. i am still trying to understand DCA's ... what if for example channels 1 2 and 3 are on DCA 1 and if i move the fader from channel 2...will fader/channel 1 and fader/channel 3 follow the same as fader 2? Or can DCA's only be controlled from the main LR Slider? questions questions questions..... aaaarrgghh :0 Ooh by the way i am controlling it using the24 inch touchscreen of a SONY VAIO all-in-1 computer...so no need for staring at small phone or tablet screens anymore..
A DCA, or Digital Control Amplifier, is a way of grouping several channels together to be controlled by a single fader. Lowering the DCA fader will lower the volume of all selected channels, but you will still have control over the volume of each individual channel with the fader for that channel.
If I say “gain staging” at work I’ll be made fun of for the rest of the day… I think it’s a great way to describe the process of what’s being done, but is not industry accepted as “staging” is something you do on a stage, and what we are doing as audio engineers is “structure”. When we mix we are setting gain structure. Entertainment people are… peculiar.
You are correct. I made these videos as I was using a digital sound board for the first time, and if I had it to do again, I would approach gain very differently.
Hi, Michael. Yes. You are correct. Gain should be set before the fader is set. As about 50 people before you have noted, and as I have recognized in subsequent videos, that is the proper method (sigh). Thank you for your comment :)
Yup. It was before I had worked with digital boards very much, and represents how I used to use analog boards. The technique works in the situation I was applying it to, but best practice is to set gain first. If you look at some of my later videos, you will find that I acknowledge this several times, as well as the dozens of similar comments that have come before yours (sigh). You make one mistake... it's there on the Internet forever. Actually, I've probably made lots of mistakes, but this is the one people feel the need to correct. Again, and again, and again :)
I'd like to thank you for making this video which is very helpful for those of us who are still learning live digital mixing. Your descriptions are done in laymen terms and are easy to understand and gain useful knowledge from. Thank you !
Thanks Andrew great job explaining the software for the X18. I am a newby to mixing in general and the digital format is what I am starting with. I have viewed two of your intro videos and I have agood workable knowledge of the setup. Looking forward to learning more about the system
Wow... this was an amazing video! Thank you so much for explaining how software works and especially the correct use of settings and interpretation of charts and visualizations. Please keep up the great work.... you're helping lots of folks. Thanks again for an amazingly helpful video!
Thanks so much for putting together this video after watching it a few times I have become so much better in setting up properly my XR18 mixer. Would load any more videos on how to edit the effects properties in the future?
If that's how you adjust input gain then everything I was taught and have learnt after 30+ year is wrong. ps. It's not wrong, always adjust gain to avoid clipping then adjust faders. It's sad to see so many views on a video that is providing information this bad.
Yes, I agree that was a mistake. If I were to record this video again, I'd certainly have approached it differently. If you look back in the comments I've addressed this concern dozens of times and I've made videos since which advise setting gain before faders. Thanks for your comments.
Off topic question, but is it possible to sidechain a compressor or gate trigger to set fx delay timings and or levels? If so, how many side chains can be created? For example if I have a backing track that has a high intensity section and a mellow section but I want a certain effect on a live performer to be louder/more present during the intense portion of the backing track, and very subtle during the mellow portion, to kind of follow the dynamics of the elements without having to ride faders?
Great vids !! These really help me out ! Thank you!! I have the xAir18 for a few years now and considering switching to the preSonus 24R. Doing a lot of research. Can the 24R be used as your audio interface? I have an older RME Fireface 800 firewire400, looking for more up to date connectivity like thunderbolt. What do you suggest? Thanks
Yes, the 24R connects via USB 2.0 and can be used as an audio input, although the monitoring gets confusing, because it's really meant for live sound. If you're tracking, I'd recommend going with one of their dedicated audio input devices. If you want to record live off the floor, it works really well.
Wow. I hate to seem rude, but somebody should say this for the sake of beginners who might mistake this for a knowledgeable tutorial. You really have no idea and shouldn't be giving sound advice. You actually do a further disservice to the community by the fact that you seem to have erased any negative but respectfully honest comments from more experienced sound techs.
I totally agree with Francis James comments, "Wow... this was an amazing video!". This is a very professional video. I will be spending a lot of time reviewing it and will use it as a reference video. You cover a wide range of information (that has application to many tools) and apply it to this particular tool. I have been at this awhile and finding a tutorial that can take complex topics and break them down into simple understandable language is hard to find. BTW I am retired and have just started taking music technology and recording classes at EIU in Illinois. I feel very fortunate to be able to learn from my professors; and professionals like you. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful :)
Behringer should have to pay you for this. This was the absolute best tutorial video I have ever watched on this unit (which I have owned for 2 years.) Thank you so much. Great job. Now if you could walk us through how we should have everything set up to record including how to monitor while recording over tracks being played back. I have an issue with delay unless I monitor through the DAW directly while recording.
I am having a very difficult time understanding the routing. Basically, I want to learn how to monitor the sound going in to the DAW, while still hearing the previously recorded tracks. However, I want to hear my instrument at a different level than the tracks and click track I am playing to. Very difficult for me.
Yeah, sorry. I didn't get into swapping audio to and from a DAW. The setup I was creating didn't require that kind of sophistication, so I'm not able to advise on that subject. Sorry :(
That's really thru ....
Literally the best explanation ever for beginners, thank you so much. Still relevant today
I aim to please :) You're very welcome.
Thank you, you have given me a place to start. well done. very helpful. I dont know why Behringer hasnt made video like this.
You're welcome :)
Behringer has made literally dozens of videos like this. Look up 'x air how to'
This the most useful tutorial I've seen for the new mixer - I'm new to the digital mixing world and this is a huge help. thanks!
Glad to be helpful :)
I do support this sentiment. Most of the videos on this topic are presented for people who are already familiar with studio situations. Thanks to Andrews for this post.
Wonderful! Thank you so much for making this! Sends starts at 20:02; Mute & DCA groups @ 27:50; Saving/Reusing Channel 30:07;
Glad it was helpful :)
This was a very useful instructional video and having watched at least twenty such videos on the XR-18 over the past several months, there is no doubt that your section on EQ is the absolute best of any of the videos I have seen. THANKS!
Glad it helped :)
Dude your explanation is better than the behringer videos. They should be paying you!
Glad you think so. They don't :)
For someone that is starting out with live sound this was very helpful. I'm planning on buying this mixer.
Glad to be of help. It's a well-built and functional unit. I hope you enjoy yours :)
That explanation on the Vocal vs. background vocals at arround 13:40 is brilliant! How did i not know about this :D
Glad you found it helpful, but most of what I know came from watching other TH-cam videos, so I shouldn't take too much credit :)
I love his dog/kids and then mistletoe explanations, really clears things up.
Glad it helped make things clear.
Thanks for this! Haven't used my mixer live for a year because pandemic so getting reacquainted with what it can do. Very helpful video 👍🏻👍🏻
You're very welcome :)
Some advice on gain staging: the method you describe, setting the fader to unity or "0" and then raising the input gain until it reaches good volume in the house will not give you optimal results in areas other than the main speakers, e.g. aux sends for monitors. The input gain on a channel sets the stage for how much signal that channel can send to each buss in the mixer - this includes the Main Buss for front-of-house (FOH) speakers, as you mention, but also Auxiliary (AUX) busses and Effects (FX) sends. If you use just enough gain to blend an acoustic guitar into the house mix with the fader at unity, the acoustic guitar player using a monitor system from an AUX out on the mixer will likely have to perform an extreme boost on the bodypack or floor monitor and have a poor signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio which results in a lot of hiss. A more preferred method is to set the input gain to a level where the loudest sounds send the channel meter just below clipping, and then use the fader to mix the instrument into the house. This ensures a full and healthy SNR for all busses and FX sends downstream of the preamp. Cheers!
DrumsBasically hey I’ve encountered a problem. So let’s say for fx1, I want to use it on channel 1. So alright I go to fx1 and bring up Chanel 1 fader. However, I also have to go to Main LR and turn it up there aswell in order for the signal from channel 1 to go into fx1. Alright, sure. But now I want to hear channel 1 in, say, bus 1 so yes go to bus1 and turn up channel one. Now let’s say I want to hear channel 1 with fx1 in bus1. So okay turn up fx1 in bus1. The problem I have is why does the level on channel 1 at Main LR control the amount that goes into the fx. Let’s say I want to hear channel 1 with a lot of delay in my bus1 but not through the FOH. How can I do this? Is it even possible?
@@naingoohtun6716 while I no longer own the XR18 mixer, most digital consoles (to include the XR18) allow you to route FX in different ways e.g. Pre-fader or Post-fader. What you've described, sounds like the FX1 is being routed "Post-Fader", meaning it's intensity on all sends will follow the faders on your Main Buss. To achieve independent level control of the FX, regardless of the position of your main fader, find the send options for your FX1, and there is usually toggle buttons to indicate it's routing style. Change to "Pre-Fader" and you will then have to mix in the effect on each buss manually. Keep in mind, a potentially negative side effect of this approach is you may still hear the effect through your PA even when channels are muted depending on how your mutes are set up. You will also likely have a slightly more complicated workflow for both mains and monitors. Pre-Fader FX is useful for me in limited ways, e.g. when a snare drum is played in a small space, I likely do not need to amplify it, so its fader will be down, however with Pre-Fader effects, I can still send reverb on the snare out of the PA speakers. Cheers!
Sigh. Yes, you're absolutely correct. The Gain approach here is a hold-over from my work on analog boards. I was making these videos while using a digital board for the first time, and really needed to spend some time figuring out gain-staging, which sadly I did not do in advance of making these videos. My penance is to constantly have to apologize for not following best practices. I now adjust gain first, then faders. Wish I had a time machine :)
DrumsBasically I’ve been shown the gain structure approach for the certain reason that adjusting from the fader instead of gain, you loose more. Faders jump harder than gain meaning even a small fader adjustment could cost you 3db.
@@mdleeproductions5002 There is some validity to that position. Faders are often logarithmic, so they're exponentially more sensitive the further they are from Unity - meaning large db shifts will occur with small fader adjustments if operating a good distance above or below unity. In my experience, there is minimal/no risk to operating this way however, as good input gain structure will likely put all faders close enough to unity on the channel strip, that the fader adjustments are quite manageable for mixing the audio. There are tradeoffs with either method; I'd pose that the method I proposed in my first comment is the best all around solution.
Lots of very useful information here. Notwithstanding, once you get started you can go deeper into learning about gain structures and optimizing SNR
Yes, this is very basic instruction aimed at beginners. I've since made other videos that talk more about gain structure. The instruction on setting gain here relies on several unspoken assumptions about how I set up the amps to favour this method of managing gain. Several people have commented that they wish I'd approached it differently, and I have to agree with them. My explanation is confusing and does not reflect best practices.
Thank you so much for your tips Sir it really helps, just bought 2nd hand x18 here in Thailand, im so happy for the mixer.
Glad you're finding it useful :)
Thank you for all your videos🙏They have made me learn more things everytime i go back and look at them all.
Glad you found them useful :)
One of the best x32 tut for beginners. Thank you .
:)
Thank you for taking the time to explain some of the features of XR18. Excellent resource.
It's my pleasure to be of assistance.
Thank you for the video. Very simple demo and easy to understand.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for the video. Very helpful stuff!👍👍👍
Glad you liked it :)
Best video ever for explaining so clearly. Thank you sooo much.
Happy to help.
Great video, you explained everything i needed, Thanks!
Cool :)
Thank you I just bought this mixer yesterday and this really helps
Glad I could help!
Extremely helpful! Great analogies! This will help me in many ways TY!
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent video, thank you very much!
Glad it was helpful :)
I need to sample out the "The delay...is the echo !"
Thank you for this video, it’s been very helpful and simple to understand, I really appreciate it, 👍🏻
Glad it was helpful!
Such clear explanation. Thanks a bunch...
Glad you liked it
This is a very useful video. Thanks for posting.
Cool
Thank you. Awesome video! Very helpful
Glad you liked it :)
The only suggestion I would make would be to set your gain first, and not worry about the fader position until after the gain is set. Use PFL and bring the gain peak levels up to "0". Then adjust your faders to desired volume.
Yes, I agree. I was still new to digital mixers when I made this video, and I've since changed the way I approach gain.
@@AndrewBellous I use the same method for both analog and digital mixers. I try to maximize the signal at each step, which gives you more headroom when you get to the amps. Then to increase the overall volume, just bump the power amps or the powered speakers.
It always made sense to me to follow the signal path as it comes into the mixer, and maximize at each step. Gain is the first step of mix, so I use PFL, so the loudest signal of a channel reaches zero on a digital mixer. Then adjust your faders to desired sound. Thanks for the video.
Yes, thank you. I follow the same methodology. However, we are all on a path of knowledge as to how to do sound better, and these videos were produced rather spontaneously. I have come to appreciate how important it is to think through every aspect of a video. One moment that was not fully considered can be subsequently brought to one's attention many, many times. I appreciate your interest in finding the right answers and helping me stay on track :)
@@AndrewBellous , We're all always learning. I'm far from a finished product in terms of learning all this stuff. Very far as a matter of fact. 😊
I realize this is an older video, but the information provided is fantastic.
Question. If I'm using a DAW (Reaper in my case) is it advisable to skip the Gate, EQ, and Compression in the XAir and handle all of that in the DAW? I'm assuming so, but thought I'd ask.
Yes, I'd recommend using your DAW to apply those effects. You have much greater variety available. The effects here aren't bad, but any DAW will have far superior options. Glad you found the video useful :)
This is 🤯 mind blowing lol so much to learn! Thank you for this video!
Glad it helped :)
Thanks for the info 👍🏻
You're most welcome :)
Very helpful video. One question, though. With the FX send fader - reverb for instance - should you just leave that a unity 0, and then control the amount of reverb on the channel itself? I hope that makes sense.
You control the send per channel and the return globally, I believe. Sorry, been a while since I've used one of these.
This is a dope technique
Good job!
Thanks :)
Thank you, this was a lot of help 👍🏾👍🏾
Good. I'm pleased you found it useful :)
Your gain structure is backwards. The voltage pot is adjusted using pfl or solo to match the levels of the amp then the fader is adjusted for volume
Yes, that's a good comment. Properly speaking you should set the gain first, and then work backwards to the fader. But, I find that this procedure is easier for beginners who don't have experience using headphones to check the solo levels before starting to mix. For someone just starting out, in my experience this method creates fewer problems. There are certainly other ways to go about it. It's how I was trained, and unless your main speaker amps are set too high so that you can't get your monitor levels up high enough, it does work.
Andrew Bellous the gain is the primary adjustment to get the desired signal (SNR, signal to noise ratio) you want to set to 1 o'clock for vocals as a good starting point. The fader is just the volume control and does not affect the led meter.
Completely agreed Scott.
The method explained here is back to front and is a misappropriation of the method we used before we had PFL buttons and better input metering.
IMHO, NEVER mix with the gain pots! I see this so often and it's a recipe for clipped channels and a mushy sound.
Get all channels in their sweet spot with the gain pot with plenty of headroom and then mix with your faders. Your signal to noise will be heaps better, you'll never have clipped channels and your sound will be clear with heaps of dynamics.
Actually I'm doing the same thing. Set the channel fader first to zero, then set the gain level to the point of optimum but with no noise or hiss on my speaker. This works for me..
Vrixx Aldeguer, yes. I do the same thing. I don't go into it in this video, but I turn the amp all the way down, run a line level from a CD or DVD, set the channel to unity gain, then adjust the amp levels. It allows you to follow the procedure I describe without risking ridiculously low gain settings that distort the sound. There are those with a different opinion and many of them hold those opinions very, very strongly. There are a variety of ways to do it, in my humble opinion.
great tutorial. thank you for sharing
Happy to help :)
Great vids !! These really help me out ! Thank you!! I have the xAir18 for a few years now and considering switching to the preSonus 24R. Doing a lot of research. Can the 24R be used as your audio interface? I have an older RME Fireface 800 firewire400, looking for more up to date connectivity like thunderbolt. What do you suggest? Thanks
You lost me the moment you flipped polarity on the channel and said it sounded better.
what about when he turn almost immediately phatom pw on and off with eveything unmute... mic and monitor destroyer
microscopic phasing from headphones maybe? lol
when he turned the compressor on and says his vocal sounds more beefier, but it was below threshold and all it was was make up gain.
good on the guy for giving it a go though!
Hey, guys. Thanks for keeping me humble. I still have plenty to learn :)
You definitely taught me something Andrew with all that not so perfect video, as some may call it. Thank you for your efforts!
I have ordered an XR18 and need to learn to get around the control system. This is my first Digital Mixer so i needed to watch this video. Thank You!.
It's been 4 years since this video, I hope to get a response to my question.
On my EQ there are big circles in the middle of the EQ screen but yours are small circles on the top of the EQ screen. Is there any difference? How can I make mine look like yours?
It may be that the latest software update made this change. If they adjusted the User Interface in a software update, I would expect that there's not a way to revert to the old style.
Hello Andrew, do you know why is there a filter (on self channel) on vocal compressor preset (611 Hz) ? what is the effect ?
No, sorry, I haven't taken a look at that yet.
Was the sound recorded on a computer?
Yes, the sound was recorded through the device onto a PC.
every how to video skips over the presets, your has something I can't read and snare bass and kick how do I get Acoustic in one of those slots?
Sorry, I no longer have access to this device, and I'm not entirely sure I understand your question.
Thanks for such clear explanation. Quick one: How do I record the onboard EQ, COMP, EFFECTS etc. Directly to my DAW. I mean, is that a possibility with the XAIR18...
I don't think so. Presonus gear allows you to import Fat Channel data that was used in live performance into the DAW, but I don't think that the Behringer gear allows anything like that. But, your DAW should have all the same tools available, and I can't imagine you'd want exactly the same settings for a recording that you would in a live venue, anyway.
Hey Andrew can i directly insert bass and guitar to line 1 & 2 without using di? Since the lines 1 & 2 are high impedance?
Yes, should work.
Hi Andrew using the default that comes with the app works only the problem that when inserting reverb in any channel works but I have no control over the amount I need. some advice. Thank you
You should be able to adjust the level of reverb in a number of ways. You can change the parameters on the plug-in. If you put the effect on one of the 'send' effects channels, then by using the fader for that effect send, you should be able to adjust how much of the signal is modified by the reverb, controlling the wet-dry of the mix.
Very helpfull and simple explanation of all topics covered. I bought a second had unit and I have on ch 12 its running hot even when nothing is plugged in....is there reset or what do I need to do to fix ch 12?
I've not run across that problem. Not sure how to help, sorry.
@@AndrewBellous I have tried every button and reset it several times....turned photos power and every setting in input on and off...its still running hot even when muted...abd with nothing plugged in....time to call Behringer..
@@debzsmart8220 yeah, I'd investigate having it serviced at that point.
I just got this mixer. When I’m using headphones I can’t hear anything? The software is running on windows 10. The meters are showing I’m receiving audio. Not sure what to do
Hey! If you are using only the mixer, then click In/out, then click Main Out, then position the headphones on either Main Out or Monitor, like this it should work. But if you have connected the Mixer to a Daw then position the headphones in the Channel's number that you have chosen in your Daw as an Output. Hope it should help, if you haven't yet found an answer.
Kapongo Kal thanks for the info. I ended up returning it.
The solution is to select one of the 'Virtual Outs' as the output for your main bus. Sorry this reply came too late to be helpful. It took me a month to figure that out, and it was only dumb luck, not anything I found in documentation. I plan to make a video on this subject when I can find the time.
Wow this is amazing thank you so much.
Glad it helped :)
Do the older XR 18 have the same EQ layout. I'm thinking about buying a used xr18 but I don't want to get an outdated unit.
The software updates. I'm not aware of a hardware update that would keep you from upgrading to the latest. That's one of the advantages of these units, they get better over time. But, I've not used one in some time.
What app are you using?
The app comes from Behringer. If you search for the Behringer website and go to the download section, there are two types of app. One controls the whole soundboard, the other isolates just one channel at a time. That second one is primarily for people to adjust their own monitors by isolating the aux channel that feeds their monitor.
needs more channel 7 😄
More cowbell's what that needs :)
Thanks , this really helped with setting up a channel, especially for vocals. I'm still having trouble using a line input from a music player.(3.5 to 6.35 stereo cable)..it sounds weird, maybe it's because i'm using a Y splitter for the LR main out in to a single XLR,(single active speaker)?
It could be because you're trying to use a stereo cable instead of a stereo separation cable. That can create a situation where the two audio signals cancel one another out due to common mode rejection. I really like Digiflex HIN series of cables for this application. They have XLR and 1/4" varieties. digiflexcables.com/products/hin-1k2x
Great info. Just a bit much for one setting. Can you do one just on setting mic levels?
Sorry, no longer have access to the board.
Typically the fader on a digital mixer don’t have to be in the middle when setting gain. Also unity on a digital mixer is around -18 DB full-scale. When your gain knob is all the way down counterclockwise that is called Infinity.
Yeah, there are a few things I would do differently in this video if I were to do it again. Thanks for your comment.
Super helpful
Excellent :)
OMG FADER!! A slider is a White Castle burger
Sorry. Old habits die hard.
Andrew, I just watched your 'X-air for android" video, which is very clear and helpful to an x-air (and mixing) noob like myself. however, the screen on this video doesn't look anything like that app. Is the Pc or mac? is it different from android?
Thanks
Andy
There are applications for PC, for iOS and for Android. Each of the applications is similar, but slightly different.
Thank you for the video. I am having trouble with setting my effects. I get confused on how to send them/set them up with multiple channels. For example; I’m setting vocals for channels 11 & 12 and I want to insert a hall reverb. I’m inserting into the channel and only one channel and I’m unable to add to the other channel. We use the system in a band set and forget setting. Could you give me some tutorials on how to properly do it win the x18? I’ve watched several which is confusing
I'm just learning this board now, but usually that's done in one of two ways. either through the send and receives along one of the effects buses or send the vocals to a sub group and apply the affects to the sub.
Sorry, I no longer have access to that board, as I'm serving another church now.
It would help if you used a yellow marker rather than a black one. Sometimes I can't see where you are drawing
I'll try to use different colours for future videos.
Thank you for doing this. It has helped me a lot. I would like to ask you this: How did you label your individual channels?. I cannot seem to find a way to do this, I have looked on the behringer site as well, but I have not found the answer.
The digital scribble strips are very handy. In the X Air Edit program on PC (I'm assuming it's the same on iOS) you need to right click on the black square between the solo button and the pan control that has the channel number on it. Then you can type a name for the scribble strip and change the colour.
Thank you. I will try that tomorrow. Thanks again for your video and your help.
I really appreciate this video but there was one problem. All my volume controls were at the very top but your volume level was very low even in good earphones.
Sorry you had trouble. This is the first I'm hearing of such a problem. Is it possible the volume on TH-cam was turned down in your Browser?
Thanks
No problem
well done. Thanks!
Cool :)
This video is brilliant. I need to ask a noob question and hopefully someone will help. I've just bought this and I can hear any channel unless I choose solo. Can someone enlighten a stupid on what I'm doing wrong?
The only thing I can think that would create that situation would be if you had your mains down and were listening via headphones, or had plugged your speakers into the headphone jack. Sorry, hard to be helpful without more details.
I was always taught you set the gain with all sliders down. The gain is the volume of input to the board. The sliders are volume out. Sliders and EQ's are always set after the gain is set. Not together.
This is how I was trained, and if I had the video to make again, I would do it differently. It matters more on a digital board than an analog board like I was trained on.
@@AndrewBellousI'm sure there's different ways to do it to achieve the same result. It looks like to me, the more videos I see, on a digital board it doesn't really matter. It seems, as long as you have the input signal button selected it's a personal preference.
@@JG-vh6mn The reason why it becomes more important on a digital board to set the gain properly at the beginning is twofold. First, many of the digital effects that are included on a digital board operate better if they have enough gain, but operate poorly if they don't. A noise gate needs the gain to be set properly or it may not trigger appropriately. Second, with a digital board, especially, the number of aux channels expands significantly, and various people may have control over those aux channels. So, if the main operator sets the gain too low, and needs to boost the gain, but the musicians onstage have already set their person in-ear monitors, then that can have disastrous effects. Setting the gain properly at the beginning of the process becomes more important when moving to a digital board, which unfortunately I did not have in mind when I made this video. I have been paying for it in overly complex responses to valid criticism ever since.
Thank you!
You're welcome :)
what do you call the app used here? thanks.
What he said :)
When you survive thru wienerdog/labrador and mistletoe speeches you will learn something 😄
But joking aside. Really good and helpful video. I learned alot.
Thank you so much!!
Glad you found it helpful. Apologies for the verbosity, but these were videos I made without any planning, just stream of consciousness. They were intended for a few people I was training, and I put them up online thinking they might be useful to others.
How many XR18's can you control with the X-Touch?
I don't know. I'm not sure you can link multiple units together in any way, but the Android app can switch between XR 18 units.
THANK YOU
You are welcome.
wow thank u
Glad it was helpful :)
To people who think this video is helpfull: This was NOT done by a professional sound engineer.
No. I'm not a pro sound engineer. I'm a pastor. My focus is on providing a basic explanation for those who are unfamiliar with sound engineering. I'm sure that there are many areas where I oversimplify or don't follow best practices. Sorry for what I got wrong :)
Computerjante his target audience and purpose for the video was a basic functional overview of the settings and to get a newby like me started. As us newby's learn the basics, we can then delve deeper into the finner points of sounds mixing.
why does sole never work? honestly i am at my wits end here
I'm assuming you mean solo, and I'm not sure why it's not working for you. Sorry I can't be of more help.
As a total noob i am trying to understand my XR-18.. your video is of good use as a quick how to... thank you.. i am still trying to understand DCA's ... what if for example channels 1 2 and 3 are on DCA 1 and if i move the fader from channel 2...will fader/channel 1 and fader/channel 3 follow the same as fader 2? Or can DCA's only be controlled from the main LR Slider? questions questions questions..... aaaarrgghh :0 Ooh by the way i am controlling it using the24 inch touchscreen of a SONY VAIO all-in-1 computer...so no need for staring at small phone or tablet screens anymore..
A DCA, or Digital Control Amplifier, is a way of grouping several channels together to be controlled by a single fader. Lowering the DCA fader will lower the volume of all selected channels, but you will still have control over the volume of each individual channel with the fader for that channel.
THE DELAY the delay IS THE ECHO is the echo THE DELAY the delay IS THE ECHO is the echo
OK ok
7:10
If I say “gain staging” at work I’ll be made fun of for the rest of the day… I think it’s a great way to describe the process of what’s being done, but is not industry accepted as “staging” is something you do on a stage, and what we are doing as audio engineers is “structure”. When we mix we are setting gain structure. Entertainment people are… peculiar.
Yeah, just try saying 'slider' when you mean 'fader'. I've been getting burger jokes thrown at me for years :)
Strokes me as someone who doesn't understand gain staging.
You are correct. I made these videos as I was using a digital sound board for the first time, and if I had it to do again, I would approach gain very differently.
This is basically backwards man. Sorry. Good effort. Just check your info.
Hi, Michael. Yes. You are correct. Gain should be set before the fader is set. As about 50 people before you have noted, and as I have recognized in subsequent videos, that is the proper method (sigh). Thank you for your comment :)
Your method of gain staging is wrong.
Yup. It was before I had worked with digital boards very much, and represents how I used to use analog boards. The technique works in the situation I was applying it to, but best practice is to set gain first. If you look at some of my later videos, you will find that I acknowledge this several times, as well as the dozens of similar comments that have come before yours (sigh). You make one mistake... it's there on the Internet forever. Actually, I've probably made lots of mistakes, but this is the one people feel the need to correct. Again, and again, and again :)
Kermit
the Frog.
you should get a better camara
Thanks for the tip.
Sir I cant follow you at all
Sorry, I do my best to be clear.
Pleeeeease don't call a fader a "slider"...
Big deal
I'll see what I can do.
I'd like to thank you for making this video which is very helpful for those of us who are still learning live digital mixing.
Your descriptions are done in laymen terms and are easy to understand and gain useful knowledge from. Thank you !
Mike Stein, that was the goal. Glad you appreciate the video ☺️
Thanks Andrew great job explaining the software for the X18. I am a newby to mixing in general and the digital format is what I am starting with. I have viewed two of your intro videos and I have agood workable knowledge of the setup. Looking forward to learning more about the system
Wow... this was an amazing video! Thank you so much for explaining how software works and especially the correct use of settings and interpretation of charts and visualizations. Please keep up the great work.... you're helping lots of folks. Thanks again for an amazingly helpful video!
I'm glad it was helpful to you :)
Thanks so much for putting together this video after watching it a few times I have become so much better in setting up properly my XR18 mixer. Would load any more videos on how to edit the effects properties in the future?
Sorry, no longer have access to the board.
So you can SEE it sounds much better with no polarity reverse...
No offence ,but man you dont know what this switch do!
Not offended. I'm not a sound engineer, though I am aware that reversing the polarity ought not to have an audible effect on the sound.
If that's how you adjust input gain then everything I was taught and have learnt after 30+ year is wrong. ps. It's not wrong, always adjust gain to avoid clipping then adjust faders. It's sad to see so many views on a video that is providing information this bad.
Yes, I agree that was a mistake. If I were to record this video again, I'd certainly have approached it differently. If you look back in the comments I've addressed this concern dozens of times and I've made videos since which advise setting gain before faders. Thanks for your comments.
Thank you for the video. Very helpful stuff!
Off topic question, but is it possible to sidechain a compressor or gate trigger to set fx delay timings and or levels? If so, how many side chains can be created? For example if I have a backing track that has a high intensity section and a mellow section but I want a certain effect on a live performer to be louder/more present during the intense portion of the backing track, and very subtle during the mellow portion, to kind of follow the dynamics of the elements without having to ride faders?
That question is a little above my skill level. I would recommend sending the signal through a DAW to do something that complex.
Hello. Which microphone for video recording? Noise in sound from preamps?
I believe I was using an AKG Perception for that recording, but it was a while ago so I don't specifically remember. Could also have been at AT 4040.
Well done. You made this equipment so much more accessible to me.
Good to hear :)
Great vids !! These really help me out ! Thank you!! I have the xAir18 for a few years now and considering switching to the preSonus 24R. Doing a lot of research. Can the 24R be used as your audio interface? I have an older RME Fireface 800 firewire400, looking for more up to date connectivity like thunderbolt. What do you suggest? Thanks
Yes, the 24R connects via USB 2.0 and can be used as an audio input, although the monitoring gets confusing, because it's really meant for live sound. If you're tracking, I'd recommend going with one of their dedicated audio input devices. If you want to record live off the floor, it works really well.
Wow. I hate to seem rude, but somebody should say this for the sake of beginners who might mistake this for a knowledgeable tutorial. You really have no idea and shouldn't be giving sound advice. You actually do a further disservice to the community by the fact that you seem to have erased any negative but respectfully honest comments from more experienced sound techs.
I'm sorry you disapprove. I have never deleted a comment. I'm not a professional sound engineer and don't think I've ever represented myself as one.
LOL thanks for brapping my studio monitors with the phantom power. You might wanna edit that out :) (But Seriously, thanks for these demos)
Sorry, I'll see if I can make an edit now that it's online. Glad I was of some help :)
@@AndrewBellous The rest of it turned out to be spot on live :)