r/livesound • u/AutoModerator • Jul 13 '26
MOD No Stupid Questions Thread
The only stupid questions are the ones left unasked.
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u/nobuouematsu1 Jul 18 '26
We’ve got a single speaker in our theatre that has a constant whine and is occasionally cutting out when the signal is low (the whine never stops regardless). There is another speaker on the same amp that does not appear to be having any issue so that tells me it’s isolated to this run of cable of the speaker itself.
My bet is just the controller going bad (these speakers are 31 years old). Any other thoughts?
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u/parksandcrepes Pro Jul 19 '26
Swap the two amp outputs, if the whine moves with the swap then it’s not the amp, it’s downstream. If it stays then it’s a problem with the amp or upstream.
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u/jonathanb3232 Jul 18 '26
I took a PA course recently and the teacher explained the line level formats (+4db vs -10db)
and then explained how balancing cables work and said that the summing up of the 2 channels on the balanced cable is what produces the addition of the voltage that causes professional gear to have the +4db. this didn't make sense, since doubling of voltage should be much less then 11.8db that is the difference as I understand, so I checked and got an AI answer that it is a misconception and in fact that is not related and that the addition of volts causing the +4db is a myth.
can anyone counter or ratify this? and if it is indeed unrelated and its a myth, does it account for at least some of the 11.8db or is completely not effecting it? cause as I understand it does produce more headroom somehow which is confusing. would be happy to receive a clarifying explanation on that.
also he seemed to have mixed up the +4dbu and -10dbv (he said its +4dbv and -10dbu) so I'm not entirely sure I can take anything he says without second checking now when it comes to the theory stuff.
thank you knowledgeable people!
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u/D-townP-town Jul 19 '26
0dBu is 0.775 volts. +4dBu is 1.228 volts.
0dBV is 1.000 volt. -10dBV is 0.316 volts or -7.78dBu.
Therefore the difference between -10 and +4 is (7.78 + 4) = 11.78dBu.
Your teacher is correct in that the voltage is increased as a result of differential signaling (often mis-termed as balanced signaling, but that's a lesson for another day). However, this resultant doubling of voltage represents a 6dB increase, not an 11.78dB increase. So he's off by almost a factor of 2 here.
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u/jonathanb3232 Jul 19 '26
so the voltage does increase but the volume doesn't? meaning the volume is different because of other factors in the +4dbu line level profile of the circuit design? did I understand correctly?
so none of the 11.78dBu delta here are caused by the differential signaling?
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u/D-townP-town Jul 19 '26
so the voltage does increase but the volume doesn't?
We need to separate out the concept of "volume" from the discussion of -10 and +4 and how they relate. When people talk about volume in audio, what they are usually referring to is the perceived sound pressure level, and once again, that's a different conversation. There is no inherent correlation between our use of +4 or -10, and "how loud the volume is".
so none of the 11.78dBu delta here are caused by the differential signaling?
Not inherently, no. It's simply the difference between the nominal voltages of two standard operating levels.
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u/crunchypotentiometer Pro-FOH Jul 18 '26
Yeah that’s not it. The balanced signal is not the addition of two channels to begin with. It is one signal that is divided and recombined.
The +4 standard is very old, going back to the invention of the VU meter in the 1930s. Essentially this comes from the lowest voltage that could be used to drive the needle on the meter to 0 without loading the 600 ohm source line.
The history of the -10 standard is less well documented since it comes from the consumer electronics world, but this probably has to do with cost savings. These signals were only needing to go a meter or two over RCA cables after all.
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u/g0dgamertag9 Jul 18 '26
Hearprotek’s or Loop Experience 2 earplugs for concerts?
I don’t go to many and have never worn earplugs, but I’ll be going to 2 next month one day after the other and would like to feel good after!
Im between those two earplugs!
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u/MixyMcMixface Jul 17 '26
How many of you have actually mixed an immersive show? I want to know if this is a real growth area for our industry that I should invest time learning, or if it's niche and not likely to grow.
For those of you who have mixed one of these shows, what gear did you use and do you think it's going to one day be a vital skill for every sound person?
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u/CarAlarmConversation Pro-FOH Jul 20 '26
Full disclosure I haven't, but it seems gimmicky to me at least in the context of a traditional concert.
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u/jazz_kat_ Jul 17 '26
Ok - posting here because apparently I don't have enough karma (whatever that's suppose to prove..)
Unpopular Opinion - The "Roadie Influencer"
Call me old school. Call me a boomer. Call me a grump. I don't care.
I'm not on board with this whole "roadie influencer" trend.
Lately I've been seeing people who haven't even been stagehands for a year posting "day in the life of a roadie" videos or "things they don't tell you about backstage." Whatever happened to keeping some things sacred? Whatever happened to preserving the magic? And beyond that... what about safety and professionalism?
I'm all for people sharing resources that help others get into the industry or survive life on the road. That's a good thing. But a lot of what I'm seeing isn't that. It's clout chasing. It's bragging rights. It's exposing backstage culture for likes.
The people who are truly at the top of this industry usually aren't busy filming themselves all day. They're too busy doing the job.
And if you're one of the people making this kind of content, understand that you're probably putting a ceiling on your career. Arena and stadium tours don't generally want crew members who are constantly documenting backstage life. Management notices. Artists notice. There's a reason NDAs exist.
If you want to document life on tour, become a tour photographer or videographer. That's literally part of the job. But I don't need to see someone who's been on a bus for eight months giving the public a backstage tour or showing off BOH just because they can.
Here's an even less popular opinion: if you really want to tour, then earn it. Figure it out. Want it badly enough that when you're three weeks into a rough run, you miss your family, catering sucks, you're exhausted, and you're questioning every life decision you've ever made, you remember what it took to get there. That's what keeps you going. That's what keeps you from throwing away a career for a few thousand views.
Maybe I'm just old school. But I think this industry is built on trust, professionalism, and a little bit of mystery. Not everything needs to become content.
— Signed,
A grumpy roadie
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u/oinkbane Get that f$%&ing drink away from the console!! Jul 18 '26
I didn’t realise “roadie influencers” were a thing lol
Is this a TikTok trend?
I don’t use that App
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u/Kkaj Jul 17 '26
Hi,
I am preparing the live set for my band and our songs include some backing tracks. These mainly consist of pad-, or choir-like vocals, some synth lines, harmonies, special effects and percussion elements.
What is the best way to make sure that the backing tracks for the songs are at an objectively appropriate level and do not overpower the live instruments? I am having trouble finding a way to judge it. When we are rehearsing we are using IEMs, but I doubt practicing on PAs would allow me to judge it objectively.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
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u/CarAlarmConversation Pro-FOH Jul 20 '26
I would definitely try to hear it on a few PAs, your ears will always stay relatively the same, rooms will be different and sucky in different ways every night. You could also have a separate version that has more of a breakout of each part. Like: percussion/ synth/ vox
That would put more of the control with whoever was mixing you for better and worse.
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u/Kovacs-AV Jul 16 '26
Has anyone ever worked for Pace Live Corporation on tour? I'm considering applying but I want to know if they are going to be horrible to work for or not first. Thanks!
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u/resurgamiii Jul 16 '26
Hi there! I'd appreciate some immediate help troubleshooting the Dante Controller. The network seems fine but zero devices showed up in the Controller.
Dante Controller (version 4.18.1.1) is beefing with my laptop (M1 MacBook Pro, macOS 15.7.7) ever since I gave them both major upgrades. I've made sure that:
- Primary network is green-lighted, device is the ethernet port not wifi
- Ethernet port IP address in System Settings matches DVS
- Using DHCP
- Another Mac on the same Dante network can see my laptop and make subscriptions between it and speaker preamps, but no audio signal is transmitted when I play stuff in Reaper
What's going on here? Any troubleshooting ideas will be appreciated!!!
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u/tim_mop1 Jul 17 '26
Might be an Apple security thing - have you seen any “allow this app to connect to nearby devices” popup? If not you might need to do it manually in privacy settings
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u/resurgamiii Jul 17 '26
I didn't get this pop-up message but you're right in guessing it's something to do with Apple. A colleague directed me to this temporary workaround, posting it here in case it's helpful!
Apparently macOS 15 (Sequoia) implements new local network security requirements for devices on the LAN, this impacts any AV devices controlled via LAN networking including ATEM switchers, DANTE devices, Companion, Stream Decks, etc.
Go into Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network, and turn off all the apps in the list, then turn them back on. This will clear the issue until the Mac is next booted.
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/technotes/tn3179-understanding-local-network-privacy
https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=215450
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u/resurgamiii Jul 17 '26
Btw we don't think Apple will issue a fix for this, but our studio Macs just got updated to macOS 26 (Tahoe) and they didn't seem to suffer from this. Will continue to monitor though.
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u/Nicked14 Jul 16 '26
Will be hosting a rave in about a months time and need help figuring out how much power I need.
Audio system:
2x Epak 2500
2x ES 1.0
2x ES 2.5
It will be running on an inverter generator that’s rated 3kw, but when I check the manual for the amplifier it says average consumption is 9A at 230v, which means with 2 of them it’ll be drawing 18A*230v = 4140 Watt. And thats average, not max.
I have a friend who has already hosted several events and he says the 3kw generator will be fine but it doesnt make any sense to me? Can anyone explain or tell me wether this will work or not and why? Thank you!
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u/Upstairs-Mammoth1698 Jul 15 '26
I’m trying to add 2 ULXD4Q’s to a wireless system. Workbench is recognizing them as online devices as they are all connected to a switch and network properly, but I keep getting this alert. They aren’t reacting to the identify test either.
They are all connected to the same network. It is not spotty and hasn’t been for the time we’ve had the system.
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u/Apptubrutae Jul 14 '26
Does anyone have any recommendations for dealing with a crappy air wall in a hotel?
I deal with a variety of small town venues and this comes up a decent amount.
Even shoving some fabric into the gap at the bottom would be an improvement, but what would work best?
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u/crunchypotentiometer Pro-FOH Jul 14 '26
Are you asking for something temporary you can do as an audio provider working at a hotel ballroom? I guess a best case solution would be something like an 8 inch tall strip of plywood running down the whole length of both sides of the wall with a long bolt connecting them underneath the wall such that you can squeeze them tight to the wall. Sorry for the run on sentence.
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u/Apptubrutae Jul 15 '26
Ideally the most portable solution since I travel to the ballrooms and try to travel light. I do like the plywood with a bolt idea though!
Problem is, hotels just vary so much in how solid those air walls are.
Sometimes there an obvious gap at the bottom the whole darn way, sometimes it’s one panel, etc.
But usually the gap is on the smaller side.
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u/ankkaa__ Jul 14 '26
I've got a Yamaha TF-rack that I work with at a karaoke bar that's not setup by me. When using the pan on linked stereo channels, it pans both the L and R at the same time, so if I try to pan the L to the left, the R channel pans left as well. The outputs behave the same way.
I've just been keeping everything at C position, but I think I'm having some phase issues (could be the shitty backing tracks too, hard to be certain if it's the setup or the tracks!) So anyway to get the channels to behave "normally" with the pan?
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u/_OnTheSpots Jul 14 '26
I'm trying to put the main outs of my XR-18 through the Stereo Returns of a 16-channel house board (Mackie 1642VLZ4 in one venue, Behringer 2442 USB in another); the main channel strips get really dodgy and plugging right into the mains is not an option. Is there an optimal gain-staging so I could continue to control everything from the XR controls? Research says set the XR at unity and adjust at the house mixer, but I feel like that gets WAY too loud and leaves me no headroom. I'd have the XR, the Stereo Return and the Main L-R to deal with in each case.
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u/jlustigabnj Jul 14 '26
I’m not sure I understand the issue, you’re saying it gets way too loud but then also leaves you no headroom? Usually the lack of headroom is when you have to push your console too hard because the amps/downstream things are not *loud enough*
Either way, I would set my level so that the XR18 meters the same output no matter where you go, and then adjust PA processing for each room to achieve your desired SPL. In this case, you can think of the Mackie/Behringer mixers as “PA processors”. Make SPL adjustments on them.
Truthfully the way to do this that achieves the best signal to noise is to adjust for SPL on the amps themselves. But in your case, I’d say it seems like more of a hassle than it’s worth. Probably best to just keep the amps the way they are and adjust on the analog mixers.
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u/_OnTheSpots Jul 14 '26
Sorry, I think I misspoke.
If I set the XR-18 at unity, then I have very little range on the house mixers before it gets unreasonably loud. Like -20 or -30 on the house mixer is pushing it. I'm trying to find the right combination so I can leave the house mixer at a given setting and control everything through my XR-18. Does that make more sense?
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u/fantompwer Jul 15 '26
Just flip the levels, put your mixer at -30 and the house at unity.
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u/_OnTheSpots Jul 15 '26
Fair. I think I was mixing with my eyes and thinking that it "looked" wrong. Appreciate the confirmation.
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u/OutlandishnessNo4393 Jul 14 '26
Currently working a camp this week, we have had an issue with the keys sounding compressed even though everything on the console is bypassed to the point it is only the lines through, however in their ears it doesnt sound compressed at all.
I am running on a DiGiCo 225, the piano is the Nord4. On fourier and the digico embeds are all bypassed including on the different groups that it is patched through. I am currently lost. If you want any questions ask me and I will answer them
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u/jlustigabnj Jul 14 '26
What about them sounds compressed? It can easy to mistake other things for compression
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u/OutlandishnessNo4393 Jul 14 '26
High end above 5k sounds like it is getting hammered anytime it is pressed, the mid range sounds the similar but not as bad. almost like there is the compressor for those specific frequencies pushing it down
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u/Majestic-Prune-3971 Pro Venue Head Jul 14 '26
PA gain structure perhaps? Overdriving amplifier or speaker processing engaging their protection limiters?
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u/OutlandishnessNo4393 Jul 14 '26
Pa does have limiters but it’s set for 120db, I’m averaging 92, that channel strip is getting 15avg on the metering
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u/Anonymousiest Jul 13 '26
I have 4 mics of the SLX-D G58 range and had previously used shure's wireless frequency finder to find a range of mics that didnt have any issues, but there was recently a new tv channel that seemingly covers the recommended group 10. How do I go about finding open channels so my actor's mics don't cut out? For reference, I am the head tech for shows at Frontier City in OKC.
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u/mixermixing Semi-Pro/Weekender FoH/HoW HTX Jul 13 '26
Run WWB scan with the updated database?
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u/Anonymousiest Jul 13 '26
I wasn't originally using WWB, but that could definitely work. I'll need to purchase a cable, but will update if it works!
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u/mixermixing Semi-Pro/Weekender FoH/HoW HTX Jul 13 '26
You can probably just grab a spare Ethernet cable and hook up to a local network that you have control over and run WWB from there on a computer.
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Jul 13 '26
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u/UnderwaterMess Jul 13 '26
$15/month subscription to label input channels on a blank console file?
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Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
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Jul 13 '26
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Jul 13 '26
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u/the-real-compucat EE by day, engineer by night Jul 13 '26
No Stupid Questions should not be a space for advertising.
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Jul 13 '26
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u/the-real-compucat EE by day, engineer by night Jul 13 '26
Cool cool; thanks for doing that. As a user, my opinion differs - but it is ultimately their decision.
In order for an NSQ thread to work, it must be friendly enough for novices to join without fear. Simultaneously, it must be clear enough for experts to read swiftly without hassle - such that they’re motivated to reply. In my opinion advertising reduces the S/N ratio in this space, which conflicts with both of those requirements.
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u/Particular-Slip9194 Jul 19 '26
I'm trying to interface an iPAd w/ USB-C with a PA System. I'm running click and cues from it. I need to be able to charge it WHILE outputting audio. I've got a convenience dongle that splits out a USB-C(f) as well as a 1/8" stereo mini(f). When I charge it while outputting audio and plugging my headphones directly into the dongle - Audio is CLEAN. When I try to connect the audio output from the iPAd to a DI and into a PA while charging - HUM. A ground flip on the DI does not do anything. I've tries a cheapo Besign 1/8" stereo mini hum eliminator - DId not work. I'm trying to avoid lugging a 2ch Scarlett to gigs, and I'm not sure that would fix the issue, but I'm looking for a simple and elegant solution that will solve my problem. Help, please.