Getting Started with the PA

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This guide will help you get our church audio system up and running for services, events, and presentations. Don't worry if you're new to this – we've designed these instructions to be super easy to follow. 

Table of Contents

1. Welcome & Safety First

Before we dive in, let's cover a few essential rules to keep everyone safe and our equipment in top shape.

  • Always MUTE first: Before connecting or disconnecting any cables (microphones, speakers, etc.), make sure the channel is muted. This prevents loud, damaging "pops" and protects delicate electronics.
  • Check Your Cables: Before plugging anything in, quickly inspect cables. If you see frayed wires, bent pins, or exposed metal, do not use them! Let a team leader know.
  • No Spills! Please keep all drinks and liquids away from the mixer and other electronic equipment. Accidents happen!
  • If in Doubt, Ask! There's no such thing as a silly question when it comes to audio. If something doesn't look or feel right, stop and ask for help from an experienced team member.

2. System Overview: What's What?

Think of our audio system like the human body. Each part has a job to do to make sound happen!

  • The Mixer (Our Allan & Heath SQ7): The Brain
    • This is where all the sounds (microphones, instruments, music) come in and are blended together. You'll control individual volumes, tones, and where sounds go from here. Our mixer is digital, which means it uses screens and buttons to control things electronically, but the basic idea is the same as an older, physical mixer.
    • Fun Fact: Our mixer can 'recall' specific setups using Scenes. The 'Church Standard' scene is your go-to for getting everything back to normal.
  • Microphones: The Ears & Voice
    • These capture sound. We have wireless microphones (no cables attached to the mic itself, handy for movement) and wired microphones (connected directly with a cable).
    • Sennheiser Wireless Mics: These wireless mics that are stored in Sennheiser charge stations to keep them ready to go.
    • Shure Wireless Mics: These wireless mics are stored in the top drawer of the set of drawers against the back wall. They need batteries which can be found between the Mixer and the Mac in the AV Booth.
  • Speakers (FOH & Monitors): The Mouths & Personal Ears
    • FOH (Front of House) Speakers (EAW Line Array): These are the big speakers hanging up front. They project sound to the entire congregation.
    • Monitor Speakers (Foldback / IEMs / Wedges): These allow the people on stage (worship leaders, musicians) to hear themselves and others.
  • Cables: The Nerves & Blood Vessels
    • These are the highways that carry electrical signals (sound) between all the different parts of the system.

3. Powering On & Off (The Right Way):

The order you turn things on and off is very important to prevent loud, damaging "pops" and extend the life of our speakers.

Tap the button below to open up the How to guide on turning the equipment on and off.

Read our Guide

4. Connecting Your Sources:

Let's get sounds into the mixer!

A. Microphones

  • Wireless Microphones (Sennheiser):

    1. Power On Mic: Take a fully charged microphone from the Sennheiser charge station. Press and hold the power button (Red button on the bottom of the unit) until the screen lights up.
    2. Identify the Mic: The screen should show the label eg H/Held 1 or H/Held 3. These correspond with Vox 1 or Vox 3 on the Mixer.
    3. Speak Into Mic: Do a quick test to see the signal LED on the channel lights up.

  • Where to Plug In:

    • Front Stage Pit Left: 8 channels.
    • Front Stage Pit Right: 8 channels.

  • Wired Microphones:

    1. Cable Check: Pick up an XLR cable (it has three pins at one end, three holes at the other). Make sure it looks good – no bent pins or damaged plastic.
    2. Plug into Mic: Firmly push the male end (pins) of the XLR cable into the bottom of the microphone until it clicks.
    3. Plug into the stage pit: connect to one of the inputs within the stage pit.

B. Instruments (Guitars, Keyboards, etc)

  1. Connect a cable commonly known as a "guitar" cable between the instrument and a "DI Box"
  2. The "DI Box" should be connected to the closest pit at the front of the stage. Commonly keyboards connect into the left pit, and guitars connect into the right pit.

5. Basic Mixer Control: Getting Sound Out

Okay, the mixer is on, sources are plugged in. Let's make some noise!

Recalling the "Church Standard" Scene:

  • Action: Before you start, press the "Scenes" button on the mixer. From the list, select "Church Standard" (the option option) and select "Recall". This will set all basic levels and routing, giving you a good starting point.

Here's how to control the sound using the important parts of each channel strip:

  • Finding Your Channels:
    • Our mixer has Layers A & B for input channels, using faders 1-24. You'll see which layer you're on at the mixer's screen.
    • DCAs (Digitally Controlled Amplifiers): These are like master faders for groups of channels. You'll find our 8 DCAs on faders 25-32 on all layers. It's often easier to control groups (like "All Vocals" or "All Drums") using these.

A. Channel Strip Basics (Focus on ONE Microphone for now)

Let's imagine you're setting up the Worship Leader's microphone.

  1. Identify the Channel: Find the matching fader on the mixer (e.g., if the mic is plugged into channel 3, find fader 3 on Layer A or B).
  2. Gain/Trim (The "Strength" Knob):
    • Purpose: This knob sets how "loud" the sound signal is before it gets to the fader. Think of it like adjusting the microphone's sensitivity. Too low, and your fader will be maxed out; too high, and the sound will be distorted.
    • How to Set:
      • Ask the person to speak or sing at their normal volume into the microphone.
      • Watch the meter on the mixer screen for that channel.
      • Slowly turn the Gain knob (usually at the top of the channel strip) until the meter consistently hits the yellow, but only occasionally flashes into the red. The goal is a strong, healthy signal without clipping.
      • WARNING: If the "Clip" light (often a small red light above the gain knob) stays red, your gain is too high! Turn it down immediately until it only flashes occasionally or not at all.
  3. EQ (Equalization - Simplified Tone Controls):
    • Purpose: These controls (Bass, Mid, Treble) allow you to shape the tone of the sound.
      • Bass (Low Frequencies): Makes sound fuller or warmer.
      • Mid (Middle Frequencies): Affects clarity and presence (can make voices sound thin or boxy).
      • Treble (High Frequencies): Makes sound brighter or clearer (can add hiss if too high).
    • How to Use: Make small, subtle adjustments. Most of the time, leaving them flat (at the 12 o'clock position) is a good starting point. If a voice sounds muddy, try gently reducing Bass. If it sounds dull, gently increase Treble.
  4. Channel Fader (Individual Volume):
    • Purpose: This is the main volume control for that specific microphone or input.
    • How to Use: Once your gain is set, slowly push this fader up, listening to the main speakers, until the microphone is at a good individual level.
  5. Aux Sends (Sending Sounds to Monitors/IEMs):
    • Purpose: Our mixer has many Auxiliary (Auxiliary) Sends (AUX 1-11). These allow you to send a separate mix of sounds to different monitor speakers or IEMs on stage.
      • AUX 1-4, 8: Wireless IEM Packs
      • AUX 5-7: Wired IEM Packs (Drums, Bass, Keys)
      • AUX 9: Worship Leader Powered Wedge
      • AUX 10: Vocals BOSE Wedge
      • AUX 11: Livestream Mix (for Matrix 2)
    • How to Use:
      • Select the channel you want to send to a monitor (e.g., the Worship Leader's mic).
      • On the mixer screen or designated knobs, you'll see "Aux Send" levels for each Aux output.
      • Turn up the specific Aux Send knob/fader (e.g., AUX 9 for the Worship Leader's wedge) for that mic until it's heard clearly in the monitor.
      • Each monitor mix (Aux 1-11) also has its own Master Aux Fader. This controls the overall volume for that specific monitor output. Ensure these are up!

B. Main Controls

  • Main Fader (Overall Speaker Volume):
    • Purpose: This fader (often labelled "LR" or "Main Out") controls the overall volume going to our big FOH speakers.
    • How to Use: Once individual channel faders are set, slowly push up the Main Fader until the desired volume for the entire room is reached. Watch the Main Output Meter to ensure it's not constantly hitting the red ("clipping").
  • DCA Faders (Group Volume Control):
    • Purpose: Our mixer uses DCAs (faders 25-32) to control groups of channels together. For example, DCA 7 controls all "Vocals."
    • How to Use: Instead of adjusting every individual vocal mic, you can use DCA 7 to raise or lower the volume of all vocals at once. This is very handy for quick, overall adjustments during a service.
      • 1 Drums
      • 2 Keys
      • 3 Guitars
      • 4 Instruments
      • 5 Reverb Return [FX 1] (Volume for the sound effect)
      • 6 Delay Return [FX 3] (Volume for the sound effect)
      • 7 Vocals
      • 8 Radios (Spoken word mics, Mac Audio for music/videos)

6. Quick Sound Check:

  1. Recall 'Church Standard' Scene: First, make sure you've loaded the 'Church Standard' scene.
  2. Test Each Input:
    • For each microphone, have someone speak or sing into it at their normal volume.
    • Set the Gain correctly (yellow on the meter, rarely red).
    • Bring up the Channel Fader to a good individual level.
    • Use the Aux Sends to send that mic's sound to the appropriate monitor mixes so the musicians can hear it.
  3. Test Mac Audio: Start a song or video on the Mac, ensure its volume is up, and bring up the Mac Audio Channel Fader and DCA 8 (Other Audio).
  4. Balance: Adjust individual channel faders and DCA faders until everything sounds balanced in the main speakers. Use the Main Fader for overall volume.
  5. Monitor Check: Have each musician on stage confirm they can hear themselves and others clearly in their IEMs or wedges. Adjust their specific Aux Sends and Aux Master Faders as needed.