Mixing
The process of creating a monitor mix using the Personal Monitor Mixing System is similar to the process used to create a front of house mix. As mentioned in the Quick
Setup tutorial section, the Personal Mixer interface makes it easy to jump right in and create your first mix within minutes of connecting the system for the first time.
Mixing involves setting pan, volume, and mute status for each Channel, and then saving this setup as a Preset so that you can recall your custom mix later.
The user interface is quite simple to understand. As with many digital mixers, the A-16
Personal Mixer has many Channels, but only one set of controls that are shared by all the Channels. A Channel is selected by pressing one of the numbered Channel buttons on the Mixer’s front surface. When a Channel is selected, the red LED in the Channel’s button will light to indicate that it has been selected and is ready to be edited.
The procedure to edit a Channel involves only two steps:
• Select the Channel you want to change.
• Edit the volume, panning, or mute status
That’s it. Each Channel can be edited by using the same simple steps.
The Editing Interface
When you turn the
V
OLUME
knob clockwise to raise the volume of the selected
Channel, the volume is reflected in the Volume LED indicators. There are twenty-four visible volume steps available in the Volume LEDs. Each LED lights at two levels, first at half brightness, then at full brightness. More LEDs lit indicates higher volume.
The pan position for a Channel can be changed with the
P
AN
knob. Turn it left or right to move the audio in the stereo field. Your changes will be reflected in the Pan
LEDs. The Pan LEDs are used to indicate the left-center-right location of the selected
Channel. The Pan LEDs have a green middle LED to indicate the center position in the stereo field with red LEDs on the sides to indicate left or right positions. Changes will be heard immediately in any speakers or headphones connected to your Personal
Mixer.
Making Changes to a Mix
Once you have a basic monitor mix, you may want to make changes to fine tune the settings for the individual Channels. This is as simple as selecting the Channel and then adjusting the
V
OLUME
and P
AN
knobs as required.
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Aviom A-16 Personal Monitor Mixing System
When you select a Channel by pressing its corresponding numbered Channel button, the current settings for channel volume and panning are indicated instantly in the
Volume and Pan LED readouts. When a Channel is selected, you can always make real-time changes to its settings.
Note: Remember to save your new mix to a memory location before turning the system off.
Linking Channels
For stereo input sources such as keyboards, drum machines, CD players, main mixer submixes, etc., the A-16T provides a convenient method of controlling these two-channel sources. It’s called a Link. A Link is simply two Channels working together as one to process a stereo input.
Linking two Channels is done from the front panel of the A-16T Transmitter. Each pair of inputs has a corresponding Link switch. When the switch is positioned to the left, the two Channels are independent. When the switch is moved to the right, the Channels become linked. Only adjacent Channels can be linked (Channels 1 and 2, Channels 3 and 4, etc.).
When Channels are linked, they act as one source on the A-16 Personal Mixer. When you select either of the two linked Channels on the Mixer, both LEDs will light up, indicating that they are linked. Volume changes affect both Channels simultaneously.
Channels that are linked at the A-16T Transmitter will appear linked on every Personal
Mixer connected to the system. You can link or un-link Channels as needed, even while audio is running through the system. All connected Personal Mixers update immediately.
The Spread Control
When two Channels are linked, they no longer have separate pan controls. With the
Channel link comes a new feature, called Spread. The Spread control varies the stereo image of the two linked Channels from full stereo to mono. This allows you to position stereo sources in your mix by controlling the width of the stereo image.
Spread changes the panning of the left and right Channels simultaneously. Instead of having two Channels panned 100% left and right, Spread allows the Channels to be panned to 60% left and right, for example.
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The Effect of the Spread Control
Spread turns this: into this, for example
When you adjust the Pan control with a stereo-linked Channel selected, the Pan
LEDs show the width of the stereo spread that is currently set. Multiple LEDs light to indicate the compression of the image from full stereo to mono.
The Mute and Solo Functions
Solo a Channel
While working with a mix, you may want to listen to a particular Channel by itself to check a part, locate or solve a problem, select a pan location, etc. To do this you can use the Solo mode. The Solo mode lets you listen to the selected Channel alone without disturbing the rest of the mix.
Solo mode works on the currently selected Channel or Group. To use Solo mode, first select the Channel you want to hear alone. Its red button LED should be lit. Now press the
S
OLO
button, found in the pair of buttons in the upper right corner of the Personal
Mixer. The Channel is now heard solo.
You can make changes to volume and panning when a Channel is in Solo mode. All changes happen immediately. Consider Solo mode as a temporary state only. You cannot save a Preset with a Channel in Solo mode.
Only one Channel, linked pair (or Group) can be in solo at a time. To exit Solo mode, simply select another Channel or press the
S
OLO
button again to exit.
To select a different Channel for auditioning in Solo mode, remember that you must first select a Channel and then press the
S
OLO
button to enter Solo mode.
Mute a Channel
The method used for muting Channels is similar to that used for the Solo function— first select the Channel, then perform an action. There are some differences, however.
• You can mute as many Channels as necessary for your application.
• Channels that are muted can be saved as part of a Preset.
To mute a Channel, first select the desired Channel on the Personal Mixer. The red
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Aviom A-16 Personal Monitor Mixing System
Channel LED should be lit. Next, press the
M
UTE
button to silence the Channel. The
Channel’s lower (yellow) LED will light to indicate that it is muted. Select any other
Channels that you want to mute and follow the same procedure to remove them from the current mix.
Unmute a Channel
Once a Channel is muted, you can follow this simple procedure to clear the mute:
• Select the muted Channel. (It should have the yellow LED in its button lit.)
• Press the
M
UTE
button.
• The yellow LED will go out.
• To clear mutes on other Channels, continue selecting Channels, followed by pressing the
M
UTE
button to clear the mutes.
Save the Preset with the mutes, if desired.
Note: Solo mode will temporarily override a mute. This guarantees that you will always hear the Channels you solo. When you exit Solo mode, the Channels are returned to their previous state.
Creating Groups
When you need control over more than just a stereo pair of Channels as described earlier using the Link function, you can use the Group function to control multiple
Channels. Up to three Groups can be created per user Preset. This means that every
Personal Mixer can have up to forty-eight different Groups saved by using all sixteen user Presets.
A Group can consist of any number of Channels, but Groups cannot overlap. That is, one Group cannot contain Channels that are part of another Group. Mono or linked stereo Channels can be part of a Group.
As you create a Group, the Channel volume and pan settings of each Channel added to a Group are retained. This helps to keep the overall blend of Channels that are part of a
Group even while you adjust the Group’s overall volume. The
V
OLUME
control changes the overall level of the Group.
Some examples of Groups in use:
• A Group allows background vocal parts from six singers to be adjusted together.
• All the drums in a live drum kit can be combined to a single stereo mix for easy adjustment for the guitar player, while the drummer retains individual control over each drum in his mix.
• Horns and woodwinds can be controlled together.
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Aviom A-16 Personal Monitor Mixing System
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• Multiple stereo keyboards can be combined into one source.
Creating and editing Groups is done in the Group Mode. To create your first Group:
• Start by selecting a Channel that you want to be included in the Group.
• Press the dedicated
G
ROUP
button on the left side of the Personal Mixer.
• Its red Group LED will begin to flash indicating that you can now edit the
Group.
• Double-click the Channel buttons to include a Channel in the Group.
• Channels that are added to the Group will flash their upper red LED to indicate that they are now part of the Group.
To Save your Group, simply press the
G
ROUP
button again. The Group LED goes out and you are returned to your current Preset and live mix.
In the current Preset, you will now see all Channel LEDs associated with a Group light whenever you press a Channel button that is included in your saved Group. The
Channels now behave as one.
Note: Remember to save the Preset if you want to be able to recall the Preset with the new Group settings later.
Creating Additional Groups
Three Groups can be created and saved in each Preset in a Personal Mixer. Each Group can be created and/or edited as needed while live audio is playing through the system.
The instructions in the previous section describe how to create and save the first Group in a mix. Creating additional Groups follows the same procedure. Use these steps to create a second and/or third Group.
• Select a Channel that is not currently part of an existing Group.
• Press the
G
ROUP
button to enter Group Mode. The Group LED will flash.
• Double-click any Channels that you want to add to the Group.
• To save the Group, press the
G
ROUP
button again. The flashing LED will go out.
Shortcut: While in the Group edit mode, you can start the process of creating a new
Group while editing an existing Group. To do this,
• Press a Channel button that is not already part of the current Group being edited. Its red LED will light solid.
• Double-click Channels to add them to a new Group.
• Create a third Group by following the same procedure.
• Exit the Group edit mode to save the Groups.
• Save the Preset.
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Aviom A-16 Personal Monitor Mixing System
If you try to create more than three Groups, the interface will automatically select one of the existing Groups when you enter Group edit mode. You have the option at this point to edit an existing Group or clear Channels that are part of one of the other existing Groups.
Note: A Channel that is already part of one Group cannot be part of any other Group.
Making Changes to a Group
Once you have created a Group, you can edit it in a number of ways. You can add or delete Channels from the Group, and change individual Channel volume and pan settings.
To change a Group, start by selecting a Channel that is already part of a Group. All
Channel LEDs that are part of the Group will light. Press the
G
ROUP
button to enter the editing mode. The Group LED flashes.
Changing Channel Settings Within a Group
While editing a Group, you’ll notice that one LED in each Group is lit solid while the other LEDs are flashing. This solid LED indicates the Channel currently selected for editing. You can change its volume and panning without affecting other components of the Group. The changes you make to volume and pan affect only the selected Channel, allowing you to change the relative balance of the individual components of your
Group. Changes can be made in real time.
To select a different Channel in a Group for editing, press one of the flashing LEDs
(don’t double-click it). The new selection will light its LED solid, while the previously selected Channel will start to flash. Continue making changes as needed. Remember, volume and pan changes only affect the Channel whose LED is lit solid.
Removing Channels From a Group
To remove a Channel from a Group, simply double-click the Channel that you want to remove. The flashing LED will go out. To add other Channels to a Group, double-click them. When you have double-clicked to remove all Channels that were previously part of the Group you’re editing, the Group will no longer exist. You need at least two
Channels to have a valid group.
Exit the Group edit mode by pressing the
G
ROUP
button again. The LED in the Group button will go out. This saves your changes to the Group.
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Some points to note about Groups:
• Up to three Groups can be created per Preset.
• Groups are relative only to the Personal Mixer that they are created on.
• Groups you create on your Personal Mixer do not affect other Personal
Mixers being used in your system.
Remember that although you have edited and saved changes to your Group, you must still save the Preset if you want to recall the Preset with the new Group configuration intact.
Muting Groups
Groups can be muted if necessary while creating a mix or editing. The procedure is the same as for muting a single Channel. To mute a Group:
• First select one of the Channels that is part of the Group.
• The upper (red) LED in each Channel button that is part of a Group will be lit solid.
• To mute the Group, simply press the
M
UTE
button.
• The lower (yellow) LEDs in all Channel buttons contained in the Group will light, indicating that the Channels are now muted.
• Unmute the Group by pressing the
M
UTE
button again while the Group is still selected.
Note: The mute status of your Groups is saved as part of a Preset.
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